Yesterday evening my friend Andrew commented to another friend, half tongue in cheek: "Stuart is a real intellectual". Now I may be wrong, but "intellectual" is rarely used as a neutral handle for somebody in the way we use "tall" or "talkative". Quite often during the past century people labelled as intellectual were villified and even killed.
So over the years I've tended to assume it's a put-down, a short-hand way of saying that someone has their head in the clouds or even up their arse. Then last week, in conversation with somebody else whom I regard as a real business "player" several leagues above mine, he said he was surprised that I wanted to meet up with him because (his words) "you're educated and I'm not".
So maybe "intellectual" is sometimes used from a defensive impulse rather than with offensive intent. Maybe I should just take as a neutral description. Or maybe I should just accept that no description of anybody is ever really neutral.
Tuesday, 27 April 2010
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4 comments:
In my opinion, you, The Stuarte, 'challenge' people in discussion, not a lot of people (that I know) can handle it and find it intimidating. Me, someone who's had lots of counselling and understands that someone challenging 'one' is definitely a good thing. So maybe Andrew was challenging you, and I don't think he wants to kill you!
Good points Nik.
And thanks a load for commenting on the blog - it feels like Christmas already :)
I am the man who made the remark that Stuart was a "real intellectual" and can assure him I had no desire to villify or kill him. Nor was it a defensive impulse. To me, calling someone an intellectual is a complement.
I enjoy conversations that go beyond the commonplace, challenges our thoughts and makes us articulate our learnings. To me, that is an intellectual discussion and one that Stuart is very good at initiating.
Phew, I can walk the streets of town without looking over my shoulder or bracing myself for attacks.
But seriously-ish, it's a long time since anyone has called me an intellectual, so it was a blast from the past and a chance to reevaluate things.
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