Such a Big Ego
We’ve all met someone just the wrong side of arrogant. A little bit of bragging is OK, but it doesn’t take much to cross that very fine line. Nice-bloke-to-douchebag can happen in three seconds. So where exactly does the difference between confidence and cockiness lie?
This debate came up between myself and the lovely Ondo Lady on Twitter during the Australian Open tennis final last week. Our very own Andy Murray played the man, the machine Roger Federer. I think Federer is a cocky twat, but many others said he’s just good at what he does. While I think he’s arrogant, they think he’s humble. I say he’s big headed, they say he’s confident.
At last year’s Wimbledon final he came onto the court in a tracksuit that had the number 14 stitched on it (for 14 Grand Slam titles) and he hadn’t even won yet. That’s kind of the definition of cocky, no? Though other people will argue it’s just healthy self belief. Then last week when he won the Australian Open, as Andy Murray stood on the sidelines in tears, Federer accepted his trophy and large cheque and proceeded to big himself up, talking about what a phenomenal game of tennis he’d just played.
But because he’s somewhat quiet and unassuming, people think he’s humble and unaffected. I put it to you that he’s a cocky twat!
Then we have someone like Kanye West. Perhaps Mr West is just making up for his time out of the limelight when he was a producer. Maybe he feels he was held back too long and intends to let everyone, their mama, dog, next door neighbour and second cousin twice removed know that he is the greatest of all time. At what exactly, I’m not sure. Being an egocentric twat? A moment stealing, microphone hogger? He’s definitely great at that.
But here’s the difference; with Federer, we can refer to his stats (as he plays an individual sport as opposed to a team one) and they speak for themselves. However much it pains me, he is the best at what he does right now. Kanye, (or any artist) saying he’s the best is redundant. Musical taste is subjective. Record sales mean nothing really (hell, didn’t the Ying Yang twins go platinum?) – they can just mean a whole lot of people have bad taste. And a whole lot of people really do.
A lot of this is cultural. For British people, being boastful and full of oneself is frowned upon, whereas in the States, they can’t get enough. Some people said if Brits let their cocky side come out more often, we might actually win at some sports.
If you’re good at what you do, shouldn’t you just be able to say it? Why do we feel the need to take the edge of our greatness to make others more comfortable? It should be enjoyable to rub your success in the face of an underachieving asshole. So, does self belief automatically make you cocky or are you just confident?
What say ye?
Related posts:
Tags: cockiness, ego, kanye west, Roger Federer
