The primitives seem unduly impressed by intelligence, apparently equating it with goodness and decency, which of course is utter nonsense.
And they're obsessed with it, as they are with money.
And as with money, the primitives don't have a whole lot of it.
All my life, I've stayed away from this "intelligence versus stupidity" issue, because intelligence seems a vague, ambiguous, slippery thing, and....situational. It seems to vary upon the time of the day, one's mood, one's environment, what one's doing, and who one's with.
I suspect it varies widely, within one person within one day.
I'm reasonably sure franksolich is intelligent, but it's nothing I have about which to be proud.
It's a gift that's been bestowed upon one, not something one worked for and developed oneself.
It's like me being vainglorious about my thick, luxuriant dark brown hair that refuses to change color even with age. God gave me that hair; I didn't create it myself.
On the other hand, I'm sort of vain about the body because one has to work at keeping in good shape; it's not a gift that happens by itself. One has to rigorously deny and deprive oneself, to stay in shape. So it's fine to boast about that, because it's mostly the results of one's own efforts.
Even if franksolich had the IQ of an Einstein--which while not likely is more likely than in O'Dorko's case, for example---it'd be nothing to brag about, because it was given me, not made by me.
On the other hand, it's okay for me to be vain about how I use that intelligence, my skillful artistry in extricating myself from difficult people or embarrassing situations, because that's something that over time I developed and fine-tuned myself.
