I'm familar with the duck analogy. The more time I spend at stanford, the less true i think it is. Once you get to know people more closely, you're more willing to admit when you're having a tough time with classes and work and be able to share war-stories with each other. I think it's more of a freshman thing, where you still think you're the shit because you were valedictorian and because of that, you have hard time admitting that you're no longer the best at your school. This goes away over the course of the first year. By senior year, you laugh at all the frosh who have yet to realize that just getting into Stanford doesnt mean you're set for life.
As for anti-intellectualism at Stanford, that seems like east coast ivy propaganda to me. The kids at Stanford are as talented and as smart at the kids at all the other ivy league schools. The environment here is just less competitive (in the good way) and people here definitely, for the most part, love learning, and talking about what they love learning. My problem would be that sometimes people don't inquire enough about what people in other fields are doing. We like to have our fun, and I think our acknowledgement that there is more to life than just books is not anti-intellectual, but rather less elitist. There's a time to discuss Durkheim or Derrida, and theres a time to get crunk and discuss the latest episode of crap reality TV.
Hah, anti-intellectualism, at Stanford? Hah, if you fall for that, you probably belong at Chicago.
As for anti-intellectualism at Stanford, that seems like east coast ivy propaganda to me. The kids at Stanford are as talented and as smart at the kids at all the other ivy league schools. The environment here is just less competitive (in the good way) and people here definitely, for the most part, love learning, and talking about what they love learning. My problem would be that sometimes people don't inquire enough about what people in other fields are doing. We like to have our fun, and I think our acknowledgement that there is more to life than just books is not anti-intellectual, but rather less elitist. There's a time to discuss Durkheim or Derrida, and theres a time to get crunk and discuss the latest episode of crap reality TV.
Hah, anti-intellectualism, at Stanford? Hah, if you fall for that, you probably belong at Chicago.
Reply
Leave a comment