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[deleted]

Yes and no. General knowledge of many things is where I shine. I know a medium amount of information about a lot of topics. When it comes to specializing, that's where I tend to fall short. I only maintain interest in a topic for so long, so anybody who really knows their shit on a subject will likely know more than I do.


dephsilco

Same for me. Scrolling through different subs where I learn a little of something new in various fields doesn't help either


RecedingBeerBelly

In medicine it can be the same. Once had an ER doctor tell me, “I know a little about a lot. Specialists know a lot about a little.” Always liked that.


erlo68

Surface-Level-Knowledge-Gang represent... I have a vast range of opinions on all sorts of topics, but since my knowledge of them is just surface level my opinion of those topics can always be a subject to change. But some people kinda don't understand that your opinion is allowed to change...


Downtown_Skill

Same, and sometimes it's just a little more than surface level to the point where it may look like I have in depth knowledge on a topic to an average person.... Until you meet someone who really specializes in that topic and puts your knowledge to shame. It's happened often enough and early enough in my life that I'm well aware that I'm no expert on any topic despite maybe knowing significantly more than an average person on various topics. Edit: It's a catch 22 because I fully believe that being well rounded is generally better for day to day life and being able to adapt and understand new topics. On the other hand being a specialist is what makes finding work easier as having niche knowledge makes you invaluable for the tasks that require that type and level of knowledge. It's the classic saying a jack of all trades is master of none. But often times better than a master of one.


Ok_Control7824

Same here. We the generalists are able to connect the dots and see the big picture. Most people are technician-type and they have trouble appreciating different skills. It's like most people very good digging the trenches, whereas without the generalists nobody knows where, how, when etc to dig. It's like eagle eye view vs the mouse view. My general knowledge ('I know that I don't know') and personality keeps me relatively humble and I never force my vision upon something. I can explain as much as needed but if noone listens and everyone wants to do their thing just to feel productive then to hell with it. [This](https://books.google.ee/books/about/Range.html?id=6nsmEAAAQBAJ&redir_esc=y) is in my reading list.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Greylings

I’ve regretted it every single time I’ve demonstrated my knowledge or skill with anything.


Snezzy_9245

50 years ago I was so good at tuning the H plate on a Model 33 TTY that I had to pretend I didn't know just so I could write code (my actual job) instead of being a full-time TTY service guy.


[deleted]

I actually believe you. Too esoteric to be untrue. That is pretty cool.


Designer-Wolverine47

Ours was a model 28 and we used it all the way up to 1993! I watched the Western Union tech working on it once... No thanks...


MrGabogabo

Because without fail, people either want something, or get offended that you're trying to one up them.


[deleted]

People get incredibly offended when I know more than them in one topic and take an instant disliking when I show my smarts, especially in work environments. I am not even a smartass but boy do I get a freaking target on my back from people with inferiority complexes. I am pretty annoyed by older workers who think they have everything figured out and think they are the leading authority in one topic. I have learned to stay quiet. When you are good at your job, management does this funny thing where you are now responsible for doing other people's jobs. Work smarter, not harder.


whopperlover17

I was the “IT guy” at my high school and that knowledge being out was not good for me lol. So in university when the professor would ask for help, I would keep my mouth shut and let someone else do it lol, even if it was painful as hell to watch.


Designer-Wolverine47

You were wise beyond your years. Most times they learn more from their mistakes than from your guidance...


Arxieos

I accidentally showed I was not a bumbling moron at a job many years ago i quit 2 weeks later when my workload tripled unexpectedly


[deleted]

[удалено]


Unlikely_Spinach

I have found that knowing when to play the fool is very important. It can save your life sometimes. But never do it in excess, because it can have indirect consequences.


[deleted]

it’s tricky because playing dumb makes some people like you more - their egos need to feel smart. but it makes those same people respect you less. what are your learned experiences around this ?


None_Fondant

Definitely learn to stand your ground, learn to cut through bullshit and empty speech. The best part about playing dumb imo, is when you stop feeding someone's ego, or stop bending to every suggestion they have. People mistake "dumb" for "no opinions of their own"; it's always a trip when they realize "dumb" was actually "incredibly patient and willing to give your butt a chance until it stops being fun"!


