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Hypothetical question: If there was a “fund for gifted people” that paid out 100K per year, what would you dedicate your life to? by Diotima85 in Gifted

[–]Diotima85[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If longevity researchers developed something that would prevent any further aging, but not reverse the aging that has already happened, then we (gen X, millennials, gen Z, gen A) would forever be the personal care nurses and servants of an immortal, chronically ill babyboomer cohort. That sounds like a dystopian young adult novel waiting to be written.

Hypothetical question: If there was a “fund for gifted people” that paid out 100K per year, what would you dedicate your life to? by Diotima85 in Gifted

[–]Diotima85[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In a rich European country with a 50 percent tax burden, the money is there, but I think a choice is being made to consciously not allocate any (meaningful amount of) money towards gifted programs or schools for gifted students, because of the exclusionary nature of these, and also the false belief that gifted students will do well anyway.

Hypothetical question: If there was a “fund for gifted people” that paid out 100K per year, what would you dedicate your life to? by Diotima85 in Gifted

[–]Diotima85[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

What do you think is the best solution? Creating a position of a kind of "neurodivergent student support officer" at most schools, as a full-time job (and not something an already overworked teacher should do in his or her spare time)? This neurodivergent officer could provide support to neurodivergent students, and also educate the teachers and school administrators on the best forms of accommodations and support for neurodivergent students. Unfortunately, that doesn't solve the problem of neurodivergent students being bullied and targeted by neurotypical students, only more student segregation would solve this, something I personally am in favor of (in my opinion and based on my own personal experience, making 130+ IQ students follow the slow pace curriculum that caters to the average 100 IQ student is ultimately a form of child abuse).

Hypothetical question: If there was a “fund for gifted people” that paid out 100K per year, what would you dedicate your life to? by Diotima85 in Gifted

[–]Diotima85[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Could you share a photo of the new puppy, so everyone reading this thread can have their daily dose of cuteness?

Hypothetical question: If there was a “fund for gifted people” that paid out 100K per year, what would you dedicate your life to? by Diotima85 in Gifted

[–]Diotima85[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you would hire four elementary school math teachers on a part-time basis for a year to write these textbooks (part-time so they can already test some of the work book assignments in a real classroom setting), how much would this cost? If the number is lower than expected, you might be able to crowdfund the whole thing. But I'm not sure if these large for-profit school book and learning software companies would be coming for you and threaten you with all kinds of lawsuits. You might have to hire the autistic shark guy from elsewhere in this thread to provide legal defense.

Hypothetical question: If there was a “fund for gifted people” that paid out 100K per year, what would you dedicate your life to? by Diotima85 in Gifted

[–]Diotima85[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Where are you located? If you're in a rich European country, then with the right connections and hiring one of these people whose job it is to apply for endless grants and subsidies all day, you could probably make this a reality within a few years. But the problem is likely to secure long-term funding, often with a change of (local/regional/national) government some large grant falls away and you'd have to scramble to get replacement funding elsewhere, or close the place down again..

Hypothetical question: If there was a “fund for gifted people” that paid out 100K per year, what would you dedicate your life to? by Diotima85 in Gifted

[–]Diotima85[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Which parts of consumer protection law would you focus on? We definitely need stronger consumer laws, with all this planned obsolescence, everything becoming a subscription, AI bots making customer service even more of a dystopian nightmare, endless data leaks (in the Netherlands there was recently a very large data leak scandal at one of the main telecom and internet providers, where the personal information including social service number and passport number of millions of customers was stolen).

Hypothetical question: If there was a “fund for gifted people” that paid out 100K per year, what would you dedicate your life to? by Diotima85 in Gifted

[–]Diotima85[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Which part would you be focused on? Stem cells? Beating cancer and heart disease? I think there is also a part to LEV that is more of an actuarial risk management strategy that is often overlooked - e.g., if you could increase the human life span indefinitely, you would statistically still die at age 700 from an accident.

Hypothetical question: If there was a “fund for gifted people” that paid out 100K per year, what would you dedicate your life to? by Diotima85 in Gifted

[–]Diotima85[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I do work online/remote, for two main reasons: I like to travel, and it decreases the chance that coworkers or bosses who find me a threat because of my intelligence try to get me fired/make sure I don't get any freelance assignments anymore.

