I think they are very insecure, have very low self-esteem and need to keep telling themselves how swell they are because if they don't who will? It's like whistling in the dark because you're afraid of what might be out there and think whistling will keep the monsters at bay. Really smart people are smart enough to let folks figure it out for themselves. Thank you for your reply Patch and Happy Monday! :)
I was once asked that by a woman who had joined a group I was working with and I told her she'd have to ask somebody else. So she went on the attack and said, "You mean you have so little confidence that you aren't prepared to say?" And I told her, "I'm smart enough that I don't have to boast about it." She, clearly, was not.
But PatchouLi is right. The people who boast about it are probably not as bright as they think. Can you imagine attending a Mensa meeting where the sole criteria for joining is to be able to say, "We're smarter than everybody else."?
Language is a living thing. I play with mine all the time. I make up words to suit me if/when I feel like it. I spell words whimsically when I feel like it.. Having someone always there looking over my shoulder to pounce to show how very much smarter or more knowledgeable he/she is than I am does not impress me at all. I was an English major Didge. I KNOW how to use proper grammar. I know how to spell correctly. I know what words to use in what context. I do not stay inside the box and I am always coloring outside the lines. I think it's fun. If all some folks can do is criticize the packaging and ignore the content then I ignore them! They are not worth engaging with or spending any appreciable time with in my opinion. The purpose of language is communicating your thoughts/views/ideas/opinions. If it does that it has fulfilled its purpose. If I say "ain't it a shame?" you know full well what that means. How does saying "isn't that a shame?" any clearer? Well I'm getting down from my soapbox now. The air is too thin up there to stay for very long! :)
This post was edited by RosieG at February 6, 2017 11:22 AM MST
While I agree with what you wrote, Rosie, I wasn't criticising Randy. It was just an opportunity for a joke. When I saw the error I could have just edited it, but it's more fun to involve Randy and hope that he finds the comment. :)
The woman asked you what you thought about people who bragged about themselves? I think that's an odd question to ask one specific person unless it's a putdown. It's a cousin to asking "how come you think you're so smart?" If someone were to ask me that question I would say "not much" and probably move on to something else. I wonder why she asked YOU? Puzzling. Anyway when you beat your own drum the sound is not nearly as sweet as when others do so on your behalf. In my opinion. Though it seems to be out of fashion in many quarters, I think modesty is most becoming and so is being humble. I know a few geniuses and not ONE of them is full of himself. Not ONE! Thank you for your reply Didge and Happy Monday!
You mean she asked for your IQ? Geez what a putz! In that case I would have said "Ever hear of Marilyn Vos Savant? Well my IQ and hers are the same"! That should have shut her up. If I'm not mistaken she has the highest measurable IQ or did. It was off the charts. Over 200. I dunno Didge. I guess we are all hungry for something. Fortunately our appetites are different. I am hungry for knowledge. I wrote you a very long comment once on another thread about that. I ALWAYS try to surround myself with people smarter than I am. All my friends are smarter. I LOVE that and take pride in that. It makes me feel supercalifragilisticexpialidocious that they think I'm worth spending time with and that is a very heady feeling. I have been drawn to intelligence all my life. It sort of floats my boat and rings my chimes. When I ask what I think is a very simple, straightforward question and I get a very thoughtful, lengthy, thorough and informative reply I so appreciate that someone would think I'm worth their time. That's why I'm here. Chatting, listening, sharing, LEARNING what people think is my cuppa tea and I don't take lightly their generosity in sharing themselves with me. It's an honor and a privilege for me. I can't help it. I like smart people! But I suspect you have already figured that out! Thank you for your reply. I think I just engaged in overkill. Again. Apologies Didge! :)
This is completely off the subject but since you used the word I thought you might enjoy this.
Some years ago in the Scottish FA Cup a team named Inverness Caledonian Thistle, who are known to their fans as "Cally" defeated the mighty Celtic team. Next day the headline read, "Super Cally go ballistic, Celtic are atrocious."
I don't know if it so much a matter of "outsmart" as it is of "outhink". You always have the upper hand in any situation if you are the smarter one. You don't advertise it because you don't think about it. It just is! Just the same as if you are starving you always think about food. If your belly is full you don't. I don't know how good an analogy that is Malizz but I'm a Foodie so I usually think in those terms. Thank you for your reply and Happy and Happy Monday! :)
I LOVE chess but I am very lousy at it Malizz. I guess I have a "Checkers" brain. I have a friend whose dad was able to play multiple games simultaneously. Like 4 at a time or something. I don't know if he was a Grand Master but he was sure very chess-savvy. I know you have to be able to visualize/anticipate many moves ahead and I don't have that skill. In fact it's hard for me to visualize what a room will look like if the furniture is rearranged. I guess it's some brain defect or something. I don't know if you ever took any of those tests where on the left side of a sheet of paper you would see a variety of shapes and on the right side you see a variety of possible results if you combined any of them? You have to visualize in your head and I was very bad at that! Jim is great at visualizing though so he does it for the both of us! May I ask how you are rated? I didn't know there were ratings. Is it like having a handicap in golf? Thank you for your reply and Happy Tuesday! :)
Patchouli 