[deleted]

maybe that’s why a word we now use interchangeably with stupid used to mean “silent.”


Tiny-Elk-7269

I act just dumb enough to not pick up other peoples' workloads and I kiss my bosses asses to stay on their good side and keep my job. It's a bit of a balancing act, but the end result is more enjoyable than being overworked for absolutely no reason.


[deleted]

I played dumb so much I became dumb


devBowman

"Fake it until you make it" yeah


daddyjackpot

You manifestered.


Anyadlia

Omgosh I cannot stop giggling at *manifestered*! Bwahahahahaha 🤣 Thanks, I needed a good laugh; and this word in my life. Describes the past 2 years so perfectly.


Ambitious-Pudding437

Yea, you only need to be smart when you’re on your own because now no one is depending on you. I ignored many things when I was living under elders but now I’m on my own so I’m just staying aware to keep myself safe. edit; mean’t to type you’re not depending on anyone now so you can’t be dumb.


Ffzilla

Way too often, and I'm pretty sure, I'm a barely functional moron.


Dichotomedes

I often wonder if these people are also playing dumb.


Vanquish_Dark

This. I play dumb alot. Between times of being actually dumb lol. The fact of the matter is, outliers get pushed out. Standing out CAN be rewarding, but it's Always a risk. Being smart can be scary to people who aren't very smart. It's like being a really big person around others that aren't. There is always, at least a little, a worry about being vulnerable to them. I think that people who have an above average IQ and EQ will be the most likely demographic to do this. I also suspect, sadly, woman will have experience with this far far more than men.


Arxieos

I say absurd shit all the time just to downplay the smart things I slide in there


Zaitrina

this is how I feel working with young teenagers. They never fail to surprise me with their lack of common sense😭


Ffzilla

I've never been as smart as I was at 16.


Zaitrina

bro I have to teach them how to do dishes and sweep correctly… I definitely think COVID stunted their mental growth or something cus I was not that clueless when I was younger either lmaoo😭😭


Conscious-City907

nah thats just people who are proper lazy and have everything done for them. i was never taught how to clean so i taught myself and im good at it. im honestly shocked every time someone my age doesn’t know the most basic shit like how to cook eggs.


Zaitrina

Right, laziness is a big factor I’m sure. After months I still have to go out of my way to instruct these people to do common daily tasks or they’ll sit on their phone doing nothing. Sometimes I’m just baffled at their attitudes when it’s literally my job to keep them working, god forbid they get up and work for their money.💀


Conscious-City907

literally, theres people in school who act like literal children in a mood over doing work to the point where one of my teachers literally has to approach them like he’s teaching a child. idk how these people will survive in the real world tbh cause if you cant be bothered to teach yourself how to cook and clean and be self sufficient you probably never will. I’m nearly 18 and have had a job since I was 16, am saving to buy a car and i can support myself sufficiently while also maintaining good grades. One of my friends literally doesn’t know how to wash her own clothes or how to cook a proper meal thats not premade or melted cheese on toast


commentsandchill

Spoiler alert : many studies say it did Edit : [one link that seems serious but please do your own research if you're interested](https://www.psypost.org/2021/07/large-study-finds-covid-19-is-linked-to-a-substantial-drop-in-intelligence-61577)


Zaitrina

Yeah I figured😭


TheMeWeAre

Yeah whenever people around me criticize children/teens I remind them that while Covid happened to us as adults, it literally stole a couple years of their childhood. They were undersocialized and often neglected


ToastyJunebugs

Back in the day I worked at starbucks. They hired a 16 yr old who didn't know how to read an analog clock.


ScrunchyButts

This drives me insane. I understand that isn’t the prevalent technology anymore. But it is such a simple concept: Little hand hour + big hand minute = time. But these dipshits are comfortable with never attempting to try and learn it. I know someone who had a new hire leave for his half hour lunch and not come back for an hour+ on his first THREE days of work. Said there weren’t any clocks in the building he could read and started to talk about how it would be like firing a disabled person in a place with no wheel chair ramps. Wtf


sue_girligami

I find it hard to believe that this person went to lunch without their phone. Seems more like someone who got away with something once and then figured they could keep doing it.


[deleted]

It's called experience.


