You'd think that this one wouldn't be on the list, wouldn't it? After all, the song is about a kid struggling in school rather than excelling. However, if you really take the time to interpret the song for what it really is, the song is more about how school robs students of their identities and replaces them with grades. It touches on those of us who are gifted in one area and feel useless at everything else.
2. Tokyo Teddy Bear (JubyPhonic Dub)
The lyrics are fairly complex to fit together and are subject to a variety of interpretations. Seeing some kid's "potential", they mold that kid into the kind of student they want. This results in quite a lot of frustration on both ends. For one, it is impossible to be a perfect student and, as evidenced in the song, it results in a loss of sense of identity. Gifted kids, especially gifted and intense kids, tend to tear themselves apart and sew their identity into new things...again and again and again in a vicious cycle of trying to find the right thing.
3. Faster
Time is in my hands, but I keep finding reasons to throw it all away. Higher intelligence compels one to fulfill specific needs that others have, one after another. This song encourages the insatiable curiosity and fears of a gifted person as well as their effort to find the pieces of themselves. Getting older, we lose pieces of ourselves that we go back and try to find. Of course, there is a limited time in life to find the meaning that we seek, so that is why gifted kids feel compulsions to "go faster".
4. Jump
Life begs complex questions that don't always have good answers. Especially for emotionally gifted kids, questions like "Why do we tell people everything will be okay when we don't know how things will turn out?" come up quite often. Jump was written with this question in mind. The juxtaposition of the intellectual and emotional makes for a song that I think describes giftedness in general all too accurately and in a way that others fail to see.
5. A Realistic Logical Ideologist (JubyPhonic Dub)
This song is a reminder that not all giftedness is readily apparent when looking through the lens of what is traditionally viewed as "intelligent". A Realistic Logical Ideologist a song about all the "If you're so smart, why don't you..."s and how today's media uses important-looking words and weapons to intimidate others. I feel that this song was written in the defense of those who are gifted, but don't have the guts or the means to truly express it.
6. World Domination-How To
This song reminds me of what I think gifted kids (really, gifted people of all ages) need to hear more often: that their success is not limited to a list of measurable achievements. The two students in the song (Tsuji 辻 [the boy] and Azuma 東 [the girl]) rule the world, but not in the traditional sense. Note that the students are at the very least highly intelligent, even if they are not explicitly described as gifted. Tsuji notes that he is alone in a fake reality, even with Azuma at his side. Tsuji and Azuma do not use violence (the "bomb" and "knife"), but use kindness to succeed.
7. A Boy and a Girl Chameleon Symptom
Whether self-imposed or brought on by others, giftedness often comes with a great deal of pressure to meet a certain set standard or image. Others are attracted to the gifted due to their talents and, after a time, separating the people who genuinely take us for who we are from those who only want our talents gets difficult. This leads society to think that the highly intelligent are perfect people when, in reality, the scars are hidden all too well.
8. Lost One's Weeping (English Piano Version)
I put two different interpretations of the same song in a list. The language difference will tell you that kids around the world struggle in school, that it's not just an issue specific to your country. With the slower tempo and piano instrumental, this particular version of Lost One's Weeping conveys apathy while the other does so with outrage. It is one thing to be able to read the kanji on the blackboard, but another to read another kid's imagination. Empathy has been devalued in today's society, something emphasized in this song.
9. Terminating the World
Talent is worse than mediocrity, but what is talent in the first place? Being born in the spotlight is not an easy life. Such a life demands constant performance and feelings of not being worth anything come along with it. Separation of the performer from the true self takes over. This song makes me think of how the gifted learn how to perform early on and how it (adversely) affects self-perception. The next time someone thinks giftedness is easy, play this song for them and make them read the subs.
10. Swaying
Today, someone jumps again. Today, someone smiles again. It happens every single day and I'm sick of it. It is common for the gifted to get sick of the world rather quickly, even if it is tinted with a slight trace of happiness. Explaining little nuances and patterns in things others fail to notice, Soraru articulates a feeling many have, but may not know how to express. Vacillating between loving and hating the world It is strange that the world values intelligence so much, even when the intelligent are cowardly and weak. Wishing to become kind and strong is a wish many of us make. Realizing that we cry throughout our lives, please do me a favor and laugh a little more.
