Coffee makes women smarter
- Thread starter Jeslek
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Altron
Well-Known Member
I see just as many stupid guys as I see stupid girls.
However, in terms of academic book smarts, at least to me, there seems to be a disproportional amount of Chinese boys who academically do very well.
I'm friends with a lot - they have overcontrolling parents, very little social activity outside of Starcraft and the Math Club, and they seem scared to death of women.
I don't really buy into thise "______ are smarter than ______" because, to my knowledge, there ain't a test for common sense, and as far as I'm concerned, that's what counts.
However, in terms of academic book smarts, at least to me, there seems to be a disproportional amount of Chinese boys who academically do very well.
I'm friends with a lot - they have overcontrolling parents, very little social activity outside of Starcraft and the Math Club, and they seem scared to death of women.
I don't really buy into thise "______ are smarter than ______" because, to my knowledge, there ain't a test for common sense, and as far as I'm concerned, that's what counts.
A.B.Normal
New Member
See ,now I woulda put my cup under the drip.
Altron
Well-Known Member
He finds the indefinite integrals of rotational inertia so that he can go to Harvard, graduate with a degree in Really Difficult Physics, get hitched to a Chinese girl with a degree in Really Difficult Chemistry, move to the suburbs, and raise a family with an average IQ of 175.
What they do with those degrees/what they do while getting those degrees is what's gonna change the world.
Making a difference, no matter how small, is really rewarding. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that I believe that part of our purpose here is to make a difference in some way...
Altron
Well-Known Member
I've seen firsthand a little companionship and humor turn a really shitty day into a fun day.
It might not matter all that much on the grand scale of humanity and history, but it matters a lot in real life, and that's what counts.
What is it that motivates you? A romanticized notion of changing the world? Or care for the people you love?
When I do something, it's not to improve the course of mankind. It's about making life a little bit better for me and the people I care about. To me, that is the world.
I'd say that when Tonks thinks about what's important, she cares a hell of a lot more about Unc and her daughters than she does about changing the world. To her, that is the world.
I'd venture a guess that Nixy cares a bit more about herself, her brother, her mom, and her friends than she does expanding the realm of human knowledge.
I expect that Gonz cares more about harrassing SNP and Spike than he does about making the world a better place.
When you think about it, what's really important? Would you rather make a scientific discovery, or would you rather have a fufilling life with a family you love?
Jokes and humor probably aren't going to help us cure cancer or have world peace, but they enrich our everyday lives a lot.
It might not matter all that much on the grand scale of humanity and history, but it matters a lot in real life, and that's what counts.
What is it that motivates you? A romanticized notion of changing the world? Or care for the people you love?
When I do something, it's not to improve the course of mankind. It's about making life a little bit better for me and the people I care about. To me, that is the world.
I'd say that when Tonks thinks about what's important, she cares a hell of a lot more about Unc and her daughters than she does about changing the world. To her, that is the world.
I'd venture a guess that Nixy cares a bit more about herself, her brother, her mom, and her friends than she does expanding the realm of human knowledge.
I expect that Gonz cares more about harrassing SNP and Spike than he does about making the world a better place.
When you think about it, what's really important? Would you rather make a scientific discovery, or would you rather have a fufilling life with a family you love?
Jokes and humor probably aren't going to help us cure cancer or have world peace, but they enrich our everyday lives a lot.
Professur
Well-Known Member
Oh definately...making a difference doesn't have to be on a world wide scale...for example, the other day I managed to get a file with a bunch of information about products we use that is very useful for people at my work and will save us all alot of time because we won't have to call up the representative for the products everytime we need this info...for me, making the job of the people I work with easier is "making a difference". Does that mean I don't think the world of the people who are working everyday to cure diseases and make life better for everyone? No it doesn't, I think they're wonderful people...I just don't think a person has to cure cancer to "make a difference" in some way...some people just make differences on different scales.
With all that said, I still believe a person needs a balance of common sense AND book smarts to be successful...no matter how book smart one is if they can't socialize successfully then they're doomed...same is true for the social butterfly who can't add 2+2...
Have I slacked off that much? Maybe you'd better re-examine my posts. Collectively.
Altron
Well-Known Member
I just find that the educational system places far more emphasis on being book smart than on being common sense smart. All the testing is based on book smarts. Read this history book, memorize these dates, regurgitate. Follow these exact steps to solve the math problem.
It's not placing enough emphasis on problem solving abilities.
Of course, these are my observations based off of my experience in my school, which, to be honest, is a very rich upper-middle-class suburban school with a large Chinese population. These kids are driven to the extremes of book smarts by parents. Take one of my friends, for example. Both of his parents have Ph.Ds. He has a 98% average in college-level classes, is the valedictorian, has a perfect SAT score, is president of the math club, and can recite the first one hundred and five digits of pi from memory. Of course, he's a very extreme case, but there are a ton of Chinese kids with perfectionist parents driven to huge academic prowess.
It's scary to see some of these kids. They are so fucking book smart that it's terrifying.
3.1415926535897932384626433832795028841971693993751058209749445923078164062862089986280348253421170679 82148
My friend memorized that number. I can ask him ANY history question, and he knows it. He has taken SEVEN Honors/AP science classes in the past four years.
And it's like, when you talk to him, it's like talking to a 13 year old. He's not really independant from his parents. He doesn't do much outside of school. His friends are for the most part just like him. All he has to talk about is academics.
It's like, these kids are driven so hard towards academic success by their parents that they lose out on social development and maturity.
Like, there was a group of us, him included, at a restaurant. Some sophomore chick from another school approaches us. All my friends are scared out of their minds. Like, the entire concept of interaction with a stranger is foreign to them. The girl was hitting on me, not them, and they were still scared, like slowly backing away while avoiding eye contact. I politely declined (I'm interested in a different lady) but it was an interesting experience.
If we're hanging out, and we order pizza, they're like afraid of the delivery guy.
And, they're all really damn smart, and it's sad to see how they don't have that much common sense smarts or social skills.
When I did my college interview, I was actually disappointed by the caliber of the questions. They were aimed at nerds. I thought "Hey, wow, interview, cool. I can bust out my people skills to make up for my lackluster academic performance" and was saddened to find out that it wasn't challenging. I was expecting something a lot more difficult. They asked harder questions at my $8.50/hr starting part time seasonal job interview than they asked at college admissions, something that costs thousands of dollars and takes four to five years. Why? Because they want book smarts.
Altron
Well-Known Member
Gonz, take a joke.