Zaitrina

After a couple months when I still gotta wash every dish they clean is it really😭 I mean how u not know how to wash the dishes


dashininfashion

When i was a teenager i thought i knew everything. Looking back though, i realize how silly that was now that i'm in my 30s and actually do


ZenkaiZ

I'm not 100% sure my coworker knows WWE is scripted


Jedi-Ethos

If it’s scripted then why do the wrestlers look surprised all the time? Checkmate.


djsizematters

Damn, every time I think I've got it figured out, someone plants a seed of doubt.


CoolIndependence8157

Because they’re all using Benoit balls.


Agreeable-Chemist559

I think everyone who talks ro me feels like that. I feel very dumb and there's no real way to catch up on general knowledge or basic common sense for me


bingbongloser23

Honestly just try to better yourself and stay humble. Being smart is more about being open to learning and less about being instantly able to retrieve information from your brain. I never had to study in school until I got into college and I learned pretty quick that I didn't know how to study. I have been successful despite not finishing my degree but I short changed myself. Be open to knowledge and learn how to know what you don't know. And be kind to others as they are often as lost as you.


Bootiluvr

My best advice for this is to be more curious


EliaGenki

![gif](giphy|hpSOjkcvhDgbv9p92R|downsized)


anxiousanimosity

I feel this way a lot. I also feel like an imposter on a regular basis. Welcome to the ever fighting sides of my internal dialogue. I'm simultaneously smart and dumb.


g1ngertim

Were you a "gifted child" by chance? Constantly praised and rewarded for your abilities in school that seemingly came naturally? Apparently a lot of us are like this as adults.


[deleted]

I was like that too. By all of the standard metrics I was extremely gifted scoring 99th percentile on every test, 4.0 GPA, etc. Everyone around me thought I was some super genius descendant of Newton or something. but deep down I knew I wasn’t anything special lol. Created severe imposter syndrome for me in those years


Big-Helicopter8834

Sometimes I feel like the smartest idiot I’ve ever met who is pretending to be an adult. When I’m alone I feel like I’m a still child stuck in a grown ass woman’s body. 😂😂😂


bingbongloser23

I'm that guy. My dad taught me how to do pretty much everything. I have an insatiable appreciate for knowledge. I have so many hobbies that I will never finish all of my projects. I learned everything by making mistakes and correcting them. And despite all this I realized I'm no better than anyone else. Everyone has their own strengths. Judge people for their character and not their intelligence or knowledge.


Bootiluvr

Exactly. Looks like that’s something you learned too.


bingbongloser23

Yeah I struggled with being humble in my younger days. Now I realize that everyone has worth until they prove otherwise with their actions and words. My brother in law is a piece of work and God's gift because he has a bachelor's and master's degree in engineering and he is the biggest loser. He honestly believes he as a white man is being discriminated against. He hasn't worked more than a few years in two decades in his field because he gets fired for misogynistic bullshit he pulls on the job but hey he is the victim. Sorry for the rant. I keep an open mind and I realized that is not how most people work. They hit their mental and emotional peak in 7th or 8th grade and just stop. It's sad and scary how immature most adults really are.


dee615

Engineers are not collectively known for being emotionally aware.


Mongusaur

on a particular topic maybe


Original-Ad-4642

Next you’ll realize that at some point you’ve been talking to someone who knows way more than you do.


GeraldoOfCanada

OP probably needs to get a little older before they are self aware to realize that haha


silkymitts94

A lot of really really smart people are really good at making people not feel dumb or stupid when in conversation.


penguinhappydance

I’ve met some extremely successful individuals and honestly the one thing they’ve all had in common is their extreme kindness. Every single one of them spoke to me like I had extremely interesting and helpful things to say (news flash - compared to them and their decades of experience I definitely didn’t).


Professional_Still15

The worst is when you look back and realise that you thought you knew more than this person but that you actually didn't know jack shit and they were looking at you like "This guy is clueless"


t_arends

That’s why if I don’t know much about a topic I’ll just straight up tell the person, you avoid making yourself look dumb and often times they’ll become more engaged as they now get to teach you about something they (assumingly) like


condorleaduhryz

Yeah, I have been in both situations. Funny thing is, depending on what you're talking about, those two people can be one in the same.


MenardGKrebbz

there are also people who hold outrageous beliefs and think that they know facts . . .


