[ExI] 12 Little Things That Show People You’re Intelligent

[spike at rainier66.com]

…> On Behalf Of Dave Sill via extropy-chat

Subject: [ExI] 12 Little Things That Show People You’re Intelligent

 

https://medium.com/the-ascent/12-little-things-that-show-people-youre-intelligent-without-you-having-to-say-it-a9dd8f34f53f

 

TL;DR:

 

1. Showing up on time.

2. Dressing appropriately.

3. Remembering the little things.

4. Holding the door open.

5. The art on your walls.

6. Your shoes.

7. When you take notes.

8. The state of your desktop.

9. Spending money wisely.

10. How you invest your time.

11. The foods you eat.

12. Your circle of friends.

 

--

 

Dave, the interesting thing about this is that so many of them are undefined.  For instance… dressing appropriately.  Who gets to decide what that is?  The latest fashion designer?  If someone buys and wears that fashion when it isn’t practical doesn’t indicate intelligence to me, it indicates gullibility which is nearly the opposite.  

 

Consider the really objectively-smart crowd, as measured by stellar performance on a competition math test.  Sure, it is argued the geek crowd really isn’t intelligent, because they are nerdy and socially maladjusted.  Well I ain’t buying it.  They are intelligent.  But… we do dress weird.  We show up at a funeral in a T-shirt with Maxwell’s equations on there and crap like that.  I see it as not so much a lack of intelligence but rather a strict dedication to hardcore non-conformity.

 

Remembering little things: I am a champion there, for I can name by memory all the subatomic particles in the mainstream quantum theories.  But that might not be what they meant.

 

Holding the door open: eh depends.  I remember doing that and getting yelled at: Close the damn door!  You’re letting flies out!

 

Art on your walls.  Heh.  That can be anything.  It says more about the judgmental yahoo deciding he is an art critic and assuming he is intelligent.  Harumph.  (Hey cool I may be on the road to recovery from becoming post-ghost Scrooge.  I have scarcely harumphed in months.)

 

Shoes.  Shoes, well OK I will buy that one.  Some shoes really are just stupid.  Those spike heel thingies, oh mercy.  Risky.  I come close to hurting myself every time I put them on, and never mind the risk of forgetting and answering the doorbell, having the neighbor see me in them.  Dumb.  Don’t go there.  While not there, stay not there.

 

When you take notes.  I will buy that.  Doing that during a lecture: smart.  Doing that while driving: not smart.

 

State of your desktop: note he didn’t actually specify what that state should be to indicate intelligence, so no actual information there.

 

Spending money wisely: subjective.  No score.

 

How you invest your time: again subjective.  The writer is really saying if you choose to invest your time the same way she does, then she will consider you intelligent.  But she doesn’t say.  No score.

 

The foods we eat?  OK what foods are smart?  No score.

 

Your circle of friends: OK no worries I figured out a good way to work that one.  Get a bunch of really smart people together, then mutually agree to be enemies.  But don’t let on.  Get together and pretend to tolerate each other’s revolting presence.  The unsuspecting judgmental types fall for it: they see the gathering and assume we are a bunch of friends, and that we are all smart, so I must be smart too.

 

Dave I like your list better: they are all defined:

 

>… some obvious omissions like:

 

Be polite and respectful.

Be a good listener.

Be open minded.

Pay attention.

Keep your promises.

 

>…I'm sure we could add dozens more.

 

-Dave

 

 

 

Well done sir.  I would add: is capable of solving a system of simultaneous differential equations with complex roots.  But that would give me an unfair advantage.

 

I like unfair advantages.

 

spike

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