I guess Terra Prime doesn't count, which had not one but two scenes with evidence to the contrary. One is where T'Pol hangs her mom's IDIC over Elizabeth's incubator. Which implies that it's a symbol of her half human daughter's diversity. The other is where she and Trip hold hands and the IDIC (quite possibly the most beautiful image in Trek history). Surely this holds less water than the one person's perception of Vulcan superiority
Well, obviously - because that one person is Spock, exchanging explicit dialogue with a person who knows her Vulcans, while all the above is just wishy-washy ambiguity.
T'Pol never says what playing with that symbol is supposed to symbolize. Perhaps she ridicules the Vulcan swastika by turning it into a baby toy for her "less than superior" offspring? Perhaps she superstitiously hopes some of the Vulcan superiority will bless the disadvantaged child? Perhaps she logically deduces that familiarizing the kid with a shiny object will create stability in the family?
Also, it's really a T'Pol thing exclusively. Her ideas of almost-tolerance might make her a hypocrite, but the "don't judge by human standards" sentiment is not shared by the other Vulcans we see in the show. Or by Vulcans in other shows or movies, for that matter - save for Sarek later in his life of interspecies kinkiness.
If that's your premise for Vulcan superiority, it doesn't hold up. Multiple Vulcans lied beginning with Spock and they can be every bit as political as humans (though they would probably be more subtle with flaterry).
No, my premise is not that Vulcans would be honest. My premise is that while
H. sapiens finds it advantageous to tell a specific type of lie that grants the fellow humans more than game theory would suggest they deserve, in order to secure future cooperation,
V. sapienssimus finds it advantageous to yield less to the fellow Vulcan. "Take till they bleed" is the game theory approach, and this may serve well in holding together the Vulcan society.
When would Vulcans bribe each other with flattery? Sarek finally bribes his son with great reluctance in ST4, calling his acquaintances "of good character", but he admits his logic is uncertain. Beyond that, Vulcan social lies aim at taking, not giving. Which is quite typical of racist and supremacist movements among humans, too, and demonstrably a well-working alternate means to holding a bunch of people together, at least if combined with actual means of doing that taking (read: organized violence).
Why do you think the High Command said not everyone can do mind melds? Or that Panaar was incurable? If mind melding was branded as deviant, there would be no one left to find out what they were really up to. That makes it easy for them to hold on to power. Future social benefit right there.
Yet that's not how humans do it. Humans bribe each other with pleasantries and benefits. In the above, Vulcans are shown doing the opposite, taking away from each other just because they can, exactly like game theory tells
we should do.
Also keep in mind the High Command was really a puppet for Romulans. It would have been in their best interests to flatter Vulcans about their superiority in order to isolate them from the rest of space.
An interesting concept - but does High Command really mold opinions in this society that seems to lean heavily on ancient teachings? There were warring sects of Surakist there, but we never really learn the division would be a recent, modern-Romulan-affected thing.
Doesn't mean the "superiority thing" wouldn't always have been the thing of the faction that the exodus Romulans represent. Much of that faction might have remained on Vulcan, paying lip service to the triumphant Surakists but still upholding old beliefs in practice.
Timo Saloniemi