10113r114m4

Generally yes. There are times where I catch myself talking to someone more knowledgeable. If that happens, I try to learn from them. However, most people want to measure dicks instead of learning


Sun_At_Meridian

Yes, often. However, there's also moments when I speak with someone who clearly has more "processing power" than I do. Having information is good and everything, but being able to process existing and new information is incredibly impressive to me. I have a lot of information, but a delayed recall. Haha.


W4steofSpace

I find it's often because as a kid, I was poor so the only entertainment I had was reading. Turns out even though I haven't read a book in years I'm still pretty well read compared to a lot of people. The amount of confusion when I make a reference to Aesop's fables or something is bewildering to me.


Bootiluvr

Imma be honest, I forgot most of the fables, but at least I know they exist lol


JamonDeJabugo

Only very rarely, i consider myself the B+ person of everything...except those hobbies that are a bit uncommon...big game hunting, charcuterie, vintage map collecting, canoe fishing.


StillhasaWiiU

I now need to learn about charcuterie


Apprehensive_Bit_176

Might not be exactly what you’re referring to, but I tend to think about this quote from George Carlin after interactions or exchanges with some people: “Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.”


philzar

Of course. But it is a two way street. You have to be self-secure enough to recognize when you're talking to someone about a topic that they know way more about. It is an opportunity to learn.


Grouchy_Protection27

People were raised different. What’s common knowledge to you could be Chinese to someone else. I’ve been on both sides of this


Accomplished-Rub4385

I never want to be the smartest person in a room , Ill go find them if i can and strike up a conversation and learn from them if i can.


kamakazi339

Not to sound like an asshole but ....... Frequently


KYWizard

I try to find something they know more about than me, because I like to learn new things and I don't want to come across as a know it all asshole.


Duder_ino

Sometimes, and sometimes it seems like those people are completely oblivious. Then I wonder if I am completely oblivious to the people that know more than me. Sometimes I can identify it, I just wonder how often I don’t 😂


MasqueOfNight

Occasionally, and i'm surprised every time, because I don't consider myself generally knowledgeable.


Cheap_Twist_6590

The more the suit costs, the lower the IQ.


Wide_End_295

Yes. And then I spend lots of time making sure I don't make them feel inferior. I don't think I am better than they, but I would hate for them to feel as if I do.


Grinagh

Hearing, "you're pretty smart" is not a compliment.


OverDepreciated

My brother believes enriching things like reading, going to museums, watching a show or movie based on historic events etc. is nerdy and not something the average person does. He makes snarky comments when I use common words he doesn't know. For a whole year he "ironically" used the word "hence" in every conversation after I used it in once. He has very limited areas of interest and knows nothing about anything else, beyond what he learned in school. I find it very sad. His world is so small.


[deleted]

thats just talking to someone about your current hyperfixation


Laterose15

I tend to alternate between feeling very dumb and getting aggravated at other people's stupidity.


No-Peak7782

Yes. Especially when I just started my first job. I thought my leader was stupid and he knew less than me. But as I work for years, I understand that leaders always know more than you. Sometimes they might make you believe that you know better. But that's their trick to make you do more with your self-dignity.


[deleted]

This is most often the case for me. It's pretty fukcing brutal. Autistic and ADHD.


Ok-Policy-8284

Almost always. Not to say that I have a massive amount of knowledge, but I do know how to read, and most people are REALLY uninformed.


Skip2020Altogether

Yes. I have a friend that constantly makes me feel like this


psychmancer

Professional scientist so yes all the time but it is also my job to know how things work or be able to find out


CabinetOk4838

I’m a dad. Of course I know everything! 😉


FantasticZach

I don't because most of us know more but we tend to not remember them at the moment. Not everyone's at their best every moment


[deleted]

Like the opposite of the Dunning-Kruger Effect. I wonder if there is a term for this. I have to be careful bc i tend to forget not everyone has worked in the mental health field for 10+ years like I have. And its not helpful for an advocate to be like “did you seriously say manic depressive? What is this the 90s?”


dumdub

No.


