What do you call people who are book smart, but not street smart?

[Tijuana]

I dont know about using the word street smart, but maybe common sense? I have alot of friends who are gifted and in university (90%+ averages) but tend to do alot, and I mean alot of stupid things. So I'm just wondering, is there some sort of slang for these type of people?

There was this 1 kid in one of my classes, one of the smartest. We somehow got into a conversation about philosophy and how we can actually be dreaming our entire lives, like my mind could be making up everything I see, all the people I talk to etc and he seriously said that that is impossible because he is the *real person* at first we laughed but he stayed serious and the more we told him, its impossible to tell who is the *real person* out of a group of people but he kept saying dumb things like I can feel my hand, so I know I'm real. I lost all confidence in him for the future because I know you need to have some bit of common sense

[deep]

You can be educated/uneducated.
You can be intelligent/stupid.
You can be smart/dumb.
You can be wise/foolish.
You can be savvy/naive.

You can be or not be any of the above. I know some very intelligent people who are incredibly dumb and naive when it comes to the real world. I know some very savvy guys (who make millions) without being able to add, subtract, or remember anything from university. There are many different types of intelligence, and people are rare indeed that have it all.

[bubble.tea]

nerds?:lol:

[ItemFinder]

Naive is the word you want.

[firesword2007]

nerds?:lol:

+1 ... or bookworms ... basicly kids who get all their "smarts" from books and not from real world experiences

[Rembrandt100]

So what was it you were smoking before this conversation?

The whole thing sounds to me like it was 30 years ago and the dude next to me was questioning if the colour that I saw as yellow was the same colour he saw as yellow.

Dave

[Justin]

Why do I get the feeling that your friend is not the one with issues?

[ZenOps]

Dictionary Ninjas.

[i6s1]

Why do I get the feeling that your friend is not the one with issues?

+1.

I find that people who describe themselves as "street smart" are usually what I consider to be "stupid".

[nickia]

+1.

I find that people who describe themselves as "street smart" are usually what I consider to be "stupid".

I have no experience with that but I'm more inclined to agree with you.:cheesygri

[gei]

You call them smart.

Generally, people who are not "book smart" (ie didn't go to school, aren't particularly good at any subject, etc etc) try and make themselves feel better by claming that people who actually ARE smart aren't "street" smart like them.

In reality it's quite meaningless. Either you're smart or you aren't, period.

And that conversation you are quoting in your original post proves absolutely nothing. Perhaps YOU are the one who isn't "street" smart?

[rey1867]

You call them smart.

Generally, people who are not "book smart" (ie didn't go to school, aren't particularly good at any subject, etc etc) try and make themselves feel better by claming that people who actually ARE smart aren't "street" smart like them.

In reality it's quite meaningless. Either you're smart or you aren't, period.

And that conversation you are quoting in your original post proves absolutely nothing. Perhaps YOU are the one who isn't "street" smart?

completely agree with you. btw, philosophy isn't the greatest thing to measure someone's intelligence on because most people consider it to be bs

[vistaliving]

There was this 1 kid in one of my classes, one of the smartest. We somehow got into a conversation about philosophy and how we can actually be dreaming our entire lives, like my mind could be making up everything I see, all the people I talk to etc and he seriously said that that is impossible because he is the *real person* at first we laughed but he stayed serious and the more we told him, its impossible to tell who is the *real person* out of a group of people but he kept saying dumb things like I can feel my hand, so I know I'm real. I lost all confidence in him for the future because I know you need to have some bit of common sense

The MATRIX!!!

[nickia]

There was this 1 kid in one of my classes, one of the smartest. We somehow got into a conversation about philosophy and how we can actually be dreaming our entire lives, like my mind could be making up everything I see, all the people I talk to etc and he seriously said that that is impossible because he is the *real person* at first we laughed but he stayed serious and the more we told him, its impossible to tell who is the *real person* out of a group of people but he kept saying dumb things like I can feel my hand, so I know I'm real. I lost all confidence in him for the future because I know you need to have some bit of common sense

It does not mean he has no common sense just because he has different take on the issue of "what is real".
Ironically, he might be thinking "omfg that stupid kid in my last class kept talking about that we are living in a dream world. He must be nuts. I feel sorry for him Lolz.":lol:

[i6s1]

"Street smart" vs. "book smart" is just like "good personality" vs. "attractive".

