How stupid are you?

[tookish]

I'm quite academic, got a first at uni and can lecture on stuff, and so on. I can generally hold my own in conversations about 'difficult' topics. I give reasonable advice and think I am okay at emotional intuition.

But I also forget where the cups are in my own house, every day. And I frequently fall for obvious parodies. And I have very few practical skills, such as navigation, or DIY.

I'd say I'm 40% stupid.

How stupid are you?

[The Mollusk]

Academically I'm pretty stupid. Three C grade GCSEs in art, English literature and English language (still pretty much the only things I give a fuck about to this day), dropped out afterwards and got a job aged 16. Never had any further education from then until now.

I have (not consciously) made up for this with emotional intelligence. Everything is feelings to me, I'm rarely interested in technical details of anything, more just how people feel when an event occurs or a piece of art is created. Moreover it's how I feel, observing it.

I'd say this is due almost entirely to having an ADHD brain (still not diagnosed but honestly 99% sure I've had it my whole life), unable to focus on specifics of anything, least of all when someone else is trying to explain it to me on their terms, but relating to things on a deeper emotional level because I am naturally depressive and empathetic.

It can be a fucking nightmare to live with and I've suffered the crushing feeling of inferiority for most of my life, but in spite of that I don't think I'd ever want to change who I am.

[tookish]

ADHD is a ballache to live with. I'm glad you wouldn't change who you are; I think radical acceptance of ourselves (while still allowing room for growth) is the only path to happiness.

Btw, I think empathy is its own form of intelligence, so you've got that in the bag.

[The Mollusk]

I'm very happy to be realising my mental condition at a point in time where acceptance is growing. When I was at school, the only extra-curricular focus for students with learning difficulties was dyslexic kids. Seems absurd now that not even autism, aspergers, dyspraxia etc were on the radar! Nowadays there's ADHD memes and support pages on Instagram and amazing YouTube channels and all sorts. To quote a popular phrase, I feel very much seen. :)

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

Academically I'm pretty stupid. Three C grade GCSEs in art, English literature and English language (still pretty much the only things I give a fuck about to this day), dropped out afterwards and got a job aged 16. Never had any further education from then until now.

I have (not consciously) made up for this with emotional intelligence. Everything is feelings to me, I'm rarely interested in technical details of anything, more just how people feel when an event occurs or a piece of art is created. Moreover it's how I feel, observing it.

I'd say this is due almost entirely to having an ADHD brain (still not diagnosed but honestly 99% sure I've had it my whole life), unable to focus on specifics of anything, least of all when someone else is trying to explain it to me on their terms, but relating to things on a deeper emotional level because I am naturally depressive and empathetic.

It can be a fucking nightmare to live with and I've suffered the crushing feeling of inferiority for most of my life, but in spite of that I don't think I'd ever want to change who I am.

Genuinely surprised by this, as you strike me as a pretty intelligent and articulate, all- round educated feller. Just goes to show how meaningless academic qualifications can be.

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

Anyway, to answer the question, I would say I'm a right stupid cunt, about 95% stupid. But 'appy.


Wait, no I'm not, I'm a right miserable cunt, as well. Aw, bums.  :(

[pigamus]

About twenty years ago I subscribed to the Times as an affectation

I thought they'd send me the actual paper, but they sent me these tokens that you had to take to the newsagent

I was too embarrassed to do it

I think it cost me about £70

[ASFTSN]

I'm 'frog-stupid'.

[Icehaven]

Getting stupider by the day. Largely because my concentration, which was never that great to begin with, has been whittled down to virtually nothing by the internet and general scatterbrainyness to the point where I find it difficult to engage with anything that takes more than a few minutes. I can't even get through a 25 minute sitcom episode without stopping several times to check or do something else, and I don't retain information well at all. I used to read entire books in one day ffs. I'm hoping it's some kind reverse Flowers For Algernon situation and at some point I'll start going back the other way, but I don't think ageing works like that.   

[The Culture Bunker]

I like to think I'm fairly stupid through a mixture of choice and chronic laziness.

[buttgammon]

I'm very happy to be realising my mental condition at a point in time where acceptance is growing. When I was at school, the only extra-curricular focus for students with learning difficulties was dyslexic kids. Seems absurd now that not even autism, aspergers, dyspraxia etc were on the radar! Nowadays there's ADHD memes and support pages on Instagram and amazing YouTube channels and all sorts. To quote a popular phrase, I feel very much seen. :)

It's remarkable how much things have changed, and it's natural that a lot of adults are going to realise they grew up with ADHD and similar conditions completely undiagnosed because of it. My partner is 29 and has always done well academically, but she's currently going through the process of being formally diagnosed with it (psychologists and the like have already told her off the record that she has it). The way she explains it is that she really slipped through the cracks when she was a child and teenager, partly because the supports weren't there but also because even if they were, she was hyperfocused enough with certain areas that she always did well in school, to the extent that people would have simply said "what's the problem?" She's currently in university as a mature student and although she consistently gets high marks, the working process that gets her there is a tortuous one that often exposes the additional difficulties she has.

