Warrior General Games

Originally posted by foofighter24
A sure sign you may be overestimating your intelligence is when you have to tell everyone how intelligent you are within every conversation.
This is exactly what I mean about you thinking in empty platitudes. The idea that how often you claim to be intelligent (which you brought up in this tangent by the way, not me) has any bearing on how intelligent you are is irrational. The two would be independent events, but you believe them to be inextricably linked for two reasons. The first is because you're fairly dumb and therefore believe in common sayings without questioning them. The second is because you're self-conscious about your own obvious lack of intelligence and therefore favor things that would suppress people who do possess above average intelligence. The only purpose of the saying "you aren't smart if you say you're smart" is to compel people not to say that they're smart. And if they are smart, why should they not be allowed to say so? The practical answer is because you don't want them differentiated from people like you who clearly aren't.

Originally posted by foofighter24
Jd, I believe we are all born with certain predispositions. I think those predispositions need to be activated in some way by action to become talent. For instance, someone may be born with great vision and be predisposed to having excellent hand eye coordination. Effort then turns those predispositions into a talent like hitting a baseball. Effort builds the timing and the swing, and sharpens the vision, spatial judgement, and coordination.
Given that you frame almost everything you post through personal experience, I'm guessing that you don't understand talent because you don't have any. Joel Embiid had never picked up a basketball until five years ago, but recently he became the third pick in the NBA Draft and would have been first overall if not for injuries. Antonio Gates became an All-Pro tight end despite never playing a down of college football. Babe Ruth was notorious for his partying and lack of work ethic, yet is one of the best baseball players in history. Talent is not created by effort. That is ludicrous and shows that you have no idea what talent is or where it comes from. Talent and effort are completely separate variables. The former is a precondition for genuine achievement, whereas the latter usually modifies the extent to which the former is maximized.

Originally posted by
In the case of King, he may have been born with a predisposition towards a certain type of intelligence that makes him a compelling writer. It took a lot of effort in order for that to come to fruition, however. His entire life was driven towards that goal, and he put in the effort that few will.
You're wasting my time by arguing something that was already disproven: http://mentalfloss.com/article/53235/how-stephen-kings-wife-saved-carrie-and-launched-his-career According to King's own words, if not for his wife's persistence, he never would have become a financial success because his early efforts gained them nothing. It's only when he was fortunate enough to hit the right tone with the market that he become successful.

Originally posted by
As for my online reputation, it is not something I have ever really cared to explore.
I'm not asking if it bothers you, I'm asking if you perceive that most people find you to be frustratingly dense. I'm pretty sure you're not oblivious to that. I'm trying to get you to think about why you are perceived that way, as it is salient to your mistakes in this discussion.

Originally posted by
If thinking I am stupid helps you feel better about yourself, feel free to hold that opinion.
I don't put you down to make myself feel or look better. You are completely irrelevant to my self-image. Your intellectual limitations make me frustrated, stressed, and raise my blood pressure. If I could wave a magic wand and make you every bit my equal as an intellect then I would in a heart beat because then you would be interesting instead of an annoyance. But since that isn't going to happen and you're intent on arguing on this website, I would like you to think about yourself and your arguments hopefully such that they become less ridiculous, annoying, and useless.

Why are people like the Kardashians successful? Why is Dan Brown wealthy? Why is Nickelback popular? Why is Barrack Obama the president of the United States? These people are not the exceptions. The world we live in is not a meritocracy, contrary to the platitudes you were taught as a child. We teach children lies about hard work achieving everything because we worry that the truth would disincentivize effort. The reality that hard work is only a small part of the formula for success is considered too complex and discouraging for their consumption.

Originally posted by jdbolick

This is exactly what I mean about you thinking in empty platitudes. The idea that how often you claim to be intelligent (which you brought up in this tangent by the way, not me) has any bearing on how intelligent you are is irrational. The two would be independent events, but you believe them to be inextricably linked for two reasons. The first is because you're fairly dumb and therefore believe in common sayings without questioning them. The second is because you're self-conscious about your own obvious lack of intelligence and therefore favor things that would suppress people who do possess above average intelligence. The only purpose of the saying "you aren't smart if you say you're smart" is to compel people not to say that they're smart. And if they are smart, why should they not be allowed to say so? The practical answer is because you don't want them differentiated from people like you who clearly aren't.


That is a really long way to say "I know you are but what am I?"

Originally posted by foofighter24
Through my website, I have met a lot of aspiring writers, both for novels and for screenplays, and I can't say I have known a single one who has the determination to have their work rejected by publishers 30 times and keep on going. In fact, most of them never actually finish writing their first.

and what about the guys who did get rejected by 31+ publishers and then decided to stop trying or never made it? I'm sure you know a lot about those guys as well

survivorship bias

Originally posted by jdbolick
Talent is not created by effort. That is ludicrous and shows that you have no idea what talent is or where it comes from. Talent and effort are completely separate variables. The former is a precondition for genuine achievement, whereas the latter usually modifies the extent to which the former is maximized.

