Study finds that we're all arrogant jerks, can probably fix its own damn iPod next time

Hey you -- yeah, you. The one reading this here gadget site. You know what? You're a jerk. A complete kneebiter. That's the conclusion of a recent study conducted by Mindset Media and Nielsen Research, which evaluated the "mindsets" of 25,000 American adults and found that technology fans scored high on such traits as leadership, "dynamism" and assertiveness, but had low marks in modesty and could be perceived as arrogant and conceited by others. That's fine by us -- we're not going to turn down leadership for being well-liked, after all -- but we've got a feeling those survey results are going to change as soon as someone at Nielsen needs his or her printer drivers updated. Obligatory Nick Burns video after the break.

[Thanks, Benjamin; hoodie from ThinkGeek]

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 21st 2008 6:55AM]

"BTW, where can I get a sweatshirt like that one? I seriously need one. I'm TIRED of people asking me how to do the most stupid stuff (specially when all you need is to READ)."

And the answer to your question can be found if you just READ.

[raybiker73 Posted Jun 20th 2008 12:59AM]

A jerk? A complete kneebiter? Wow, it's taken a long time to make it alphabetically from Dent to Engadget. :-P

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 20th 2008 1:14AM]

Oh this is just great, not only are nerds/geeks being put into a single category, but now Americans are being generalized. Were not all complete ass holes, actually most of us aren't. The only reason people look at us "computer specialists" like arrogant ass holes is because that's what we have been pushed to. Really what do you expect! We take your shit all day, uh yeah IT my computer won't work. Ok what isn't working. ok let's see how that works for you. Ok bye. Oh wait a second, what's missing here, oh right A SIMPLE THANKS!. were walked all over in the computer industry and everybody gets away with it. so really, can you blame us for being the way we are? We fix problems that a monkey could fix all day, and when the day is over, we go home and cry because all we have is our money because nobody cares about as even though we make the world what it is today... now if you'll excuse me I need to go pretend I can get a girlfriend...

[Nick9283 Posted Jun 20th 2008 3:17AM]

oh man that was good. sometimes i feel just like this guy and find my self saying stupid jokes like the javascript one. Hilarious. thanks for the laugh.

[keithwwalker Posted Jun 20th 2008 2:43AM]

This will be labeled in the future as the 'Steve Jobs' effect...
dick

[keithwwalker Posted Jun 20th 2008 2:44AM]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upzKj-1HaKw

[keithwwalker Posted Jun 20th 2008 2:44AM]

er.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upzKj-1HaKw

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 20th 2008 3:22AM]

And how many of the evaluations come from middle to lower class? Only reason is because most of these arrogant people are the rich types...no wonder they're so arrogant...duh

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 9th 2008 4:51PM]

THANX!!!
whatever ''I still will NOT FIX your computer'' !!! ;D ...
& I don't care how many half-idiotic 'geniuses' think I'm arrogant, prick, hacker or whatever else they can think of, that like to 'click' without reading on buttons & after that when something goes bad ''they haven't done anything, PC JUST stopped by itself'' ;D ... sure no problem I can fix it but it's gonna cost ya ;))) time is money ;))) after all I have to pay my mobile phone data bill so I can enjoy ENGADGET when i drink coffee on some terrace ... LOL

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 20th 2008 9:18AM]

lol its funny looking at these comments and I can see that the study was true lol

But seriously all the techies took the manuals away... everybody knows how to read but take away the manuals and they will need us forever!

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 20th 2008 6:08PM]

I've been doing user support (internal and external), and network admin for a while now, and, while I don't mind helping people, the complete helplessness that people display towards messages, simply because the happen to pop up on a CRT or LCD screen confounds me...

Case in point (and, yes, this has happened to me, both in this and similare forms)...

Caller: I can't log in to XXXXX!

Me: Okay, what error pops up on your screen when you try?

Caller: I don't know! I don't understand all this techie-stuff!!!

Me: Okay, don't worry about interpreting it, just read to me what shows up on the screen, and I'll use that to figure out what's wrong...

Caller: (grumbles to self) Alright.....(tapping in background)...."Invalid Password"

Me: Sounds like you typed your password wrong. Try checking (list of password options), and try again.

Now, I understand users who can't navigate registry hives and such, but you would expect them to interpret plain English. Or is that asking too much???

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 20th 2008 2:01PM]

GRRRRRR.... This is the EXACT* story I wrote in to engadget about for applying for a blogging position here....how dare you Nilay.... >:P

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 21st 2008 4:02AM]

actually its _Both_

Oxymorons are most tellingly employed in injecting a sense of IRONIC, ostensibly unintended, humor. The effect is to confront the reader or the listener with a sense of ludicrousness so as to render the whole sentence and the idea absurd and funny.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxymoron

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 21st 2008 11:58PM]

"You're a jerk. A complete kneebiter"

Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy reference? I love you even more, engadget.