You _are_ being told not to get above yourself. That seems quite plain to me. I'd drop him.
The only mitigating factor is that people without similar qualifications are also told that they (the people) are worthless, though in that case it's because they have no qualifications, rather than because they've devoted their careers to earning "worthless bits of paper". It's a pretty small factor, though. It boils down to defensiveness and petty revenge, and the revenge isn't even directed at the people who wronged them.
I think that it's great that you got your PhD, and I have an inkling of the kind of work that goes into them, and I have no paper qualifications at all, not even school-leaving ones. But then, I know that you won't assume I'm stupid or worthless because I have no qualifications, which helps me to feel pleased for you instead of resentful of you.
I will now stop, as I am making increasingly less sense.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2003-09-03 12:32 pm (UTC)The only mitigating factor is that people without similar qualifications are also told that they (the people) are worthless, though in that case it's because they have no qualifications, rather than because they've devoted their careers to earning "worthless bits of paper". It's a pretty small factor, though. It boils down to defensiveness and petty revenge, and the revenge isn't even directed at the people who wronged them.
I think that it's great that you got your PhD, and I have an inkling of the kind of work that goes into them, and I have no paper qualifications at all, not even school-leaving ones. But then, I know that you won't assume I'm stupid or worthless because I have no qualifications, which helps me to feel pleased for you instead of resentful of you.
I will now stop, as I am making increasingly less sense.