Hey All. Wanted to try to find a few minutes to stop by 'cause something's been bugging me and I wanted y'all's perspective.

So, I had a mid-term on Saturday. I think I did pretty well, though some of the questions were...trickily worded. After the test, there's a few people from the class standing outside rehashing, so I figure I'll check with them on some of the questions I was unsure of - except it turns out they're all complaining about how OMG SO VERY RIDICULOUSLY HARD it was. So I'm answering some of their questions and reminding about when he covered such-and-such in class, and one of the other women says accusingly to me, "But you're smart!" And it made me wonder, do other people feel guilty, or have other people get mad at them, for being smart?

Then I went over to the mall for a bit of Retail Therapy, and thought of you, Steph. [link]

have other people get mad at them, for being smart?

You've described my middle through high school life.

do other people feel guilty

Yes, sometimes I have (after taking tests, etc.)

have other people get mad at them, for being smart?

This has happened to me in high school. I can't remember if it's happened since.

One of my nicknames in high school was "Curve-bender."

"You think you're better than we are 'cause you're so smart!"

Well, yes, but I didn't admit it.

I refuse to feel guilty for doing well, these days (I often felt it at school). I still have some friends who call me a "swot" in relation to my grades - and this is at Master's level. It's jealousy of a kind that takes no account of how much hard work is involved in doing well. I interpret it as really being about how people wished they'd worked harder - I have a chronically lazy friend who's always accusing me of doing well with no effort. I change the subject.

You've described my middle through high school life.

I got it then, too, but then it was reasonably expected.

One of my nicknames in high school was "Curve-bender."

I comfort myself with the fact that this teacher grades on straight points (nobody else's grade is my fault), but people were talking about complaining (to him, to PTB, not sure), but if the powers can point at my test and say, "That one managed to do okay", it takes the wind out of their complaint of the test being unreasonable. Which makes me feel a little guilty...

This has happened to me in high school. I can't remember if it's happened since.

Exactly. I thought that at College, especially one geared to "Working Adults" that we'd all be, I dunno, grownups?

And it made me wonder, do other people feel guilty, or have other people get mad at them, for being smart?

Yep.

I'd get that sometimes in high school, but not much since then.

Gronk. I'm exhausted. Didn't get much sleep last night, and then spent most of today doing research (which got me absolutely nowhere), and then went to pick up my new glasses, which actually is just about six blocks each way, but I just felt like I was about to collapse by the time I got home.

"You think you're better than we are 'cause you're so smart!"

Well, yes, but I didn't admit it.

Suh-nerk.

and this is at Master's level

Okay, so not such an oddity, apparently.

To own up, maybe part of my guilt is that I actually have really awful study habits, but I test really well. But hey, if I studied more than just the night before (almost impossible to do in the "one class a month" school format), I'd blow the "curve" or whatever even worse, right?

In other "I love my brother so goddamn much" news, he still remembers what we named our shillelagh in Beyond Zork over a decade ago. I don't even think I remembered that, just that we couldn't pronounce "shillelagh" and basically called it a "shillelelay." Our relationship is almost entirely based on computer and video game in-jokes.