Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Self-Esteem

SELF-ESTEEM, n.  An erroneous appraisement.

2008 Update:  The principle spirit in the cocktail sobriety and the modern baby's bottle.  The soul-crushing, goal-shattering, mind-numbing addiction to the vapor is generally taken to indicate good parenting.

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

self-esteem - That condition I find myself in when I'm really steamed over something. As in: "I've really set myself asteam."

Anonymous said...

self-esteem - that which is sorely missing from the lives of 6 persons who beat up the sole cheerleader down in florida.

Unknown said...

its better than other-esteem

hjtndik: he's just another d***

Anonymous said...

SELF-ESTEEM, n. Magic elixir transforming "murder", "rapine" and "theft" into "expressions of self-determination", the transformation conferring an advantage upon the one administering the potion.

     Lady, it’s sad our time is past,
     Togetherness is done:
     You will stay in the place we made
     While I go track the sun.
     But while you chant paeans to your self-esteem
     Keep in mind this little pome,
     For an instant before it was too late,
     And still with a limping, halting gait,
     I have come to discover my own.

          - S. B. W. Bartlebar

Tom & Icy said...

Thinking we'll not get caught.

Jamie Dawn said...

Self Esteem comes in poor, good, low, and high.
Mine tends to bounce around and not remain consistent. Today it is good, but after I eat and the waist of my pants feels tight, my self esteem may very well move into the low category.

Think happy thoughts about yourself!!!!
Have a truffle!

:-)

TLP said...

Self-esteem: a little goes a long way. Also see, a little dab'll do ya.

Ariel the Thief said...

Self-esteem, the most misunderstood feature. Jesus had it, Caiaphas had not.

Anonymous said...

SELF-ESTEEM n. in contemporary culture has become the conviction that "self" always holds more value than "other".

Anonymous said...

self-esteem: basking in the knowledge that Dr Phil, Suze Orman, Oprah etc have set you on the right path, known to others as self-righteous

Anonymous said...

How interesting that I should come and visit today...perhaps it is because my Self-Esteem is high enough today to come and play with this erudite group.

Anonymous said...

In all seriousness, lest your readers be led astray, self-esteem is the sine qua non of education!

Anonymous said...

I would have said the quid pro quo, Dr. Minnie.

Doug The Una said...

Poobah, that's 90% of the whole world's outrage.

Sauerkraut, I haven't heard that story but it sounds like they were missing a lot.

Karma, it does feel better.

Amoeba, great poem. You should license it to the hen-pecked.

Icy, you ate a kitten, didn't you?

Thanks, JD. How 'bout a double-double instead?

Absolutely right, TLP.

Ariel, you are the official theologian of Waking Ambrose.

Right, Quill, through the impression that if I am self-abusive it is important that I not beat myself up over it.

Pia, just right. Well done.

Mo'a, I can't speak for the rest but I eat bugs. Great to see you, though.

Dr. Strator, you will, perhaps, find it affirming to know that I nearly added "and successful schooling" to the end of my definition.

Weirsdo, I still remember without nostalgia the pre-exam study sessions professors would offer at which you could ask questions either about the material or, with all your classmates, why your grade on the term paper wasn't higher.

tsduff said...

The ugly duckling didn't get any self esteem until his long awaited swanhood arrived.

Ariel the Thief said...

Terry, I once read a story a man deeply in love with his beautiful and popular wife wrote. In his story the ugly, shy girl with red hands and not very nice personality didn't turn into a sweet princess but the boy fell in love with her anyway, and they lived happily ever after.

mireille said...

I'm with Tom and Icy. Taken to extremes, self-esteem becomes the emblem of the sociopath -- who's numb to any faults (and can't get caught), or, better, the narcissist (who doesn't have any faults) and shouldn't get caught. I'd like the latest edition of DSM for my birthday if anyone's listening. And some flowers. xoxo

Doug The Una said...

Actonbell it depends on the butter, really.

Terry, that reminds me of Petra. Love and self-esteem, together, make dreams come true. At least for plastic paddle boats.

Ariel, in Leavin' Cheyenne, one of Larry McMurtry's earlier novels, appears one of my favorite lines of literature: "A woman's love is like the morning dew, just as likely to settle on a horse turd as a rose." I guess Texan women and Magyar men have a lot in common in the eyes of their novelists.

Mireille, in moderation it's still a trap. To all my florally inclined psychiatrist friends, Mireille's birthday is June 21st.

Minka said...

self esteem, n. as the bible says: "love others as you love yourself" people tend to forget that you have to love yourself first to pass it on.

Doug The Una said...

It's actually less of a burden when you don't.