Showing off has several obvious characteristics:

The first is showing off among acquaintances, the second is showing off at the same level, and the third is showing off power.

Let’s talk about showing off in the circle of acquaintances first. The most typical example in this regard is of course Xiang Yu, the overlord of Chu. He has a famous saying: "Wealth and honor do not return to their hometown, but travel at night like embroidered clothes. Who knows!"

The background of this sentence is: at the Hongmen Banquet , Liu Bang escaped, quickly led his troops to escape, and gave up Guanzhong. Xiang Yu led his troops into Xianyang, slaughtered them wantonly, set a fire, plundered the Qin Dynasty's treasures and beauties, and headed east. Someone quickly advised him: "Don't leave. Guanzhong is a good place. It has mountains and rivers as barriers, fortresses on all sides, and fertile land. You can build a capital and achieve hegemony."

But Xiang Yu didn't want to achieve hegemony. Or maybe he thinks that he is done and wants to go back to his hometown to show off, "If you don't go back to your hometown now that you are rich, what's the difference between wearing a beautiful dress and leaving at night?" He must show off, he must let those in his hometown see it, he must Make them envious and jealous!

If Guanzhong was the capital, wouldn't Xiang Yu still be able to show off in front of the people of Guanzhong? No, because the people in Guanzhong didn't know Xiang Yu before, so they had to be in the presence of acquaintances to feel him.

Marx once said: "The essence of human beings is the sum of all social relations." Social attributes are the essential attributes of human beings. A person must care more or less about the feelings of others. "Others" are not strangers, but acquaintances.

Xiang Yu’s social relationships were established in his hometown. Some people despised him, some looked down on him, and some appreciated him and helped him. Now, he is returning home in glory. He wants to make those who once appreciated him happy, make those who once despised him feel ashamed, and make all the living beings in his hometown who have never traveled far and experienced no major events worship him...

This series of complex events Psychological activities can only be completed among acquaintances.

It’s a pity that if Xiang Yusheng were alive today, he could have established his capital in Guanzhong, and then posted pictures and videos of his cruelty to Xianyang in the circle of friends, and there would have been a waterfall of likes and flattery.

The development of network technology has created a virtual space. Modern people use virtual space to greatly expand their social interactions. Showing off in modern times can also be summarized as "group communication", that is, showing off in WeChat groups and circles of friends. After the outbreak of the new coronavirus, those who had posted about eating fried bats in WeChat Moments and Weibo suddenly became like street rats, busy deleting or apologizing.

Xiang Yu was a native of Si River (now Suqian City, Jiangsu Province). He gave up the best option of establishing a capital in Guanzhong and happily returned to his hometown, making his capital Pengcheng (now Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province). History proves that this was Xiang Yu's strategic mistake.

Historical records: Xiang Yu also threw the wise man who suggested that he set his capital in Guanzhong into a pot and cooked him to death, because when the latter saw that Xiang Yu did not adopt his advice, he complained: "People say things well." It's true that people wear monkeys and wear crowns." After Xiang Yu heard this, he was furious: How can you compare an overlord with great achievements like me to a monkey wearing a hat?

Later, Xiang Yu was defeated and would rather commit suicide in Wujiang than listen to the advice of the pavilion chief of Wujiang and return to Jiangdong in order to make a comeback because he "had no face to see his elders in Jiangdong."

Only by touching Xiang Yu’s life of showing off can we understand his tragic ending.

As for showing off at the same level - showing off happens not only in the society of acquaintances, but also in the same class. For example, in the Western Jin Dynasty, an era of chaotic outlook on life, there was a show-off man named Shi Chong who was famous for his "fighting for wealth".

When Shi Chong fought for wealth, he only fought with Wang Kai, who was about the same level as himself. He did not dare to fight for wealth with the emperor, nor would he ask for a fight like Tao Yuanming, nor would he drag a random commoner into a fight on the street.

Mr. Lu Xun wrote about a competition between Ah Q and Wang Hu to catch lice. Ah Q had always looked down on Wang Hu, but to his surprise, Wang Hu caught lice more accurately than he did, and he couldn't bear the fact that Wang Hu had more lice than Wang Hu. Big on him. He thought this was a shameless show off by Wang Hu, so he started a fight. Ah Q will not compete with his grandfather and fake foreigners to catch lice. His only opponents are Wang Hu and Xiao D. If they are not of the same magnitude, or of the same class, they will easily overturn.

