Grant Robinson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
> While I like you, I don't really like the hoidy-toidy implication you
> just made that there are three types of people: code monkeys,
> entrepreneurs, and people who like to *really* think, and that the
> only people who are not in one of the first two groups are those who
> go to grad school.
My goodness. After repeated emails insulting *him* by implication
simply because he decided to go to grad school, he replies in defense
of his choice. Suddenly Hans is the rude one because you've read some
elitist bias into his rant. Maybe you've got a preconceived notion
that colors your perception here?
> If I didn't know you (which I do), I could create a stereotype like
> the one you have just espoused that those who DO go to grad school
> are pompous, arrogant, and look down their noses at those who don't
> choose to pursue graduate degrees (none of which are desirable
> traits in a friend, co-worker, student, or human being).
You could pretend that going to more school makes you an elitist.
Maybe it does increase the tendency, but human beings in general have
a pretty strong tendency towards being pompous and arrogant and
looking down their noses at people who make different choices or
belong to different cultures. Also, they tend to miss seeing those
qualities in their own selves or groups while pointing them out in
others!
> Believe me, having met some people who have graduated with an MS,
> going to grad school (PhD, or MS) does not make someone a person who
> either likes to *really* think or someone who is capable of *really*
> thinking (the same can be said about people who don't go to grad
> school).
Um, you seem to be reversing causality here. Hans said that grad
school is for people who like to *really* think, not that grad school
magically makes you capable of or inclined to *really* think.
I'm going to go out on a limb here and say there's a pretty strong
anti-intellectual bias in our society. If you like intellectual
pursuits more than the norm, you get labeled a nerd and ostracized.
Then, because you're ostracized, you get labeled a hoity-toity snob.
This just reinforces the anti-intellectual bias, since clearly all the
intellectuals are hoity-toity snobs who think too much of themselves
to associate with.
This is especially tragic coming from a member of a pretty 'nerdy'
community, who until recently would have been seen as a hopeless nerd.
Even among nerds, you can't be *too* intellectual and still be
accepted, at least if you want to stand up for yourself instead of
going along and agreeing that your career choices have no value.
--Levi
/*
PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net
Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug
Don't fear the penguin.
*/
