Do you strive to be average?

Hatuey · Jan 8, 2009

Alright. So I couldn't care less about Joe the Plumber. The guy is a nobody. He'd be working for me 3 months ago. Irrelevant to the grand scheme things for the most part. What I've taken issue with is this almost cult like fixation a lot of people have with the fact that he's 'Average Joe'. Like average is something to be proud of. So it's got me wondering. Do you strive to be average? For as long as I can remember my parents told me never to settle for less then the best. They never told me to be 'like everybody else' and follow the norm. Likewise millions of parents from liberals to conservatives, from republicans to democrats tell their kids to be 'the very best they can be'. It's not a party thing. It's just the human need to be better then the rest. But then somewhere on the political front 'average' becomes what people want. What people look up to. We don't look to 'average' when making foreign policy decisions. We don't look to average Joe when it comes to energy problems, the economy or scientific achievements. Who do we look to? People who strive to be the best in their fields. We don't even look towards average when it comes to what food we want, who we want to be with etc etc. Kids don't try to get 2.7s in their GPAs. Do you want what is 'average' for your kid? We look for that which fits us best. So what exactly is the big deal with being average if it's not something we strive to be or even care about for the most part?

Khayembii Communique · Jan 8, 2009

Joe the Plumber is the result of a sad attempt at being populist.

Shewter · Jan 8, 2009

Less than average blows. And above average warrants too much attention.

GO MIDDLE OF THE ROAD!! woooooo.

GOP Socialist Soldier · Jan 8, 2009

Re: Do you strive to be average? Yes.. It's American!

Do you strive to be average?

If the definition of "average" is believing what the Mainstream media feeds us; what I should want, believe and desire is the same as millions of others, yes, as a voter of either the GOP or/and Dem Corporate Sponsored Socialist parties--I'm average and I work to make sure I don't deviate from that path, lest I be considered a radical or wierdo.

YouTube - SHEEP PEOPLE

Kandahar · Jan 8, 2009

Hatuey said:
We don't look to 'average' when making foreign policy decisions. We don't look to average Joe when it comes to energy problems, the economy or scientific achievements. Who do we look to?

1069 · Jan 8, 2009

Do you strive to be average?

Kind of.

___________

Tucker Case · Jan 8, 2009

Sometimes I wish I were really ****ing stupid. Really ****ing stupid people are usually quite content with being really ****ing stupid.

Me? I want to be smarter. I'm just smart enough to know I'm not smart enough, which sucks.

Black Dog · Jan 8, 2009

Tucker Case said:
Sometimes I wish I were really ****ing stupid. Really ****ing stupid people are usually quite content with being really ****ing stupid.

Me? I want to be smarter. I'm just smart enough to know I'm not smart enough, which sucks.

My friend I am in EXACTLY that same boat!

mikhail · Jan 8, 2009

Maybe the word average is wrong but people do try and be like everyone around them.

How else can people feel about it we cant all make an impact in a big way.

When it comes to joe the plumber i think leave the guy alone he didnt force himself into the spotlight but he should take advantage of it.

As for average i dont care personly maybe i wont be one of the people who is remembered but i do love people and there is people who love me.Hitler and Stalin will be remembered but not me but thats fine.As long as you have brought happiness to a few people thats all that matters.

1069 · Jan 8, 2009

Maybe the word average is wrong but people do try and be like everyone around them.

Right.
I wasn't raised to be "average". I was raised to be different. And I was different.
And I still am different.
But now I'm trying to be enough like other people- good people, admirable people- to pass for normal and make some sort of meaningful contribution, and be happy.

And it's not even a purely conscious choice; I'm just becoming more average, without really even trying.
I'm getting older, and I've been re-evaluating my life over the past few years, the way people do at various stages, and I've decided I need to do this to get by.
Being "unaverage", whether in a good or bad way, takes a lot of energy and I don't have as much energy as I did when I was younger.

Bodi · Jan 8, 2009

Tucker Case said:
Sometimes I wish I were really ****ing stupid. Really ****ing stupid people are usually quite content with being really ****ing stupid.

Me? I want to be smarter. I'm just smart enough to know I'm not smart enough, which sucks.

I am smart enough to know I am not stupid, or average, but not smart enough to be lost in my own little genius world. Like you, I want to understand more. But you know, the more you know, the less yuou understand.