[TrenterPercenter]

Dyslexia, some dyspraxia and yep likely a bit of ADHD.  Also a health professional and academic of some years now.  I learnt quite early on that people will just dismiss you as stupid if you struggle with things (like writing) so I learned to ignore and became very interested in the whole area of mental health which led me to where I am today.  Learning to manage your brain with all its foibles is key and you don't need anyone putting you down simply because of what they perceive as intelligence.

People could really do with learning a bit more about things like dyslexia and stop thinking it is just about whether people can spell words or not - it's much more than that.

[BlodwynPig]

I'm with stupid

[bgmnts]

I'm incredibly stupid yet sadly quite aware of how stupid I am, which is bizarre. Usually that level of stupidity comes with a high level of confidence but Dunning Kruger is a lie.

Can't even a keep a job. That level of stupid.

[Kankurette]

Well, I have two degrees, speak three languages and can cook pretty well, and I got all As and A*s at GCSE (except maths, because the highest grade I could get was a B, and D&T, which I was rubbish at). But I'm not great at DIY (I can assemble furniture though), I'm bad with numbers, I can't debate philosophy or sociology or Marxism without getting confused or impatient, I have a short attention span, I have difficulty following instructions unless they're clearly explained to me, and I can't read people, though this may be the autism. I have trouble understanding emotions, eg why passion is the leading criteria for a football manager. So in some ways no, in others yes.

Dyslexia, some dyspraxia and yep likely a bit of ADHD.  Also a health professional and academic of some years now.  I learnt quite early on that people will just dismiss you as stupid if you struggle with things (like writing) so I learned to ignore and became very interested in the whole area of mental health which led me to where I am today.  Learning to manage your brain with all its foibles is key and you don't need anyone putting you down simply because of what they perceive as intelligence.

People could really do with learning a bit more about things like dyslexia and stop thinking it is just about whether people can spell words or not - it's much more than that.

My stepsister is dyslexic, we found out recently, and IIRC it's something to do with time/her attention span, not getting Bs and Ds mixed up. When I was a student, we had exam rooms for people who needed extra time (I used them because of mental health problems) and dyslexic students were one of the groups they were aimed at.

[imitationleather]

I have been to university but my girlfriend is pretty much my carer.

[bakabaka]

I got a couple of A-levels 40-odd years ago, which wasn't quite so bad back then. But now anyone who knows how to operate a pen has more qualifications than that.

Can't even a get an interview. That level of stupid.

Oh yes, I forgot. ...and I have no memory, which really helps in the Dumb as They Come Stakes.

[TrenterPercenter]

I'm incredibly stupid yet sadly quite aware of how stupid I am, which is bizarre. Usually that level of stupidity comes with a high level of confidence but Dunning Kruger is a lie.

Can't even a keep a job. That level of stupid.

No one is stupid; it's pretty nasty word when you think about it.  There are lots of people that have learning disabilities, brain damage etc.... we don't consider these people to be stupid but victims to nature. 

Intelligence is a completely elitist concept that is poorly if at all defined but obviously championed by those that proclaim they have it...usually people that have just had access to resources and education.

The perception of intelligence in the modern UK is increasingly more about having a posh accent and talking about archaic precepts of world (again usually how they would like to see it).

It is largely complete balls and everyone should do themselves a favour and stop buying into it; if you are good a maths you are good at maths like someone else is good at playing tennis......you learnt it and just may have had some genetic benefits that helped you become exceptional at learning that particular thing.

[mr. logic]

Humblebrag thread.

[TrenterPercenter]

My stepsister is dyslexic, we found out recently, and IIRC it's something to do with time/her attention span, not getting Bs and Ds mixed up. When I was a student, we had exam rooms for people who needed extra time (I used them because of mental health problems) and dyslexic students were one of the groups they were aimed at.

I've never had any extra time as I've never been diagnosed formally (I have been "off the books" by a friend who is an expert in it however); thing are better now but being dyslexic was not viewed kindly (still isn't in society at large) by employers and rather counterintuitively the (elitist) academic world when I was growing up.  I've always kept it to myself other than a few close friends and on here (I guess I have no where to hide on here; doing what I have to do for my professional work just isn't feasible).

You are right though it is about attention and your initial short-term memory; it's something that you develop young and if you miss some parts of that development then you are left with impairments to it which make attuning to things difficult (not impossible) so things that sound and look like each other become distorted and even hidden.