So, what did you think of this list? Did it allow you to see giftedness in a new light (or darkness)? If you are gifted yourself, could you relate to any of the songs I chose? Are there any other songs that you think fit this list? Let me know your opinions in the comment section.
I am done.
I am through.
I am just sick of it all.
I am sick of everyone saying
That it's easy.
I am done.
I am through.
I am just sick of it all.
I am not even that smart.
I just work hard.
And you?
I see this kind of thing most everywhere,
Because child prodigies are popular.
People should think about the fact
I'm not like that kid.
People also compare me to my peers
And tell me that I'm not as smart as them.
I am tired of the comparisons.
Well, my desire is that I was never
Gifted.
At.
All.
And most people don't know that this is a problem.
Why are the intelligent looked upon as gods?
And for those who complain that I am not good enough,
I just have one thing to say.
Get this in your head.
No one really cares!
I am done.
I am through.
I am just sick of it all.
And I bet this parody
Won't even get that many views.
I don't have
The kind of brain
That makes everything
Make sense.
I am just as confused
As my other average level peers.
I am done.
I am through.
I am just sick of it all.
I am not a perfect person,
So don't say that I am one.
I'm human,
Fallible.
The use of the word "gifted" as a compliment gets under my skin. Contrary to popular belief, giftedness is not only advantageous. It is merely abnormally high intelligence in one or more areas. There are certain perks that come with giftedness, but it comes with a terrible curse that I would never wish on anyone, not even my worst enemies.
First of all, the use of "gifted" as a compliment dismisses any hard work that went into said task. It implies that their craft came into fruition more easily than it really did and that hard work is not a viable means of achieving a goal. While most crafts require some iota of talent in that thing, hard work and passion are as conducive to success, if not more than, talent. Raw talent's limitations are that, once it has reached its limits, it needs something else to further its benefits. In other words, the use of "gifted" as a compliment undermines the role of passion and work ethic in the product and only focused on talent.
Secondly, it is just as bad as the use of intellectual disability as an insult. Higher intelligence is just another variant of human existence like the distribution of intelligences in a particular person. Why aren't the mothers of gifted children fervently campaigning to end the use of the word gifted as a compliment? Why are people more accepting of the use of gifted as a compliment? It's the same thing: the use of someone else's perceived intelligence to place them on subjective levels of worth. It denies other intrinsic qualities about the person. Some of the most arrogant and shallow people I know are my academic superiors.
Gifted is not a compliment, so don't use it as one! Comment instead on the aesthetic quality or ingenuity of the craft and the thought and effort put into it. Getting complimented for talent is trite anyway. Even if the result was effortless, think of the times when creating the product would have been more laborious. No great things come to be without hard work. Take my blog for example (since it's right in front of your face). Look at the cute custom font (Dancing Script italics). I had to work out numerous parsing errors in order to just be able to save the HTML, much less get results. For those of you who remember my old blog, do you remember that old serif? The reason I changed it is not due to my giftedness, but because I hated it so much that I was motivated to work to change it to what I wanted.
Why am I even writing a post about this? Has anyone else thought of the use of gifted as a compliment and the harm it can bring about? Or is this a new idea to you?
So you want to be gifted? Please, take it.
Take my talents.
Take the words that flow from my fingers.
Take my ability to acquire languages.
Take the nuances I notice in various words.
Take it.
Take it all.
Take my self-awareness,
The feeling that I'm not really that smart
And that I need to do more.
Take my anxiety
And the feelings I take on
From collectives.
Take my view of the human race
How we're nothing but selfish
With none but our own interests.
Take the feeling of wanting to do something
But having not the power or means to do anything.
Take everything.
Take it. You wanted it.
Because I don't anymore.
You are a very perfect, super perfect, really perfect child.