I agree. Average or below people are many times so damn content and happy. They don't know better, like a dog. Mean, but accurate. They just go about, watching football, drinking ****ty beer, shopping at Walmart and Cosco for crappy food and products, not caring or even understanding that there are alternatives. Sitting in the same job, dealing with the same crap... not understanding the value of an education, so their kids repeat the process. Etc.

Tucker Case · Jan 8, 2009

Bodhisattva said:
I am smart enough to know I am not stupid, or average, but not smart enough to be lost in my own little genius world. Like you, I want to understand more. But you know, the more you know, the less yuou understand.

I agree. Average or below people are many times so damn content and happy. They don't know better, like a dog. Mean, but accurate. They just go about, watching football, drinking ****ty beer, shopping at Walmart and Cosco for crappy food and products, not caring or even understanding that there are alternatives. Sitting in the same job, dealing with the same crap... not understanding the value of an education, so their kids repeat the process. Etc.

Exactly...

mikhail · Jan 8, 2009

1069 said:
Right.
I wasn't raised to be "average". I was raised to be different. And I was different.
And I still am different.
But now I'm trying to be enough like other people- good people, admirable people- to pass for normal and make some sort of meaningful contribution, and be happy.

And it's not even a purely conscious choice; I'm just becoming more average, without really even trying.
I'm getting older, and I've been re-evaluating my life over the past few years, the way people do at various stages, and I've decided I need to do this to get by.
Being "unaverage", whether in a good or bad way, takes a lot of energy and I don't have as much energy as I did when I was younger.

Thats good.

I think we only live under the command of are own expectations.But their is a part of me that wants to take a jenga block from the bottom of things if you know what i mean.

1069 · Jan 8, 2009

mikhail said:
Thats good.

I think we only live under the command of are own expectations.But their is a part of me that wants to take a jenga block from the bottom of things if you know what i mean.

Yes, but you are still quite young, I think.
You really do lose interest in that sort of thing, once you reach your 30s.
There are always going to be people who do it so much better and more effectively than you. And by the time you're 30, they're all dead.

Kernel Sanders · Jan 8, 2009

I think it would be easier, but I've only barely begun to see benefits from being smart. Middle school and high school would have been more pleasant to be sure. Going to a top tier school puts me much closer to the middle of the road, and that's something I'm thankful for. I really can't imagine being happy working as an employee for some random company when I'm 40, though. But in an equalized environment like public school where being above average show no benefit, it kinda sucks

mikhail · Jan 8, 2009

1069 said:
Yes, but you are still quite young, I think.
You really do lose interest in that sort of thing, once you reach your 30s.
There are always going to be people who do it so much better and more effectively than you. And by the time you're 30, they're all dead.

Not quite what i mean maybe im just too cold hearted.

talloulou · Jan 8, 2009

Hatuey said:
Alright. So I couldn't care less about Joe the Plumber. The guy is a nobody. He'd be working for me 3 months ago. Irrelevant to the grand scheme things for the most part. What I've taken issue with is this almost cult like fixation a lot of people have with the fact that he's 'Average Joe'. Like average is something to be proud of. So it's got me wondering. Do you strive to be average? For as long as I can remember my parents told me never to settle for less then the best. They never told me to be 'like everybody else' and follow the norm. Likewise millions of parents from liberals to conservatives, from republicans to democrats tell their kids to be 'the very best they can be'. It's not a party thing. It's just the human need to be better then the rest. But then somewhere on the political front 'average' becomes what people want. What people look up to. We don't look to 'average' when making foreign policy decisions. We don't look to average Joe when it comes to energy problems, the economy or scientific achievements. Who do we look to? People who strive to be the best in their fields. We don't even look towards average when it comes to what food we want, who we want to be with etc etc. Kids don't try to get 2.7s in their GPAs. Do you want what is 'average' for your kid? We look for that which fits us best. So what exactly is the big deal with being average if it's not something we strive to be or even care about for the most part?

I think you're mixing two different concepts here. We don't want politicians who are "average" as in average intelligence, average skills, etc. We want politicians who we think will be the best for the job. However we don't want them to have their head so far up their arse from a life of feeding off silver spoons that they have no way of relating to the rest of us. We want them smart, but down to earth. You can be incredibly intelligent without having gone to the finest schools, coming from a long line of wealth. People don't trust those they view as spoiled, who grew up having the "best" of everything because there's a fear there that someone like that, someone spoiled, could never understand what the "average" American needs. Average in that case means "most Americans."

