The 10 Most Overrated Personal Qualities
10. Honesty
Everyone knows you won’t get anywhere if you tell the truth at all times. Granted, not everyone aspires to be a politician or a lawyer. But just like Bobby McFerrin asserted in Square One TV that, “anything you wanna be, you’ve got to know math” (see clip on YouTube if you’re feeling nostalgic), I now assert that anything you wanna be, you’ve got to be able to lie your ever-loving ass off.
9. Tact
Granted, it’s a life skill that will earn you friends, respect, and possibly promotions, but tact will only get you so far. Sometimes you have to say the things people don’t want to hear, not only to assert your individuality and express your opinion, but in order to keep the world honest. George Carlin is a good example of constructive tactlessness.
8. Persistence
Nothing wrong with sticking with something because you think it’ll work, but just remember: there’s a thin line between persistence and stalking.
7. Being good with children
We were all kids, so I don’t get why, as soon as you turn 21 or so, everyone thinks it’s some massive accomplishment when you’re marginally adept at interacting with the little fuckers. Kids are simple. Their needs are simple. They’re a hell of a lot easier to hang out with than most adults I know.
6. Integrity
Everyone has to do some shady shit once in a while to get by in this world, and most of the time, I’d rather not know about it. The most respected world figures throughout history have done all kinds of sketchy things, some of which we know about and (I assume) a whole lot more of which we don’t. That’s just life.
5. Being a hard worker
It’s sad enough that people sell their lives by the hour at a fraction of what they’re worth, but when they internalize the work ethic and start saying things like “I hate vacation” (a sentiment echoed by the likes of Anderson Cooper and Jay Leno), they become the wet dream of corporations everywhere. Damned Protestant ethic.
4. Being a team player
Anyone who’s ever worked with a “team” in a work or school environment knows that there’s always some jackass that slows things down, insists on their own shitty ideas being utilized, and basically annoys the hell out of the people who actually know what they’re doing. And it’s rare when there’s only one of these jackasses. Teams are bullshit.
3. Respect for authority
In this country, many people (way too many if you ask me) are raised to respect God, their parents, and their country, although somehow that rarely ends up translating to respect for their fellow man (especially of the gay or dark-skinned variety). Outside of the military, I can’t think of very many situations in which this quality is necessary for survival, and most of the time it only gets people into trouble, 1984-style.
2. Likability
The obsessive desire to please everyone at all times is a common problem, especially for women. It’s easy to let the desire to be liked get in the way of your own goals and desires, to the point where you can become a slave to public opinion. Being a doormat is not a positive quality. I don’t care what Jesus said.
1. Blind faith
The biggest lie of all. This is a quality that, if eliminated, would probably solve a lot of the other problems in this country. Anybody who asks you for blind faith is pulling a fast one on you. Don’t fall for it.
Regarding the last comment, I agree — I should really do a underrated list. I never meant this to be an authoritative list by any means, or any kind of indication of my absolute beliefs, just a little bit of venting — but if it gets people to talk about this stuff then that’s something, right?
this is a subjective list. not so much of objective. why don’t u tell us the underrated ones then?
You girls really need an education. Thankfully the library is still free.
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Thank you for the great comment! I will be the first to admit that this article is not consistent. But I am not so much worried about the people who exemplify these qualities well (obviously I pride myself in being hard working when it is something good I am working toward). I just see too many people beating themselves up over not meeting an impossible standard, or breaking their backs to serve a useless purpose.
I don’t want to nitpick, but the team-player you described is pretty much the exact opposite of what one actually is. The rest seems fairly accurate, albeit a little one-sided. I’m not sure how many of these qualities are actually overvalued in modern society. Perhaps if someone comments on a person having one of these qualities, it is because they are observed so rarely, and in such few people (excepting faith, of course).
I also think the hard worker you described is a bit too simplistic. Yes, throwing all your time into something isn’t healthy, but putting forth effort and doing a job right has value, I think. Look at this post, for example. You made a cogent argument using logic and reason, and the counterarguments all consist of the “shut-up! you’re stupid!” method of debating.
Better yet, go harass Ann Coulter on her website!
Seriously, you people that comment negatively on this writing, its original, its online, and its part of an organized body of work, do any of you have that?
No? Then shut the fuck up, the thing about writing is that you can write anything you want whenever you want, but you three sentence critics, you disgust me, and you are everywhere on this internet, I had no idea society was filled with such banal hateful assholes.
These two women have something really fucking special , so please shut the fuck up and if you dont have a combination of words to post that might add to the writing that they have written, then go harass maddox on his website.
you’re a couple of bitter women, arn’t you?
Brad and Ryan are my new heroes!
To what “Sucker” said… Our government is misdirected, lame, unsupported, and vitriolic. The U.S. is so close to another deppression and you call these people losers, perhaps you should take a look in the mirror.
I’m surprised that the feedback to your little “top 10″ article has been mostly negative. I think the commenters may be missing the thesis entirely. This isn’t a list of worthless or unimportant qualities, it is simply a list of overrated qualities. I agree with most of them. The perspective of the writers is very reasonable, honest, and realistic. The negative commenters apparently are living idealistic, as opposed to realisitic, lives.
Good article. In the end, I’m not sure it’s really worth writing though. Those living lives based on faith are to blinded by ideals to realize the truth of the article. Those who realize the truth of it take no value from it, as they already understood these things.
No.2…
Jesus was very disliked in his Time…
(hence the crucifixion)…
and apparently not extremely popular in this day and age…
Do me a favor and go put yourselves out of my misery.
People like you make me really despair of reasons as to why humanity should keep on existing.
Are you proud of being bottomfeeding scum? Because it sure sounds like you are.
This list is really, really pathetic guys. Seriously, just, wow. Not even really in need of any academic dissection here, this is misdirected, lame, unsupported, and vitriolic.
Why don’t you add:
–Caring
–Voting
–Not being a lazy totally self centered wretch with zero social skills, hopes, dreams, or purpose in life
Congratulations, I deem thee, both, officially, losers.