Not quite sure why this is, but “Pseudo-Intellectuals” are definitely one of the more unfortunate things I’ve noticed in the dating world. You may remember that classic scene from Good Will Hunting, where Will shuts down a pseudo-intellectual who is trying to pick up a girl at the bar. “My boy is Wicked smaht!” If you don’t remember, here it is:
Sometimes it begins with an animated discussion about certain books, authors, stories, how they affected so-and-so’s life, and oh… how the list goes on. Other times it begins with an awkward conversation, one that happens so slyly underneath a blanket of vodka tonics that the victim doesn’t notice the embarrassing amount of fallacies that they’d usually point out if sober. Often times it doesn’t even occur in an intoxicated situation; rather it could be in a normal conversation at a coffee shop. You’ve seen that guy sitting near the window looking down into a thick book filled with impressive words and philosophies, but what you don’t realize is that he’s looking up to make sure you notice.
“Do you read?” No? Oh. Gasp.
The media is all over this too! Blogs have begun to pick up on the sudden attractiveness of men reading. Various other sites, books and movies depict the dreamy man as a smart, refined, beautiful gentleman. So of course guys are going to try and be perceived as such!
The sexuality and power of intellect is undeniable. But whether it’s intriguing insight or raw knowledge, which is what? In reality, it’s not so much the pick up lines or the questions that get us peeved, but rather when that someone begins to lie about books they’ve read or even the one you’re reading for the sole motivation of getting in your pants.
Don’t worry gals, for here are quick and easy tips on how to avoid these fallacy-filled predators:
- If he says he’s read the book you’re reading, get specific. If this guy really has read this book, he’ll remember distinct characters or scenarios.
- If someone is staring off into the sunset in a contemplative manner or reading a monster of a book, double check to make sure he isn’t looking around to make sure people know he’s a deep thinker. Deep thinkers are normally too lost in thought to realize it.
- Check his Kindle to make sure he’s not reading cliffs notes! Or worse, contacting someone on fiverr for information about a book.
- Eye contact. This goes for any time you’re picking out a liar. If their eyes are going off in the distance or they get fidgety, keep your guard up.
Unfortunately, when it comes to literature, it’s easiest to sling BS and get away with it. Themes can be abstract, interpretations can vary and sometimes even if we’ve read the book, some facts don’t stick with us. It may just take a little luck for them to slip up with their facts. Or it just might be a gut feeling that he’s angling for something more than your home library. Regardless, you deserve to be treated with the respect to not be lied to!
I’ll leave you with this: Go out there, be brave, and brace yourself for the storm of new wave pseudo-intellectuals dotting the seas of the dating world. Happy hunting!
Men who would lie about their intellect are just pathetic. If they feel that insecure to the point that they’d pretend about something as simple as a book, they can’t be trusted at all. These aren’t white lies. They’re more than that. They have something else going on inside their heads other than just wanting to get into a girl’s pants. They tend to manipulate as well. If you really think about it, being insecure about one’s intellect can stem into so many issues that they have about themselves. Dude, how can you fall asleep at night knowing that you’ve lied to a woman about a goddamn book that you don’t even understand.?
People would do anything nowadays just to trick people… I can’t believe this.
Wow, men would do this? ?
It’s funny how I can totally relate to this because I had an ex who was a pseudo-intellectual. I feel ashamed having to call him an ex because it just shows that I was tricked by it. No, he didn’t trick me about a book, but instead, he was always talking about how he was smart and that he has good grades. I guess I was naive enough to believe that he really was smart, just because he talked about “being smart” so many times that it got drilled into my brain. I was the smart one, actually. But for some reason, he was competing with that idea all the time. It was his defense mechanism that he really had nothing in his brain, so he made other people feel dumb.
Whoa, this took a bad turn. There’s more than just being tricked by these type of men. They’re really meant to deceive.
The fact that book reviews are available online makes this an easy thing for guys to lie about!
When someone tries to do this to you, ask him about how he feels about the scenes in the book instead. It would be easier to determine if he’s pretending.
If you’re a smart cookie, you won’t even have a hard time figuring out pseudo-intellectual men from the really smart ones. If you’re a woman who loves books, I’m going to bet that 80% of you are smart enough. Men are funny, they’d go an extra mile to fake smartness just to get in your pants. Smartness can’t be faked. You’ll be able to spot an ounce of stupidity once they start talking. No amount of memorization can make a person express the heck out of a book he’s pretending to read.
If anyone get’s tricked by this I don’t even know anymore.
Men who read could be dreamy but pretending to read just to be dreamy is a NO.?♀️
Pseudo-intellectuals need to be appreciated as well hahahaha the sarcasm goes on.