You must be the most perfect child in the world.
La, la, la, studying and exercising and speaking you do, no trying.
Intelligent and very flawless is just what you are.
I fell in love with easily with your forever seamless voice
That never stumbles over saying any kind of word.
Always managing to best your peers at their own talents
Cheering, courageous as a lion, listen
To all those cheers from everyone you've impressed.
Keep at all of the good work and never slow.
La la, a lullaby will help you sleep and
It will fuel your achievements.
Sing along. Sing with me. Sing this duet with me,
Infallible one, one.
You are a very perfect, super perfect, really perfect child.
You must be the most perfect child in the world.
You are a very perfect, super perfect, really perfect child.
Even without me around, you would be okay now.
You are a very perfect, super perfect, really perfect child.
So happy, so happy, good at everything.
You are a very perfect, super perfect, really perfect child.
I will be there to cheer you on at every turn.
La la la, god incarnate, flawless human
No truancies, the small blossom in the sidewalk crack.
Your lips form words with no effort
But I'm just saying "Gather 'round the perfect kid
And watch their spectacles."
And even so, much time has passed and you are still growing, growing.
Time and your mind will sustain enough to be alive.
Here. Go. I'll always want you to improve
But there's no need. Cute child, up there is where you belong.
La la, a lullaby's soaring just for us.
It's here to fuel my success lust.
So, let's go. Spin and twirl.
You and I can dance forever,
You inerrant child, child
Child, child
You are a very perfect, super perfect, really perfect child.
You must be the most perfect child in the world.
You are a bigger dreamer, high achiever, golden trophy child
Because you need no one to climb the greatest heights.
Over time, the child gained awareness of their flaws
And one day ran far away, away from my sight.
I found the child beaten, bruised, and still bleeding.
But still, I won't forget that the child left me.
Child, child.
Child, child?
I am a very perfect, really perfect, super perfect child.
It was my idolatry that made the child no more.
I am a very perfect, really perfect, super perfect child.
I hope I'll learn from my mistakes, but there's no one to help.
I am a bigger dreamer, high achiever, golden trophy child.
My quixotic standards for the child made them no more.
I am a bigger dreamer, high achiever, golden trophy child.
If only I could turn the clock back, reset, and start again.
I decided to rewrite the song "You are a Useless Child" by Kikuo to fit the darker side of how society views gifted kids. Below is the original.
Warning: Major Spoilers for The Great Gatsby novel
Now that I have dropped out of the honors institute and read The Great Gatsby, I have now come to wonder what would have happened if I stayed and if I had met all the requirements. Would I have been glad and exhausted? Would I have just pulled through my "phase" or cracked under pressure? I spent my time reaching out to the green light of the designation and, when I took a closer look, I was disillusioned. Somehow, I was not suited to the imposed rigors. I felt like I had to feign someone who I wasn't.
Gatsby is a character that represents the American dream gone awry. He ran away a penniless farm boy known as James Gatz, imitated the mannerisms of millionaire Dan Cody, started bootlegging, and threw parties in the hopes that Daisy would show up. After first meeting Daisy, he wore his army uniform to conceal the fact that he was poor. Five years later, Daisy married a man as careless as herself and had a child by the name of "Pammy".
It is not the present Daisy that Gatsby loved, the careless Daisy who, with her husband, left destruction in her wake. Gatsby loved a past image of Daisy. He rose to greatness, threw parties, and sold alcohol illegally all for this Daisy. Academic performance was the "Daisy" of my life. I strove and strove for better and better grades. I observed the most intelligent people I knew. I emulated them, tried to understand them and be them. However, when I came closer to my goal, I pushed on despite the fact that it was not for me. My stubborn internal casuistry kept me going. If I can pull this off, I will be great, I thought. However, I slipped away from my dream as I trudged on. I failed. I grew to hate it. It was then that I realized that the dream I had intended for myself was not for me.
