Being intelligent without being an intellectual

[d'Arthez]

I wanted to grab him by the throat and yell "I am not interested in quantum physics. If there ever comes a point when I do feel like educating myself on that subject, I will read a book. A book written by an expert.

Perhaps he was hoping for that reaction??

[january2011]

I think I fit into the intellectual plus intelligent category. Though this is tempered by my fascination with some aspects of popular culture. Though I dislike most reality shows unless they're from the point-of-view of a particular area of professional expertise rather than just a social experiment or gamification for entertainment only.

 

I love TED talks - for the insights about life and because they're cheaper than buying the self-help books or paying for the thousand dollar tickets to hear someone like Guy Kawasaki or Tony Robbins give their spiel about how they made a billion dollars by filtering all their decision-making through one letter of the alphabet.

 

I love books, bookshops and libraries but I have only two shelves of books in my house. I reduced my collection because I figured that I can access most pieces of information on the internet and it's the content (ideas, insights and possibilities) that I'm most interested in rather than the materialism of possessing a certain book.

 

I used to think that being intelligent/an intellectual set me apart and made me better than everyone else. That I didn't need social skills because, "at least I'm intelligent." However, I don't think it's the thinkers that make the world better, it's the doers and the teachers. So now I think that being intelligent and an intellectual as no real value unless you use this gift to educate others and to pass on your learning to the doers.

 

Having said that, I've long shied away from most debates on forums because I realise that the majority of the time, both parties are just arguing to win "who is right" points for the crown of "who can bludgeon the other into intellectual submission." Neither party is actually open to listening or learning - they're just busy hitting refresh for the next person's post so that they can tear it down point-for-point. They're there to fight. Not learn. I don't get any enjoyment or learn anything from such exchanges and only partake if I'm in the mood - mostly I'm not, thankfully! Who really wins on the internet, anyway?

[Taramere]

Perhaps he was hoping for that reaction??

 

Haha. Not that guy. He was the guy you would be seen talking to at work/social events because as long as you were talking to him, the bosses would know that you couldn't possibly be involving yourself in anything scandalous/spicy/bitchy/subversive/relating to office politics etc. They'd know you'd be on some safe subject like gardening, nature programmes or quantum *****ing physics.

[Eternal Sunshine]

As I said I am a decent amateur. Played a proper GM once in a rapid tournament. Held him to a draw with the Black pieces. So I can't be that bad.

 

But you are welcome to try .

 

I don't like my chances.

 

<slowly backs away>

[Eternal Sunshine]

Off topic T but that horse is adorable.

 

I have a thing for horses

[d'Arthez]

I don't like my chances.

 

<slowly backs away>

Seriously, I am not that good. In FIDE-rating terms, I'd be around 2000 now (I stopped playing over the board chess a couple of years ago, so I am sure I have declined somewhat).

 

I am sure that if the GM and I had played 5 games, I'd be lucky to get away with 4-1 to his advantage. Just the luck of a very limited statistical sample.

[Kamille]

Oh I'm an intellectual. The trick to intimidating others with your an intellectual prowess is to pick an obscure terrain (like, say, Taramere's conversation-partner ranting on Quantum Physics). Once you've picked your terrain and are fairly confident you master it, you lay out an outstanding hypothesis about it. Then, you proceed to link everything your interlocutor says to your hypothesis. Haha! They can never change the topic and you get hours of entertainment ranting out loud about your topic du jour.

 

Fortunately, I'm a cultural theorist, so no topic is off limit to me. I get to walk around feeling intellectually superior most of the time. For instance, I am currently doing a critical analysis of the entire work of Marian Keyes. I firmly believe chicklit is going to be recognized in the future as the masterpiece that it is... It is, after all, the litterature that covers romantic love in the era where monogamous romantic love dominates mass media production. This is linked to the unprecedented amounts of literacy world-wide and the rise of romantic love as the most desirable form of relationship.

 

I'll tell you what's worse. What's worse is when they actually manage to wade through those books for the sole purpose of lecturing other people on them.

 

It's like Marian Keyes says, what doesn't kill us only makes us funnier.

 

Years ago I was at a workplace Christmas party (I was a student at the time, and the party was at one of my part-time workplaces). I got collared by this very nice but very boring colleague who wanted to talk to me about....quantum physics. Not an area he had any kind of professional knowledge of or background in. His qualification, for lecturing me, was that he'd been reading a book on the subject.

 

 

Ah yes, Keyes also has much to say about physics. Here are her notes on the High Heel black hole:

 

My shoes are so high that sometimes when I step out of them, people look around in confusion and ask, "Where'd she go?"

 

As you can clearly see, my outstanding understanding and knowledge of Marian Keyes helps us explore the intricacies of modern day intellectualism. I have demonstrated that today's dominant representation of intellectuals is not, as in the past, that of the erudite, but is more akin to the cultural omnivore. In an age of instant communication, the intellectual is one who has something original to say about almost anything.

 

[Taramere]

Off topic T but that horse is adorable.

 

I have a thing for horses

 

Horses are never off topic! I love them too, with their combination of strength and gentleness. I used to compete (mainly eventing, though I was crap at the dressage part) in my teens, but I haven't had a horse of my own in years now. Still, I can't walk past a field of them without stopping to call them over. I love the way they're so polite and interested in grass being fed by a human hand, even though they've got an entire field of it to eat.

 

Can you see the duck and ducklings in that picture? Here's the story that picture belongs to.

