If you want the truth, I’ll give it to you.
Narcissists are dumb.
I don’t mean to be rude, I’m just pointing out the obvious. And to appear smarter than they are, they need to work hard to come across as semi-intelligent.
And yeah, they’re pretty scheming when it comes to game playing and manipulation, but when you’ve figured them out, you can read them like a book.
So, I hear you ask, what are these things?
I’m going to write them, and I want you to stifle a laugh as each point hits you so familiarly. Hey, I’m all about the validation!
#1 Did you just drop this name?
You can bet they did, likely more than once, too! Narcissists are renowned for dropping names of people they think will impress others, and it gets tiresome to those who know what the score really is.
Name dropping somebody famous, important, or of laage public stature is what narcissists love to do.
The funniest thing is that the narcissist only really needs to have had a small run in with them once, or a smile from across the room, and they will convince the masses that this person is their new bestie.
Of course, all they want is the glory of dropping the name in a conversation and hearing the impressive gasps from the eager-eyed listeners.
Wow, I can’t believe you know them!
You swim in gran circles!
Well, the question you should really be asking is, really? I almost cringe with embarrassment when I hear yet another tenuous link like this because
I know that it’s just another attempt to look impressive, and smarter than they actually are.
#2 Speak with excessive confidence
The more confidently the narcissist talks, the more you have to hand it to them.
I mean, they are really something. And for you, you get to learn their ways and never unsee or unhear what is before you.
That’s how most people have their eureka moments with a narcissist – once you know what they’re really like, you can never unlearn any of it.
So the confident talking is just another distraction from how dumb they are underneath it all.
They nod and smile and carry an air of persuasion with them that convinces others they really are clever.
They’re not at all. They’re just great at pretending to know everything. Besides, you know the score.
If you want to be confident, you have to act confident. Narcissists are aware of this on a grand scale, so they play that part with ease.
Except you and I know better, right? Right!
#3 Parrot information
The last thing any of us want is to feel like we have a parrot sitting on our shoulders. We are not sailing the seven seas, and we do not answer to a captain!
However, if you’re unlucky enough to be stuck around a narcissist, I’m afraid this is going to be the case for a lot of you.
And when they want to look smarter than they really are, you’ll notice them repeating what you say for extra emphasis, feeling like they are really adding something fresh to the fold.
They’re not. They’re regurgitating old information in a way that they think makes them look special. And they honestly do think they look special, trust me.
Embarrassingly for them, they don’t. It just comes across as being repetitive and boring, but to others, it may seem new and exciting.
#4 Dismiss you with arrogance or sarcasm
Hey, if you can’t sound clever, what a way to distract the other person from it all!
Being sarcastic or arrogant is really a form of shut down for the narcissist, and the way it’s done is pretty much putting you in their place (or so they think).
When you’re on the receiving end of such treatment, it’s absolutely vital to remember not to fall into their thoughts of you.
They want their arrogance or sarcasm to cut through you like a hot knife in butter, separating you from yourself even more.
I like to tell people that this kind of attitude acts like a really obvious form of insecurity. I mean, what other kind of person would need to resort to such low levels?
Nobody.
So you always have to keep that in mind when you start to feel a certain way about their treatment of you. It tells you more about them than it does you.
#5 Avoid deep conversations that may highlight their lack of… everything
Keep it surface, everything has to be kept surface. Have you noticed that with narcissists?
They will not delve into any subject they feel uncomfortable with, and that’s mostly your relationship, and anything they’re digging themselves a hole with by initiating conversation about.
You sense they may be heading toward a subject of intelligence, but instead, they realize they’ve reached their limits. What happens then?
Would you excuse me? I’m getting a call on my cell.
Sorry, I need to pop over and speak to somebody I’ve just seen.
Anyway, I need to go find the bathroom.
It’s funny to watch as the narcissist squirms in the reality that they’ve got nothing else to give.
They sense from others that a conversation is swinging a certain way, and it’s like these internal alarm bells start to go off.
You’re in over your head!
You know you don’t know the answers to this!
Run!
Off they go, because it’s far better than sticking around and admitting they know absolutely nothing.
#6 Make others look stupid so they look good
It’s a classic move, and one that should make them feel really ashamed of themselves (but they don’t).
A way to make themselves look good is by making others look completely foolish, and I bet there’s a healthy handful of you out there who knows exactly what that looks and feels like.
When a person kicks you at any given opportunity, the question shouldn’t be what am I doing wrong, it should be What is it about this person that makes them want to treat me this way?
If they want to make themselves look good, making you look stupid isn’t the way to go about it, and if that’s what has happened to you, then I’m sorry, but you just encountered a narcissist.
#7 Hold your own!
It’s tricky to determine your own headspace in a relationship or situation where you have to endure a narcissist who tries to appear smarter than they are.
If you’re watching somebody you know really well act in such a fake manner, it’ll be enough to make you feel pretty uncomfortable, even to the point where your eyes constantly roll at them.
If they put you in the line of fire and act out purposely, then the best thing you can do is hold your own and keep smiling through it all in public.
I’ve heard that some victims got really good at firing back sarcastic comments that were tame enough for a wider audience, but the truth is…
…Is this something you really should be doing, or is it better in the long run if you just ditched the narcissist and lived for you for once?
