A photo from Cambodia to illustrate this Boston article!
I began to write this article in my head as I bounced around the back seat of a car careening down Commonwealth Avenue during rush hour.
“What’s that woman’s problem?” scoffed the young man behind the wheel as I held on for dear life. “Sheesh, learn to drive, lady!” he hollered out the window as our car lurched around the lane.
I had just finished my own one-hour driving lesson (yes, I’m 29 and am just learning to drive now), and the subsequent student was a 16-year old from a fancy suburban high school. As his first assignment in the lesson, our instructor had him drive me home, so I got the chance to see another novice handle a car.
“Why,” I thought to myself as we almost hit a truck, “does this boy think he’s a better driver than everyone else, when he’s no better than me… and I think I stink?” Then I remembered a useful little word from English class: Hubris.
If my tenth grade students are actually doing their February Vacation homework right now (ahem, ahem) they should be playing an online video game I gave them to practice Literary Terms like “allusion,” “theme,” and “onomatopoeia” which will appear on their upcoming MCAS state exam. And, if they are chugging away at this “Space Invaders” game as ordered, they may encounter the wonderful word, “Hubris,” too.
Cambodia Traffic to illustrate Boston traffic.
How to define “Hubris” without veering into crude language and the use of words beginning with “b”? Here are some definitions: Cockiness. Thinking you can do anything and are better than everyone. Extreme arrogance. And for you Spanish speakers: Cojones.
Many “Tragic Heroes” in literature, such as Oedipus Rex and Macbeth, have their crashing downfall thanks to their out-of-control Hubris. And this brings us back to teenage boys. Some of the finest examples of Hubristic folks come from the 13-21 year-old male demographic, especially if those males come from the hegemonic White and Wealthy population. Not always… but, for sure, sometimes.
So imagine me, a 29-year-old woman who is terrified to drive, sitting in the back of this vehicle, cursing this cocky teenage boy as he swerves around the road, while he in turn is cursing out everyone he flies past! And it was at this moment I had an epiphany: I can learn from the Hubris of a teenage boy! In fact, I could use a little more Hubris, myself, if I want to be a good driver!
“So my Mom refuses to drive with me any more,” laughed the young man as we skidded in front of a stop light, “because this one time we were driving, and she told me to slow down, and so I slammed on the brakes… except I mixed up the pedals and slammed on the gas instead, and I smashed into my Dad’s parked BMW, and it was totaled!”
Phnom Penh, Cambodia: Home of hubristic motorcycle acrobatics!
I gasped. What?! This boy had made one of the worst mistakes you can make in a car, totaled his father’s fancy ride, terrified his mother… and yet STILL thought he was a better driver than anyone else on the road! If that’s not Hubris, I don’t know what is.
And yet… isn’t it actually a smart reaction in some ways?
I thought back to some of the reasons I have been scared to drive for the past fourteen years. There was a kid in my school who killed someone with his car, and I still can’t stop thinking about how powerful the responsibility of driving is. There was a time I mixed up the gas and brake and jolted forward a little, but didn’t hit anything, but freaked out the people in the car with me. There was a time during one lesson that I almost ran into something.
But… scares like this happen to everyone in the early stages of learning something! I had made all those fearful moments mean: “I’m a bad driver and I’ll never be a good driver and I should never drive.” But that boy in the driver’s seat after me made freaky events like that mean: “I’m still great and nothing will change that. I AM a good driver, world!”
And thus the moral of the story is: in excess, Hubris is a tragic flaw which will bring disaster to the mightiest ruler (or driver). But what I’d forgotten is that lack of Hubris can cripple your life, too! What do you say we all add some arrogance to our actions this week? 
Report back on the results, Hubris-embracing Heroes… or simply share your own thoughts and experience surrounding Hubris!
Want to see more crazy photos of Cambodia traffic (including a little baby riding a motorcycle while sucking on a bottle)? Click here to read “Closing Thoughts on Leaving Cambodia” and see a bunch more pictures.
Guys are better drivers for directions and they are really good at the controls. They also get into accidents more often than women since we are safe drivers. Being safe drivers mean driving slower than guys.
I dislike those people who think they’re all that and popular. They can do what they want and think it’s alright. No one is perfect.
Me too! But sometimes you have to respect how much people can get done when the have this over-confident attitude!
I think that Hubris is a confusing word.
Reading this just made me laugh out loud literally. I have FOUR brother’s so I can definitely relate to what other people said in their comments. I know girls can be guilty of being cocky too, but maybe boys are worst.