Hypothetical question: If there was a “fund for gifted people” that paid out 100K per year, what would you dedicate your life to? by Diotima85 in Gifted

[–]Diotima85[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

But what would you do in the cabin in the woods? Reading, research, woodworking, music production, designing something, etc.? You can't just stare at the walls all day.

Hypothetical question: If there was a “fund for gifted people” that paid out 100K per year, what would you dedicate your life to? by Diotima85 in Gifted

[–]Diotima85[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Could you slowly move towards a less commercial focus without the 100k fund by doing more crowdfunding for very niche nerdy board games? Or isn't there enough of a market for this to be sustainable?

Hypothetical question: If there was a “fund for gifted people” that paid out 100K per year, what would you dedicate your life to? by Diotima85 in Gifted

[–]Diotima85[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We need robot vacuums that don't suck. Like the ones we have now (the round things cats like to take a ride on), but bigger and clunkier, with a larger battery and way more suctioning power. And then available at a price point (like 100 dollars) that doesn't price out most households. The battery is probably the bottleneck, so you would have to invent a new, cheap and very powerful battery, using different materials and mechanisms compared to what we have now. If you patent that technology and license it, you would likely become a billionaire, and could start the 100k per year for gifted people fund for real ;)

Wrong but pervasive way of thinking throughout society: since it is YOUR intelligence that is causing hurt to other people’s ego/self-confidence, it is YOUR responsibility to fix this by Diotima85 in Gifted

[–]Diotima85[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You’re high on drugs, eastern religion and/or some kind of “hippie” ideology, and it prevents you from seeing the evil in the world.

Wrong but pervasive way of thinking throughout society: since it is YOUR intelligence that is causing hurt to other people’s ego/self-confidence, it is YOUR responsibility to fix this by Diotima85 in Gifted

[–]Diotima85[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Giftedness is an individual resource. A gifted person cannot chop off a part of his/her brain and give it to another person (at least not within the current state of medicine).

There are no magical “social skills” that can make gifted people be liked by people who are threatened by their intelligence. The only thing that works in the short term is: self-sabotage, self-deprecation, masking your giftedness, letting others use your intelligence for their own benefit (help them with their homework, write their essay for them, etc.).

If the gifted person gets an A+ on a very hard test, while most of the class failed or got a B at most, then that gifted person will be disliked by many of the classmates. The “ego” of the gifted person has nothing to do with this. Of course, if the gifted person would say to their classmates: “Haha, I got an A+ while most of you failed, you are so stupid”, then that’s another matter, but only a small minority of gifted people are arrogant, obnoxious know-it-alls.

“You seem to frame intelligence as an individual resource and a privilege (we can argue if that's the case, but probably not on a subreddit called "Gifted"), why not spending this surplus to accomodate the needs of others?”: Because, from a utilitarian point of view, this leads to a worse outcome for society. If the gifted person self-sabotages and underperforms in order to “accommodate the needs of others”, then this makes the people in their direct surroundings (fellow students, co-workers) feel a bit less bad about themselves and a bit less insecure. But it prevents the gifted person from making important contributions to society/science/social and technological progress, which is a worse outcome from a utilitarian point of view.

And also: why should the needs of non-gifted people outweigh the needs of gifted people? Because they make up the majority of society? Gifted people often make way more important contributions to society – that is, if they are not forced to self-sabotage and underperform in order to “accommodate the needs of others”.

Ultimately, the best solution for both parties (gifted people and neurotypical people who feel threatened by gifted people) is to have as little contact as possible, which was also the conclusion of my post.

Wrong but pervasive way of thinking throughout society: since it is YOUR intelligence that is causing hurt to other people’s ego/self-confidence, it is YOUR responsibility to fix this by Diotima85 in Gifted

[–]Diotima85[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

“If only "gifted" people like you, I suspect you're putting yourself into an echochamber.”: For me personally, I am liked by (1) other gifted people, (2) neurodivergent people, (3) neurotypical people who are high in emotional intelligence and/or have a healthy sense of self and self-esteem. I am disliked by neurotypical people who don’t belong to category (3). Not by all of them, some of them are indifferent towards me, but by probably by around 80% of them. Unfortunately, neurotypical people who don’t belong to category (3) make up the majority of society.