 

Horse adopts family of ducklings | Metro.co.uk

[Eternal Sunshine]

Horses are never off topic! I love them too, with their combination of strength and gentleness. I used to compete (mainly eventing, though I was crap at the dressage part) in my teens, but I haven't had a horse of my own in years now. Still, I can't walk past a field of them without stopping to call them over. I love the way they're so polite and interested in grass being fed by a human hand, even though they've got an entire field of it to eat.

 

Can you see the duck and ducklings in that picture? Here's the story that picture belongs to.

 

Horse adopts family of ducklings | Metro.co.uk

 

Thanks for that story

 

You should know T that gushing over cute animals is so very.... un-intellectual!

[Eternal Sunshine]

Kamille, I love reading Ms Keyes

 

Especially some of her earlier works, I feel like the quality is declining though.

 

I have to admit, I really enjoy well written chick lit

[Taramere]

Thanks for that story

 

You should know T that gushing over cute animals is so very.... un-intellectual!

 

I know. You might have seen my last avatar..that famous picture of the horse chasing a dog. I superimposed a picture of the Scream, on which I had drawn a pair of glasses, on the dog's head. The scream-headed dog represented that worst ever ex. He wasn't particularly fond of animals, other than cats (whose narcissism he admired and related to).

 

It was as a direct result of that relationship that I realised one of my main deal-breakers. If he doesn't like dogs and horses, there's always going to be a gulf between us.

[Kamille]

Kamille, I love reading Ms Keyes

 

 

 

I love to traumatize my students by telling them I love Keyes, don't miss an episode of the Bachelorette and love to run to Lady Gaga. One of my pet peeves is when students think that social theorists should be focused on high culture, should perpetually live in a world of high theory and should take a stand above "the masses" as a way to be critical. One misses most of what's happening in contemporary society when their only focus is, say, Kundera.

[Eternal Sunshine]

ARGRHAGH

 

So many intellectuals posting in my thread.

 

I am supposed to not get along with you people!

[Kamille]

ARGRHAGH

 

So many intellectuals posting in my thread.

 

I am supposed to not get along with you people!

 

hehehe... Admit it, u lurvs us.

[Taramere]

Sheldon tries to teach Penny a "little" physics - YouTube

[Els]

Sheldon tries to teach Penny a "little" physics - YouTube

 

I watched that episode! It cracked me up.

[Taramere]

I watched that episode! It cracked me up.

 

I know. The Sheldon/Penny dynamic is a classic. That episode was on here last night. We have a channel E4 which shows a ridiculous amount of TBBT episodes. If you were to watch that channel solidly for a month, you'd probably see every episode ever made.

 

Oh...on topic, lightening the discussion. I read recently that Jim Parsons has come out of the closet. I had no idea he was in the closet. It's like hearing a news announcement that scientists have discovered fish prefer to live in a watery environment.

[Els]

I thought he had come out of the closet a long time ago. Bit by bit, at least.

 

Honestly, I wouldn't know. Plenty of people are just good actors and play the part well. Kunal Nayyar is sooooo gay in the show, but IRL he (supposedly) isn't...

[Nohbody]

And my spirit animal is a centaur.

 

But the upper half is Paul Giamatti.

[EasyHeart]

They prefer to watch documentaries, read non-fiction and listen to classical music. They wouldn't be caught dead watching reality TV or reading trashy fiction books.

That's not intellectual; that's just being pretentious.

[Mme. Chaucer]

I think that being "an intellectual" is more of a personality type, and intelligence is not (though it certainly can contribute to a person's personality).

 

I have spent most of my life surrounded by people of high intelligence; a lot of artists, entrepreneurs and other creative types. Many "outsiders." Few of them would I categorize as "intellectuals." I do have some friends who definitely fall into that category. They are not necessarily more intelligent. Well, one of them probably is. He lives inside his head, and it's a pretty interesting place in there.

[TaraMaiden]

That's not intellectual; that's just being pretentious.

I fall into that category actually.

Why would you describe me as pretentious if I find all that a waste of time?

 

I had to google "Danielle Steele" a short while ago, when somebody mentioned her in another thread (I had no idea who she was) and i have never picked up a book by her or Jilly Cooper and I wouldn't be seen dead watching X Factor, Nanny 911, The Real Housewives of Orange County and Sex and the City....

And I adore classical music, although I do listen to pop, anything post 80's usually leaves me cold.....

 

How does my having specific preferences for good reasons mean I'm pretentious?

[d'Arthez]

Beats me TM. Unless you had the attitude that only idiots watched those programs, and used it to convey a sense of superiority. And that is something I'd highly doubt.

[Eternal Sunshine]

As much as I like light fiction I still have standards

 

Danielle Steel

Jilly Cooper

 

I used to read Jackie Collins as a teen, mostly because of intriguing sex scenes.

 

I love:

Maryan Keyes, Robin Cook, Stephen King, Michel Houellebecq (nihilist ), Douglas Kennedy, Paulina Simmons....

 

Still, the books that are my favorites and have left the strongest impact on me are probably not considered that light: Lolita by Vladimir Nabakov (my signature is a quote from Lolita) and Of Human Bondage by W Somerset Maugham (who understands human nature like no other).

 

As for TV shows; I hate Desperate Housewives, OC and such.

 

I love: The Bachelor/ette, How I met your mother, The office, The Bing Bang theory, Seinfield, Sex and the city, Grey's anatomy, House and Californication.

[Els]

Oh come on, how is Desperate Housewives better than Danielle Steel???