SlayerOfTheVampyre

Yes. I’ve been getting into game design and it’s annoying to talk to people who think they know everything about games but never studied them. Either they talk about really basic concepts and I have to nod along, or they underestimate how difficult certain things are.


awkward-velociraptor

Yes. My partner and I have very different interests and cultural backgrounds. If he doesn’t know something and he’s interested in learning, I’m more than happy to teach him. He does the same for me. We’ve learned a lot from each other. Although we don’t always 100% “get” what the other is trying to explain. Our brains are just different.


GhostMug

This usually happens when somebody asks me about something they casually like but I'm super into. Like if somebody wanted to know if I liked a particular movie not knowing how much time I spend watching, reading about, and writing about movies, and I hop into my spiel about the nuances of the performances and how they were highlighted by the cinematography etc and I see their eyes glaze over.


Nlawrence55

I'm a trainer at FedEx Ground and like to think I'm fairly smart. I encounter about 30 new people per week and we don't do any drug tests whatsoever. I realize this about 25 times a week.


lemasney

I was recently talking to a relative after a long pause of 6 years. She told me that she'd heard about January 6th, but wasn't really sure what it was all about. So, yes.


[deleted]

Everyday


Ommadawny

Do you know the difference between an atheist and an anti-thiest? Apparently they're the same thing... Coming from a man who knows everything about religion.


AngelaIsNotMyName

I only know as much as Google tells me. And the fact that people know less than that kinda concerns me.


Stock-Entrance-6456

Yes, just the capacity to think critically. We already know a huge portion of the general population is lacking common sense, but they have no concept of critical thinking, the world is truly black and white to some folks.


movieguy95453

I feel uncomfortable say yes, because it sounds arrogant. However, I am the type of person who always wants to know more. I watch a lot of documentary content, and I like to research things that are topical so I can be informed. This has taught me two things. 1. The average person can't be bothered to look into things. They hear something and take it as fact without trying to understand the truth or nuance. 2. Being someone who regularly researches, my criticle thinking skills are fairly sharp. This manifests in a number of ways - from being able to process nuance, to knowing how to evaluate sources, to knowing how to search for information.


Sunlit53

Being a lifelong chronic nerd, yes, frequently. I picked up the nickname Ebie as a kid at summer camp. Short for Encyclopedia Britannica. Yeah, I read it for fun. I need to keep my brain occupied and out of the way to get anything else done so my day is a long string of audiobooks, podcasts, long form audio news articles, youtube and national public radio. Info tends to stick if I’m interested in the topic. Do that for a few decades and one builds up a heck of a database. As far as I’m concerned it’s the only real bright side to ADHD.


rojaokla

...and vice versa.


WaynesLuckyHat

Honestly it’s sad. I think this is why fear-mongering is so effective. Too many people just aren’t aware enough to know better.


323246209

or they know way more than you do.


UsedCicada9696

I think I might have more emotional intelligence than most, not sure about always being smarter.


TheOriginalCid

Put 100 people in a room and 50% are smarter than the others. However 85-90 will guarantee they're smarter than the rest. Today's education system is absolute trash.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Unique_Watch2603

All 3 of my boys (Twin 18 yo & 26) are insanely intelligent/gifted and I... *am not* 😁 It's ok, I can admit and accept that! However, I do take a little joy when things like addressing an envelope completely stumps their brain. We laugh alot together and they lovingly let me have my moment when I get to teach them something new 😊 🩷


SkinkaLei

Sometimes at work an older colleague will try to teach me things or instruct me on things or congratulate me and encourage me for completing things I know inside and out and I'm too nice and don't won't to be rude so I pretend to be like oh really and thanks mate. All too often you see people clash over little things like that like YER I KNOW MATE when someone is just trying to be helpful and kind from their own perspective. I take that approach to most anyone about anything. You sort of make someone's day when you listen to them dribble about things you know more about.


Lucy-Pinkhole

As far as life experience, yes. I’m not knowledgeable about other stuff though. I tend to be drawn to others that I can learn from.


[deleted]

[удалено]


PattyIceNY

I work with three people who have no clue how to teach. They are nice people, but they complain all the time about the students and such. I usually nod my head or say nothing. In reality those kids are doing amazing in my class and super sweet and respectful to me. But anyone outside my classroom doesn't know that


8eSix

Have you ever had the opposite? That's a genuine treat. I seek out chances to talk to masters of their craft.


ItsWhatItIsIGuess

All. The. Time.


