Age-related
Questions 41-50
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THE
QUESTION:
A43: Why is it that in high school, it's cool to be dumb, to
seem dumb or to do badly in school? I'm more than an average student,
and have been criticized for being so. Mind you, I don't show off. So
why is this?
POSTED MARCH 19, 1999
K.L., 15, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
ANSWER 1:
I think many of my peers have a "live fast and hard"
mentality. Teens think they are invincible (hence high usage of
drugs, alcohol, smokes; and high instances of unprotected sex), and
are incredibly short-sighted. They feel the adult word of taxes and
old age is so far away that nothing they do now will put them in a
bad situation for the immediate future. Mom and Dad will take care of
them. That's why kids are not really concerned with becoming erudite,
learned and productive members of society. I have been in honors and
gifted classes since second grade (I will graduate from high school
this June) and have been tormented from the beginning because I
prefer reading to "cruising," etc. There are a lot of smart kids, and
I think more and more, teens are becoming interested in a good
college education and great future. But there is still a significant
portion of teenage society that would love to go to the biggest party
school they can find, scrape by with Cs and somehow be able to afford
the things they would like as an adult.
POSTED MARCH 22, 1999
A.C., 18, "gifted" student, Milwaukee Area, WI
FURTHER NOTICE:
Graduating in 1995, I can testify that most classmates
criticize you because they envy you. Forget about the thoughts of
other people and concentrate on your own future as you see fit.
POSTED MARCH 22, 1999
Christopher D., 22, male
<ngc1977@hotmail.com>,
Arlington, TX
FURTHER NOTICE 2:
The beauty of this problem is that it goes away as you get
older. That may not help now, but it's something to look forward to.
In a few years, those people who now give you a hard time will
probably be wishing they were in your shoes. As your peers mature, it
will no longer be cool to act like you don't care. You'll be better
off for not having fallen into it.
POSTED MARCH 24, 1999
Britt, 29, Birmingham , AL
FURTHER NOTICE 3:
It was the exact same way when I was in high school. Back
when I was in elementary school, I was admired for being intelligent.
I read to my kindergarten class, was always tops on the tmie math
tests, and ended up at a college reading level by the time I was in
5th grade. I thought this would carry me for the rest of my school
career. How wrong I was.
By the time I got to 7th grade, I was ridiculed, mocked and
harassed every single day by the "dumb" people. Ninety-nine percent
of the time, it was the jocks. They couldn't figure out the whole
"you're/your" thing by the time they graduated high school, but they
still got all the popularity and girls. I would fake sick at least a
day each week on average just because I couldn't handle it. I
actually got to the point in high school by my junior year of simply
not caring about my grades any more. I still graduated at 16, but
looking back, I just made a wrong decision.
So basically, why is it cool to be dumb? Because as I observed in
high school (and this may only prove true for only my high school),
the jocks had all the popularity, and these jocks were "dumb" because
they devoted all their energy to sports and nothing to academics. And
you know how people love an athlete.
POSTED APRIL 5, 1999
K. Wojtaszek, 19, nerd/geek/loser/whatever
<edicius@hotmail.com>,
Clinton Township, MI
To
respond
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THE QUESTION:
A42: To retired people: What do you do all day?
POSTED MARCH 18, 1999
C.P., 21, Montreal, Canada
ANSWER 1:
In short, anything we want to! Have you ever noticed how
much cleaner our cars are, how nice the yards are, how we tend to go
off for three or four days at a time? We also do things like
woodwork, handweave, paint, pottery, act, crafts, remodel our homes,
help others, etc. There are some who drink, sit at the TV and die
soon. Lots of us spend years traveling in RVs seeing the United
States up close and personal. Think of a number of things you would
like to do, and then ask if you can afford to do them now; if not,
that is what you would do when you retire. When I was in high school,
I made a list of things I would like to do before I die. I've done
all but two, one of which I will never do. Maybe I'll never die!
POSTED MARCH 22, 1999
C.F., Del Rio , TX
FURTHER NOTICE:
Wow. Where do I begin? My wife and I have questioned
ourselves on how we had found time to work before we retired. I play
golf 3 to 4 times a week, go fishing and netting, and am cleaning out
our back lot (about 200' x 100') of weeds, trees and palmettos. When
this is finished, I need to complete building a walkway around our
house (we are on stilts) and then buy more oyster shells and finish
filling in the driveway. Then there is church work (I am on the
building and grounds committee) for a congregation of about 30 to 40
mostly older people. My wife plays bridge 2 to 3 afternoons weekly,
serves as ombudsman for Florida nursing homes and is a member and
secretary the local Historical Society, Garden Club and Presbyterian
Women. Then there is the furniture I am refinishing and ... well, you
know, on and on it goes. I am sure if you are thinking of retiring,
there will be plenty of things to keep you busy if you look for
something to do.
POSTED MARCH 22, 1999
Phil J., 63, male
<JPHILJONES@AOL.COM>,
Port St. Joe , FL
FURTHER NOTICE 2:
I'm not sure what they do, but I wish they would take care
of their grocery and other shopping needs during the weekdays, when
most of us are at work. Why is it that they come out after 4 p.m. and
on weekends to go to the stores and malls? This is a real hardship
where I live (South Florida). Am I asking too much?
POSTED MARCH 22, 1999
D.S.J., 47, West Palm Beach , FL
FURTHER NOTICE 3:
Can I add something to my original question? I would also
like to know what retired people who are not rich do with
their time. I know there are many senior citizens for whom
travelling, renovating their homes, etc. is financially out of the
question.
POSTED MARCH 22, 1999
C.P., 21, Montreal , Canada
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respond
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THE QUESTION:
A41: I have noticed that younger males like to expose the band
of their underwear so it is just visible above the waist of their
pants. I am curious about this phenomena. Could someone please
enlighten me?
POSTED MARCH 15, 1999
T. Evans, 39
<tamring@aol.com>, San
Diego, CA
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