[ShadowVlican]

nerds?:lol:
:arrowu:

[goobelygoop]

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[Talamasca]

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+1.

[KorruptioN]

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+2

[Tijuana]

Maybe I used the wrong word by using street smarts, but in this modern day there is a name for almost everything, atleast in slang. I was just wondering if there was one for someone who is smart but has no common sense. I am not going to blast them with this word, and I assure you I have no problems, just a simple question. Not everythign deserves a million word answer

[Nikita]

I call them book-smart and street-stupid. Seems appropriate to me.

[Mattones]

I'm Street smart not so much book smart.

[TapemanPL]

You call them smart.

Generally, people who are not "book smart" (ie didn't go to school, aren't particularly good at any subject, etc etc) try and make themselves feel better by claming that people who actually ARE smart aren't "street" smart like them.

In reality it's quite meaningless. Either you're smart or you aren't, period.

And that conversation you are quoting in your original post proves absolutely nothing. Perhaps YOU are the one who isn't "street" smart?

i don't agree with that statement at all...many of these "book smart" people as they are called that i know are idiots when it comes to simple things that most people should know by common sense. an example would be, the smartest guy in my class last year... he knows where north, south, east, and west are, and we had to meet up somewhere and i gave him directions ie. walk 2 blocks north of this intersection, go west for 2 blocks on this street and the place is on the south east corner of the intersection...he got lost.

[Ebola]

My preferred word : numpty.

[goobelygoop]

I'm Street smart not so much book smart.
^ ^
+1.

I find that people who describe themselves as "street smart" are usually what I consider to be "stupid".

[Skully]

Hospitalized :D :D :D

[deep]

...Either you're smart or you aren't, period...

Not true at all. A mathmetician might think my friend John is unintelligent, because he doesn't have a clue about spatial relationships, while at the same time, John thinks the math whiz is an idiot because he cannot hold up his end of a conversation to save his life.

As I said, there are many aspects to intelligence, and everyone has them in varying degrees.

[Bazooka Joe]

i don't agree with that statement at all...many of these "book smart" people as they are called that i know are idiots when it comes to simple things that most people should know by common sense. an example would be, the smartest guy in my class last year... he knows where north, south, east, and west are, and we had to meet up somewhere and i gave him directions ie. walk 2 blocks north of this intersection, go west for 2 blocks on this street and the place is on the south east corner of the intersection...he got lost.

Every time I hear of someone giving directions like this I think of this study:

http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7069

(I can't stand it when someone says "turn LEFT at the corner store" - how do they know which direction I'm coming from???)

Edit: If you're relying on someone for directions and they start turning the map around you're better off pulling over.

[rosebud]

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[Azxster]

The one who claims to be street smart and complain are usually the ones that are dumb.

[manixc]

The term "street smart" is way over used. When did having common sense become "street smart"?

[GangStarr]

Not true at all. A mathmetician might think my friend John is unintelligent, because he doesn't have a clue about spatial relationships, while at the same time, John thinks the math whiz is an idiot because he cannot hold up his end of a conversation to save his life.

As I said, there are many aspects to intelligence, and everyone has them in varying degrees.

Good way of putting it.

The OP is surly displaying some ignorance by ignoring his friends point. No matter how trivial his point may be, no matter how wrong you might think he is, you were having a discussion. I don't see how anyone could be right or wrong in as big of a BS conversation as "ohh we might all be dreaming". Sounds like something you discussed when you were 10 or high on mushrooms or something.

Those who get 90+'s in university will probably go far in accounting or engineering or something quantifiable. However all those jobs require a job interview, and if your social skills are as poor as many of these "top preforming" students are. You may find your "Street smart" friend with the same degree getting the job simply because he knows how to talk his way through an interview.

To those who mentioned people who lack basic sense of direction and can't quite seem to grasp the walk 1 block north then 2 blocks west... there certainly is such thing as street smarts. I was in Berlin and the S-bahn was having issues relating to a strike or mechanical problem. I was with a whole bunch of med students, smart people. I was the only one who bothered to look at the map and find an alternate way with the U-bahn. It took 3 transfers but we made our train on time. People were doubting the route the whole way.

[weedb0y]

"Street smart" vs. "book smart" is just like "good personality" vs. "attractive".