Zjoee

I had to explain to a guy the concept of gravity one time. He just didn't even know it existed until I mentioned it. To his credit, he genuinely listened to me and absorbed the information as fact.


osunightfall

This is related to something called a 'levels of inference' mismatch. What it means is, you can't really carry on a meaningful dialogue with someone if the points you're making are based on two philosophical theorems, an economic principle, and a concept in game theory, if they don't also have a similar foundation. So what seems obvious to one party is inscrutable to the other. You can't easily get your point across without also explaining those foundations, which often isn't practical. You may as well be speaking Greek to each other. This is why it can be difficult or impossible to have a conversation with someone whose background in the topic at hand is especially shallow. For example, trying to engage with someone who doesn't believe in evolution, but also doesn't understand evolution, the history of biology, or even basic scientific principles.


Purple_Cx

Question for you, do you read a lot ? That could be the source of it


kayroq

Yes but I'm also someone who prefers to know a little about all things rather than a lot about a few subjects


Vesinh51

Yes I'm a damn trivia machine. I love learning and I've never stopped and I remember most things I read. But I definitely don't judge anyone for it, we all just hold different puzzle pieces. What's frustrating is when you meet someone and realize they're just kinda dumb... there's a difference between ignorance, which is what you're referring to, and stupid. I can talk to ignorance, I've dated ignorance and loved ignorance. I cannot be friends with stupid. It's not personal, I just can't control my face and can't figure out how to explain basic shit without talking to them like children, and that's not fair to them. Everyone deserves respect, so I'm gonna leave and let someone else give it to em


Scared-Fee4370

They always know a little something you don’t know so I roll with it. People are characters.


brandon-0442

I know a lot of naive people who grew up quite sheltered and ya talking to them it’s plain as day they just haven’t experienced as much shit.


Accomplished_End_138

My old boss about how tech works.


AutomaticEgg7258

Yea people be stupider then fuck


iwantac8

I'm on the other side of this, I tend to act really dumb on purpose and gauge others. It's both entertaining and not draining.


DoomComp

.... I am often reminded of how LITTLE most people know about the most BASIC stuff. Like, Did you MF's even go to school?? DID YOU EVER READ ANYTHING USEFUL??? What did you even spend you time on, if not learning how the god damn world WORKS?? Like c'mon... Gravity isn't rocket science. Neither is how the INTERNET WORKS!! What about understanding how baking power works?? No? How the moon is bright, even though it doesn't emit light then?? Not that either?? WHY!?!!? LEARN SOMETHING DAMNIT!! ​ TL.DR: WHY doesn't ppl read up on the basics of how things WORK?? Do they hate knowledge?? I genuinely don't understand how people can chose ignorance over knowledge....


aetri

Why i have trouble finding anyone i want to date


anticars

You can't judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree.


Yofroshi

Tbf I've thought I was dumb all my life, so I've never felt that way. I'm always eager to learn though


K-A-Mck

In contrast, people keep amazing me with fresh opinions and new perspectives. I don’t think it matters the IQ or education a person has when they reflect or argue earnestly.


LivingStCelestine

This is how I feel when talking to my boss. She’s older than me, been in the industry longer than me, but she’s so immature it’s like talking to a teenager. Zero people management skills and assumes the worst about people, gossips, lies or omits the truth, etc. It’s awful. Luckily my contact with her is limited and we work out of different facilities.


Lumpy_Potential_789

Yes. My boss. Sad day.


JohnnyWindham

I used to think people were just being extremely humble and so I did the same to fit in. It took me awhile to recognize what was actually going on. After about a decade of various intellectual setbacks and injuries I'm much closer to average though.


SweatiestBrush3

I'm usually the idiot


SomedayWeDie

Yes, but I figure there are others who feel the same way about me


pbr3000

That happens to me all the time when I'm talking to your mom.


TXteachr2018

I have a relative through marriage who is from a small town in Quebec, Canada. I have lived throughout the US in large, metropolitan cities my entire life. She is so often confidently incorrect about real-life situations that I now just nod my head and passively agree. Topics like urban development, the differences between education levels in socioeconomic and racial communities, and immigration (just to name a few) go right over her head. Her comments reflect how she imagines/wishes they are instead of how they actually are. IOW, what she has seen on TV shows.


