This is something I've encountered a lot. Whenever I say something smart in class, or people find out I d well on a test, or somehow demonstrate that I know anything at all about what we're learning, people are always really surprised. This happened to me just yesterday. I was in my Sign Language class, and we were playing a fingerspelling practice/review game. Now, I admit, I am really good at fingerspelling, so it wasn't surprising that people were impressed. What bothered me was when someone said "Wow, she's so quiet, but [insert compliment here]." This isn't the first time I've heard that, either. It's all the time. "She's so quiet, but she fingerspells really quickly!" "She's so quiet, but she's actually really smart!" How are these things at all connected? Why do people assume that shy people aren't smart, or aren't good at things?
I know they're probably not even aware that they're doing it. Like, nobody consciously comes to the well thought out conclusion that I must know less. I just wonder why people think that subconsciously.
Or maybe it's just me, maybe I give off a stupid-vibe. Shy people, do you get this, too? I would say "quiet people," but I've had friends who are quiet but not shy, and everyone thinks they're the genius of the class. That might make more sense, though. When people are more talkative, the smart things they say get drowned out by all the other things they say, if that makes sense. So if someone's more quiet, they're only going to talk when they have something useful to say. Their "intelligent comment" to "off-topic comment" ratio is a lot higher. That doesn't explain why people think I'm not smart, though.
I don't want this to come across as a rant, like "wah wah I hate everyone they think I'm dumb nobody understands me they're all judgmental jerks wah wah please agree with me." I'm just honestly curious if this happens to a lot of other shy people, too, and if so, if any of you more outgoing people (or other shy people) have some insight as to why.
I know they're probably not even aware that they're doing it. Like, nobody consciously comes to the well thought out conclusion that I must know less. I just wonder why people think that subconsciously.
Or maybe it's just me, maybe I give off a stupid-vibe. Shy people, do you get this, too? I would say "quiet people," but I've had friends who are quiet but not shy, and everyone thinks they're the genius of the class. That might make more sense, though. When people are more talkative, the smart things they say get drowned out by all the other things they say, if that makes sense. So if someone's more quiet, they're only going to talk when they have something useful to say. Their "intelligent comment" to "off-topic comment" ratio is a lot higher. That doesn't explain why people think I'm not smart, though.
I don't want this to come across as a rant, like "wah wah I hate everyone they think I'm dumb nobody understands me they're all judgmental jerks wah wah please agree with me." I'm just honestly curious if this happens to a lot of other shy people, too, and if so, if any of you more outgoing people (or other shy people) have some insight as to why.