Thread: What's with the hate of the intelligent?

Hi

I'm currently 16 and studying my GCSE's and the most annoying thing which I have to put up with everyday, is the fact that anyone who achieves highly and who is regarded clever is instantly branded a geek and is ridiculed for it. What could the possible science behind this behaviour be? Is it jelousy? Ignorance? Or do I just live in the wrong part of the world?!

Well, it certainly is true that intelligentsia is disliked. The vox populi is against very intellect people. I don't know all the possible reasons for that, however. It might well be that one envies the wiser persons, possibly due to the frustration of having to admit one's incapability to match the wiser person's arguments.

Maybe people can't cope with the fact that intelligence has replaced physical strength and fitness as the main determinent of success in life.

A lot of people who might have been the alpha's (males or females) in a primitive society, because of superior physical fitness, may end up way below intelligent people in modern societies. Visit any prison, you'll find men and women who might have been king of the hill in societies where fighting, hunting and escaping predators were the things that counted most. Nowadays they're pwned by people like Bill Gates, who might have been bottom of the list in hunting and fighting.
In school they can get away with bullying the smart kids because there's no consequence: a 12 year old bully wont loose a job or income, or essential advice and expertise, by bullying the smart kids. But after school there are real consequences. So don't worry, time is on your side :wink:

I am disgusted by today's society. I hear bad things about those who are very smart, but are still bullied and threatened by others.

This is why I hate Popular culture. It fails badly.

My best explanation about is what Oliver Tanas said above, plus that people seem to think that Intelligence, Knowledge, Creativity Wisdom or possibly Imagination are there at birth. This is far from being true in any way. We go to school to learn, because the above five is learned. We may be born with different genetic attributes that can make someone gifted, but it is more foolish than wise to recognize the value of education.

We often say that humans are born with intelligence; but even when this may be the case, Intelligence is the act of receiving and applying knowledge. Knowledge, on the other hand, is not gained automatically at birth. Instead, it is gained through experience and studying. I believe that imagination, wisdom and creativity are learned as well, even if it was built in at birth to some degree. However, while you 'may' be born with the insight of an engineer, the body of an athlete or even the charm of a gentlemen, you cannot have complete skill without learning about them.

Do not worry, I am sure this bullying will end in some point at time.

So don't worry, time is on your side

I hope your right!

creativity is simply the means to combine visual/audio input, in new creative ways. for some people, its easier to combine certain things into new and interesting ways, and those are known as "creative" people.

I read the following in my psychology book a few months ago. According to Robert J. Sternberg, Dean of Arts and Sciences at Tufts University, human intelligence can be divided into three categories:
Analytical intelligence
-The ability to solve tasks which are usually present on traditional intelligence tests.
Practical intelligence
-The ability to solve everyday, practical tasks by using existing knowledge and skills.
Creative intelligence
-The ability to succeed in tasks that are new or unusual by devising new skills and using existing knowledge.

That brings us to the conclusion that creative persons may be higly intelligent using the "Creative intelligence". Remember, this is merely one threory and is not overturning other ones.

A parable I like to illustrate the difference between economics and business:

A coin is rolling across the floor. An economist predicts where the coin will stop, when it will fall over. A businessperson puts a foot down on the coin.

That also illustrates the difference between intelligence, and smarts. Smart people do have grounds for making fun of the merely intelligent.

Maybe they are jealous.

But there is also a chance you are overly opinionated and think too much of yourself for being 'smarter' than them, and just become paranoid into thinking that you are branded the high position of being a geek.

:P

some of us just hate clever people...such as nerds and geeks

That shows how book smarts overrides street smarts.

Also, I was bringing up creativity and imagination to bring up my thoughts in that like knowledge, the two are gained, not inherited.

The only reason people pick on others is because they see something they don't like in that person, that threatens them, and they have to attack that, like a primitve animal would. Thing about clever people is that they are secretly admired by everyone, after all we gave the world indoor plumbing, cool things like lasers, and of course the modern world. Without clever people, with intelligence we'd been in caves, and the bullies don't want that, point that out to the next bully you see, believe it or not, but express your intelligence in front of the bully in something logical like I just said, and then get him to try and counter your argument, he won't and most probably will say something immature. If so, just clearly go 'hm' (you know the hum were you raise your pitch at the end, as in to seem like your disappointed by them), and walk away, they then feel guilty over time, and their friends realise you are more valuable. If you get beat up afterwards, the splinter of guilt will wear and tear and the bully will either push bullying to the point were it borders fanatisicm (and their friends will see that and leave him), or that he won't bully you at all any more, and will actually try and be your friend. If you show bullying doesn't bother you, using your intelligence to show that, then you win, and you get everyone else to win, which is the art of being a leader.

An idea came across my mind of why people are illogical.

Why do people have extreme opinions yet no facts to back them up, and despite when all evidence contradicts them, they still believe in these opinions?

Why are emotional arguements somtimes more effective than factual arguements?

Why does prejudice exisit?

Why are the intelligent often social outcasts to society?

The human brain must function rationally, so why do we sometimes act "irrationally". I wonder if this all plays into in-group and out-group theories and that intelligent might even be seen as a threat to society as a whole.

Originally Posted by mrbean

Hi

I'm currently 16 and studying my GCSE's and the most annoying thing which I have to put up with everyday, is the fact that anyone who achieves highly and who is regarded clever is instantly branded a geek and is ridiculed for it. What could the possible science behind this behaviour be? Is it jelousy? Ignorance? Or do I just live in the wrong part of the world?!

Well, if the only problem you have is being regarded as clever and being called a geek, i'd say you have very little to worry about in life. A bigger concern should be if other people say you whine too much.

I dont think it has to do with intelligence as much as -anything- different just give kids an excuse to bully.
And to be honest, a grade A student is different (more rare).
It´s the way of the kids, bully that which is different.

Dumber people only understand a hierarchal society, and naturally they want to be on the top. Advanced concepts like social equality require intelligence, and a lot of it, to understand.

A bully bullies out of fear of being on the bottom. All too many dumb people think you have to either be a "victim" or a "winner" (by which I mean "victimizer") with no in-between.

They fear that, if the smart kid has one advantage over them, that they'll be stepped on unless they make it all too clear that they've got advantages over the smart kid as well. Even if they didn't have any advantages, they'd pretend they did, just to keep their place in the pecking order.

Smart people often seem like easy prey, too, because all too often the smart kid makes the mistake of thinking they live in a world of people as smart as them, who can just live and let live, and so they don't prepare to defend themselves from the idiots.

The best thing to do is to let yourself be heard. Use your intelligence to out wit some ignorant ass hole. Show people how dumb he is. It's pretty easy and people will respect you for it. If thats not for you, then who cares what some dip shit thinks about you. Sometimes, your opinion about yourself should be the only one that matters.