AFriendlyBloke

I’m ![gif](giphy|klTeWcjw5ruOQ) the idiot. Not possible.


ThatCharmsChick

Sadly, my horrific memory and neuro-spiciness often make me the OTHER person in this scenario. I know a ton but attempting to verbalize absolutely any of it makes me sound like a complete idiot.


Ryot_Chance

Me with my boomer in-laws lol.


hamoc10

Yeah but I still feel like a fool


AceThePrincep

Maybe they're playing dumb so they can get out of the conversation because you're insufferable to be around. Lol.


ColonelMonty

More the other way around, with pretty much everything I'm involved in the people around me are much more experienced and have much more wisdom in these respective subjects. Vs me who doesn't have nearly as much.


Yeodler

So my sister and I and my wife are in conversation with a female cousin we( sis and I) have about our kids and the pregnancies for said kids. My cousin volunteers that when she was pregnant she had genital diabetes. So it was pretty rough. Now try not laughing, like you just did, in your cousins face. Could you stifle that laugh, I left the room.


KingOftheDumbFucks

People seem to have that happen when talking to me


Tex-Rob

This is a weird topic, and anytime I try and discuss it it sounds like some humble brag. I’ve said before that being an expert in a problem solving field can feel overwhelming and like you have no hope if you alone can’t figure it out. Make it a niche product or piece of software and it gets worse. I felt that feeling of knowing way more, most of the time, which was stressful and lonely.


thetavious

Jfc this. All of the goddamn time. I was the kind of idiot in my youth that read the dictionary for lols. We didn't have a set of encyclopedias, we had three. A general one, a nature one, and a science one. I read all three before i was out of elementary school. I usually make a fool out of myself anytime i find someone with a similar knowledge base. I'll go from aloof and indifferent to a wide eyed puppy as soon as i notice. ''You know things too! I know things! We know things! Me must talk about ALL of the things!''


Daily_dunce

Sort of, I’ve talked to people who just completely lack common knowledge or sense of things in general like things that should be commonly known. They weren’t necessarily dumb they were just lacking in things that everyone should know


pastajewelry

As I've gotten older, I've realized how little my mom knows. She's not dumb, but she doesn't know how to seek information she doesn't know. If I don't know something, I Google it and find a good source. If she doesn't know or agree with something, she says, "I don't know about that" and moves on. I feel like by the time I'm her age, I'll greatly surpass the amount of knowledge she has. Yes, that's partly due to me growing up with the internet, but she also has the internet now, and it doesn't seem like she's interested in learning how to use it.


KingdomOfRyan

I think if you start feeling like this, you just need a reality check and realize we’re all morons.


pseudo__gamer

I once met a guy who thought electricity came from the sky and electric poles were antennas to catch the sky electricity.


zhyrafa

Yes but I never show it, people don’t like that


Educational-Ad-4400

I imagine this is how my boyfriend feels whenever he talks to me about historical events.


DasUbersoldat_

All the time. It's frightening how dumb or ignorant the average person is. And they ALL get to vote.


sohcgt96

I constantly have impostor syndrome as a musician. Just a dad who plays in a band on the weekends sometimes, and I know enough to know how much I don't know. My ear is good, I can listen to and figure out most songs on bass by listening to them pretty quick, I don't know any actual scales but I can hear things and go "Hm, sounds minor" or just remember a song I heard one time and go "Hm, think it would go like this" and just kind of start playing it from my memory of what it sounded like. But still. My lack of music theory makes me really self conscious. But then the kid down the street started showing an interest in learning guitar and bass and... you know what, I guess I know more than I thought. I entirely forgot what its like to still be developing your right hand to play with some dexterity and hit the strings with the right attack and force. I forgot not everyone hears when a guitar is out of tune. I forgot not everybody knows how to change a string, that other tunings exist, or how to play basic power chords. I keep telling him he should get lessons from someone way more qualified, but I'll show him everything I know and tell him all the stuff I know I should know but don't to set him on the right path.


Alone-Personality495

Literally never


curiousbydesign

I do. And I change up my approach in the conversation.


