By Solanus Mweberi
I detest snobs with all my heart and soul. For those who are not in the know, a snob is a person with a deranged and misplaced sense of self-impotance. He overrates himself. He has a bloated ego. A snob suffers from conceit. He associates himself with “important” and influential people. He admires and adores them. Stupidly, he thinks that by associating with such people, he becomes one of them!
Snobs are usually semiliterate . They become worse if,by luck,they get some small money and therefore translate into parvenus. (A parvenu is a person of low class who suddenly becomes rich,usually by unfair and corrupt means.And more often than not,the riches may come through his association with corrupt leaders with whom he associates.)
Most snobs become active during political electioneering period. They strategically position themselves and become principal agents of the politicians. They are the know-it-all about politics. The true colours of snobs come out if there man wins the election.
Snobs take it as their own win! The problem occurs if the political leader is weak and naïve as to be controlled and directed by his snobbish agents during his tenure of office. This one is exacerbated if the leader,be it an MCA,MP,Senator, etc.allows his snobbish footsoldier to run errands for him/her.
Recently, I had an encounter with such snobbish agent of a local political leader who was sent to present the leader’s contribution to a bereaved family during a funeral. The agent,in his characteristic snobbish behaviour, took it unto himself to be the leader. Instead of presenting the said leader’s contribution and maybe passing his apology for not attending personally “because of pressing duties elsewhere,” the “boss’s” agent started to bombard the mourners with the leader’s nonexistent development agenda;what his able leader “has accomplished” and the many development projects that are in the pipeline!! Please leaders, spare us of snobs.
