08-02-2013, 10:09 AM | #1 | ||
Death Herald
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Le stelle la notte sono grandi e luminose nel cuore profondo del Texas
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Is it better to "not be stupid" or "be smart"
No, it isn't from one of the AT&T commercials with the kids. Interesting premise.
Sabermetric research: You gain more by not being stupid than you do by being smart. - Slate Magazine
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Thinkin' of a master plan 'Cuz ain't nuthin' but sweat inside my hand So I dig into my pocket, all my money is spent So I dig deeper but still comin' up with lint |
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08-02-2013, 10:21 AM | #2 |
Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Massachusetts
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Not surprised. You can get into a lot of trouble by being stupid, and I think you can also get yourself into a lot of (different kind of) trouble by thinking/being too smart.
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Get bent whoever hacked my pw and changed my signature. |
08-02-2013, 11:15 AM | #3 |
SI Games
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Melbourne, FL
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Smart and Stupid have nothing to do with common sense or work ethic - both of which I think help people more than smarts do, you can be a genius but if you're lazy and have common sense you're in trouble ....
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08-02-2013, 11:20 AM | #4 |
Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: St. Louis
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Sounds like the direction the public school I teach at is headed. And let me set something straight I went to public grade school, junior high, high school, and even to a public university and am a big supporter of public education. But damn if every year it doesn't seem like it is more about kids feeling good and teaching to the low and middle and not pushing the intelligent students to their full potential. Maybe I am just getting old and cranky but it sure seems our standards have dropped as a society. (I realize the article is more about games of chance and baseball but still felt the need to comment on this trend I see in public education. And I am at one of the good schools!)
Last edited by panerd : 08-02-2013 at 11:21 AM. |
08-02-2013, 11:31 AM | #5 |
Head Coach
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Maryland
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Yeah, probably true.
I've had a couple of thoughts on my own intelligence in the past (using IQ as a basis for this anyway, even if that's not viewed by all as the best indicator), and I've wondered if I would have been better served with a lower one. Not only because I might have been forced to work harder, but I think I might have been a little less averse to risk. I think those who really hit it big do so because they have taken more chances -- I've never been much of a risk-taker at all. I have a good, steady job (knock on wood), but I've not accomplished anything particularly noteworthy nor am I anything near wealthy (this applies to my approach with women as well; if I would have thought a lot less about the possible downside of taking chances, I probably - no, certainly - would have fared a lot better). I've also wondered if given a chance, I would trade 20-30 points of IQ for a fair upgrade in the looks department. Sadly, I usually lean to yes.
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null Last edited by cuervo72 : 08-02-2013 at 11:33 AM. |
08-02-2013, 11:52 AM | #6 |
Resident Alien
Join Date: Jun 2001
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I definitely fall in the "has done less with more opportunities/advantages" category. The bane of my life has been never having a clear direction that I want to go in career-wise.
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08-02-2013, 12:03 PM | #7 |
Head Coach
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: NYC
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My neighbor growing up was a couple years older than me and was a fucking genius. Tested off the charts in everything and aced all his classes. But he also had issues with anxiety, motivation, was anti-social at times, etc. Because of that, he struggled a lot as he grew up. He could never really hold down a job and didn't care to have friends and the like. He knew he was basically a genius but couldn't comprehend why he wasn't successful.
He became suicidal and his parents recently took him back in at their house in NJ. He supposedly was getting a bit better. Last week he made his way to San Francisco and jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge. Terrible. So with my own anecdotal evidence, I can definitely see being "too smart" as a major problem. |
08-02-2013, 12:08 PM | #8 |
Resident Alien
Join Date: Jun 2001
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Ugh. Awful story.
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08-02-2013, 12:12 PM | #9 |
Pro Starter
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Winnipeg, MB
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As someone that lacks it, I feel self-confidence is probably the most important trait when it comes to success.
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"Breakfast? Breakfast schmekfast, look at the score for God's sake. It's only the second period and I'm winning 12-2. Breakfasts come and go, Rene, but Hartford, the Whale, they only beat Vancouver maybe once or twice in a lifetime." |
08-02-2013, 12:19 PM | #10 | |
Favored Bitch #1
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: homeless in NJ
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Quote:
I dunno. I have worked with a lot of people who are self confident and they suck at their job but are to confident in themselves to realize it or take the necessary criticism to improve. |
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08-02-2013, 12:20 PM | #11 |
H.S. Freshman Team
Join Date: Mar 2006
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What?
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08-02-2013, 12:22 PM | #12 | |
Head Coach
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Maryland
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Quote:
Yes. Absolutely.
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null |
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08-02-2013, 12:28 PM | #13 |
Go Reds
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Bloodbuzz Ohio
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08-02-2013, 12:30 PM | #14 |
Favored Bitch #1
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: homeless in NJ
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08-02-2013, 12:40 PM | #15 | |
Resident Alien
Join Date: Jun 2001
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Quote:
This has been a problem for me as well. |
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08-02-2013, 12:40 PM | #16 |
Head Coach
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: NYC
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To me, self-confidence is about knowing what your potential is and that you have the ability to reach it, and being comfortable with that, no matter how high or low you perceive it to be. I think that's different than over-confidence.
