Lecture

"Welcome all, new and returning students, to a year of discovery and application. This course is sometimes called a social study, though I like to use my own name for it: Superlogy. This term is combined of two Latin words; super as in superior, meaning something that is proved to be better as a whole and logy which, as I’m sure you’re aware, means the study of. As this is an investigation of the social behaviour we see in almost every corner of the world, throughout the year we will be researching exactly how and in what this quality is exhibited.

Over the years scientists have come to the conclusion that beginnings of superiority behaviour occur more frequently in those humans who are either louder, stronger, funnier or smarter than the average person in their vicinity (what we call, more specifically, their domain). Unfortunately, these people may not actually be more intelligent or powerful than the others in their domain and often challenge their subjects to defend the title role. Groups may form supporting one of the competitors, which leads to division and chaos throughout the world.

As an effort to limit these disturbances in the fragile balance between Superidiots and Superegos, we as a class are going to observe an office schism, take notes and assess the progression of superior behaviours. We will then use our findings to educate another class about how to prevent conflicts such as these and the consequences of a clash within a domain. I’m sure that, even though we will learn to recognize the signs of superiority, we will eventually observe some symptoms within this very class. Your challenge is to use preventative measures and correct yourselves if the situation develops.

To clarify, Superidiots are those who believe that they are more valuable or worthy of leading their clan than anyone else, but are in fact, horribly mistaken. Superegos are people who know for a fact that they can do a better job than a Superidiot, but make the situation worse by creating division in the domain. The great irony of this whole situation is that the people who are in truth more fit to lead than those in the spotlight are the ones who will never be allowed to claim it as their own. These people are called the Deuswise.

Both types of dominating personalities are frequently the cause of many problems in this world, though their involvement goes largely unrecognized. These issues include bullying and intolerance and result in the exclusion of any ‘inferior persons’, in the opinion of the oppressor. From your own experiences, it is likely that you can now recognize some of the similarities between a child who steals lunch money and a boss who favours men over women. Such negative consequences can make a person wonder whether there is any good that comes of having someone sit on a higher ladder rung than the rest of us.

Despite popular belief, superiority can be beneficial for a community. When a group is led by someone who is filled with confidence in their abilities they are more drawn to them as a leader and are more likely to obey their rules. Powerful people like this have followers who watch and react to their every move because they know of their inferiority. If the awe-inspiring person sets a good example, many people will follow suit, which will improve relations between them. A person needs a role model to follow and to give them incentive to achieve excellence in what they do. There is a fine line between abuse and good use of this power over one’s domain; it is imperative that a leader evaluate all motivations and consequences before exercising this power.

For the remainder of the period I would like you to read chapter 1 in your textbook: Characteristics of the Deuswise. Please answer the questions on page 5 of your workbook for tomorrow and be prepared to discuss the theories presented in the reading with the class. As you read, try to identify where you stand in relation to the hierarchy of superiority – what your faults are, how you can improve and what virtues you possess that you could contribute to society."