Firstly, I apologise/beg permisson in advance for "he has the emotional sensitivity of a tabloid newpaper" suddenly appears in one of my fan fics - it is a truly brilliant line. I completely agree with you on this meta. Hitting a high score on a standard IQ test doesn't mean you're Sherlock-like; the last time I had my IQ tested I hit 174 and certainly have never behaved the way he does. That is, mainly because I didn't put any stock in the high score. My reaction was, pretty much, so what? I'm good in timed exams (always have been), I love logic puzzles, I've always read and enjoyed finding new words - the test was practically made for me to have fun with. I don't think I'm a genius and I don't think it's made a difference to what I do, who I am and how I live. I suspect, though, that if the only way I defined myself was by how "clever" I could be then the score would have been hugely important. And that, I think, is what Sherlock has done - he's chosen to define his self-worth and the value of his existance purely on how much of a genius he can be, how many times he can prove himself cleverer than the person standing next to him. And that - I suspect - is the root cause of his unhappy relationship with his brother, because he can't outfox Mycroft on a regular basis and he can see exactly how much of a failure he is at other areas of his life when he makes the comparison.
I would be honoured if you incorporated that line into a fanfic. It would make my day. I also agree that Sherlock puts far too much stock in his intelligence, using it almost as an excuse for behaving badly and given how Mycroft is just as clever if not more clever than he is, that would erk him.
Thank you! I have the line on a post it note on my desk and I'm just waiting for the right moment to slip it in. I think it will be Mycroft saying it :)
I completely agree with you on this meta. Hitting a high score on a standard IQ test doesn't mean you're Sherlock-like; the last time I had my IQ tested I hit 174 and certainly have never behaved the way he does. That is, mainly because I didn't put any stock in the high score. My reaction was, pretty much, so what? I'm good in timed exams (always have been), I love logic puzzles, I've always read and enjoyed finding new words - the test was practically made for me to have fun with. I don't think I'm a genius and I don't think it's made a difference to what I do, who I am and how I live. I suspect, though, that if the only way I defined myself was by how "clever" I could be then the score would have been hugely important. And that, I think, is what Sherlock has done - he's chosen to define his self-worth and the value of his existance purely on how much of a genius he can be, how many times he can prove himself cleverer than the person standing next to him. And that - I suspect - is the root cause of his unhappy relationship with his brother, because he can't outfox Mycroft on a regular basis and he can see exactly how much of a failure he is at other areas of his life when he makes the comparison.
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