TOJ · Jan 8, 2009

1069 said:
Kind of.

___________

Well. you keep working at it, sweetie. If you work hard enough, I'm sure you'll get close. :mrgreen:

[Just couldn't resist that one.]

talloulou · Jan 8, 2009

Bodhisattva said:
I am smart enough to know I am not stupid, or average, but not smart enough to be lost in my own little genius world. Like you, I want to understand more. But you know, the more you know, the less yuou understand.

I agree. Average or below people are many times so damn content and happy. They don't know better, like a dog. Mean, but accurate. They just go about, watching football, drinking ****ty beer, shopping at Walmart and Cosco for crappy food and products, not caring or even understanding that there are alternatives. Sitting in the same job, dealing with the same crap... not understanding the value of an education, so their kids repeat the process. Etc.

Whatever. I think in their own minds most everyone sort of scoffs at the idea that they themselves are average. Yet, most of us actually are hardly note worthy in the big picture of human experience.

1069 · Jan 8, 2009

talloulou said:
Whatever. I think in their own minds most everyone sort of scoffs at the idea that they themselves are average. Yet, most of us actually are hardly note worthy in the big picture of human experience.

I am beginning to doubt that any individual is noteworthy, in the big picture.

TOJ · Jan 8, 2009

1069 said:
I am beginning to doubt that any individual is noteworthy, in the big picture.

In the big picture, the human race is not worthy of note.

talloulou · Jan 8, 2009

1069 said:
I am beginning to doubt that any individual is noteworthy, in the big picture.

There are individuals whose contributions have had an effect on the human race vs. just their inner circle. Oddly enough they're not really that famous. I know more about Kevin Federline than I do about the guy who cured Polio. I don't even know the name of the person who cured polio. I could google it, but I'd forget it by next Thursday so what's the point. I don't even like Kevin Federline. Don't even find him remotely interesting or noteworthy. Fame is a strange thing. People are famous for the stupidest ****. But folks who really contribute to the species in concrete historical ways are often easily forgotten, if they were ever known at all. That's why we prefer the down to earth folks. Famous people are usually dumb ass ****heads.

1069 · Jan 8, 2009

I know more about Kevin Federline than I do about the guy who cured Polio. I don't even know the name of the person who cured polio.

Jonas Salk. The Salk Vaccine?

It doesn't matter. In sixty years, no one will remember Federline's name, either.
Nobody remembers anybody, except the people who actually know them.
And they all die eventually, and then one might as well not have existed.
Even the most famous person of all, Jesus, is alleged by many never to have existed, even as a historical personage, let alone a divine entity... and nobody can prove otherwise.

herenow1 · Jan 9, 2009

I strive to be myself. People compare themselves to each other too much. We've all done it. Ever have a season in your life where you were content, then met up with someone who ''seemed'' to have it all--or seemed to have a more of an appealing life schedule? All the sudden you start to quietly envy them, and your life doesn't seem as good or content. That's when you need to stop coveting what they have and keep things in perspective. Everybody's life is mapped out for them, and there can only be ONE you, so be YOU to YOUR best ability!

herenow1 · Jan 9, 2009

Bodhisattva said:
I am smart enough to know I am not stupid, or average, but not smart enough to be lost in my own little genius world. Like you, I want to understand more. But you know, the more you know, the less yuou understand.

I agree. Average or below people are many times so damn content and happy. They don't know better, like a dog. Mean, but accurate. They just go about, watching football, drinking ****ty beer, shopping at Walmart and Cosco for crappy food and products, not caring or even understanding that there are alternatives. Sitting in the same job, dealing with the same crap... not understanding the value of an education, so their kids repeat the process. Etc.

Maybe those people who shop at wlamart could care less about why they are shopping there and not Macy's. I mean when we get down to it it's all the same,and it all spends the same. Fabric is Fabric. The labels don't make you any better or smarter. Everyone has different prioties. Maybe the guy drinking the crappy beer, actually LIKES the taste of his beer. Now, I agree with you on the value of education part.

Do you strive to be average?