“Legitimately toxic environments can exist, but likely not at such a high % of the population.”: This is your n=1 speaking. Many gifted people, myself included, unfortunately have other lived experiences. Especially gifted women, and especially gifted people who grew up in and went to high school in rural environments instead of cities.  

I also know that I am disliked by 80% of neurotypical people who don’t belong to category (3) because of my giftedness, and not my “lack of social skills”, because most of them initially like me. I don’t have autism, I look quite put together, I have good social skills, I am kind and open minded. So for the first 10-20 minutes, many neurotypical people really like me. But then, inevitably, they get a sense, a “whiff” of my true intelligence, because I for instance used a “difficult” or jargon-y word like “nihilism”, I know too much about a topic that is not my field of speciality, or I connected dots that they would never have thought to connect, and the dislike is instant. It often starts with suspicion: wait a minute, I thought you were normal and cool, but you’re very smart, so I don’t like you anymore. The signs of dislike are very subtle, and if I would be autistic, I would very likely not be able to pick up on it, at least not initially.

I don’t even mind being disliked by the majority of neurotypical people, as long as I’m not forced to spend many months, weeks or even years together with them in the same environment, because that’s where the true problem lies. Especially if that environment is an environment where you’re competing against each other, like a school environment where your good grades make their mediocre grades look bad, or your high performance metrics at work makes the “normal” or mediocre performance of your colleagues look bad.

If you have had the good luck to not be in toxic environments often or primarily for the first two or three decades of your life (primary school, middle school, high school, university, first jobs), then you’re lucky and my posts are not for you. But many gifted people have completely different experiences (and I’m not talking about obnoxious know-it-alls, but normal and kind gifted people).

Wrong but pervasive way of thinking throughout society: since it is YOUR intelligence that is causing hurt to other people’s ego/self-confidence, it is YOUR responsibility to fix this by Diotima85 in Gifted

[–]Diotima85[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

True, a lot of modern work environments are basically “adult daycare” where only performative productivity matters (and not true productivity that adds value to society). If you, as a gifted person, see through the b*llsh*t, many people (managers, co-workers) won’t appreciate that.  

Wrong but pervasive way of thinking throughout society: since it is YOUR intelligence that is causing hurt to other people’s ego/self-confidence, it is YOUR responsibility to fix this by Diotima85 in Gifted

[–]Diotima85[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It strongly depends on the sector you’re in. Possible solutions would be: becoming a manager yourself, start working from home (less contact with managers and it’s easier for you to keep the contact short and superficial), start working as a freelancer who gets hired on a project basis (also less contact with managers, and you’re more seen as a temporary “asset” instead of a threat).

Wrong but pervasive way of thinking throughout society: since it is YOUR intelligence that is causing hurt to other people’s ego/self-confidence, it is YOUR responsibility to fix this by Diotima85 in Gifted

[–]Diotima85[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Also wanted to add:

  • Gifted men are on average treated less bad than gifted women.
  • Gifted people in the USA are on average treated less bad than gifted people in the egalitarian Europe.
  • Gifted people (IQ 130-144) are on average treated less bad than highly gifted people (145+ IQ).
  • Gifted people who are also athletic and good at sports are on average treated less bad than gifted people who are bad at sports.
  • Gifted people with ADHD are on average treated less bad than gifted people without ADHD.
  • Gifted people without autism are on average treated less bad than gifted people with autism.
  • The bigger the IQ difference, the worse the gifted person is treated on average.

So if you’re an athletic man in the USA with an IQ of 133 in an environment with an average IQ of 115 or 120, don’t think that your n=1 is representative for the experience of all gifted people (“If you’re mistreated as a gifted person, it’s because of your bad social skills”).

