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I really don't like the word "street smarts". Mostly because I am a book smart person. I've heard the same refrain self-proclaimed over and over again since hig
by Maven911 16y ago
I really don't like the word "street smarts". Mostly because I am a book smart person. I've heard the same refrain self-proclaimed over and over again since high school "I might not get good grades, but at least I have street smarts".
Street smarts is really just a euphimism for doing bad academically. Now I do acknowledge that that there are a lot of important skills such as knowing how to sell, talk to people, make a pitch, get along,...but I would call that "social skills" or "social smarts"...not "street smarts"
Street smarts for me is literally knowing how to handle the streets...like a drug-dealer would...
- prawn 16y agoHave seen this related line before: Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, I'm street smart", all I hear is "I'm not real smart, I'm imaginary smart."
- dasil003 16y agoWell, anytime anyone proclaims themselves smart, they are, at best, insecure about their intelligence. Declaring yourself street smart is especially ironic since an actual street smart person would be looking to conceal their true intelligence.
- arethuza 16y agoWell, drug dealing is a business - just not a legal one. Most of the same rules apply - there is a chapter in Freakonomics pretty much making this point (and pointing out what a pretty awful business drug dealing is for most participants). So from that perspective I would say that drug-dealing probably does have more to do with running a normal business than any academic field.
- ahoyhere 16y agoYou do realize that by saying "I'm book smart" and then devaluing "street smart," you're doing exactly the same thing, right?
- vidar 16y agoDisagree vehemently, it is possible to do well in life despite having no/bad academic results. Those skills are called street smarts.
- Maven911 16y agoIt is possible and we see it all the time...I am not denying that, but I wouldn't call it street smarts...maybe just "smarts".
- noonespecial 16y agoDon't forget that there are likely a great many people who are neither. Most of them will claim to be street smart as cover because there are no credentials to prove one way or the other.