However, book smart =NOT attractive ;)

[Prophallus]

you're either smart or you're not
if you are booksmart but you have no common sense, its meaningless because you will not be able to apply your knowledge to the world
likewise, if you have common sense but you don't know anything outside of your own little box then your knowledge of this world is limited to your own experiences only
imo people with common sense will want to read in order to learn more about this world, gaining knowledge is in our best interest

[vaderschariot]

booksmart = RIATCHHHHHHH
streetsmart = grinding it out the rest of your life

[poedua]

The term "street smart" is way over used.

When did having common sense become "street smart"?

Something tells me Governor Spitzer thinks - whether you have it or not - that they're one in the same.:lol:

[gordholio]

I don't think it's black or white. People who are "book smart" can certainly have common sense and the other way around. Usually one type of smart is predominant though. Critical things that are needed for great success are "get up and go" and how you deal with others. No matter how much school education you have, these cannot be taught by that method.
Learning is done when you are young by going to school (or being home schooled) AND from your parents; when you are done with the academic learning, you learn by life's lessons. Many times you learn much more after you are done with school. You learn how the real world operates and that most times it doesn't operate the same as in a school laboratory.

[Nikita]

However, book smart =NOT attractive ;)

Soooo wrong. Unless book smart women are just not attractive to you cuz you couldn't bear to have a woman who's smarter than you. Or could be just that book smart women are simply not attracted to you and you need that excuse to avoid the feeling of rejection.

[Ebola]

Soooo wrong. Unless book smart women are just not attractive to you cuz you couldn't bear to have a woman who's smarter than you. Or could be just that book smart women are simply not attracted to you and you need that excuse to avoid the feeling of rejection.

+1.

For me a truly attractive woman has physical beauty combined with intelligence.

It's possible to be physically attractive without alot of intelligence to be sure, just like it is possible to be be very intelligent while being ugly as sin.

[VorteC]

i think there's 3 types of smart:

book smart
business smart
handyman smart

[Tijuana]

Like I said, we, around 5+ of us were discussing this, in grade 12 while we were waiting for the bell to ring. My point is, he firmly believed that he is the one and only real person, I dont mean he was being arrogant and trying to act like an ass, he sincerely believed the idea that he was the only one who was right. The point of this thread was to discuss how some people who are smart in school, lack the most common skill of simple understanding.

Its a simple math equation. If your in a room of 100 people. 1 of those people is real, the rest are the figment of that 1's person imagination. Now, since it is up the the 100 people in the room to figure out who is real, how can you? You CANT, its not improbable, its impossible because of what we discussed before. My entire point was how could he not grasp the simple concept of what we were talking about. Oh ya btw, he was going to sell his passport(expired) on ebay, because he said alot of people would want it. Once again he was completely serious, and once we yelled at him not to, well lets just say he eagerly wanted to leave the classroom. This wasnt about just one random act of stupidity, there was alot more.

Good way of putting it.

The OP is surly displaying some ignorance by ignoring his friends point. No matter how trivial his point may be, no matter how wrong you might think he is, you were having a discussion. I don't see how anyone could be right or wrong in as big of a BS conversation as "ohh we might all be dreaming". Sounds like something you discussed when you were 10 or high on mushrooms or something.

[nickia]

Like I said, we, around 5+ of us were discussing this, in grade 12 while we were waiting for the bell to ring. My point is, he firmly believed that he is the one and only real person, I dont mean he was being arrogant and trying to act like an ass, he sincerely believed the idea that he was the only one who was right. The point of this thread was to discuss how some people who are smart in school, lack the most common skill of simple understanding.

Its a simple math equation. If your in a room of 100 people. 1 of those people is real, the rest are the figment of that 1's person imagination. Now, since it is up the the 100 people in the room to figure out who is real, how can you? You CANT, its not improbable, its impossible because of what we discussed before. My entire point was how could he not grasp the simple concept of what we were talking about. Oh ya btw, he was going to sell his passport(expired) on ebay, because he said alot of people would want it. Once again he was completely serious, and once we yelled at him not to, well lets just say he eagerly wanted to leave the classroom. This wasnt about just one random act of stupidity, there was alot more.

I still don't get the stuff that you guys were talking about. Do you mean a world such as the one in The Matrix? "Nothing is real"

[twotterdhc6]

Like I said, we, around 5+ of us were discussing this, in grade 12 while we were waiting for the bell to ring. My point is, he firmly believed that he is the one and only real person, I dont mean he was being arrogant and trying to act like an ass, he sincerely believed the idea that he was the only one who was right. The point of this thread was to discuss how some people who are smart in school, lack the most common skill of simple understanding.

