I’m so goddamn sick of the “former gifted child” shit. They called anyone who didn’t have to wait for the slowest kids in class that. “WOW, you’re 8 and knew what “fortress” means on the vocabulary test? You’re gifted!”
I get where you’re coming from, but I think the term does speak to a real phenomenon. For my part, I was such a high achiever in school that I was pretty alienated from my peers, and I responded to this isolation by doubling down on my academic pursuits.
I grew up in poverty, and I was the first in my family to go to university, so you can imagine how jazzed my folks were when I got into one of the best universities in the country. Back then, I genuinely believed that we live in a mostly meritocratic world, despite also being aware of many concrete ways in which the system fucks people over; I think I was just bullshitting myself, because the entirety of my self worth was invested in my academic achievements, and I desperately needed to believe I was striving for something meaningful, even if that was the selfish desire to have a more secure life than my parents had had.
The greatest benefit of going to such a prestigious university was that it thoroughly demolished any naive notions of meritocracy I might’ve held onto. Some of the most blindingly intelligent people I’ve ever known had their life path decided for them by socioeconomic pressures; you’re a much more competitive applicant for PhD programmes or postdoctoral fellowships you have a family who can financially support you as you study (I am convinced that this is an intended effect of unpaid internships).
I’ve found that even those that have been able to find work in their field have struggled after they’ve graduated. The problem is that even for people who aren’t interested in postgraduate research, the entire academic pathway promotes the kind of desperate tunnel vision that can only lead to burnout. We were told to “go to university, get a good degree, and you’ll be able to get a good job”, and that this was a viable strategy for people who were exceptional enough. Even if you don’t have overly strict parents, it can lead to a disproportionate amount of pressure, because we are made to believe that we can triumph over systemic injustice by just working harder.
I’m rambling a bit now, so I’ll just finish off by saying that this is a distinct phenomenon that’s real and potentially politically interesting. If nothing else, it can lead to conversations about how to prevent this kind of toxic mindset developing, and how to cope with burnout after putting all your eggs in one basket in this manner.
I’m so goddamn sick of the “former gifted child” shit. They called anyone who didn’t have to wait for the slowest kids in class that. “WOW, you’re 8 and knew what “fortress” means on the vocabulary test? You’re gifted!”
I get where you’re coming from, but I think the term does speak to a real phenomenon. For my part, I was such a high achiever in school that I was pretty alienated from my peers, and I responded to this isolation by doubling down on my academic pursuits.
I grew up in poverty, and I was the first in my family to go to university, so you can imagine how jazzed my folks were when I got into one of the best universities in the country. Back then, I genuinely believed that we live in a mostly meritocratic world, despite also being aware of many concrete ways in which the system fucks people over; I think I was just bullshitting myself, because the entirety of my self worth was invested in my academic achievements, and I desperately needed to believe I was striving for something meaningful, even if that was the selfish desire to have a more secure life than my parents had had.
The greatest benefit of going to such a prestigious university was that it thoroughly demolished any naive notions of meritocracy I might’ve held onto. Some of the most blindingly intelligent people I’ve ever known had their life path decided for them by socioeconomic pressures; you’re a much more competitive applicant for PhD programmes or postdoctoral fellowships you have a family who can financially support you as you study (I am convinced that this is an intended effect of unpaid internships).
I’ve found that even those that have been able to find work in their field have struggled after they’ve graduated. The problem is that even for people who aren’t interested in postgraduate research, the entire academic pathway promotes the kind of desperate tunnel vision that can only lead to burnout. We were told to “go to university, get a good degree, and you’ll be able to get a good job”, and that this was a viable strategy for people who were exceptional enough. Even if you don’t have overly strict parents, it can lead to a disproportionate amount of pressure, because we are made to believe that we can triumph over systemic injustice by just working harder.
I’m rambling a bit now, so I’ll just finish off by saying that this is a distinct phenomenon that’s real and potentially politically interesting. If nothing else, it can lead to conversations about how to prevent this kind of toxic mindset developing, and how to cope with burnout after putting all your eggs in one basket in this manner.
I liked the meme comparing it to going pro if not for my knee football bro. Very apt
Sounds better than ‘has a thirst for knowledge that needs to be crushed’.