People I meet and subsequently befriend are always the same - thoughtful, deep, mostly happy and always nice. They are also pretty talented in some way or the other and are either super achievers already or, are clearly destined to get there. Unfortunately my work and occasionally my social life, brings me face to face with some typical all brat all attitude and zero substance young adults, who fill me with bemused scepticism. Somehow, they seem to think, with a supercilious, condescending and cold manner, they can command more respect and attention than they could by actually achieving something worthwhile.

What's more amusing is, they actually do. The air they exude is such and the confidence so overpowering, that the general aura leaves most unsuspecting people reeling in their wake. They get instant attention from the shopkeepers (while I get curtly asked to chuck my plastic container in the bin myself). They float around with like-minded associates, where I imagine conversation is devoid of eye contact since everyone is uniformly gazing into space at the tip of upturned noses. Most acquaintances are ignored, and if they do deign to interact, conversation is usually at its superficial best.

This creates a form of artificial importance they revel in. Some aspiring susceptibles lust after the glory this "in-crowd" seems to possess and the imaginary benefits of an exciting social life, in glamorous dos with pretty people. However, most of my talentless bratty favourites enjoy competing amongst similar equally talentless and bratty individuals. This sums up the core of their thoughts and actions, indeed, what presumably occupies most of their waking hours.

Jumping into the future, I feel reasonably certain that this will morph nicely and naturally into a love for all things bright and blingy, with a rich spouse or inheritance rushing to the rescue. This is probably not even a new phenomenon since good old Austen made it her business to mock the manner of the manor-born.

The strong reactions these individuals spark in me, do not stem from class differences or the matter of wealth and education. I just feel put off by the tendency to snub. It works wonders, there is no denying that. But, I find it so completely unnecessary! The people who are comfortable in their own skin, never seem to need to be anything but polite and friendly. The ones who are really ambitious and driven, rarely seem to have time to even bother putting on airs. I suppose there really is no wonder then, why it just so happens, that the more the conceit and chilliness, the more hollow and flimsy the being actually turns out to be.