[monkfromhavana]

I'd say I'm quite stupid. I have a lot of difficulty focusing on anything that I don't enjoy, so a lot of the measures that society measures success by (Salary, position etc) I am fairly miserable at. But then again, on a general non-work related tip, I feel a lot less stupid than most people. Basically, as someone else once said on here, I simultaneously I feel both inferior and superior to almost everybody I meet.

[kalowski]

I have an MA, awarded with distinction as my papers averaged around 80%.
I have trouble opening a packet of pasta without spilling it all over the kitchen floor.
My first degree was in mathematics.
I don't know how to work a microwave.

Am I stupid? You decide!

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

Humblebrag thread.

Not necessarily; I think meself and bgmnts are quite sincere in calling ourselves a pair of stupid cunts, and are not expecting loads of the boys and girls of CaB to post in with comments along the lines of " ooooooh no, right pair of Barry Brainboxes, so you are."

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

I have an MA, awarded with distinction as my papers averaged around 80%.
I have trouble opening a packet of pasta without spilling it all over the kitchen floor.
My first degree was in mathematics.
I don't know how to work a microwave.

Am I stupid? You decide!

Yes ,you are. Can't work a microwave, indeed. Piss off and do some hard sums ( < this line delivered with the same amount of withering disdain as Kevin Eldon The Cat invested in his line delivered to Mark Heap the mouse " piss off, and eat some cheese." In that sketch from the first series of " Big Train"  [1998]).

[Dr Rock]

Last week I woke up at 7am, and had to pick up my prescription from the chemists at 8. I drove there, but they hadn't opened yet. Sometimes they are a bit late. I waited for 40 minutes, before going home and planning to come back later. The roads seemed pretty empty, were the kids off school? When I got back home I finally realised it was the evening, not the morning. I'd fallen asleep on the sofa for an hour and thought it was the next day.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Being able to basically administer your own existence (hygiene, financial affairs, boring stuff), being conscientious towards others, and being able to sense bullshit and risk at ten paces is pretty much all that matters. That doesn't require intelligence, just grounding.

If I was having a try at parenting a child I would focus on those bits and fuck trying to teach them piano, elocution lessons or piling on loads of expectations and pressure. If they want to go in a certain direction then all good and well, but not if they can't tie their laces, understand APR and treat people different to themselves with respect.

Intelligence/talent is a fucker if you can't use it to sort your life out or be a basically decent person to others. Some of the best people I've met did nothing at school but have a moral centre and don't need to be picked up from a ditch every two weeks after the latest meltdown.

P. S - Absolutely not using myself as a stellar example, this took 26 years to figure out and I still get it wrong as all my regrets, even though I have a better life now than then, chew me up

[Zetetic]

Being able to basically administer your own existence (hygiene, financial affairs, boring stuff), being conscientious towards others, and being able to sense bullshit and risk at ten paces is pretty much all that matters.

Think this is painfully true.

Terrible dental self-care, used to be able to get firsts in things like "Philosophy of Mind" and "Logic and Language" based on a couple of hours of talking or reading beforehand[nb]A surprisingly persistent irritation to my partner is they basically told me what to write in a university exam - ten years ago - and then I did much better than them. There's something here about coasting on prolixity and the right accent, really.[/nb], completely unable to deal with the discomfort of feeling ignorant or unskilled, able to pick up shallow and zero-failure-cost things very quickly, fairly irritating and unpleasant to deal with (despite and sometimes because of attempts to the contrary).

Along with some other stuff, it's proved more than tolerably adaptive - which is arguably another indictment of this country.

[El Unicornio, mang]

Academically, terrible. Got Cs for everything, and got an E for art even though that's my specialist subject (the dickhead teacher hated me for some reason).

I also lack common sense a lot, like I once tried to heat up soup on the burner with a plastic pan.

I think these things might be quite common for people who lean more towards creative stuff though. But another thing is that I'm not good at being taught. My brain is quite jumbled so things just go in and get lost in the spaghetti junction mess. All of the things I've really learned, I've learned on my own by looking up the stuff online or in books and slowly figuring it out in my own way.

[Cuellar]

I'm SOOO stupid I have a double starred first from Cambridge, an MPhil with Distinction from Oxford and I received my PhD (also from Oxford) at the age of 23 and sometimes I'm like 'where did I put my keys????' lol

[TrenterPercenter]

Can I just mention that I only juxtapositioned my job with my dyslexia to point out if you have such conditions you can still do things that snobs will assume you can't.  It's for anyone that might have/still be struggling with the inferiority complexes these snobs often delight in trying to push on to you.

I've made my thoughts on intelligence and stupidity quite clear in another post.