That kid was annoying me. The whole time while I was reading this I was thinking about my guy friends. They all make jokes about women, how they don’t know how to drive, their opinion doesn’t matter and how women are good for making sandwiches -_- stupid I know. that’s why I love when someone proves them wrong and makes them swallow their words. Its funny.
I have two older brothers, and I can agree that during their adolescence they have showed a lot of Hubris.
Haha, Ms. Marshall this article is actually quite funny. The little anecdote you provided was really funny which made the article enjoyable. Hubris is a tough word for me although I am a tenth grader who should have played “space invaders”. (oops)
By the way, the spanish word isn’t actually Cajones, it is Cojones!
Thanks, Amber! Just fixed the Spanish typo!
Hubris is my new word for the day! They have like three people on mopeds that just crazy and I cant beleive you actually stayed in the car with the boy driving.
I love how you mentioned us in this article! It must have been a pain for you sitting in the car with that hubris boy.
I love how you mentioned us in this article! It must have been a pain for you sitting in the car with that hubris boy. Did I use the word right?
Wow, that teenage boy crashed into his Dad’s BMW O.o. His dad must’ve been mad at him for a while.
The one thing I can think about when I read that story is drunk drivers. That kid could get seriously hurt if he is not careful so maybe he should calm down just a little bit.
I love this article. It reminds me of that time my father wanted to teach me how to drive…i was fourteen but still, the look in his face of such high hopes of me driving. It was not that serious. I have full intention on using hubris this week. I hope your lessons go very well, because as my dad always said ” You can only do your best to make sure you are the best driver in the world, but it is other drivers around you that you cannot account for” .He told me this when i was twelve. My father is….unique to say the least.
Wow. I thought that Latin was useless, but now I know what it can be used for.
I really would love to drive as soon as I get my permit, but I hope they don’t allow drivers like the teenage boy on the road.
Ms. Marshall, we will be throwing you a license party!!! Just don’t keep it a secret when u actually get your license haha. I’m going to miss running into you on the T! You remind me of my mother who actually hadn’t gotten her license until her mid 30′s. She was terrified of driving, until one day I guess someone finally got to her. Now she’s a pretty awesome driver……. in my opinion lol. She’s also aggressive… all 4 feet 11 of her, unless we spot a cop of course haha. I have faith in you Ms.Marshall! You’ll be parking in the teacher’s parking lot soon
This is a great article, but in the pictures, having so many people on a motorcycle looks dangerous.
I learned the word “hubris” in the 7th grade. In Latin class, my teacher was teaching us about mythological stories and many of the characters possesed hubris. It also means excessive pride. I hope you learn to drive really soon! I can’t wait until I get my first car. I’ll be responsible, I promise!
I’m pretty sure that the accident (with his dad’s BMW) was caused by the fact that he was just learning to drive. Now, he probably won’t be crashing into anything anytime soon. (You should only use Hubris when you are annoyed by traffic or by a driver.)
I learned the word “Hubris” in my Latin class. What you said is correct a lot of early stories about Rome and other cities are about male who have a lot of hubris. That hubris is actually their downfall some of the time.
Wow i don’t think i could ever wait to be 29 to learn how to drive. Also it’s very interesting to learn a new word such as hubris, you learn something new everyday.
I would have never guessed what Hubris meant. It is a great word just like that great motocycle.
We should start using this word in my english 8th grade class! “Hubris” seems like the type of word you’d never expect its definition to be. I think that everyone can be “hubris” at times (cough, cough). But a little hubris does bring some confidence but too much can be annoying. Today I learned a new word! I must be so smart!
Wow, I really like those motorcycles. When you finish driving school, are you getting one, Ms. Marshall? Haha!
I know a lot of Hubris. A lot of guys can be Hubris ranging from being cocky about being smart, being cocky about getting a lot of girls… Anything! It gets really annoying to a point where I just get the urge to tell the to shut up. Haha, is the word Hubris in the Urban Dictionary? But, I’d rather see guys who are Hubris than guys who aren’t self confident. I think guys who are self confident end up looking better. But sometimes, too much is too much. That sixteen year old seems really annoying…
Hehe– nice comment! Careful about your use of “Hubris.” “Hubris” is a Noun, like “Happiness” (ex: “He showed/demonstrated/had a lot of Hubris/Happiness”), whereas the adjective is “Hubristic” or “Hubris-filled.” Hence, you know “a lot of guys who are Hubristic,” not “a lot of guys who are Hubris.”