i am not smart.

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well, duh. (goes up the cry from the ilx massive.)

but it's sort've been a slow (hah!) realization that i'm really not all that bright. i've been able to fake it...like a hillbilly faking his way into high society...but i really don't *know* much about anything. cliche and cheek, my two greatest allies. sometimes i feel like rectifying this, because it would be nice to, you know, actually know stuff rather than just go around acting like i'm learned when i really got everything i know offa bubblegum cards and comic books. maybe i need to go back to school. (hell, maybe i need to finish school.)

― jess, Monday, 5 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

is there a pill i can take for this?

― jess, Monday, 5 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Are you nice and kind to people, and is your presence welcomed rather than avoided? If so, stop worrying so much on the subject, because that's better than most people can say, 'smart' or not. You strike me as somebody who is willing to learn more rather than being blissfully ignorant, so fret not, and if the bug catches you to learn and study more, follow your bliss. :-)

― Ned Raggett, Monday, 5 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

i just realized that 99% of my ile posts read like pathetic attempts at validation.

its mostly through exposure to you cats that i feel...inadequate at times. sadly (?) i still do feel mentally superior to the vast hordes of feebs, tools, and morons who i wade through in any given day, so no worries!

― jess, Monday, 5 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

metaquestion: is it better to know a lot about one subject, a little about a lot of things, or not much about anything at all?

― jess, Monday, 5 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Right. You're talking about "book smarts" and knowledge, which does not equal intelligence. Ever heard of EQ? And you are definitely not slow! Please man.

― Kim, Monday, 5 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Right to what Ned said that is. I was too um... slow.

― Kim, Monday, 5 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I AM A MORON... but I like to think I am cheap entertainment.

― Menelaus Darcy, Monday, 5 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Best to know a little about a lot of things, and a lot more on the few that you yourself (and not the status quo) actually care to know about. Ok, know about one thing for mere sake of bonding and easy discussion with others/strangers, but that's it! I haf spoken.

― Kim, Monday, 5 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

What Ned said. And I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about, Jess, you seem plenty smart to me. Whatever pill you're on right now, get off it. Also, there's nothing wrong with validation, it's not necessarily pathetic.

― Arthur, Monday, 5 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Like most of your ILE threads I have to say "I feel just the same but I don't know what to do about it." It's not about information, though, it's about how you think. I can memorize vast amounts of information and feed it back in the desired manner; this is why I get good grades in school. However, I do not do anything unique or unusual with the information I am given, and I do not learn much that I apply to my life, so I am not actually smart. Otherwise I would have done something by now. We can whine together though.

― Maria, Monday, 5 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

And I wanna see these Arthur Russell bubblegum cards and ESG comic books you've been hoarding!

― Arthur, Monday, 5 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Also, if this helps any, Jess, I'm in quiet awe of Mark S's range of knowledge and his wry, entertaining way of expressing it. I would kill for that (well, not kill him, he'd complain), but even without it, I can try and learn from his example. :-)

― Ned Raggett, Monday, 5 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

i blame mark too. dumb yourself down, man, you're wrecking the curve.

― jess, Monday, 5 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

yeah, what kim said.

― di, Monday, 5 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

You don't have to be smart to be entertaining; and they're kind of the same thing.

― maryann, Monday, 5 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

i like to pretend it's just being lazy when you don't understand..btw my father predicted by the time i was 30, science would have found a way to implant intelligence somehow. who knows..maybe even in pill form ;)

― kevin enas, Monday, 5 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm giving myself until grad school to become omniscient. Till then I can remain obnoxiously average.

― turner, Monday, 5 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

You don't strike me as particularly dumb, jess.

― Ally, Monday, 5 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

It is nice to be able to waffle on about a lot of things- means you can converse with more people. I hadn't noticed you were looking for validation Jess. I'm paranoid too though :)

― Menelaus Darcy, Monday, 5 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

The points you made in your post regarding your own thoughts on your smarts reveal you to be smarter, more self-aware, and more honest than most smart people, for what that's worth. And based on the writing of yours that I've read you'd probably be able to do very well in an academic setting studying pretty much anything you were interested in. If that's what you want to do, you should go nuts. Jesus, don't sell yourself short because you feel you've faked it in the past--everybody does and so many never even know it.

