Poll: Do you consider yourself to be more intelligent than an average person?
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I know you're joking, but let me clarify, if people are average, run of the mill, they are not unique, they are really just clones of one another, and thus pathetic. My understanding of this "elitist" term is that it is one who considers himself superior to others. News flash, people aren't equal. Don't tell me that I am equal to the people who would mindlessly start chanting U.S.A. whenever Sarah Palin said something even slightly emotional. People are not equal, that can be seen in the classroom. However, I only consider myself superior to one who might call me a "nerd" or something of that nature. Someone who is trying to better themselves as am I, and has respect for others, and doesn't make graffiti, I consider equal to me even if they are not as intelligent or even as strong as me. I could go on for a long time, but I would rather not.TheLoveRat said:
Just the fact that many many MANY people in my life tend to throw me out of my fucking nerves with the simplest stupidities does make me think that, at least, I'm cleverer than them by NOT buggin other people with problems I can solve on my own.
E.G. Biology lesson, today. My classmate asked me what the answer to a question was, whilst a)not even looking at me b)staring DIRECTLy at the answer in the textbook. And of course she uselessly argued that it had to be wrong, because how could meiosis have more phases than mitosis
IT JUST DOES, NOW GO ALONG WITH IT!
E.G. Biology lesson, today. My classmate asked me what the answer to a question was, whilst a)not even looking at me b)staring DIRECTLy at the answer in the textbook. And of course she uselessly argued that it had to be wrong, because how could meiosis have more phases than mitosis
IT JUST DOES, NOW GO ALONG WITH IT!
It's not really 'directed' at anyone per se. It's just a little waver saying that a % of people here who think they are 'above average' without any proof may be oblivious to the fact that they actually aren't. Not meant to be insulting or anything, just fact ;PDatalord said:
God no, the world is huge! I know nothing about hinduism compared to a hindu! I wouldn't dare argue with a friend on the intricacies of NASCAR, or another on how to paint. I'm an idiot when in a room of engineers, but a god when a 40K lore discussion comes up. I could never play a mage, and while I swim in a triathlon team i would never try to talk to a sprint-swimmer about lap time.
Intelligence is not just what you know, it's what you don't know. It's context, ability and experience as well as know-how. You may be the best in all of your subjects at high-school, but life has so many lessons to teach that we can never grasp them all. To say you are more intelligent based on your scores in a test displays a saddening lack of intelligence.
You may think yourself smarter than a coal miner, but i have never met a breed of people more stoic and sure of themselves. They don't mess about, they are focused and driven; You may know more about science, math, literature or the arts than 4 of them put together, but they can still make you feel like a fool. You may be smart, but that's a far shot from intelligence.
Am I smart? Not really, but there are one or two fields in which I am confident of my aptitude. Am I intelligent? Sometimes, but i'm intelligent enough to know that the world has very few truly 'stupid' people, and they are never useless despite their niavety or incompetence.
Intelligence is not just what you know, it's what you don't know. It's context, ability and experience as well as know-how. You may be the best in all of your subjects at high-school, but life has so many lessons to teach that we can never grasp them all. To say you are more intelligent based on your scores in a test displays a saddening lack of intelligence.
You may think yourself smarter than a coal miner, but i have never met a breed of people more stoic and sure of themselves. They don't mess about, they are focused and driven; You may know more about science, math, literature or the arts than 4 of them put together, but they can still make you feel like a fool. You may be smart, but that's a far shot from intelligence.
Am I smart? Not really, but there are one or two fields in which I am confident of my aptitude. Am I intelligent? Sometimes, but i'm intelligent enough to know that the world has very few truly 'stupid' people, and they are never useless despite their niavety or incompetence.
This ladies and gentlemen is what I call an epic-ass whooping...Ultrajoe said:
The older I get, the more value I place in wisdom than intelligence.
This, I mostly see when somebody simply accepts that they are wrong in a debate which they have proven to have know nothing about. These kind of people earn my respect at least.
I'm not smart. I'm ignorant and stupid and slow and mentally impaired. I struggle to do simple tasks and my brain is so short fused I can only do simple, stupid things like posting on forums all day. Similarly, to affirm myself, I post in topics like this - because I find it helpful to tell people I spend most of my time arguing with that I'm, in actuality, an incredibly moronic creature. My reading level is that of an eight year old and I can't spell or use grammar appropriately. I always take IQ tests that similarly confirm my inability to function as an intelligent, contributory human being.
One thing that the cumbersome lump of gray that is my brain is thinking, is, "who would post a topic like this and expect anyone to claim them self an idiot?" and "how much pointless, self gratuitous wank can you possibly fill a thread with?" and "don't we already have an IQ thread?"
One thing that the cumbersome lump of gray that is my brain is thinking, is, "who would post a topic like this and expect anyone to claim them self an idiot?" and "how much pointless, self gratuitous wank can you possibly fill a thread with?" and "don't we already have an IQ thread?"
I'm actually surprised how many people voted yes, not much modesty on this site I guess. I've never considered myself to be more intelligent than anyone, everyone always has a higher degree of intelligence in certain areas that others don't.
Am I smarter than the average person? I don't know, it's hard to define average, and you can't really judge based purely on online experience. It's my experience that someone can be intelligent offline, and turn into a flaming moron once they go onto a message board.
Also, if you want to feel smart, just head over to GameFAQs and look at the threads about sex with game characters, vs battles, and the forever-fail Character Battle each year. It's ridiculous to the extreme.