Anyone with half a brain can look around and see people with wealth and fame who achieved it through circumstance.

Why are people like the Kardashians successful? Why is Dan Brown wealthy? Why is Nickelback popular? Why is Barrack Obama the president of the United States? These people are not the exceptions. The world we live in is not a meritocracy, contrary to the platitudes you were taught as a child. We teach children lies about hard work achieving everything because we worry that the truth would disincentivize effort. The reality that hard work is only a small part of the formula for success is considered too complex and discouraging for their consumption.

fucking A+

Originally posted by jdbolick

This is exactly what I mean about you thinking in empty platitudes. The idea that how often you claim to be intelligent (which you brought up in this tangent by the way, not me) has any bearing on how intelligent you are is irrational. The two would be independent events, but you believe them to be inextricably linked for two reasons. The first is because you're fairly dumb and therefore believe in common sayings without questioning them. The second is because you're self-conscious about your own obvious lack of intelligence and therefore favor things that would suppress people who do possess above average intelligence. The only purpose of the saying "you aren't smart if you say you're smart" is to compel people not to say that they're smart. And if they are smart, why should they not be allowed to say so? The practical answer is because you don't want them differentiated from people like you who clearly aren't.


Speaking of being dense...

Telling people you are intelligent does not disqualify you from being above average in that area, it simply flags that you are insecure and don't believe others see it in you. If others are constantly not seeing it in you, perhaps that is because it doesn't exist?

One thing we should touch on is that intelligence is a notoriously difficult thing to measure. The tests have bias, the types of people who take them skew the results, etc. The only thing that tests prove for certain is how well a person takes those tests. For instance, being familiar with the concepts and question types before taking the tests give you a substantial advantage. Someone who is not as skilled in test taking can be every bit as intelligent as someone who is very familiar, and the scores can vary wildly.

We could also discuss the problems with trying to assess the intelligence of others through message board postings...but that conversation might be out of your league.

Originally posted by HEY YOU GUYS
and what about the guys who did get rejected by 31+ publishers and then decided to stop trying or never made it? I'm sure you know a lot about those guys as well

survivorship bias


No, I don't know anyone personally who has taken their writing that far, but I do know people in business who worked tirelessly to make their idea work. I have also seen the success of those same people dismissed many years later as the result of being luck or circumstance.

With writing, what you commonly see is the person who didn't take the time in school to really study the craft to begin with. They were fucking around doing other things instead. Then several years later, when they are unemployed or doing menial work, they get the idea that the path to easy money is by writing a successful book or movie. They still don't have the work ethic to really learn the craft, so they buy a book and skip to the "good stuff", never really reading it. They write a few chapters which is really never much more than an incomplete outline, never edit it, and then self-publish it through one of the online services.

Originally posted by jdbolick

Given that you frame almost everything you post through personal experience, I'm guessing that you don't understand talent because you don't have any. Joel Embiid had never picked up a basketball until five years ago, but recently he became the third pick in the NBA Draft and would have been first overall if not for injuries. Antonio Gates became an All-Pro tight end despite never playing a down of college football. Babe Ruth was notorious for his partying and lack of work ethic, yet is one of the best baseball players in history. Talent is not created by effort. That is ludicrous and shows that you have no idea what talent is or where it comes from. Talent and effort are completely separate variables. The former is a precondition for genuine achievement, whereas the latter usually modifies the extent to which the former is maximized.

Gates, Embiid, Olajuwon, etc. built skills that translate to their sports by working hard at other sports that require complimentary skills. They also show the work ethic necessary to turn those complimentary skills into performance in the new sport.

Older Babe Ruth was known for partying and lack of work ethic. Younger Babe Ruth, the one who developed the skills was a man who was extremely driven to succeed. He played, and played, and played. Certainly he was born with predispositions to have the talent, but he developed it through hard work.

Originally posted by jdbolick

I'm not asking if it bothers you, I'm asking if you perceive that most people find you to be frustratingly dense. I'm pretty sure you're not oblivious to that. I'm trying to get you to think about why you are perceived that way, as it is salient to your mistakes in this discussion.

No, I do not perceive that most people find me to be frustratingly dense. I am aware that you and a few others do, but that comes with the territory. My assumption is that most people hold no opinion of me.

I have previously stated on numerous occasions that I believe that I am smarter than all of you.

Therefore I am.