― dan, Monday, 5 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I'd like to think I'm like Henry's Cat..."I know everything about nothing, but not too much about that"

Anyway, I wouldn't worry Jess. Being smart ain't everything. I personally value wisdom and creativity more highly than knowledge and analysis.

And also, I too agree with Kim.

― james, Tuesday, 6 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

faking smaart (not that you are)(not that you aren't) is very postmodern - as if you're referencing smart and dumb, wihtout being confined to either - slide the scale.

― Geoff, Tuesday, 6 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Jess, you are far from dumb. It's very difficult to convince someone of that if they don't believe themeself, but you come across as very funny and articulate.

― Nicole, Tuesday, 6 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

i find pretty much everyone here intelligent and worth listening to (even if some of you are misguided and WRONG, hahahahaha!!) and you are no exception, jess.

― katie, Tuesday, 6 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Half assed internet research is a IL* bullshitter's best friend.

― Sterling Clover, Tuesday, 6 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

two years pass...

As some moron who has just skimmed this conversation and ran across it after a flippitant search on the internet, yes da* it - I was seeking validation. Instead, I'll just share. I did great in my past math class but in this one I am totally lost. What happened? To top it off the netwrok execs kept playing Good Will Hunting on the tube so I could see clearly what I aint... oh wait, guess I am seeking validation. Nevermind. I'll get a grade for that :-(

― Mike Cinquanti, Wednesday, 19 November 2003 05:19 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm feeling less intelligent every day.

― Andrew (enneff), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 05:22 (twenty-one years ago)

mike, good will hunting is a made-up story.

― A Girl Named Sam (thatgirl), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 05:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Mike, some of us are math people and some of us are English people. I struggled and worked my ass off for just slightly above average grades in English, yet when I step into any math class, I feel thrilled and happy and comfortable. Maybe you're not one of those super-logical individuals but rather someone who feels perfectly at home with some more creative-type endeavor.

― Pancakes For Breakfast! (Dee the Lurker), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 05:45 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't even bullshit that well.

― Melissa W (Melissa W), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 09:21 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm not that intelligent, either. Either that or I have ADD.

― Mandee (Jerrynipper), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 09:27 (twenty-one years ago)

i feel stupid.
and a fraud.
who coasts.

― anthony easton (anthony), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 09:31 (twenty-one years ago)

What's not creative about Maths?

― Ed (dali), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 09:32 (twenty-one years ago)

It can be, but only when you operate at a very advanced level, right? Whereas in writing/composition/etc., even beginners are able to be creative.

― oops (Oops), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 09:37 (twenty-one years ago)

You can't be good at everything. You need to find what you are good at.

― Pinkpanther (Pinkpanther), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 09:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Who cares if you're smart anyway? It doesn't seem to be of much use to have an IQ of 180 compared to, say, 110. Being very intelligent doesn't make people any happier; in fact, studies show that it makes you LESS happy. Do the smartest people you know have the most friends? The best romantic partners? The biggest salary? Possibly, but it's surely not a 1:1 correlation.
I guess maybe if you find yourself in the lair of some evil genius and must fashion a crude getaway rocket out of tin cans and cigar tubes, then high intelligence might help you to survive.

― oops (Oops), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 09:59 (twenty-one years ago)

i feel exactly what anthony mentioned. i hate constantly feeling as though someone is gonna find me out one day.

― still here, Wednesday, 19 November 2003 10:06 (twenty-one years ago)

It's much better to be pretty than smart. Scientifically shown!

― Dan I. (Dan I.), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 10:08 (twenty-one years ago)

i'm both and neither.

― still here, Wednesday, 19 November 2003 10:10 (twenty-one years ago)

The thing is that I feel my inferiority complex is at the same time a positive and negative thing. It hinders me from enjoying life, from seeing the real me (though of course deep down I feel ... that I AM indeed the moron I think I am... ) but I also feel that it pushes me forward. I don't think I am a debile , just vvvvery average.

― nathalie (nathalie), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 10:13 (twenty-one years ago)

But what is intelligence anyway? If you know loads of things about particular subjects, it doesn't mean you are more intelligent that a person that doesn't. How can you definitely say? I mean we don't all go round with our iq printed on our t-shirts.

