I was browsing and reading some postings on the internet few days ago. I bumped into a particular social network site with a blog facility on it. The owner of this site posted his opinion on particular topic which resulted in quite numerous of comments into the page.

What is interesting was that some commentators really show how they want to be viewed as intellectuals, smart thinkers with all those PhD qualities through their opinions. When I saw their profiles, they were the kinds of those who have been studying outside their (3rd world) home country, mostly with the highest qualification of education level. They are those who tend to look up to anything that origins from the high-income countries. Especially in terms of way of thinking and lifestyle of those modern societies or so-called “civilized” societies ( to differentiate societies of high-income countries from the low or lower-middle income countries).

I don’t know, in my view, these people seem to look down to the work of their own people. Some cynical comments on things that are made in their home country are often thrown into discussion. I believe majority of people from their home countries will drop their jaws in reading these opinions and comments. I can understand that as I have behaved similarly. However, I also can understand why these “overseas educated intellectuals” behaved in such ways as I – once in my life – apparently underwent the same situation.

Studying abroad – especially in countries that have always been cited as a point of reference for other small, powerless countries – is something to be proud of for those who originally come from the “other small, powerless countries”. It is a dream comes true. It is an opportunity to view the world from a different window. It serves as means of comparison studies. However, unfortunately, some are drown into the astonishment of the new life they discover in these newly found societies. Even worse, those “some” are caught and trapped in the spin of astonishment and they just either don’t want to get out of there or don’t know how to get out.

The next question is why they behave they way they do? Simple: they never find such amusement and amazement in their home country – their original society. Now, they find a new society with different rules, regulations, and customs. They make comparisons, some points of reference. When they do, they surprisingly find that the new society is much better, much more civilized than their origin and they finally end up to adopt an attitude of UOEIA – that is Utter Overseas Education Intellectual Arrogance. Sad but true…