At the end of the Qin Dynasty, when the peasants revolted, Chen Sheng became the queen. In the past, when Xiao Xun came, Chen Sheng took him to visit the palace, which was naturally a bit of a show off. But this young man was ignorant, and out of envy, he kept talking about Chen Sheng's embarrassing things in the past. Chen Sheng was very depressed: I originally wanted to open your eyes, but who told you to talk nonsense?

Under the instigation of the villain around him, he actually killed Fa Xiao and lost his popularity. Think about it, "Honghu" and "Fanque" are not of the same magnitude at all. Anyone who shows off to the other is asking for boredom.

Finally, let’s talk about showing off power. This is the most common and “uncontrollable” type of showing off, but it is also the most dangerous and the easiest to overturn. Power is a "double-edged sword" that needs to be used correctly and requires supervision and restriction. For example, the "Hubei Defense War" and "Wuhan Defense War" against the epidemic have mobilized the efforts of the whole country and can be called a sonorous song of unity. However, there are also harsh notes popping up from time to time - or showing off that "my husband is awesome at the police station". Carrying boxes of fruits and vegetables at home, or showing off that his father, who is an official, is so capable that he can arrange a vehicle to take him back to Jingzhou from Tianmen when the road is closed...

He is so thoughtless in extraordinary times. There is no discussion of "showing off", "cheating on one's father" or "cheating on one's husband", which shows how intense the pleasure of showing off one's power is.

Power without supervision is poison; showing off is a tempting sugar coating on the poison.

How did the mentality of showing off come about?

Psychologist Adler said in "Inferiority and Transcendence": The essence of showing off is inferiority complex. Therefore, people who like to show off excessively usually have a strong sense of inferiority. This is a very insightful statement. Jia Baoyu, the hero of "A Dream of Red Mansions", would not show off how many beautiful women he has around him or how many jewels he has at home.

Who are the people who are eager to show off excessively because of their strong sense of inferiority?

Wang Zhen, the great eunuch in the early Ming Dynasty, can fit in well. Wang Zhen was originally a poor rural teacher in Yuzhou (now Yuxian County, Hebei Province). He was looked down upon by others. He also thought that he could get ahead by taking the imperial examination, but the road was long and difficult, so he resigned from the palace and entered the palace.

In the early Ming Dynasty, it was very rare for eunuchs to be educated (due to Zhu Yuanzhang's regulations to prevent eunuchs from interfering in politics). Wang Zhen was nothing among scholars, but among a group of illiterate eunuchs, he was considered to be very knowledgeable. . In addition, Wang Zhen was "cunning" and good at observing people's opinions. After entering the palace, he was quite popular with Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty, and was arranged to serve the crown prince Zhu Qizhen, who later became Yingzong of the Ming Dynasty. After Zhu Qizhen succeeded to the throne, Wang Zhen became his most trusted person, calling him "sir", and the seeds of tragedy were sown.

The "Tumu Fort Incident" that led to the reversal of the Ming Dynasty's national revolution could actually be avoided. Even when tragedy is about to occur, there are opportunities to avoid it. The ruin was Wang Zhen, who was obsessed with face and showed off, and ended up becoming a dead eunuch. He encouraged the emperor to personally conquer Oara, and led the Ming Dynasty elites out of the capital in a mighty manner. When they arrived in Datong, they felt bad and prepared to retreat.

At the moment of life and death, Wang Zhen was still bent on showing off and wanted to withdraw his troops from Zijingguan (now northwest of Yixian County, Hebei) so that he could pass through his hometown of Yuzhou and let Yingzong visit his mansion to pay homage to his elders in his hometown. Show your majesty and sweep away your inferiority complex - "Look, everyone today is my student."

After walking 40 miles, Wang Zhen suddenly remembered that the large group of troops passing through Yuzhou would definitely damage the farm crops in his hometown, so he quickly sent an order to change the route eastward, heading towards Xuanfu (now Xuanhua, Hebei) Marching in the same direction, they were overtaken by the Oara army.

Even so, it is not yet irreversible. Ming Yingzong had the opportunity to retreat to Juyongguan (which meant safety), but Wang Zhen considered that there were several large carts that could not follow, which could be full of treasures that he had collected along the way and paid tribute to the local people, so he asked everyone to stop and wait at night. Staying in Tumubao, he was trapped in a tight siege. Then, there is no more.

Undoubtedly, the eunuch Wang Zhen is a person with a very low self-esteem. He has a bad past and can only rely on showing off his power, the emperor and gold and silver treasures to prove his superiority today.

