I wanted to add something about how we receive arrogance. Maybe a big something.
We're pretty full-swing with finding some degree of modesty to be a virtue, definitely. When was the last time you heard this belief be critically considered? It definitely gets taken to levels that I would call extremes; where we hide who we are, the greatness about it, what we even think about our own selves. We're supposed to act like we aren't maybe special, or lovable people.
Why? We do we make social forbeyance, even taboo of revealing ourselves and our own relationship with ourselves? Doesn't the conditioning of a world like this immediately scream out as pretty awful? It does for me \:
We end up with people afraid to love themselves to certain degrees, for fear of even being the person who has the high, loving and appreciative opinion for themself; thus preventing them from ever being in a position of being able to express that in any way, directly or indirectly. This can also be a foundation for the fragility of peoples self-confidence and security, which we see thrashed apart per relationship way too often.
I think that Oranguh is right on the validation, and want to further that; I think that this setup of forgoing further investment and regard for the self can very likely predispose us to finding that validation in our lovers. A lot of people may feel a certain "yeah, so?" response to that reality; I want to respond to that sentiment by telling it that this really isn't condusive to a healthy relationship. I won't say that it's a dealbreaker that nobody ever has or will get through; hardly. I just want to point out that the relationship has that much more stress on it when peoples self-esteem is riding on it. And what happens when that relationship fails? Typically, the person(s) with low self-esteem go back to not feeling as lovable, and wait for another case of love to come through and light them up again.
I missed the part where any adaptation took place here. Are we settling for subjecting the ambition and model of love to hoping that we land on the right someone, rather than doing what we can to improve ourselves as an individual, and through that, as a partner in a relationship?
I did this for a long time. Odd thing is that I have never been too lacking in the self-appreciation or confidence area. But I did have a very strong dodependent nature that, in ways, overrode this often and left me harrowingly empty without the other person there giving me their love anymore.
Anyway, back to the negative conditioning of this modesty business. This specific restraint from investment and comfort in the self may also lend itself to... a less developed awareness of self, and-so refinement of the self. Which, of course, loops back to stagnation and starts to now affirm, to a degree, that this person isn't all that special. Danger!!!
We also have the rest of the world and their reception to whatever individuals break some of the rules of modesty. I think that we all are very sensitive to the presence and context of other egos. And when we come across this, in the guise, or form, of "arrogance"... I think we're inclined to be put off by the idea because it is immediately as if they are speaking blasphemy; anything to do with the idea that they may be better than anyone else. And I am sure that some are. But this is really sloppy! Just because somebody didn't feel like refusing to admit to the world in any way that they thought they were a pretty great person.. this does not mean that they have no modesty, or that they think that, at the end of whatever unfathomable tally, they are better than somebody else.
I know that in my case, a large fuel for my being open about what I think of myself comes from a strong valuing of honesty which does not like the idea of being interfered with for the sake of a social norm that has been around since before we were ever critically analyzing it.
What's more; we think it's completely acceptable to flatter others! And it's good! Being appreciative of what is is great for us. And it just looks silly to me to be so interested in and appreciative (vocally so) of others and to refuse that of ourselves; yet love the hell out of it when someone who isn't us, thinks a lot of us.
I just think that it's really mean to ourselves and to our others that we have gotten in our heads as something we all agree on and don't often think twice about; shouldn't we be celebrating ours and others virtues, or simply their happiness? The whole icky repulsive thing (that I have triggered a lotttt in women) has always felt like this ugly divide put between us by their egotism, or even objective ideas about how I am supposed to see myself, or speak about myself.
What's more in perspective with this; the more repulsive, unfounded style of arrogance that I myself am likely to be uninterested in... it is probably often just that person's social skillset for some of the same jobs you have to do. Maybe the way you handle things isn't the most viable for them, and maybe you have some 'shortcomings' of your own which you rely on to patch certain holes in your functionality. It's easy to get put off by a stereotypical a-hat who thinks he is gods gift to women, but only because it is so easy to forget to really be understanding and consider whether they really are much different from you, and whether this particular thing is really such an illegal move.
I have actually charmed (to varying degrees; a few minutes, an hour, a long-term relationship) a decent amount of people in my time with decidedly stereotypically 'annoying' arrogance. Most are repulsed right away, irrepairably, but for those who aren't; It's funny at first, to challenge them with the idea that you are special and to see how they respond to that (I learn a lot from people by their reception to the insertion of any ego into things.) Sometimes it goes pretty damn well and people are open to liking what you like about you. You just need to be something short of a narcissist and not make a talkshow out of your greatness, and to be reciprocal in your appreciations with each other. Sometimes opportunities are made when somebody starts the ball rolling on being open about appreciating certain things.