[NT] The Politics of Intelligence...

[Provoker]

The purpose of this thread is to launch a discussion on the politics of intelligence and how it effects our modes of behavior in real time.

Let me begin with a short preface to the issue. For the last few years I have occasionally found myself in situations wherein I was embarassed by my intelligence. One example was when my aunt (who is somewhat superficial and highly driven by materialism) asked me what I thought about her getting another Denali SUV in light of our current environmental situation. I tried to avoid it through deflection but she got aggressive and demanded an answer, so to speak. When I began to dissect the issue with her and asked her what practical purpose a newer Denali would serve (besides the material status symbol associated with it) she got emotional and nasty so I started ignoring her and tunning into another conversation that was going on in the room which probably pissed her off even more.

More recently, I was at a friends house who had me watch this retarded tv show which this particular person found hilarious. I found myself working hard to laugh and smile when I thought it was borderline retarded. Obviously, I do this to fit in and appear more human and easy-going. But after, when I am contemplating by myself I feel a sense of disgust for having compromised who and what I really am just for others. Similarly, sometimes others get into the details of their lives and I can see the solutions or errors in their reasoning right away but abstain from giving input for fear of making them feel incompetent.

This sense of embarassment is particularly felt when I am around my family. With my sisters, and even parents to some extent, it isn't bad because they know how I operate. But if I am around my grandparents, for instance, I completely shut down my critical thinking faculty. At the same time, by shutting it down I am not being myself and by not being myself it naturally comes off as if something is up. On the other hand, if I leave it on I end up giving lectures about things and then, if interrupted or if I see their eyes start to wander, I may get really irritable. In recent years, I've really developed an encyclopedic mind and a textbook-like approach to phenomena. It seems to me that I am more intellectual than witty which seems to work to my disadvantage in light-hearted social environments.

The question emerges: how does the politics of intelligence affect your behavior in real time?

 

[Typology]

I have to fake laugh all the time, ignore statements that are wayyy of base, and generally feign interest in something I already know just for conversation sake. It usually gets old fast, and I try to show just enough interest to the point where the conversation is quickly dropped, but not in a rude manner. The fact is, most people really don't interest me in any way. Obviously there's going to be exceptions, but for the most part, the fake laughing, feigned interest, etc. usually predominate my conversations. It's only fitting that my job requires me to talk with a different person, or persons, every couple minutes...

 

[The_Liquid_Laser]

It sounds like your examples have more to do with personality than intelligence. You have different opinions and interests from the people around you. That doesn't have to do with intelligence in your examples. It is simply a matter of personality difference.

 

[Ishida]

When I'm thinking something philosophy like, sometimes it's obvious to those around and they ask me what's up and I made the mistake of trying to explain it, which became "I pity you." because to them it didn't matter.

but for the most part, the fake laughing, feigned interest, etc. usually predominate my conversations.

I do this too. A bit more nod and smile business too. But usually I don't consider those people stupid or anything.

 

[Rachelinpa]

It sounds like your examples have more to do with personality than intelligence. You have different opinions and interests from the people around you. That doesn't have to do with intelligence in your examples. It is simply a matter of personality difference.

I agree with this.

I have to fake laugh all the time, ignore statements that are wayyy of base, and generally feign interest in something I already know just for conversation sake.

Same. It does get complicated when you sense that your identity or values have been compromised. I just try to avoid situations where I'm going to have to do this or find one person who at least agrees or understands me on some level... whether it be a shared sense of humor or similar interest in conversational topics.

 

[Darjur]

I don't have too many issues with that, all of my friends already refer to me as the philosopher/Thinker/Know-it-all of the group. I actually enjoy it to a point, because I'm constantly being tested about that.

None of them really expects me to like what they do and I have a history of pointing that out if they are somewhat obnoxious over that.

 

[ptgatsby]

It sounds like your examples have more to do with personality than intelligence.

I was thinking that. The examples I heard seem to refer to (a nebulous definition of) rationality. That is, you hold yourself and your opinions higher because you achieved them through a certain process, just as you look down on yourself (as you would others) for giving into this form of rationality.

 

[Provoker]

It sounds like your examples have more to do with personality than intelligence.

Let me clarify a few things. First, obviously it should be assumed that in posting on a "personality forum" the topic relates to personality. Second, in making this post, the assumption is that intelligence has a fixed value that is held constant while what varies (and is what I am specifically concerned about) is human bahavior in response to how the politics of intelligence plays out. To this end, some posters have answered my question while others have dwelled on the implicit assumptions while not answering the main question driving this thread. I could have forumulated it slightly differently: have you ever felt embarassed by your intelligence? y/n and why? And please, don't write a textbook on whether embarassment is a function of personality and/or intelligence because that would miss the point.

 

[Usehername]

It sounds like your examples have more to do with personality than intelligence. You have different opinions and interests from the people around you. That doesn't have to do with intelligence in your examples. It is simply a matter of personality difference.

