Condescension is not a mark of expertise, efficiency, or experience. It's actually an indication of defensiveness.
Think about it this way: If you start to ask me a question, and I don't actually listen to what you're asking because I think I already know what you're going to say, does that mean I'm psychic?
And if I think I can predict what you're going to say by the way you look or sound, does that make me a genius, or does it make me something else entirely?
If I think I know what your mental limitations are by the way you speak, compared to the way I and my friends speak, what does that say about me? Does it say that I'm GOOD at judging others, or NOT so good at judging others? Why am I judging others in the first place, except to gauge whether they're dangerous to me or not?
If I'm judging others, what does that say about my ability to do my job well for ALL of my customers, clients, or patients? Am I only making real effort if I personally like the person?
Why do I think that I know what your entire "story" is, what you're going to ask me, or the limits of your intelligence, knowledge, or expertise? Why do I actually believe I can know any of that, for ANY reason? Am I some kind of god-like entity? Or am I just a child in a grown-up body who wants to BELIEVE I'm a god-like entity? Maybe my colleagues believe it too, so we all encourage each other in our shared fantasy?
Even if I WAS a god-like entity and COULD know your "limitations" and all the information about you, your story, or your life before actually finding out anything, WHY then am I acting so rudely, disrespectfully, and presumptuously?
A real god-like entity would know better than that.
And if it has to do with my job, why am I treating a potential client, customer, patient, or student (where my money comes from) with disrespect? Is that a SMART thing to do? Do I think I know exactly how much money this person is going to make me, or not make me, just by meeting them or speaking to them for a moment? By their voice, their sex, the look in their eye, the vernacular they use? Is that SMART, or is it NOT so smart?
Do I have any idea WHO this person is connected to, or associated with? Does it make me SMART or IGNORANT if I don't care?
Why do I not care about sabotaging my own career and reputation by treating someone with disrespect? Or is it that I believe I can tell the future and am omniscient, and therefore KNOW whether this person is "insignificant" or not?
If I believe that I'm categorically "above" the majority of the human species, then what other kinds of things do I believe?
If I'm making judgments about people based on not enough information, what else am I making judgments and decisions about based on not enough information?
So the next time you are speaking to someone like a doctor, lawyer,
nurse, teacher, psychologist, support technician, clergy, contractor,
veterinarian, store clerk, musician, artist, janitor, mechanic, friend, relative... pretty much anyone... and they talk
down to you, counter you, treat you with disrespect or like you're an
idiot, a beginner, or a child, lecture and over-explain like they have obviously assessed you as their inferior, they are revealing their
self-consciousness about their limitations, not their expertise.