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08-02-2013, 01:12 PM | #17 |
Pro Starter
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Winnipeg, MB
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I guess it doesn't help that the dictionary basically says it can be both:
self-conˇfiˇdence [self-kon-fi-duhns, self-] 1. realistic confidence in one's own judgment, ability, power, etc. 2. excessive or inflated confidence in one's own judgment, ability, etc. I was then going to suggest that perhaps self-esteem was more what I was getting after, but that one is no better: self-esˇteem [self-i-steem, self-] 1. a realistic respect for or favorable impression of oneself; self-respect. 2. an inordinately or exaggeratedly favorable impression of oneself. Anyways, I was aiming at #1 for both of those more than #2, but I think it's better to have a little #2 than neither if you have to choose.
__________________
"Breakfast? Breakfast schmekfast, look at the score for God's sake. It's only the second period and I'm winning 12-2. Breakfasts come and go, Rene, but Hartford, the Whale, they only beat Vancouver maybe once or twice in a lifetime." |
08-02-2013, 01:13 PM | #18 | |
Head Coach
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: NYC
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Quote:
That's because #2 is just flat out wrong, I'm 100% sure of it. |
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08-02-2013, 02:24 PM | #19 | |
Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Back in Houston!
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Now I know how this story ended up on FOFC
Quote:
SI
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Houston Hippopotami, III.3: 20th Anniversary Thread - All former HT players are encouraged to check it out! Janos: "Only America could produce an imbecile of your caliber!" Freakazoid: "That's because we make lots of things better than other people!" |
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08-02-2013, 02:26 PM | #20 | |
Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Appleton, WI
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Quote:
Parenting books often warn against praising a child for being smart for these exact reasons.. People have limited control of their intelligence potential, so praising smartness is misguided. Smart kids (like all kids) want to keep getting praised so they will avoid challenging situations where they might not succeed and might not look smart. Lots of smart kids lack drive and focus. Praising kids for hard work and dedication is a better idea since it is something they can control and since work ethic speaks more to productivity than intelligence does. |
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08-02-2013, 02:26 PM | #21 |
Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Behind Enemy Lines in Athens, GA
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Better for whom? The person, or society? (I'm guessing you mean the former)
There's not the slightest doubt in my mind that "not stupid" people tend to be happier than "smart" people. I figure society at large is better served by smart people.
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"I lit another cigarette. Unless I specifically inform you to the contrary, I am always lighting another cigarette." - from a novel by Martin Amis Last edited by JonInMiddleGA : 08-02-2013 at 02:27 PM. |
08-02-2013, 02:26 PM | #22 | |
Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Back in Houston!
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Quote:
Your problem is that you're missing half of the equation. You need to be cocky /and/ funny! SI
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Houston Hippopotami, III.3: 20th Anniversary Thread - All former HT players are encouraged to check it out! Janos: "Only America could produce an imbecile of your caliber!" Freakazoid: "That's because we make lots of things better than other people!" |
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08-02-2013, 02:33 PM | #23 | |
Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Back in Houston!
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Quote:
Now there's an interesting question: Let's say society has people distributed on a bell curve of intelligence from 1 to 10 so the average is 5 and most people fall between 3 and 7. You get 100 "intelligence points" to raise your scores and a person can't now exceed, say, 15 points: what makes for the best society? Raise everyone 1 point? Raise the bottom up? (for instance, the 1s get 4 points, the 2s get 3 points, the 3s get 2 points, and the 4s get 1 point so society now goes from 5-10) Raise the top higher? (give 5 points each to your top 20%) Something else? SI
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Houston Hippopotami, III.3: 20th Anniversary Thread - All former HT players are encouraged to check it out! Janos: "Only America could produce an imbecile of your caliber!" Freakazoid: "That's because we make lots of things better than other people!" |
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08-02-2013, 02:40 PM | #24 |
Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Nov 2000
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Without getting bogged down in the math, I'd say you probably bump your top group up a little (3-4 points to the top 20%), use the remaining points to raise a few from the group below into that previously highest tier.
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"I lit another cigarette. Unless I specifically inform you to the contrary, I am always lighting another cigarette." - from a novel by Martin Amis |
08-02-2013, 02:56 PM | #25 | |
Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: St. Louis
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This sounds like the opener to a 1930's eugenics course at the University of Berlin. |
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08-02-2013, 03:04 PM | #26 | |
Hall Of Famer
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Location: Back in Houston!
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Quote:
That includes an option to pump up the top 2/3rds of your society and then kill the rest SI
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Houston Hippopotami, III.3: 20th Anniversary Thread - All former HT players are encouraged to check it out! Janos: "Only America could produce an imbecile of your caliber!" Freakazoid: "That's because we make lots of things better than other people!" |
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08-02-2013, 03:17 PM | #27 | |
Hall Of Famer
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Quote:
Wait a minute, I just assumed that wasn't one of my choices. Dammit, now I need to re-do my answer.
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"I lit another cigarette. Unless I specifically inform you to the contrary, I am always lighting another cigarette." - from a novel by Martin Amis |
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08-02-2013, 03:19 PM | #28 | |
Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Apr 2002
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Quote:
Secretly, Jon, you're why it wasn't one of our answers because I wanted you to actually think about it rather than just go with your obvious choice SI
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Houston Hippopotami, III.3: 20th Anniversary Thread - All former HT players are encouraged to check it out! Janos: "Only America could produce an imbecile of your caliber!" Freakazoid: "That's because we make lots of things better than other people!" Last edited by sterlingice : 08-02-2013 at 03:20 PM. |
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08-02-2013, 04:46 PM | #29 | |
Hall Of Famer
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Quote:
Great, pick on the honest guy, that's aight.
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"I lit another cigarette. Unless I specifically inform you to the contrary, I am always lighting another cigarette." - from a novel by Martin Amis |
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08-02-2013, 08:00 PM | #30 |
Grizzled Veteran
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