This is your regular reminder that if you are the smartest person in the room, go find another room. You are not going to run out of people or rooms.
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@evacide long back I read , an article headline -
Smartest person in the room is the room itself ( a metaphor for the database (
Smartest person in the room is the room itself ( a metaphor for the database (
@evacide I have no real qualifications and I'm not one of the smartest in the room. I freely accept I'm just an average human. But I can guarantee to you I can spot horrible bullying people who like to belittle those who they consider are beneath them. When I discover who these individuals are, that's when I leave the room as life is short and we don't have to tolerate pricks.
@evacide I prefer to remain the smartest person in the room. Also the dumbest. Mostly, I just prefer having the whole room to myself because I'm an introvert.
@evacide
I am so old, long ago I realized I am never "the smartest person in the room".
@evacide
And if that room is the bathroom, wash your hands on the way out.
And if that room is the bathroom, wash your hands on the way out.
@evacide yes!!!! if your are smart -- FUCK OFF!!!! FIND YOUR OWN ROOM
@evacide in a professional setting... sure!
@evacide
When a new hire arrived at Bell Labs, they discovered there were many others smarter or more knowledgable or both and of course were expected to learn from them. If you were/became one of the best at some topic of interest, you’d likely be expected to teach (iff you could teach well).
When a new hire arrived at Bell Labs, they discovered there were many others smarter or more knowledgable or both and of course were expected to learn from them. If you were/became one of the best at some topic of interest, you’d likely be expected to teach (iff you could teach well).
@evacide there are many kinds of smart.
@evacide This is what I love about social media best! Finding people who know more than I do about so many topics and learning from them!
@evacide goddammit
But I like that feeling
@evacide some people mistake this with elitism or something adjacent to it (thus the comments about boring assholes and such...)
But it's actually about finding best spot for learning and bettering yourself. It's great to always be near someone who can teach you something new. It's also great have someone to measure yourself with - to motivate yourself.
To be the smartest person in the room is definition of being stagnant in your growth. And stagnation is a death of mind.
@evacide If my "room" is a forum on my favorite subject, but absolute jerkoffs are ruining the conversation that is otherwise cool, I'm not sure what to do. I tried all the other rooms; they're worse.
@evacide can i sell my merch to the room first
@evacide this would lead to a domino chain reaction of people leaving rooms in turn as they become the smartest in the room, eventually leading to every room being empty.
@evacide
I'm never the smartest person in the room here. I'm pretty geeky, but I've seen threads where I swear the words are English, and I have only the vaguest idea of what is being discussed.
I'm never the smartest person in the room here. I'm pretty geeky, but I've seen threads where I swear the words are English, and I have only the vaguest idea of what is being discussed.
@evacide I think the values behind this advice are questionable. If you are the smartest person in the room, leaving means that the other people have lost a chance of learning from you. They are less likely to solve their problems, too.
@evacide
I'm closing in on being on the planet for 3/4 of a century. I've thought about a lot of things when entering said rooms, but if I had to count the number of times that included comparing my IQ to others, it would be in the single digits.
I've spent a lifetime specifically not wanting to do that very thing. I know 'my number', and I also know the incredible amount of knowledge I've gained from those who aren't near my supposed level of smart... and thankful that I've known them all.
@evacide Pretty sure the room I just walked into is a boss level
@evacide I have so many rooms to choose from!!! 😂
@evacide well, I'm hanging out with a kitty, so I'm already not the smartest person in the room.
@evacide I mean, OK, but my cat is gonna object when I stand up. It isn't her fault she has very few critical thinking skills.
@evacide doggone best advice I have seen in a while.
@evacide Best statment today!
@evacide I like to think it's fine to be the smartest person in one room and the dumbest in another.
@evacide
If you find you're always the smartest person in the room, ask yourself why smart people don't like being in the same room you.
@evacide Well, the only thing I can be sure of is that I certainly am the smartest person at my side of my screen - being alone at home (which won't last for long).
Whether that is of any importance to me is another story... 🤓
Whether that is of any importance to me is another story... 🤓
@evacide I don't really know how to tell who the smartest person in the room is, but I do try to find a room where I have something to contribute that isn't already covered by everyone else.
@evacide Excellent advice.
I’ve found that in reality, pretty much everyone has something to teach me, if I will just bloody listen and pay attention…
@evacide Sometimes though: start teaching.
@evacide I'm often the smartest person in the room: instead of arguing or imposing, I always try to learn something from everyone. I always come away a little better.
@evacide personally, I think this is great advice. Wish somebody had told me that 50 years ago. However, if everyone follows it, doesn’t that mean that every room will either be full of people who aren’t sure that they’re the smartest person in it (which might be a really good thing), or every room will only have one person in it?
@evacide looking, but it's sometimes hard when you have extra requirements, like people not being a complete bag of dicks.
Or boring, jeebuz, can I hang with the class clowns instead of the overly-proud-to-be-accepted-into-Mensa set?
@aes Maybe you should reconsider your ideas about what counts as "smart."
@evacide @aes
Along the lines of Mensa, I had an ex girlfriend who was, obviously, very intelligent. Super smart.
Whenever she met someone, within five minutes she would ask them if they had a master’s degree, because, you know, she did (if they did, she’d ask if it was in CS because that’s much harder to get than one in the humanities…)
At some point I realized that just because someone ticks all the boxes on the “what am I looking for in a partner” doesn’t mean you should be with them…
@evacide I'm on your side, but I don't buy that lawyering of the words. I don't know what would make a better saying, though. The original is implies seeking 'success' (narrowly defined), so I think we'd be better served by something else.
How about "if you're the best in the room, you're in the wrong room", leaving "best" undefined?
@evacide This is a thing that's probably held my career back. Whenever I become the guy who knows everything, I change to a job where I'm not. I'm only happy learning from my peers.
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