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We
therefore conclude...
It
is with heavy hearts that we finally admit that our search has
failed. There are no Humble Ateneans.
Our
survey method clearly demonstrated that no Atenean dares to think of
himself as below average. Actually, it didn't do that (we're
just being dramatic). What it actually did show was they are
unwilling to present themselves as below the norm. We're
almost tempted to conclude that if the survey had presented them
with a choice of rating themselves as perfect or imperfect, they
would have gladly chosen the former.
"There's
no room for improvement, as far as I can see," was one
unforgettable quote from an Atenean professional.
The
same conclusion resulted from our interviews. However, during
the interviews, we observed two things. One, an Atenean will
never present himself as inadequate. And two, whether or not
he is asked, he will volunteer the information that he or she can
do what others can't.
We
completely disregarded the results of our non-Atenean interviewees
(yeah... all four of them). The dislike was too
overwhelming. Nothing good would have come of it. Our
results would have been completely skewed. Then again... there
wasn't much to skew.
Our
planned excursion into the Real World and Cyberspace only reinforced
this idea. Again we discovered new things about Ateneans, but
no humble things.
One
thing we discovered is that they hardly ever admit wrong. They
will argue to the end trying to prove themselves right.
"I
was drunk! What did you expect me to do!?!"
When
it was explained that intoxication does not justify pouring beer on
a woman (okay, it was accidental), our Atenean subject
grudgingly admitted, "Oh okay... I'm sorry. But you saw I
was drunk, you shouldn't have been standing in my way."
Gee.
Thanks.
Surprisingly,
this desire to absolve themselves of any wrongdoing extended into
the internet (where, one would assume, with the inherent anonymity
of each user, it would be easier to admit a mistake). In one
hilarious exchange in Atenista.Net, we observed an outsider
strategically pin down an Atenean. As the noose was about to
close, the Atenean, Pizza Guy, resorted to editing a post and denying its
original content!
The
exchanges that we observed in PinoyExchange.com were just as
hilarious at times, although we are hesitant to form conclusions
from those observations as pseudo-Ateneans are not uncommon in that
forum.
Thank
you all for your time and we hope that you enjoyed reading about our
escapades as much as we did going through it.
Our
next project: Poor State (UP) Students: Fact or Fiction?
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