Back To The Grind

If ever there was a time that I was in desperate need of emojis to add to my posts, this would be it.

Oh, wait, I have them. 😈💪💥

If you've spent any time on Twitter within the last two weeks or so, you've likely seen this meme going around.

dentist: you need to stop grinding your teeth

student athlete: Stop Grinding?😂 The Grind Never Stops💯 No Breaks😈 We Stay Dream Chasing💪

— Lazy dog (@LaziestCanine) March 11, 2017 

Known as "Student Athlete" for obvious reasons, this popular dialogue meme mocks overly enthusiastic and self-centered student athletes who tend to make themselves the focus of every conversation, and never fail to mention just how physically fit they are. In the meme, someone makes some innocent statement or comment, only to receive a response focused on physical fitness and littered with emojis. Not to disparage student athletes or their commitment to their sport, but I think it's safe to say that we all know someone like this who goes just a bit overboard, and are finally relieved that there's a meme out their to shame them into shutting up for a change. Unless, of course, the fame just goes to their head...

It's not surprising that teenagers often let pride turn into arrogance, especially when they're better at something than everyone else. We all want to be liked, after all, and having your accomplishments recognized by your friends and family is a great feeling. However, there's a certain point where pride over our actions can transform into blatant, narcissistic arrogance, and it's often hard to tell the difference.

According to Hanan Parvez of psychmechanics.com, arrogance, defined as the belief of one's own superiority to others, manifests in behavior for three main reason. The first, as this meme points out, is pride over our achievements; our self-esteem is so boosted by doing something noteworthy and extraordinary that it causes us to look down on others who haven't done the same thing. The second reason is rooted much deeper, serving as a manifestation of insecurity, inferiority, and low self-esteem. In this case, arrogance helps to reject and dismiss others before they have the potential to do the same to you, essentially serving as a self-defense mechanism. The final reason boils down to simple attention-seeking; it goes without saying that everyone tends to notice the arrogant jerk in the corner of the room, even if it's for less than positive reasons. If people see that being arrogant and entitled gets them a lot of attention, it gives them a reason to continue being so in the future.

me : hey
student athlete : 😈💪💦💯🏈🔥
me : how did you say that out loud

— The Duke of San Jose (@fearcely) March 15, 2017 

Psychologists separate pride and arrogance by categorizing pride itself: authentic pride is when we feel good about ourselves and our actions, while hubrisitc pride is a result of egoism and narcissism, and is associated with socially undesirable traits like aggression. So what's the difference, you may ask? Well, people generally don't set out to be arrogant, meaning it's unlikely that being confident in yourself will turn you into an emoji-laden meme for everyone to roll their eyes at. Generally, arrogant people were conditioned to be that way from the get go, or are so insecure that they feel the need to always seek attention for their accomplishments. Basically, if you're worried about becoming arrogant, chances are that it's never going to happen.

FAFSA: List your family members.

Student Athlete: U mean my TEAM⁉️ONE eats, we ALL eat🍽We out here grindin' together💪😤 THAT'S family💯😈

— Gabe Perez (@GabePerez8) March 14, 2017