There is a very specific type of intellectual snobbery that exists exclusively among people who peaked in college seminars. You know the exact type. They love to sit around drinking cheap wine while aggressively quoting classic literature just to prove they are the smartest people in the room. But having a college degree does not automatically make you a genius, and skipping university certainly does not make you stupid. One woman on Reddit recently proved this point by publicly humiliating her incredibly smart husband over his reading habits, and the internet is absolutely roasting her for it.
The Original Poster is a woman who has been with her husband Will for four years and married for two. Will is a proud member of the United States Navy. He is not just swabbing the deck or peeling potatoes in the galley. Will actively works on nuclear reactors on submarines. Let that sink in for a moment. This man is submerged in the ocean operating highly explosive nuclear machinery to keep his crew alive. He is basically a real life rocket scientist.
Recently, the couple attended a small house party hosted by a few of the wife’s old college friends. The group was sitting around the living room discussing all the different books they have been reading lately. Enter a deeply pretentious friend named Steve. Steve decided to turn his attention to the Navy husband and put him on the spot by asking him what his favorite book was.
Will gave a completely normal and universally respected answer. He told the group that he really likes To Kill A Mockingbird. It is an absolute classic for a very good reason. But Steve decided to be an absolute elitist jerk. He gave Will a quizzical look and condescendingly asked if he had actually read any books outside of high school.
Will hesitated for a moment and answered honestly. He explained that outside of the highly technical manuals he has to read for his nuclear engineering job, he guesses he really has not read much fiction. This was the perfect moment for a supportive wife to step in, defend her partner, and maybe change the subject to something more inclusive.
Instead of having her husband’s back, the wife completely threw him to the wolves. She looked at her snobby friend Steve and chimed in with the most disrespectful comment imaginable. She told the entire group that Will is not well educated, so he has never had a reason to be well read. She essentially called her nuclear reactor operating husband stupid right to his face in front of her college buddies.
To make matters infinitely worse, the wife and her friends all shared a good hearty laugh at Will’s expense. Unsurprisingly, the humiliated husband completely shut down. He sat there quietly and did not contribute a single thing to the conversation for the rest of the night. He was entirely alienated by the woman who is supposed to love and support him the most.
The tension finally boiled over during the car ride home. Will was sitting in complete silence. When the wife casually asked if he was fine, he delivered the ultimate sarcastic response. He just said “Peachy” and stared straight ahead into the dark.
The incredibly oblivious wife then asked if she did anything to upset him. Will fired back with a devastating reality check. He told her he did not know, and added that he probably was not educated enough to properly explain himself. That single sentence proves that Will is actually brilliant and incredibly quick witted.
Instead of immediately groveling for forgiveness, the wife doubled down on her horrific behavior. She tried to justify her insult by claiming she never said he was unintelligent, she just meant he was not college educated. When Will rightfully accused her of minimizing how insanely difficult his Navy schooling was, she argued that military education and college education are simply not the same thing.
She is entirely correct that they are not the same thing. Learning how to safely maintain a nuclear reactor on a metal tube hundreds of feet underwater is vastly more difficult than writing a five page essay on a fictional novel. The amount of advanced mathematics, physics, and engineering required to do his job completely dwarfs whatever liberal arts degree she and Steve are currently holding onto.
Even her own sister completely called her out. The wife texted her sibling to complain about the fight, and the sister immediately called her a huge ahole who desperately needs to apologize. The internet unanimously agrees with the sister. Having a college degree does not give you a free pass to belittle your spouse. What would you do if your partner insulted your intelligence in front of their friends? Let us know in the comments below!
She’s a disrespectful biotch!!!
Yes, without question, you are one huge AH!
You disregarded his education, because in your mind, you felt the need to be superior to look good in front of your friends, at his expense.
I would recommend apologizing immediately. That comment was judgemental and diminished his years of service and training in front of a group of people you both know and socialize with.
I would be surprised if he doesn’t leave you. He would certainly have every right to do so. He likely does more for his country than your so called education has provided.
It seems you missed the course on decorum and humility, opting to make yourself feel superior at his expense.
You should probably be grovelling right about now…unless that too is beneath you and that inflated ego.