Insulting Intelligence

[Aramea]

The "chameleon" effect helps here. I am pretty good at sizing up intelligence.

If I encounter someone of superior intelligence I show my hand and suck them dry for whatever I can get. This also goes for the socially intelligent, something I am not. They are usually quite flattered that I have recognized their gifts and oblige my incessant questioning.

If I encounter someone with equal intelligence we can talk endlessly about what we know. It is fun and we both learn something.

If I encounter someone with inferior intelligence I can quickly become whatever I need to be to entertain myself and keep from insulting them. I usually learn something new anyway, perhaps about music or books. If the person just has no value to me at all, my mind starts to wander and I am at my most risk of insulting someone but I will always blame this on some flaw in me.

 

[Da Blob]

The "chameleon" effect helps here. I am pretty good at sizing up intelligence.

If I encounter someone of superior intelligence I show my hand and suck them dry for whatever I can get. This also goes for the socially intelligent, something I am not. They are usually quite flattered that I have recognized their gifts and oblige my incessant questioning.

If I encounter someone with equal intelligence we can talk endlessly about what we know. It is fun and we both learn something.

If I encounter someone with inferior intelligence I can quickly become whatever I need to be to entertain myself and keep from insulting them. I usually learn something new anyway, perhaps about music or books. If the person just has no value to me at all, my mind starts to wander and I am at my most risk of insulting someone but I will always blame this on some flaw in me.

It is rather amazing how effective self-effacement is as a tactic. Very few ever seem to object to self-degradation...

From your wording of the OP, you made it sound like it was entirely your fault, because you started by defining yourself as having "above average intelligence" and your words as being "intelligent". With such a starting definition coming from yourself, I can see how this could impact the manner in which you might come across to others. "I am better than you."

If you want to shift focus to the flaws of the offended, you should at least give a clearer example.

A. "I make a statement and people take offense to it rather than analysing it."
versus
B. "I make an intelligent statement that goes over peoples' heads and they get frustrated."

The ideas expressed are completely different. In the latter, the offended's flaw is his unwillingness or inability to invest the energy required to understand an idea that might not interest him. The offense might be a product of how that lack of interest is interpreted (as stupidity), or by the frustration caused by jargon.

In A, we have a situation where there is interest, because the offense is a result of the idea being discussed. The analysis is not made because the reaction is emotional as opposed to rational.

But you ought to have paid more attention to the manner in which you expressed the idea...

Hmm! I thought I had...

By focusing the readers' attention on me and my own assumed inadequacies, I exposed the greater issue (or so I thought), by provoking others to respond in a way that made my point for me. Something they would be loathe to do, if I had asked them, directly.

Of course, I should apologize to those who responded with good advice, choosing not to be offended by the OP...

Speaking of which, have others noticed this politically correct trend of becoming offended for others? It seems that there is a certain type of person that is so eager to obtain the status of victim, that they impose themselves between Others, and champion the Victim's Stance. For example, them telling Native Americans that they should be offended by having a team of warriors/competitors named after them...

Or, of course, as seen above, granting the status of victim to any that have had the 'misfortune' of indulging in conversation with me...

 

[Aramea]

Of course, I should apologize to those who responded with good advice, choosing not to be offended by the OP...

I am not sure why any one would be offended by an inquiry into something that does crop up amongst intelligent people on occasion. You will be forced into a conversation with people that don't have much to offer you once in awhile. I had to start boycotting frequent family gatherings for awhile due to not wishing to spend every Saturday morning wasting time on stupid political discussions that amounted to "Muslims are gonna take over the country, enjoy your burka, Aramea" and "do you want your son to be a Muslim?". To this day, I am the bad girl for ceasing this lovely family tradition, but, really, am I supposed to discuss this with people? More than once? I don't generally converse in jargon, but when rational, logical arguments are rejected in favor of "I don't want bin Laden to come knocking on my door" (actually spoken by my husband's aunt) you have officially lost the argument you just don't know it. Like he'd waste 30 seconds and a bullet on you. /rant off

Insult someone? I try really hard not to and my little process above gets me through parties. It isn't always "intellect" that does it though. I read a lot and I just know things and connect dots. Emotional arguments are nigh impossible to counter with logic but we try and we look like we're insulting their intelligence. But actually, aren't they insulting the very essence of thought when they really get going with the gibberish?