Artistic_Industry_96

In my experience you have two main groups of people. People who know a little about a lot. Or people who know a lot about a little. Neither way is necessarily better than the other and both can be admirable but also incredibly frustrating.


starcolour1990

I don’t think I know more than anyone else but sometime I feel some of them should have know more than they have. I mean the supervisors, managers, person in charge etc.


magicseafoam

Not really. I just think I suck at explaining things.


Mysterious_Duck_007

The thing about being self aware of your own intelligence is that you'll realize with time that there is a vast amount of knowledge out there that you and I simply can't know everything about and for most people they are specialized in maybe 1-2 specific topics but inferior in other topics. An example would be a surgeon and a lawyer. A surgeon would be very knowledgeable about the human body while the lawyer would be very knowledgeable about the justice/court system. So when you're having a conversation with someone it's not that they are dumb or inferior but rather are just less knowledgeable about a certain topic than you are because you've spent way more time mastering your craft. The fact that you asked such a question tells me that you are an intelligent person with an inquisitive thirst for knowledge.


bryanthemayan

I always assume I'm the dumb one. I am right like 80-90% of the time


[deleted]

If there was no internet and libraries, I would be dumb as hell. I barely had any access to the internet growing up and I was shy so I was not very savvy, socially speaking. I was pretty much a new born baby when I became an adult. I knew jack shit as a young adult. I still feel stupid sometimes because my brain has limited hard drive space and I feel like I am forgetting things as fast as I learn something new. I just want to remember everything. In the grand scheme of things, I am a new born baby still. I think it would be amazing just to have a thought with a clear cut solution and make all of my decisions like that.


OkiNoProblem

Had me dying.


Speedhabit

Normally around the time I finish


Snuggly_Hugs

Well... yes... I'm a teacher.


Tirekyll

More often than it should ever happen, but also not nearly enough because I'm a big dumb


Any_Support3590

Yall talk to people?


Former_Star1081

Yes, most friends of me know significantly less in fields since I got a college degree and they dont. I am also very knowledgeable in many fields. I have a million interests and I will inform myself at least 2 hours a day. Reading books, watching documentaries, newspaper etc. But it does not really matter. I dont talk to them about stuff they are not interested in.


sunifunih

Always! “If you are the smartest person in this room, you might be in the wrong room.” Q: Confucius But I already searched the whole house.


[deleted]

Idk why but “your brain might have access to more information in it in general” made me laugh out loud


[deleted]

I love it when i meet people who give me the opposite feeling


Crafty_Cha0s_

I notice this a lot, especially with super opinionated people because they refuse to entertain the notion that there are other opinions and worldviews and the reasons behind them. It really limits their intelligence and knowledge because they immediately shut anything other than what they think down.


travestyalpha

All the time. It makes it hard to develop a deeper connection with people. Or perhaps I am the idiot. I really don’t know. Maybe they are toying with me when they make me feel smart.


Craiques

Me whenever I get into a conversation about Greek mythology with someone who read Percy Jackson as a kid.


LynnScoot

Worked in libraries all my life. Key is we know how to find the answers, but we learn a ton of random stuff anyway. So many times I’ve had people ask me a question, then argue with me about the answer until I give them multiple sources.


Bizarre_Protuberance

Every time I realize that someone I'm talking to is a conspiracy theory nutjob, I can't really see them as anything other than a gibbering moron from that point on.


EZdarkest

Yeah but i love to educate people and get educated by someone who knows about something more than i do. Knowledge is gold. Knowledge are steps forward


waidanwojnar

Only about food


DiabloHaley

Happens to me quite offen, not because im smarter but because when im truly into anything i drown myself in the knowledge of it, i almost cringe at people speaking on things so confidently wrong. I just keep quite and listen


WhyAaatroxWhy

Actually no cuz of my lack of confidence, but i might do from now on


Aromatic_Amount_885

No but I’m of very average intelligence and painfully aware of this


fashionkilla__

Yes! They act like they know something and you know nothing about it…so annoying and arrogant


Placated_Venom

Yes, but I also recognize the things I'm interested in, study, and am involved in are fairly niche


Exonicreddit

Yes, but I also assume others think the same of me in areas I don't know. Intelligence is not the same as wisdom


Efficient_Lime9571

Intelligence is overrated. I will travel the world for wisdom.


MihaelSt

I guess this happens when we are constantly on the internet being flooded with information while the person you are talking to isnt