Going there certainly makes me feel more intelligent, but that again asks the question, are these average people or aren't they? I mean are they the rule or the exception? It's almost impossible to decide if you're intelligent compared to the average online person. Mainly because of how much people lie. Someone in this thread mentioned something about having a high intelligence at age 6, but how can we prove that/take their word for it? I'm not calling them a lier, I'm saying it's hard to believe after all the crap I've seen online.
So this poll really does feel hard to answer, because it's difficult to decide what the average person is.
Some boards make me feel intelligent, others make me feel stupid (such as programming/computer boards), others make me feel like I'm just another voice in the throng.
Also, if you want to feel smart, just head over to GameFAQs and look at the threads about sex with game characters, vs battles, and the forever-fail Character Battle each year. It's ridiculous to the extreme.
Going there certainly makes me feel more intelligent, but that again asks the question, are these average people or aren't they? I mean are they the rule or the exception? It's almost impossible to decide if you're intelligent compared to the average online person. Mainly because of how much people lie. Someone in this thread mentioned something about having a high intelligence at age 6, but how can we prove that/take their word for it? I'm not calling them a lier, I'm saying it's hard to believe after all the crap I've seen online.
So this poll really does feel hard to answer, because it's difficult to decide what the average person is.
Some boards make me feel intelligent, others make me feel stupid (such as programming/computer boards), others make me feel like I'm just another voice in the throng.
I'm quite stupid really. But my academic record is straight As, so everyone thinks I'm smart. I'm not even saying this 'cos I have self esteem issues or something, no. I'm just saying I have common sense, and is very logical / analytical, but when it comes to real life things, like people gossiping about relationships, I'm always the last person in the room to understand, oh! so that's why!
Does it count that I noticed that "similar" should only be spelled with one "l"?
I am curious, though. Does anyone who has actually done well in school (or isn't defending people who haven't done well) say things like "academic ability does not equal intelligence"? I'm not saying the two are inextricably linked, but there's a pretty strong correlation in all the research I've seen on the subject. So, do people who actually did well in school and don't have a sibling/child/friend/whatever they're defending not conflate intelligence and success?
I am curious, though. Does anyone who has actually done well in school (or isn't defending people who haven't done well) say things like "academic ability does not equal intelligence"? I'm not saying the two are inextricably linked, but there's a pretty strong correlation in all the research I've seen on the subject. So, do people who actually did well in school and don't have a sibling/child/friend/whatever they're defending not conflate intelligence and success?
I've currently a 4.2 GPA, and I can tell you without a doubt that there is little, if any, correlation between grades and intelligence.Seldon2639 said:
I have a friend whose highest grade is a C-, and she can make me look like an idiot on a whim. In fact she takes pleasure in it, especially when I'm surrounded by people who assume I'm intelligent based on one above average test score.
Funny bit is everyone considers her stupid, so that is why I voted myself the fourth option in the poll.
I did well at school (was moved ahead two years, got straight As and A*s at GCSE, got straight As at A-Level), and whilst it would be wrong to say there is NO correlation between academic achievement and intelligence, I'd consider it an unreliable measure. Yes, it's pretty rare for an intelligent person to do very poorly in exams (because basic intelligence can get you by in a lot of tests regardless of how little you might know factually), but it's not hard for an unintelligent person to do very well. Therefore, academic success is certainly not conclusive proof of a person's intelligence, though I concede the point that it can serve as an indicator.Seldon2639 said:
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I'm a college student who dropped out of high school with the intention of joining the military.
I left high school just because I was lazy really and I wanted to leave the town I lived in.
Well the military never worked so off to college it was then.
I was accepted into a school relatively easily based on just my SAT scores and the fact that immediately after I left high school I took the ridiculously easy G.E.D test.
Regardless of the fact that I departed high school before graduating I believe I'm at least moderately intelligent. Smarter than the average person anyway, or rather, the people that I surround myself with or those who surround me. One of the two.
My best friends moved away from the town I live in not too long ago, and they were really the only lot that kept me on my toes. The three people I could always have endless conversations with and I constantly assumed they were more intelligent than I was (and god knows they were, they graduated high school).
Anyway I recently met a friend who I also went to high school with but didn't know very well. We're able to have the same conversations about the same things I used to speak with my old friends about (not the stupid ones).
Recently I've wondered as to what this is. What makes one person competent enough that I can carry on an intelligent conversation with whereas while talking to another they're just left blank at my words? It's obviously not academic intelligence because, while I believe myself to be just average with English and history, I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer as far as academics go. So what leaves someone aware and able to hold these conversations and have opinions whereas another person I'd talk to would find themselves lost in my words?
I left high school just because I was lazy really and I wanted to leave the town I lived in.
Well the military never worked so off to college it was then.
I was accepted into a school relatively easily based on just my SAT scores and the fact that immediately after I left high school I took the ridiculously easy G.E.D test.
Regardless of the fact that I departed high school before graduating I believe I'm at least moderately intelligent. Smarter than the average person anyway, or rather, the people that I surround myself with or those who surround me. One of the two.
My best friends moved away from the town I live in not too long ago, and they were really the only lot that kept me on my toes. The three people I could always have endless conversations with and I constantly assumed they were more intelligent than I was (and god knows they were, they graduated high school).
Anyway I recently met a friend who I also went to high school with but didn't know very well. We're able to have the same conversations about the same things I used to speak with my old friends about (not the stupid ones).
Recently I've wondered as to what this is. What makes one person competent enough that I can carry on an intelligent conversation with whereas while talking to another they're just left blank at my words? It's obviously not academic intelligence because, while I believe myself to be just average with English and history, I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer as far as academics go. So what leaves someone aware and able to hold these conversations and have opinions whereas another person I'd talk to would find themselves lost in my words?