Perhaps this wasn't what you were talking about. As for victimhood, I see it all the time in shit like "War on Christmas" and such nonsense. Here in GA, they just proposed a couple bills to outlaw Sharia law here. Fuck me, I had no idea it was such a problem in the Bible belt.

 

[Agapooka]

Speaking of which, have others noticed this politically correct trend of becoming offended for others? It seems that there is a certain type of person that is so eager to obtain the status of victim, that they impose themselves between Others, and champion the Victim's Stance.

That's what lawyers are for... :P

 

[Dr. Freeman]

Political correctness, while having one or two uses, is generally a waste of time.
You can't get in trouble for being "genius-ist," but if you mention the name of any race in a joke, you are declared racist.

 

[Aramea]

Political correctness, while having one or two uses, is generally a waste of time.
You can't get in trouble for being "genius-ist," but if you mention the name of any race in a joke, you are declared racist.

This is pretty much how I view it, too. It does have its use, but it generally amounts to censorship. I will say that the words you choose to use can say an awful lot about you and it is generally unwise to get yourself labeled in a negative light.

A friend of mine once told he was a "stupidist", LOL.

 

[Da Blob]

Political correctness, while having one or two uses, is generally a waste of time.
You can't get in trouble for being "genius-ist," but if you mention the name of any race in a joke, you are declared racist.

Yes, I know of one politician who was ruined for simply repeating an 'off-color' joke that one of his African American friends had shared with him. As I have noted elsewhere, it seems rather paradoxical that the most racist amongst us are never accused of racism, and those are the leaders of African American groups that begin speeches with the phrase "We Black people" Instead of "We Americans"... When was the last time that a non-Caucasian was accused of racism by the major media outlets?

There is a major psychology vulnerability played upon by politicians. It is something derived from the condition known as "Learned Helplessness", which is the conditioning imposed upon students in the government institution of education. One of the outcomes of the Conditioned Response /"earned Helplessness" is that it is easily manipulated into becoming a "Victim's Stance" in adults, where adults truly believe that their perpetual social role is as a victim/prey and being victims, there is a whole list of things, they are led by politicians to believe, that they are entitled to.

 

[cheese]

There is no reason why a fourth opinion is warranted, especially since no INTP will raise the status of emotion to that of intelligence meaning they cannot be insulted for their intelligent judgmentallessness even if that is so obscure they aren't so sure.

You're totally right, I have no idea where I got that idea from. I will keep my opinions to myself. Sorry!

*edit
Shit, I really don't know what triggered that. Can I use the fact that I've been trying to spell 'adjust' 'aggust' as an excuse? Not to mention 'covert' as 'cover'. I've been pulling that shit a lot lately. Something must've triggered my response, but I don't know what it is.

 

[BigApplePi]

You're totally right, I have no idea where I got that idea from. I will keep my opinions to myself. Sorry!

*edit
Shit, I really don't know what triggered that. Can I use the fact that I've been trying to spell 'adjust' 'aggust' as an excuse? Not to mention 'covert' as 'cover'. I've been pulling that shit a lot lately. Something must've triggered my response, but I don't know what it is.

Those could very well be your reasons. In your place I would do exactly as you say: keep some opinions to myself. It's those OTHER opinions. No need to hide those under a bushel. Let them hang out, number them and present them as the impulse takes you. Hold back only enough to be enticing.

Edit: that was my opinion but I forgot what number I was at.

 

[cheese]

Pi, I actually have no idea what you're talking about. That's no opinion, that's FACT. In your FACE!

 

[BigApplePi]

Pi, I actually have no idea what you're talking about. That's no opinion, that's FACT. In your FACE!

I agree with you. I have no idea either. However if it should dawn on me and I get a clue and see some light, and can pull myself together enough, I will give you my opinion and let you know, lol. But not before then.