
Democratic Underground Latest Greatest Lobby Journals Search Options Help Login

Reply #37: I'll be less nice than mopinko in responding [View All]

Printer-friendly format Printer-friendly format
Printer-friendly format Email this thread to a friend
Printer-friendly format Bookmark this thread
This topic is archived.
bmcatt Donating Member (398 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jul-16-06 03:09 PM
Response to Reply #26
37. I'll be less nice than mopinko in responding
Your attitude, whether or not you are, in fact, gifted, is exactly why GTs feel the need to establish safe zones in which they *can* talk about the troubles they've had.

When is it not "safe for talented and gifted people to let our brains hang out" on DU? If people are so "gifted", then they should be able to speak their minds and back up their thoughts and opinions when challenged.

You need to understand (or, perhaps, learn) the difference between discussion and attack. I don't think you'd find any (or certainly many) GTs who would *not* be willing to engage in an honest, straight-forward discussion about their ideas, opinions and thoughts. When such invitations to a discussion, however, are framed as being a "challenge", you've pretty much stifled discussion right there. I, speaking as a GT myself, have no desire to defend myself. I've had more than enough of that crap in my life. I'd like to have a chance to discuss things *without* feeling like I'm under attack.

And it must be pure torture to cope "with the downsides of our gifts"?

Believe it or not, it can be. Most mundanes (and, yes, I'm going to show some elitism by using the term) truly don't understand, and, I'd argue, are incapable of understanding, how GTs think. I've had to deal with co-workers and managers who felt threatened by me and did their best to sabotage my career rather than letting me flourish. I've had trouble with in-laws for much the same reasons.

If you did any reading on the subject of GT kids and adults, you'd discover that there are more stories of pain and trauma (emotional and intellectual if not actually physical) among GTs trying to live in a world that would be just as happy if we suffered massive brain damage that lowered us to below the norm.

It must be even more torturous after you ventured into the real world and discovered most people didn't give a rat's ass if you were labeled "gifted" in grade school.

That's actually a mischaracterization. In reality, most people don't give a rat's ass about anything that's "different" from themselves. Fear of the "other" is a powerful motivational force. I'd even be willing to argue that many (most? all?) GTs instead embrace the new and welcome change. After all, for them, it's nothing to be afraid of. Rather, it's something to be embraced, learned from, and internalized.

Ostensibly, we live in a reality-based world which is results-oriented. I say "ostensibly" because the sad reality is that most people aren't really focused on the results. Rather, they're interested in the results only so long as they're not made to look bad by them. My own experience (and discussion with other GTs) shows that that mode of approach is just anathema to GTs.

Why be mediocre when, merely by letting our gifts, wherever they may lie, run free, we can be amazing? And, along the way, we can also be happy...
Printer Friendly | Permalink |  | Top


Powered by DCForum+ Version 1.1 Copyright 1997-2002
Software has been extensively modified by the DU administrators


Home  |  Discussion Forums  |  Journals |  Store  |  Donate

About DU  |  Contact Us  |  Privacy Policy


© 2001 - 2011 Democratic Underground, LLC