I don't know how to put "who are lower than you" in a way that isn't overly a bit harsh, so there's that. Anyway, there will be a time when you have higher abilities. I basically assessed that most of y'all folk wouldn't willfully decrease your power levels in any subject, so let's go with another route. Say that you're the top of your class. But someone from around the bottom of your class comes to you looking for help. How would YOU treat them? Would you dumb things down for them (which can be seen as patronizing), or would you try to get them to "smart things up" for you? In general how do you treat people who have less ability in any subject than you?
Treating People Who Are Lower Than You
- Thread starter Ventus
- Start date
*M i d n a*
Æsir Scribe
Just like any other regular person I know, and if I can help that person to be at the level I am, then I do it.
- Joined
- Jun 22, 2013
i would try to help the person in the best way possible. I would start at their level and try to get them up to where i am. But I do it with the most care possible. i don't like to make others feel bad.
Sydney
The Good Samaritan
If someone is "lower" than me, I'd treat them like I'd treat any other person. Why should they be treated differently? If they require assistance, then I'd be more than happy to help them out. In general, I believe I treat people "lower" than me in a fair manner.
Given this scenario, like I said before, I wouldn't treat them the same way I treat everyone else. Would I dumb things down? Perhaps, but only if they wanted me to. I'd start out with "smart talk", and if they don't understand that, then I may use some basic terminology to make it easier for someone to understand. Whatever makes them comfortable, ya know? All I hope is that someone would do the same for me if I were in that position.
Ventus said:
Given this scenario, like I said before, I wouldn't treat them the same way I treat everyone else. Would I dumb things down? Perhaps, but only if they wanted me to. I'd start out with "smart talk", and if they don't understand that, then I may use some basic terminology to make it easier for someone to understand. Whatever makes them comfortable, ya know? All I hope is that someone would do the same for me if I were in that position.
Mellow Ezlo
Spoony Bard
People "lower" than me are no different from people equal to or higher than me. If there is somebody who does not possess the same skill as me in something I am good at (ex. music), I wouldn't brag about it or anything mean like that. More than likely, I would offer words of help and encouragement. I would much rather see people succeed at a level of the ladder higher than mine than fail because I was too lazy to do anything encouraging. Hell, even seeing them try to succeed is enough to make me happy. Plus, the person that looks up to you because you're so much better than him/her at something may be much better than you at something completely different. In most instances, this would be the case.
So, the way I see it, there is nobody "lower" than me, because everybody is good at something. I don't put people down unless they give up on life. I like to see people strive to be the best they can be, especially when it is something they are naturally good at.
So, the way I see it, there is nobody "lower" than me, because everybody is good at something. I don't put people down unless they give up on life. I like to see people strive to be the best they can be, especially when it is something they are naturally good at.
misskitten
Hello Sweetie!
I won't say I treat people differently based on whether they are at my skill level or not in some subject or another. However, if someone does come up to me and ask me to explain something, I will take into consideration that explanations that make sense to me might not make as much sense to others (try to avoid unnecessary complicated terminology, etc), and if it seems as though I've lost someone, I will try to simplify as best as I can without necessarily dumbing it down.
What's important to remember is that we all have something we more or less suck at. For me one of those things is French - took it for five whole years at school, still can't make a simple conversation in the language (outside the basic "my name is, I'm x years old, I live at" type presentation and make yes/no answers). If I ever feel frustrated explaining a math solution to another person, all I need to do is remind myself how frustrated someone would be with me if they had to tutor me in French...
Most important thing - patience. Nothing is more discouraging than dealing with someone in a hurry to get done. Not being familiar with a word or phrase doesn't make someone stupid and switching to more common words/phrases doesn't necessarily mean you're "dumbing it down". I once got a 90% on an IT exam instead of 100% simply because I at the time was unfamiliar with the word "cognitive" and it being the key word in two questions, I was left unable to answer.
What's important to remember is that we all have something we more or less suck at. For me one of those things is French - took it for five whole years at school, still can't make a simple conversation in the language (outside the basic "my name is, I'm x years old, I live at" type presentation and make yes/no answers). If I ever feel frustrated explaining a math solution to another person, all I need to do is remind myself how frustrated someone would be with me if they had to tutor me in French...
Most important thing - patience. Nothing is more discouraging than dealing with someone in a hurry to get done. Not being familiar with a word or phrase doesn't make someone stupid and switching to more common words/phrases doesn't necessarily mean you're "dumbing it down". I once got a 90% on an IT exam instead of 100% simply because I at the time was unfamiliar with the word "cognitive" and it being the key word in two questions, I was left unable to answer.