The pursuit of superiority in front of others is the essence of showing off. Upon closer inspection, the psychology of showing off has this logic: being different → being superior to others → I am better than you → whether you accept it or not. The first three are self-psychological inferences that progress layer by layer, and "are you convinced or not" is the ultimate goal.

For example, analyzing the psychology of people who are addicted to "game" food is nothing more than "things are rare and expensive". Game is difficult to eat, expensive, and sometimes there is a "small legal risk" when eating it. Therefore, "average people can't eat it." If we can eat it, we are not "ordinary people."

There are many such scenes: a few people are chatting, and someone inadvertently mentions that he has eaten all kinds of food flying in the sky and running on the ground. Others who have never eaten it are salivating and envious when they hear the description. Those who show off pangolin blood fried rice and fried bats in their circle of friends often get a long list of envy: "When can I eat it?" Eating game has become an act of showing off wealth and even hinting at power.

Of course, those who are addicted to eating wild game, in addition to the mental pleasure brought by the feeling that is not the same as that of "average people", what is more important is the self-perceived physical gain - "game" has unique effects and is "a great tonic" Or "strengthening", from which the behavior of showing off has a clear logic, which is also the manifestation of the animal instinct of the showoff: I eat, I supplement, I am strong, my body is better than yours, I am more attractive to the opposite sex.

What is the "animal instinct of the show-off"? In the book "The Beauty of Beasts", American scholar Natalie Angell cited cases where a large number of male birds show off their feathers or cry to attract females during the breeding season. The more colorful the feathers, the louder the cry, the more attractive they are to females. The older they are, the more likely they are to have a second generation together.

British zoologist Desmond Morris made a more interesting discussion in the book "The Naked Ape". He wrote: Although humans are a high-level animal, they also grew up from a low level. After evolution, many of today's customary practices may have an ancient genetic background. All in all, selfish genes are at work: in the fierce competition, only by finding a partner with good health can you pass on your genes.

Showing off is a human instinct that has been around for a long time. Unfortunately, it has mutated.

Compared with the primitive people who proudly and simply showed off their strong bodies in front of the opposite sex under the unpolluted blue sky in the prehistoric times, the current people who rely on eating "game" to "strengthen their virility" are so wretched!

Three

Is "game" delicious? No, the environment in which wild animals grow is completely different from that of farmed animals. The animals raised are to provide food for humans, while wild animals are meant to live. They are full of muscles, without much fat, and their meat is thick and tight; the "game flavor" is very Nutritious? No, the so-called "nutrition" through "game" is the most ridiculous way to maintain health.

On the contrary, eating wild animals has on the one hand caused a certain type of animal to be on the verge of extinction, and on the other hand has caused horrific infectious diseases that are shocking. Engels was right: "We should not be overly intoxicated with our human victory over nature. For every such victory, nature takes revenge on us."

From this point of view, human beings show off all kinds of things, Most of them are self-deception, extremely absurd, and completely unable to stand the test of time. A person who showed off yesterday might be covering his face today and sighing: Why am I so stupid!

Jiang Wenli starred in the movie "The Beginning of Spring", which tells the story of the struggle between dreams and reality of young literary and artistic people in small counties in the 1980s.

In the film, there is a dance teacher from the County People's Art Museum who always wears a pair of tight white ballet pants and is ridiculed by the people in the county. In fact, even today, when individuality is evident, a man wearing such a pair of pants will inevitably make people stunned. But many years ago, for example, in France around the 18th century, it was popular for aristocratic men to wear a pair of white tights that were so tight that they showed off their slender body. Thinking about that picture makes you drunk. Today, it seems that men wearing white tights are not only aesthetically evil, but also bring great health risks.

The reason why Napoleon lost the Battle of Waterloo is generally believed to be that his mediocre right-wing commander Grouchy failed to reinforce the battlefield in time. However, there is also another theory. It is said that at the fiercest moment of the battle, Napoleon suffered from a hemorrhoid attack. , unable to ride a horse to the battlefield to command in person, could only lie in a tent to rest. Why did Napoleon suffer from hemorrhoids? The main culprit is leggings.

Popular is always a subject of showing off. There was a wise saying in the past: "Every trend is good, except influenza." In fact, in addition to influenza, many popular things are used to show off, and they are not good either. , but meaningless or even harmful.

For example, whitening was popular among aristocratic women in ancient Rome. But they actually used lead to whiten their skin. Lead is poisonous. Over time and over several generations, the consequences finally broke out. Many women lost their fertility, but those who still maintained their fertility gave birth to many imbecile children.