Its a simple math equation. If your in a room of 100 people. 1 of those people is real, the rest are the figment of that 1's person imagination. Now, since it is up the the 100 people in the room to figure out who is real, how can you? You CANT, its not improbable, its impossible because of what we discussed before. My entire point was how could he not grasp the simple concept of what we were talking about.

That's just being argumentative or stubborn/recalcitrant. Since the topic is ridiculous in the first place, you're all arguing/discussing for the sake of arguing. This doesn't seem to have any correlation to intelligence.

[weedb0y]

Soooo wrong. Unless book smart women are just not attractive to you cuz you couldn't bear to have a woman who's smarter than you. Or could be just that book smart women are simply not attracted to you and you need that excuse to avoid the feeling of rejection.

I am sorry but a book smart woman ONLY would not be attractive as she wouldnt be able to even attract the opposite sex properly. Unless, if she is only capable of attracting the 10% of the introverts out there? I have yet to meet a 100% book smart woman who is capable of having proper social skills to communicate effectively.

Being purely book smart doesn't mean that you have the capability to utilize knowledge in a practical situation. Hence, it is considered highly unattractive by the masses. Please refrain from personal attacks to prove your point, it just makes you look less credible. Unless, if it is based on personal experience? lol, Afterall, you did mention in another thread that you don't necessarily like people in general. Should we conclude that most of your opinions are based on your antisocial attitude? So, that should mean that since you dont like people, you wouldnt really know how it works with people in the world?

I was trying to mention that book smart =NOT attractive, if that was the only equation in the picture. An intelligent woman knows how to balance the best of the both worlds.

Luckily, I wouldn't need to use it as an excuse, specially from a book smart nerd, I have NEVER been rejected in my life by a woman and yes I am with someone who 99% of the people would consider a hottie. So, I think I do know what I have to attract the opposite sex and yes, she is educated, intelligent and attractive as well and certainly not a bimbo. I guess I have to thank my mother for her genes and daddy for his intelligence. I also thank the god for being lucky in that sense. So, no I wouldnt be using it as an excuse?

I do know of few cases (friends) who were able to use TAs in univeristies to get them to do favours for them. As they were the only guys who had ever approached them. So, yes, in real life, your ideals dont really work. Apparently, you only become an TA if you are really a book smart person. I know at University of Windsor, a hot girl slept with a 'book smart' TA to get the exam out. My friend used a female TA to give him 95%s on blank assignments at York. Both cases involve extremely book smart people who are lacking that social companion in life. I wonder, if they are super attractive or not? This is based on seeing things in real life.

As sad as it seems, balance and moderation is the key to having an attractive personality. It is same for both races.

I wonder if you are single or attached?

[weedb0y]

+1.

For me a truly attractive woman has physical beauty combined with intelligence.

It's possible to be physically attractive without alot of intelligence to be sure, just like it is possible to be be very intelligent while being ugly as sin.

Just like a hot blonde with no intelligence is only attractive for a limited time period, a book smart woman has attraction span of few seconds as well. We are talking extreme cases here where a woman basis all of her life on what she has learned from books and nothing from real life experiences.

In real life, things are bit more complicated than a theory that she might've read in a paper. A true attractive personality takes advantage of book and street smarts to function properly in life.

Too much of extremes are not Attractive and its really bad on the book smart side. Atleast a hot bimbo is able to attract physically in some way. In reality, an ugly smart woman needs more to attract. Hence, she needs a personality to attract someone meaningful.

[Audiogenic]

Low EQ = emotionally unitelligent

[BadDrafter]

Prey

[jcoltage]

Blue Collar
White Collar

- no I am just joking ... I find that people that are street smart can be equally as smart as someone that is Book Smart

[Tijuana]

I still don't get the stuff that you guys were talking about. Do you mean a world such as the one in The Matrix? "Nothing is real"

This was in high school, some of the kids had philosophy the previous class, so they were talking about what they learned. One philosophical possibility if you will, is that say everyone around you is not real, as in maybe like the matrix I suppose, that you are basically dreaming, everyone you see and everything is a figment of your imagination. Now if you are in a room with another person. How do you know who the *non-imaginary* person is? Like I said there is no way to tell, but this guy thinks there is and that he is the real person regardless of what everyone else says.