Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[explorer137]

Being �sophisticated� is a new buzzword in our daily life. There are so many people trying to be sophisticated. Nonetheless, real sophisticated and intellectual people are very different and they never propogandise their knowledge as so-called ones do. There are definite clues which sharply state the distinctions between the two groups.
Firstly, intellectual people are respectful for themselves due to their both manners and experiences. Moreover, their perspectives are vastly liberal as a result of the period of the time, which is generally spent on reading, researching and travelling in order to have adequate knowledge. Ofcourse, it is impossible to know everything in the world, yet these people are virtually familliar with most of these. In fact, a sophisticate person is a whizz on his/her particular subject besides his/her world culture. Thus, the intellectuals are polymaths and they certainly have an esthetic value. This esthetic value reflects their lifestlye which includes vast culture such as food, cinema and culture. These people are substantially good at history and furthermore politics. In addition to this, they know at least five foreign languages and they always try to travel frequently so as to practise these languages efficiently. Since they are open-minded, they anticipate and adapt to changes quickly. Overall, despite the fact that both sophistication and intellectualism are widespread, the real sophisticates and intellectuals are something of a rarity.
Secondly, a lot of people are only willing to be a sophisticate via making merely ostentation. These people are more common than the real intellectuals and they are called �eggheads�. They always buy flashy clothes and jewelerry so as to show off. Although they don�t have adaquate knowledge, they want to talk garrulously about everything. Inspite of not being bookish people, they try to convince people as if they have knowledge. On the other hand, they travel to other countries so that they can prove how �intellectual� they are. However, they only stay at expensive hotels and drink exotic drinks. Then, they boast about their cultural journeys, even though they haven�t spoken even one word in the language of the country they have been to. Their luxurious lifestyle and personal ostentation are hated because people arround them are aware of their ignorance. For instance, they eat �sushi� for lunch, yet they do not know where Japan is on the map. They think that wearing a pair of glasses and using a tobacco pipe are sufficient to be an intellectual.
To sum up, it is explicit that there are so many so-called intellectual people in the world. Perhaps, they will reach the success in the future, and be a perfect intellectual as they want to be. It would seem that there will be a lot of �sophisticates� as a result of the word loosing its real meaning. To conclude with a quotation from Francis Scott Fitzgerald:�I know. I�ve been everywhere and seen everything and done everything... Sophisticated- God I�m sophisticated!�

[Assambar]

Hi!

Well I must admit that I see a point in what you say. It is ridiculous how many people play at being "sophisticated". I should point out that I put it in quotation marks because generally speaking all of us are sophisticated considering the complexity of our personalities.
Anyway, what I would like to say here is that it is a really wonderful feeling to play at being "spohisticated". Therefore, I don't see anything so wrong in it. It is always funny to see the amazed expressions of your companions in a conversation when you 'carelessly' show them how much you know. It is peculiar to me how easily people get impressed by really stupid things, and by really stupid persons (like mysel f). To be honest I would sometimes hardly keep myself from laughing in their faces about the way they could be so easily 'charmed'. But still it happens sometimes that there is omebody who knows more than you do . Well, it is not quite pleasant then, but it is worth the risk, I mean the senasation that you may be caught in the act is wonderful.
The thing that I love more than the above acts of hypocrisy, however, is to catch people at being "sophisticated", without the needed background. It is really funny then, and interesting of course, to see how they would try to get out of the unpleasant situation. One could learn a lot in such occasions.
So, that's for now.
By the way, what made you that angry at "sophistication". You know someone like that that really pisses you off?

Greetings,
Assambar.
_________________
May the Force be with you!

[RedRose]

I think Bill Clinton is sophisticated indeed.

he is a smart man, very intelligent. his tactful diplomacy and his great Charisma may be unprecedented and the most wonderful of all American Presidents.

Of course, he had some affairs but that isn't my point right now.

[pinkhair]

dear explorer137,
I strongly think that I really admize what you said
It likes a easay