Gatsby represents the American dream gone awry: having it all and, at the same time, having nothing. He did everything for Daisy. When he had her, he felt an immediate rush. He wanted to pluck Daisy from Tom's hand, succeeded for a moment, and then lost her again. However, that did not discourage Gatsby. He pined in futility after Daisy to the point where it led to him dying in the pool he had never used. If I continued with my quest for academic excellence, my fate would have been similar. I would never have enjoyed the pool called music and ended up either failing, literally dying from suicide, or figuratively dying from this infatuation with high numbers strip away my enjoyment of life.
The basic principle of the American dream is to be better off than you were. For Gatsby, it was having a relationship with Daisy. For me, it was proving that a student like me can achieve academic greatness. However, both of our dreams went awry rather quickly. Gatsby rose to greatness because he wanted someone (and by extension something) he could not have.When he came close to having it, he denied that it was not for him. It ended up costing him his life, which is a reminder that not all dreams should come true, not all paths should be paved, and that "great" in the traditional sense is not always truly great.
Image Description(s): Leonardo DiCaprio portraying Jay Gatsby holding a drink and smiling. The image has "Old Sport" written on it with what looks like custom strokes in white.
Actually, I can swap "smart" for "confident", "tough", "independent," or another one of my many strengths. However, strengths don't mean the absence of weaknesses.
"Smart" doesn't mean I never feel incompetent.
"Confident" doesn't mean I never feel out of place.
"Tough" doesn't mean I never feel weak.
"Independent" doesn't mean I never feel ostracized.
As the image text states, Brandenn Bremmer was a genius--had an IQ of 178, read books at 18 months old, played the piano at age 3, and started college at age 11--who committed suicide at age 14 with no (known) depression, suicide note, or pressure to achieve from his parents. This is why I never understand why people wish they were smarter or why some parents put undue pressure on gifted children or leave them to their own devices. This source said that he was compelled to do so because his intuition told him to leave the world. However, another source which cites a dubious comment from someone named "Stan" extrapolates on how pressure to achieve may have been to blame although his parents were said by other sources to never have pressured him to achieve.
However, self-imposed pressure is a powerful thing. The pressure to achieve does not have to come externally to do harm. Internally-based pressure can do just as much harm, if not more. In a world that values intrinsic motivation, it is easy to ignore unhealthy levels of self-imposed pressure to achieve. I know what self-imposed pressure can do because I almost succumbed to its effects. I decided to drop out of my school's honors institute because it was not for me. Although I "could have been" capable of meeting the standards, it cost me my health and my grades. Self-imposed pressure made my grades drop by 20% of what they originally were. Not only did my grades suffer, but I suffered. I felt constant stress, felt tired all the time, and got very bad cases of acid reflux that have since went away now that I have (mostly) escaped self-imposed pressure.
Being "so smart" does not mean that someone like Brandenn or myself cannot succumb to pressures both external and internal. This is not to say that I am against challenging one's self, but it should not come at the expense of one's health. Remember that academic intelligence does not equal emotional development. That comes with experience and experience alone. I am impulsive and stubborn. I need experience to hone my temperament. I usually end up doggedly finishing projects I should not have started. Now that the consequences have caught up to me, I want to warn others of the dangers of self-imposed pressure. If you feel like you are drowning in a sea of activities, academics, and other things, get out. If you genuinely feel happier with a thousand things to do, do them.
Please do not disregard the power of self-imposed pressure. It is not easily dismissed as what someone else says because this comes from within. Unhealthy self-imposed pressure is a parasite that feeds off of your energy and directs your reserves towards achievement while ravaging your health and happiness in the process. I am not against achievement or talent, but I am against the imposition of unnecessary pressure regardless of the source. I believe that it is self-imposed pressure that killed Brandenn Bremmer, almost killed me, and is a source of problems among many gifted students.
Optional Comment Questions
Have you ever wished yourself to be more intelligent?
Can you relate to my experiences?
Do you have any further insight on Brandenn Bremmer's case?
Use the tags #NotJustAProdigy and #GiftedLivesMatter to raise awareness of mental wellness among gifted individuals.
