marshall wrote:
OuterBoroughGirl wrote:
However, the children don't see me as an authority figure. Thus, they often don't listen when I give an instruction, though they will listen when another adult gives an instruction. They just don't seem to realize that I'm an adult. I just can't figure out how to give off that vibe of poise and self assurance. I can't even figure out how to exercise any control at all over the vibes I'm giving off.
I don't understand why people value this so much. I guess I just can't stop associating things like "athority figure", "poise", and "self-assurance" with people I instinctively don't feel comfortable around. It always sets off some kind of d-bag alert feeling inside me. "confident but unassuming" is what I'd rather aim for.
Yes I get that too. Dad used to say that whenever a group was feeling like they didn't know what to do about a situation, they'd always converge round anybody who acted like they knew it all. People like that may show great confidence in themselves, but I don't have any confidence in them - I think most of them are charlatans looking for an easy way to high status, like politicians who always pretend they know everything. "Don't follow leaders - walking parking meters" as Dylan used to say.
The ones who really annoy me have "put-on" accents which don't sound quite natural, and everything they do comes over as underhanded posturing, full of moral certaintly, resolutely barking out half-truths and other antidemocratic tricks.
07 Oct 2010, 11:35 pm