― Pinkpanther (Pinkpanther), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 10:15 (twenty-one years ago)

ILX makes me feel stupid

― stevem (blueski), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 10:15 (twenty-one years ago)

we don't all go round with our iq printed on our t-shirts.

no but that shit would definitely sell!

― stevem (blueski), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 10:15 (twenty-one years ago)

http://prodtn.cafepress.com/9/2744609_F_tn.jpg

― Dan I. (Dan I.), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 10:18 (twenty-one years ago)

I couldn't wear that one, sadly.

― Dan I. (Dan I.), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 10:20 (twenty-one years ago)

the ironing is you'd have to be a real idiot to wear that anyway

― stevem (blueski), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 10:22 (twenty-one years ago)

ironing?

― Ed (dali), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 10:23 (twenty-one years ago)

Sometimes ILX makes me feel completely inferior, but then sometimes ppl are going to talk about things that I know nothing about, I guess this is just the way it goes. If something bothers me, then I will find out about it.

― Pinkpanther (Pinkpanther), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 10:25 (twenty-one years ago)

It's easier to measure intelligence than to define it.
However...a definition usually includes three elements: ability to profit from experience, ability to learn new information, and ability to adapt to new situations. The number of different types of intelligences has been theorised to be anywhere from 2 to 120 (!). I kinda like the 7-factor theory, which says---yup, you guessed it--that there are 7 types of intelligences: linguistic, musical, logical-mathematical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, and intrapersonal. It's kinda a cop-out though, as it doesn't explain the underlying basis of these intelligences, ie it's merely discriptive.

― oops (Oops), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 10:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Ed you should reply to all my posts by saying 'ironing?' from hereon

― stevem (blueski), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 10:26 (twenty-one years ago)

ironing?

― Ed (dali), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 10:27 (twenty-one years ago)

the "ironing" makes that sentence so ironic!

― Emilymv (Emilymv), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 10:37 (twenty-one years ago)

See, it's that exact "you need to find something you're good at" thing that slays me.. I'm not good at ANYTHING. Even if I am talking about writing, which is I suppose my "specialty" if I have any kind of specialty at all, I feel like a complete asshat who doesn't know what the fuck she's talking about.

― Mandee (Jerrynipper), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 12:29 (twenty-one years ago)

I didn't mean it in that way, it's just that he said he was good at something and not so good at something else, so surely common sense says concentrate on the thing you are good at if you are able.

― Pinkpanther (Pinkpanther), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 12:32 (twenty-one years ago)

i HAIGHT jess. he's smarter than me.

― Francis Watlington (Francis Watlington), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 14:10 (twenty-one years ago)

I've never heard of these studies that show that more intelligent people are less happy. Can we have some evidence on that?

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 18:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh, ILX makes me feel like the dilettante that I am, but I still hang around. Most of my ILM posts consist of horrible brown-nosing, countless "OTM"s, and statements like "it's grate!" or "yeah! My First Song rulez!".

Obviously, jess is very smart. How odd that he started this thread.

― @d@ml (nordicskilla), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 18:51 (twenty-one years ago)

I think there have been news stories about a higher incidence of depression amongst people who show a certain level of creativity.

I guess, I don't feel as verbose/good at constructing arguements as some ilxors, but nah, I don't really feel less intelligent.

― jel -- (jel), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 18:56 (twenty-one years ago)

Please consult WORLD DATABASE OF HAPPINESS

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 19:06 (twenty-one years ago)

Obviously, jess is very smart. How odd that he started this thread.

-- @d@ml (nordicskilla@hotmail.com), November 19th, 2003.

I KNOW! He did it on purpose to make us ALL look dumb!

― Francis Watlington (Francis Watlington), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 19:11 (twenty-one years ago)

It is when the number of high ability persons with specific psychiatric disorders is assessed that the empirical support for the idea that gifted people are at risk for problems with emotional or social adjustment emerges. It is important to note that such studies were only conducted with adult populations. There is limited evidence, for example, of a relationship between higher IQ and eating disorders among adult clinical populations. There is however, compelling evidence for higher rates of mood disorders and suicide among creatively gifted writers and visual artists.

from The Impact of Giftedness on Psychological Well-Being

That's not one of the studies I was thinking of, as that speaks of gifted children rather than adults with high IQ. Can't find much online about this, but if you're interested in well-being research you should check out one of my old psych professors, Ed Diener, who basically created the field.