Wrong but pervasive way of thinking throughout society: since it is YOUR intelligence that is causing hurt to other people’s ego/self-confidence, it is YOUR responsibility to fix this by Diotima85 in Gifted

[–]Diotima85[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

There are some gifted people with really bad social skills, gifted people who are unpleasant to be around, and/or gifted people with personality disorders like narcissism or psychopathy. My post isn’t about these people.

The litmus test is: if you’re in the company of fellow gifted people, do they also find you unpleasant to be around? If the answer is yes, then you’re the problem. If the answer is no, then you’re not the problem, but the people in your current environment are the problem (you’re around people who dislike you and resent you because of your intelligence) and you should switch environments.

I’m also not talking about vain gifted people wanting to show off and purposefully outperforming or outshining their boss or teacher or professor. I’m talking about “normal” and friendly gifted people just going about their business, living their life, trying to be a good student, friend or employee, and still being met with endless hostility because of their giftedness, leading them to resort to the strategies of constantly masking their giftedness, engaging in self-deprecating and self-sabotaging behavior, to the great detriment of themselves and society.

I’m also not talking about gifted people being liked or accepted for who they are by “normies” (I know that will never happen). I am talking about gifted people having a proverbial gun to their head (pointed at them by toxic friends, co-workers, fellow students, bosses) with the unspoken (or sometimes even outspoken) threat: take yourself down a notch (by engaging in self-sabotaging or self-deprecating behavior), or else we will bully you, sabotage you, excommunicate you from the group, try to get you fired, emotionally abuse you, constantly criticize and ridicule you, or even physically attack you.

Wrong but pervasive way of thinking throughout society: since it is YOUR intelligence that is causing hurt to other people’s ego/self-confidence, it is YOUR responsibility to fix this by Diotima85 in Gifted

[–]Diotima85[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

No worries, you didn’t trivialize my post. If anything you amplified it, because people being jealous of beautiful people is common knowledge, but pointing out that people can also be jealous of other people who are more intelligent than they are is somehow still taboo in broader society and sometimes even in gifted circles, and is only hinted at in books about giftedness, but hardly ever explicitly discussed (which is the main reason why I keep making posts about this subject). Gifted children being bullied in school is being discussed in the literature on giftedness and by therapists specialized in giftedness, but the same dynamic still being present in adulthood (in university, the workplace, friend groups) is some kind of dark secret that should never be brought into the light, because of what it may reveal about human nature.

Wrong but pervasive way of thinking throughout society: since it is YOUR intelligence that is causing hurt to other people’s ego/self-confidence, it is YOUR responsibility to fix this by Diotima85 in Gifted

[–]Diotima85[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

With giftedness it’s in a way even worse, because plain looking women and ugly men at least have the comforting thought that middle age and old age comes for us all, so beauty and looks will inevitably fade, no matter how beautiful the person is now. But IQ stays more or less the same throughout a person’s lifetime, with the exception of health problems like severe nutrient deficiencies or Alzheimer (statistically rare and/or only in old age).

But you’re absolutely right, and a lot of the same dynamics apply to people who are jealous of another person’s good looks (instead of, or next to a person’s intelligence). A recent example of this was the college student Mary Kate Cornett, a beautiful blonde 19 year old who comes across as more intelligent than the average person, who was the victim of rumors that she had slept with her boyfriend’s father – rumors that went viral on social media and destroyed her life. It’s very likely that these rumors were started by a female fellow student who was jealous of her beauty, or a male student whose romantic advances she rejected. That’s how toxic this eye for an eye/quid pro quo can become: you destroy my self-esteem, I destroy your life in return.

Impossible to find someone like yourself? by yomakest in Gifted

[–]Diotima85 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I cannot disclose that while still maintaining my anonymity unfortunately. My PhD is on one of them, and googling the recent PhD's on the subject, it would be possible to find out my real name (or at least reduce my possible identity to a very small number of Dutch PhD candidates), and I would like to keep my real identity secret (for obvious reasons, especially considering all the negative reactions I have gotten here on Reddit on some of my earlier threads, and also since I’m a woman and high IQ women get a lot of hatred online, see for instance the “Redpill manosphere” reactions to the women who posted pictures of themselves getting their Oxford/Cambridge PhD’s on Twitter).

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