It can be said that although showing off behavior has been closely associated with human civilization and has a long history, it is sometimes also a disease of the times. For example, Japanese soldiers during World War II, generally those with a certain rank, liked to carry a saber with them. The Allies were very puzzled: Why did some pilots also carry long sabers? As a result, he was unable to jump out when it was time to parachute. He was stuck in the narrow cabin with a saber and burned alive.

The Allies had a joke back then: Japanese sabers, apart from being used to commit seppuku, were also given to us to be remelted for ironmaking when they surrendered. Why are Japanese soldiers so obsessed with sabers that were not very practical in the era of hot weapons? The famous book "The Chrysanthemum and the Sword" makes it very clear that the "sword" is a symbol of Bushido culture. For Japanese soldiers, carrying a long sword far exceeds the meaning of a weapon. It is more of a show off of status.

Ishihara Kanji, known as "Japan's number one military strategist", is very arrogant and one of the culprits of the "September 18th" incident. This person was undoubtedly a master of theory, but his physical coordination was average. As a result, he was stabbed in the crotch by the saber he was wearing, which caused the urethral opening to tear, and long-term blood in the urine caused bladder cancer.

Although this man escaped the gallows at the Tokyo Trial, he died of bladder cancer not long after, on August 15, 1949, the fourth anniversary of Japan’s surrender. How Ishihara Wanji stabbed the key part with a saber himself is unclear in various articles.

It is said that on the night of the September 18th Incident, the instigator Ishihara Wanji was so excited that he drew his sword on the Shenyang city wall, raised his hands, shouted loudly, and slashed downwards. It was a very classic style. She showed off her style, but due to poor body coordination, she cut off her crotch. This statement is very relieving, but it is too dramatic and not very credible. According to analysis, he should have performed improperly when dismounting.

This is the price of showing off.

Showing off is meaningless and comes with a price, so why can’t people avoid it? After all, we still pursue an illusory sense of superiority. The French writer Maupassant wrote a short story "The Necklace", which tells the story of Mathilde, the wife of a young civil servant, who borrowed a diamond necklace from a friend to show off her beauty to attend a party. Unexpectedly, the necklace was accidentally lost on the way home. She had to borrow money to buy a new necklace and return it to her friend. In order to repay the debt, she scrimped on food and clothing and worked part-time for others. She worked hard for ten years, but her beauty was no longer the same. Finally, I learned that the necklace I borrowed turned out to be just a fake diamond necklace.

Is there any better illustration of the absurdity of showing off than this?

How to control the urge to show off? Not an easy thing, after all, showing off is one of human instincts.

Economists can develop a formula that allows people to show off before they show off, and use this formula to calculate the "cost of showing off", which is roughly the sense of superiority brought about by showing off minus the trouble it may cause. , if it is a negative number, then don’t show off.

The late writer Wang Xiaobo wrote a story about his younger brother: "During difficult times, one day at dinner, there was a small piece of bacon in each person's bowl. After my brother saw it, he couldn't contain the ecstasy in his heart. I rushed to the balcony and shouted to the whole world: Our family is eating a lot of food! As a result, my father dragged me back and beat him up."

It is conceivable that Brother Wang will have a better memory in the future. After all, a moment of mental pleasure is exchanged for physical pain. Even a small piece of bacon may be confiscated that day, so it is safest to immerse yourself in eating meat. The Chinese people's way of life has always been to "make a fortune silently", which is not without reason.

However, sometimes, people feel that a cheerful showoff is safer than a rich and wealthy person. This is the complexity of human nature - both We dislike people who show off at every turn, and are afraid of people who are silent and elusive. The latter are often either virtuous and good, or treacherous and evil.

This problem still has to be solved by the law, punishing those who "make a fortune silently" through illegal means, and drawing a red line for those who are keen to show off.

Since the outbreak of the new coronavirus, calls for how to effectively protect wild animals have become unprecedentedly high. The 16th meeting of the Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress voted on the afternoon of the 24th to adopt a decision on comprehensively banning illegal wildlife trade, getting rid of the bad habit of overeating wild animals, and effectively protecting the lives, health and safety of the people. This is very important information. Without the gluttons who love "game", there would be no buying and selling, and without buying and selling, there would be no killing.

Use the law to control the conspicuous consumption of these diners, so that they can eat happily but be punished miserably. From now on, they will not dare to test the law. "Can't eat, dare not eat, don't want to eat", through legal restrictions, gradually forming habits, and changing this bad habit from a cultural perspective is the fundamental solution to protecting wild animals.