― oops (Oops), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 19:12 (twenty-one years ago)

He did it on purpose to make us ALL look dumb!

Yes, are we to expect a slew of "my brane hurts!" threads from nabisco, Amateurist, Sterling, Mark S, etc.?

― @d@ml (nordicskilla), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 19:21 (twenty-one years ago)

It's not that smarter people are less happy, it's that more attractive people definitely are more happy. It's just sad, I thought, that something that most people think of as not really relating to their identity at all (uh, I guess unattractive people? Me, certainly) affects happiness, the thing we're supposed to spend our life pursuing, more than intelligence, which supposedly has more substance to it.

It's totally true, too, though. Like, if you are or have hung around with those sort of blazingly attractive people that no-one would argue weren't "10"s, you can see right away that it affects their lives positively and constantly.
Intelligence just doesn't seem to have that sort of substantial and immediate pay-off.

― Dan I., Wednesday, 19 November 2003 21:45 (twenty-one years ago)

This is a hang-up of mine, obv.

― Dan I., Wednesday, 19 November 2003 21:46 (twenty-one years ago)

haha i was so depressed to find i started this thread

i was even more depressed to find little has changed

― fiddo centington (dubplatestyle), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 21:48 (twenty-one years ago)

also ally's first post on this thread is the most amazing backhanded compliment i've ever read

― fiddo centington (dubplatestyle), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 21:52 (twenty-one years ago)

its mostly through exposure to you cats that i feel...inadequate at times.[snip]

-- jess (dubplatestyl...), November 5th, 2001.>

!!!

― donut bitch (donut), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 21:55 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm sorry, jess, it wasn't meant that way. I mean compared to some other ilxors you're Hawking, yo.

― Allyzay, Wednesday, 19 November 2003 21:56 (twenty-one years ago)

Rah for Jess!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 21:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Every time I read that repost of jess's post, I drop the "you", I'm like cats are smart jess but they aren't that smart, wtf.

― Allyzay, Wednesday, 19 November 2003 21:58 (twenty-one years ago)

i have big probs with this. i think i'm just smart enough to know how dumb i am (i'm sure not true somehow but it's a seductively compressed idea). i can think well but not very quickly or thoroughly; i read the same way.

― typo acapulco (gcannon), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 21:59 (twenty-one years ago)

see, i think the problem is that people who use phrases like "seductively compressed idea" are not dumb.

― fiddo centington (dubplatestyle), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 22:03 (twenty-one years ago)

Rah for Jess!

for a second I read "Jess" as "Jesus" and got worried for Ned...

― @d@ml (nordicskilla), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 22:04 (twenty-one years ago)

yes, my son

― jesuo christington (dubplatestyle), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 22:09 (twenty-one years ago)

thx jess! so sweet of you

― typo acapulco (gcannon), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 22:20 (twenty-one years ago)

(tho i think i nicked 'sed comp' from mark s somewhere so eh)

― typo acapulco (gcannon), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 22:24 (twenty-one years ago)

I have to say that I really hate IQ tests, those questions with shapes and shading, I just don't care which ones match or what the odd one out is. I personally think that the mini-pops quiz should replace most standard IQ tests. This concludes my rather lame rant about IQ test.

― jel -- (jel), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 22:24 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't think a person's level of accumulated knowledge or educational qualifications necessarily equates with intelligence. I've known some incredibly well-educated people that I would consider to be complete idiots who just happened to store useless information fairly well.

I'm not convinced IQ tests have much to do with intelligence, either. I scored 126 the one time I took one, which is moderately okay, so I don't have an agenda to bash the things. I just believe they're guff.

I used to think I was creative. I'm not 100% sure lately. I've sure had a lot of depression. Still have it. I can control it most of the time. Analysing human behaviour and the various ceremonies involved is pretty depressing... whether that's a symptom of intelligence or simply being a natural outcast, I really don't know...

― ChrissieH (chrissie1068), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 22:37 (twenty-one years ago)

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