- Joined
- Sep 16, 2009
- Location
- Cali For Nuh
Deal with this on an almost daily basis. In my field I am constantly advising people who are of "less education" of me. And the big thing to remember is a person is a person... Doesn't matter if they are 2, 12, 21, or 50. When it comes to delivering a message, it's my job to make sure it is understood... Otherwise there is a failure in communication. Failure in communication = failure in treatment, so it is very important to pay attention to others, give them the respect they deserve (as a human being regardless of social class or education) and make them feel valued and then meet them at their level.
Are there people lower than others? It is just society who decides who are low and high. Yes of course you have people who are very educated and people who have no education at all, there are rich and poor people, black and white, fat and skinny, tall and short, people who live in high class and people who live in the so called lower class. But does this make us higher or lower than others? I see people as equals. Some better behaved or more lucky in their lifes than others. I will treat everybody the same. If you treat me bad I will sure not be nice to you and if you treat me with respect I will return that same respect. It is more the behavior of the individual here what makes me decide how to treat them. I will treat them the way how I want them to treat me
Shadsie
Sage of Tales
"Lower than me?" Does that even exist?
My therapist is supposed to be helping me work on my self-esteem because... I basically don't have any... I learned from childhood (and adulthood didn't get any better) that, quite possibly, the only reason I exist is so others can have someone to feel better-than. I am so much human-wreckage that *serves* to be lower.
And knowing that, feeling that... makes me want to find the H-bomb button sometimes.
That said, sometimes I feel like I'm "higher" in certain skills I have, but even that is dubious. The world doesn't really need artists very much, or at least it doesn't act like it. Instead, people seem to think that art, unlike medical care or auto repair or anything practical, should be done for free for them just because they seem to think artists are magical creatures. As far as my writing-hobby goes... I know I excel with fanfiction, but that's not saying much since fanfic is an amature medium and about 90% of the stuff is raw sewage. I keep being told I'm a good writer, but I haven't exactly been validated by the publishing industry as of yet.
Still, I do have a fair degree of confidence in my creative abilities, but I don't really think they make me "higher" or better than anyone. If someone wants my help with something, advice and whatnot, even though I'm not good at teaching, I will try to teach them. I'll talk about quirks of human anatomy in drawing, or the construction of wings, or horses' legs, or use of painting and drawing mediums, or with writing, I'll gently correct grammar and generally be a good beta-reader, honest about what is working for me and not working for me in a story. I'll try to instruct a person in what knowledge I have without putting them down because, frankly...
... condescension is one of my berserk buttons. I hate, and can tell, even when people think they are hiding it, when it is being used on me. It's been used on me a lot, and I've' had to put up with it because of relative positions in life (ex-bosses and whatnot), and just people wanting to keep me calm because they know I have a disorder. If I'm any position to call anyone out on it, however, I do, with EXTREME prejudice. And explosions.
And that is why I am lesser, and probably always will be.
My therapist is supposed to be helping me work on my self-esteem because... I basically don't have any... I learned from childhood (and adulthood didn't get any better) that, quite possibly, the only reason I exist is so others can have someone to feel better-than. I am so much human-wreckage that *serves* to be lower.
And knowing that, feeling that... makes me want to find the H-bomb button sometimes.
That said, sometimes I feel like I'm "higher" in certain skills I have, but even that is dubious. The world doesn't really need artists very much, or at least it doesn't act like it. Instead, people seem to think that art, unlike medical care or auto repair or anything practical, should be done for free for them just because they seem to think artists are magical creatures. As far as my writing-hobby goes... I know I excel with fanfiction, but that's not saying much since fanfic is an amature medium and about 90% of the stuff is raw sewage. I keep being told I'm a good writer, but I haven't exactly been validated by the publishing industry as of yet.
Still, I do have a fair degree of confidence in my creative abilities, but I don't really think they make me "higher" or better than anyone. If someone wants my help with something, advice and whatnot, even though I'm not good at teaching, I will try to teach them. I'll talk about quirks of human anatomy in drawing, or the construction of wings, or horses' legs, or use of painting and drawing mediums, or with writing, I'll gently correct grammar and generally be a good beta-reader, honest about what is working for me and not working for me in a story. I'll try to instruct a person in what knowledge I have without putting them down because, frankly...
... condescension is one of my berserk buttons. I hate, and can tell, even when people think they are hiding it, when it is being used on me. It's been used on me a lot, and I've' had to put up with it because of relative positions in life (ex-bosses and whatnot), and just people wanting to keep me calm because they know I have a disorder. If I'm any position to call anyone out on it, however, I do, with EXTREME prejudice. And explosions.
And that is why I am lesser, and probably always will be.