Ok, so I don't really think of myself as an elitist, but I'm sure someone somewhere along the lines would beg to differ. At any rate, I keep wondering lately why there are so many people who are probably more intelligent than average and they are either embarrassed of it or just generally don't want to be perceived as a nerd. Where did this trend come from? Why are people ashamed about their intelligence and why is it not cool to be intelligent, educated, and into intellectual things? I don't understand this. Were I not someone to generally go against the grain, I might be one of these people who is intelligent and ashamed of it. I have a friend from high school and college who is incredibly intelligent. She once stumbled into a physics exam, still drunk from the night before, had to hurry to take the exam so she could go throw up, and still made a 99 or something close to it. Meanwhile, the rest of us were struggling to get B's with this particular professor. But she's never wanted to admit how intelligent she is and when we would go out and meet guys, she would always dumb herself down to talk to them. She avoids reading and pretends that all she cares about is jewelry, shopping, make-up, and what Paris Hilton is up to. I sometimes felt like I and our other friends were her guilty pleasure. Her nerd friends that she had to indulge her intellectual side while never fully wanting to admit that. What a waste! And the one of the main reasons she is like this is because she thinks people will perceive her negatively should she show her true colors. It makes me sad and angry just thinking about it. I remember always being angry and jealous at the girls in ballet who were insanely talented, but could care less about being a professional dancer. I had the heart, but they had the talent. It's sort of the same thing here. Not that I am not above average intelligence, I think I am (or an above average dancer), but it's ridiculous that the reason that so much good intelligence is wasted due to popularity contests is sickening. If they're not going to use their intellect, can't I have it?
But anyway, since I am someone who goes against the grain, I say if you're nerdy, that's a good thing and you should flaunt it and maybe if enough people do that, the trend can be reversed and all of the ignorant masses will suddenly be aware that they are the ignorant masses and be ashamed of themselves and try to get some education. I know there's probably little chance of this happening, but it's fun to dream sometimes, right?
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5 comments:
That is awful - passing physics exams when drunk! I couldn't do it when I was sober!
I find that awful that people are not encouraged to show their intelligence. I remember at school people who did well were always ridiculed for getting good marks or answering questions, but the remarks were from the less intelligent yet somehow they were the popular ones.
We were kids, we grew out of it in the end but it worries me that adults are worried about showing their knowledge.
I am enormously shy sometimes but I don't mind offering advice or showing what I do know or what I have been learning without looking like a smart arse. I know some incredibly intelligent people who are incredibly arrogant with it, but people tend to ignore them.
If I ever see Steven Hawking giving up physics for Paris Hilton I may have to start crying! :)
Yes Philip, I find this quite distressing as well...let's go have a cup of tea ;)
Anna-
"Yes Philip, I find this quite distressing as well...let's go have a cup of tea ;)"
Excellent suggestion- I'm having one right now!
Anna,
Hi! Found you via the mighty Quetz’s blog, hope you don’t mind me chucking a few cents on the fire, but this whole “elitism” question is an interesting one...
Why are people ashamed about their intelligence and why is it not cool to be intelligent, educated, and into intellectual things? I don't understand this.
Exactly, and the sad thing is, it really doesn’t take any more effort to be a “nerd” than to be interested in anything else. (And, as a “nerd” myself, [and one that wears glasses to boot!] I agree that “nerdiness” should be flaunted! :-))
Anyway, as an example, I was recently discussing with a fellow chess enthusiast (Beep! Red nerd alert!!) the Sonneborn-Berger tie breaking method (no, really!), and how this basically involves some university level maths relating to matrix multiplication and eigenvectors…You could see his eyes glazing over, and yet anyone capable of grasping chess to a decent club standard (and we’re talking about a far better player than me here) is more than capable of understanding vectors and matrix multiplication…
As Steve Zara has often said, science, and other worthwhile things, are often hard and yet the effort required (particularly if you have the benefit of reading someone like Richard Dawkins who puts things across with brilliant clarity without “dumbing down”) to get a grip of these things is really no more than that required to keep up with the doings of Paris Hilton, or following the goings on in Lost or EastEnders. It seems to me the “embarrassment” is as much one of making the effort as it is of intelligence: either way, as you rightly say, it’s a dreadful shame...
Mark_W
Oh no, I've stumbled into nerd-ville :-)
It's only uncool if you choose to believe it is uncool.
People should be proud of who they are and not go with the crowd. I just dont get it about talentless image conscious nobodies like Paris Hilton. Can some one tell me why she is percieved as cool? Would it impact my life in the slightest if she just disappeared?
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