Originally posted by jdbolick

Why are people like the Kardashians successful? Why is Dan Brown wealthy? Why is Nickelback popular? Why is Barrack Obama the president of the United States? These people are not the exceptions. The world we live in is not a meritocracy, contrary to the platitudes you were taught as a child. We teach children lies about hard work achieving everything because we worry that the truth would disincentivize effort. The reality that hard work is only a small part of the formula for success is considered too complex and discouraging for their consumption.

Well, look at Bob Kardashian, the deceased lawyer/businessman who made them rich before they ever got on TV. Other than being aware of their works, I don't know much about either Dan Brown or Nickelback. I do know that both have received criticism about their actual talent, though.

You don't think Barack Obama worked hard to get to the White House? That many of the skills that got him there required hard work to develop?

Let me ask you this, why are you not a prominent fantasy football writer? Is it bad luck or not putting in the effort?

Originally posted by foofighter24
Gates, Embiid, Olajuwon, etc. built skills that translate to their sports by working hard at other sports that require complimentary skills. They also show the work ethic necessary to turn those complimentary skills into performance in the new sport. Older Babe Ruth was known for partying and lack of work ethic. Younger Babe Ruth, the one who developed the skills was a man who was extremely driven to succeed. He played, and played, and played. Certainly he was born with predispositions to have the talent, but he developed it through hard work.
See, you're blatantly lying because you care more about doggedly sticking with your initial story instead of genuinely learning something. You never have any interest in anything anyone else thinks or knows. You only care about your own personal experiences and viewpoints. Babe Ruth was always known for his partying inclinations, not just when he was older. And as far as I know Embiid wasn't playing anything, much less creating "complimentary [sic] skills." According to ESPN, he was discovered by a tourist who had some basketball contacts and got in touch with them to tell them that the kid needed to be playing that sport. He's garnered so much interest because of his tremendous natural talent.

You said something stupid, you now realize it was stupid, and yet you continue to argue the same stupid thing instead of acknowledging the error and moving on.

Originally posted by jdbolick

See, you're blatantly lying because you care more about doggedly sticking with your initial story instead of genuinely learning something. You never have any interest in anything anyone else thinks or knows. You only care about your own personal experiences and viewpoints. Babe Ruth was always known for his partying inclinations, not just when he was older. And as far as I know Embiid wasn't playing anything, much less creating "complimentary [sic] skills." According to ESPN, he was discovered by a tourist who had some basketball contacts and got in touch with them to tell them that the kid needed to be playing that sport. He's garnered so much interest because of his tremendous natural talent.

You said something stupid, you now realize it was stupid, and yet you continue to argue the same stupid thing instead of acknowledging the error and moving on.

Ruth played baseball every single day as a kid. Embiid played both soccer and volleyball, developing the footwork and coordination that makes him different from others who are similar in height.

Originally posted by foofighter24
Speaking of being dense... Telling people you are intelligent does not disqualify you from being above average in that area, it simply flags that you are insecure and don't believe others see it in you. If others are constantly not seeing it in you, perhaps that is because it doesn't exist?
You are a prolific font of bullshit. Saying that you're intelligent has no more correlation with insecurity than it does being unintelligent. You are constantly making shit up in an attempt to cow people into not expressing their intelligence level, all because you're self-conscious about your own. The only thing that matters when someone says they're intelligent is whether or not they actually are. By all means, make an argument that I'm not since that will only make you look worse by denying the obvious. And again, you were the one who brought it up in this particular argument, not me. Typically it's my critics who bring up my intelligence, not me. My focus is more on your lack thereof.

Originally posted by foofighter24
No, I do not perceive that most people find me to be frustratingly dense. I am aware that you and a few others do, but that comes with the territory. My assumption is that most people hold no opinion of me.
Hiding behind semantics, how brave. Yes, you are technically correct that most people probably haven't formed an opinion of you at all, but of those who have formed an opinion you clearly are aware that the prevailing perception is that you are frustratingly dense.

Originally posted by foofighter24
You don't think Barack Obama worked hard to get to the White House? That many of the skills that got him there required hard work to develop?
No, and you have repeatedly expressed that opinion yourself in discussions about him. Barack Obama was groomed for this role and steered there, partly by outside forces and partly by circumstances beyond his influence.

Originally posted by
Let me ask you this, why are you not a prominent fantasy football writer?
I am, at least insofar as someone in a niche industry can be. Why are you not a prominent food truck operator?

Originally posted by foofighter24
Ruth played baseball every single day as a kid.
Of course that isn't true.

Originally posted by
Embiid played both soccer and volleyball, developing the footwork and coordination that makes him different from others who are similar in height.
Stop pretending that you know anything about Joel Embiid just because you googled his Wikipedia profile. Again, as far as I know Embiid was not a member of any professional training programs in volleyball or soccer. I played volleyball and soccer in high school and it didn't vault me into the NBA draft. You are saying blindingly stupid things because you're a dishonest person who doesn't want to let go of a lost argument.