Post #577177 by woofmutt on Mon, Feb 21, 2011 10:37 PM

"Why are they assholes? Because if they are really gifted...it is like being in a room full of mentally...retarded..people all day...That's not to say they should be assholes, but...when you belong to a group that comprises 1 percent of the population, you pretty much have no role models you can relate to, you're tired of explaining yourself, and would really like to communicate with someone else who sees, hears, and understands the world in the similar way as yourself..." -telescopes-

That might explain the behavior of some of the truly gifted but in my experience interacting with extremely intelligent people***** it's not a hard and fast rule. One of the most intelligent people I've ever known manages to lead a very successful life which requires him to deal with people far below his level on an hourly basis yet he manages to do so with kindness and a friendly manner. Other highly intelligent and gifted people I've known (or have heard about from others) are also completely decent people.

"I am so special and unique in the world that I can barely deal with it!" is a not uncommon claim of many in the artistic set. There are those who actually can't deal with the world at large for one reason (maybe they have Asperger syndrome) or another (maybe they've never addressed their social anxieties). But as the mysterious socially inept genius artist is seen as an ideal by many who fancy themselves to be great artists it can be difficult to separate those actually possessing an "artistic temperament" from those who are merely posing.

Someone who is completely unaware of his or her behavior or incapable of controlling it might act like an asshole but someone who consciously behaves self-indulgently and antisocially is the true asshole.

*****For the record: I definitely do not consider myself to be in the category of the gifted or highly intelligent.