I don't think it's even personality--it's more like a healthy outlook on life vs. those who are happy to have short-term rewards. Healthy people prefer todig deeper and find value within oneself and grow oneself, whether INTJ or ESFP.

 

[Mycroft]

I don't think it's even personality--it's more like a healthy outlook on life vs. those who are happy to have short-term rewards. Healthy people prefer todig deeper and find value within oneself and grow oneself, whether INTJ or ESFP.

For goodness, sake, people. It's my general M.O. to look the other way, so to speak, on all of this "all types born equal" hoo-hah bandied about this board for the sake of being a reasonably amicable member of the community, but when people try to claim that the ability to accurately gauge the long-term consequences of one's actions and recognize faulty reasoning is unrelated to intelligence, it's too much for me.

People who habitually make what will inevitably prove be poor decisions in the long run for the sake of momentary satisfaction do so because they are not smart.

 

[ed111]

What's true is that no one likes a smart ass.

 

[ptgatsby]

People who habitually make what will inevitably prove be poor decisions in the long run for the sake of momentary satisfaction do so because they are not smart.

While correlated, impulse control is not the same as intelligence. Most poor decisions come from impulse control and emotional issues, not intelligence.


The question here is - do you find it necessary to show that you are smart all the time, or are you able to adapt to social situations or behave appropriately dependent on the situation? Do you hold yourself to certain 'smart standards' and refuse to relax them?

Having social anxiety to start with, I doubt I can really answer the OP properly. But I do have friends that are on both sides of the spectrum at equal intelligence. And that goes for making poor decisions as well.

 

[The_Liquid_Laser]

People who habitually make what will inevitably prove be poor decisions in the long run for the sake of momentary satisfaction do so because they are not smart.

This is true, but the opposite is also true. People who spend so much time contemplating the future that they can't enjoy the moment are also not smart.

 

[Darjur]

What's true is that no one likes a smart ass.

Depends, I know a lot of people who I would call smart asses and I don't really see them having all that many problems in life due to it.

On the other hand, it probably depends on what your definition of a smart-ass is.

 

[FDG]

I would call your problem "lack of social skills" rather than "excessive intelligence".

 

[Blackmail!]

I would call your problem "lack of social skills" rather than "excessive intelligence".

Indeed.

 

[01011010]

I would start by looking at why you'd pretend to like something you didn't, especially for the sake of fitting in. That has Fe written all over it.

 

[Provoker]

I would call your problem "lack of social skills" rather than "excessive intelligence".

I never said that intelligence was the cause of this behavior, this is an example of a misinterpretation of my post...whenever the word intelligence comes up people start linning up on the barricades and it obstructs real objective analysis. I stated in my follow-up post that intelligence is to be held fixed. Therefore, if you want to debate intelligence do so in another thread because it would be missing the main point of this one. Here, we are assuming a definitive value so that we can analyze the other variables that affect how the politics of intelligence plays out in real time. While intelligence is one phenomena, how you behave around others in response to your perception of your own intelligence is really what I'm after. It's very straightforward.

Second, the person who said that one of my examples was a function of pure Fe is not thinking critically. If my aunt's feelings were essential in my calculus why would I have ignored her which infuriated her? Such an analysis is overly simplistic. One of the great limitations of Myers-Briggs theory is the tendency to form binary dualisms; it's either black or white; you're either part of the orient or occident; you're either a thinker or a feeler. In many cases, these dichotomizing fictions collide with personality realities.

But one of the underlying purposes of this thread is to get a discussion going wherein some of these critical issues are thought through from multiple perspectives. In reading the responses, we may each learn more and tweak our systems to be more efficient. I appreciate the feedback given so far..keep it up.

 

[01011010]

Second, the person who said that one of my examples was a function of pure Fe is not thinking critically.

I didn't say pure Fe. Just that your action of pretending to seem more human, reeked of it. Last half being Fi. See below.

http://www.typologycentral.com/forums/members/01011010.html

I found myself working hard to laugh and smile when I thought it was borderline retarded. Obviously, I do this to fit in and appear more human and easy-going. But after, when I am contemplating by myself I feel a sense of disgust for having compromised who and what I really am just for others.

 

[Mycroft]

While correlated, impulse control is not the same as intelligence. Most poor decisions come from impulse control and emotional issues, not intelligence.

True, of course, but I was responding to the general sentiment, here explicitly stated by Liquid Laser, that, gosh, it's just a matter of personal taste - just because the decision in question fails to take into account obvious facts and fails to arrive at the obvious conclusion can't have anything to do with intelligence!

On a broader level, though, this conversation is merely symptomatic of the overall atmosphere we've arrived at on this message board where it's become taboo to point out that, hey, some people are just stupid and some types are markedly overrepresented among stupid people.