Monday, February 04, 2008

My honor student is now the boss of your punk kid

I was reading "The Astonishing Adventures Of Fanboy And Goth Girl" a few days ago and... it's not the best book (though I love me some fanboys), but there was a part where one of the characters was talking about how this country hates smart people, and he used the example of those 'My Kid Beat Up Your Honor Student' bumper stickers.

Now, I could have told you back in kindergarten that there is a huge anti-intellectual feeling in this country, especially if you are a girl. There are two things that intimidate most men in the world, and those are brains and money, which, of course, pretty much go together like Han Solo and Princess Leia. I was never really harassed in school about it (possibly because I have awesome boobs) but I can't tell you how many times I've been on a date and had some guy say something like "Were you like one of those nerd kids in school?" I've never understood what tipped them off about that, it's not like I walk around with my SAT scores stapled to my forehead and I have an Erlenmeyer flask hanging out of my back pocket, but somehow these particular guys caught on pretty quick. I think it's because a lot of men have an idea of what a girlfriend should be like and 'smart' isn't on that list, so when I don't have a 45-minute conversation about how awesome "High School The Musical' is they must know. And then I would think about the kids I hung out with in high school, and what careers they have now: chemical engineer, doctor, people working on their doctorates at Emory and Georgia Tech. And then I would say with great pride: "yeah, I was a nerd and I still am." And then they never got another date with me.

I never thought about those damn bumper stickers that way before, though. It celebrates bullies while dismissing us geeks as people who need to be abused because we dare to be smart and apply ourselves in school. This bumper sticker says "my kid might be functionally illiterate, guaranteeing him a lifetime full of the sweatiest and noisiest jobs, but I'm proud that he commits assault and battery." It's totally messed up.

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