The smart bloggers

[Patsy]

There seems to be a concensus here that at least ZsuZsu and Kim Coghlan are rather intelligent people. (Perhaps there have been others mentioned and I haven't noted it.)

... it doesn't particularly seem that way to me? I'm not saying I think they're incredibly stupid, but I'm not sure where it comes from. Why do people think that?

[Koala]

ZhuZhu is just smart enough to worry me. Here's hoping someone (read law enforcement) is keeping an eye on her and pissing Steve :?

[fundiefan]

ZhuZhu is just smart enough to worry me. Here's hoping someone (read law enforcement) is keeping an eye on her and pissing Steve :?

That. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing in the wrong person because I think a little knowledge is not complete knowledge. Just enough to give the impression of intelligence but it doesn't go very deep.

[deelaem]

There are many different kinds of intelligence. ZsuZsu has the scholastic kind. What she doesn't have is emotional or global intelligence. In spades.

[GolightlyGrrl]

There are many different kinds of intelligence. ZsuZsu has the scholastic kind. What she doesn't have is emotional or global intelligence. In spades.

Word! In the workplace we'd say she has good "hard skills," but her "soft skills," like relating to others in ways that are open-minded, supportive, kind and respectful are seriously limited.

Alte also fits this description.

[Not That Kind of Dr]

I could have sworn that I already responded to this question, but now I see that my post isn't there. I don't read Zsuzsanna Anderson's blog frequently because life is too short to get myself that worked up on a regular basis, but I read Kim Coghlan's all the time. I've said before that I think Kim is quite bright, mostly because she's a good writer, both in style and in mechanics. Correct spelling and punctuation go far with me. She claims that she's also mathematically inclined, but I'll have to take her word for it because I don't share that aptitude, and it is a lot harder to demonstrate in a blog post.

This question is an issue that I've pondered for years and is a large part of why I read all these blogs in the first place. Ultimately, I think that I would be taking the easy way out if I argued that a lack of intelligence or sanity led some of these bloggers to hold a fundamentally different worldview than I do. There's more going on than stupidity or lunacy, and it would be intellectually lazy on my part to leave it at that. I have to accept that it is possible for bright people to disagree with me about everything that really matters. Kim Coghlan is not stupid. Crystal Paine is not stupid. Even Barbara Curtis, whom I rarely read anymore because she has such an ugly personality, is not stupid. So, what is going on? Why don't bright people see the world just as I do? That's the question that I want to answer, and differences in upbringing only explain so much, which is why I'm always most interested in bloggers who either have left behind fundamentalism or joined it as adults.

Edited to fix some of that all-important grammar and mechanics.

[doggie]

just because they have intelligence does nto make them smart. If you do not use the brain god gave you if you go off the deep end then it does not matter how smart you are your still stupid.

[Not That Kind of Dr]

One of the traits that I dislike most in many of these bloggers' posts is their rigidity and complacency, so I'm always on the lookout for those same failings in my own thinking. I can't simply define "dumb" as "disagrees with me" and "smart" as "agrees with me." There's something else at work here. Sometimes, as much as I hate it, a blogger can hold views I find misguided at best and reprehensible at worst and still be intelligent. If it were just about the rantings and ravings of dumb and crazy people, I wouldn't keep coming back for more, day after day and year after year.

[lilah]

I tried to debate Kim on overpopulation and she really doesn't have a clue about constructing a logical argument.

[Hisey]

I have to say that I don't think Kim is that bright. Did you see her recent post about a Christian CD? She thought the speaker made a good argument when he said something like, "We know the Bible is true because the Bible says it's true." Some circular argument like that. And when she was challenged, she said that sometimes circular arguments are good ones. OK, Kim. It's good when it works for you.

Zsuzsu, on the other hand, is quite bright. She writes very well for a non-native speaker. She is so bright that she is terribly bored at home--thus, her crazy plans to take all six kids and drive cross country. She is bored silly being at home *all the time* with six kids and absolutely no time for her own interests or hobbies.

Plus, she has no self-esteem. Why the hell did she let all her kids get up to dance in a rainstorm, when she'd just gotten them to bed at 10 after a very busy weekend. Since they do this at every rainstorm, why not say, "Not this time, kids, I'm too tired." It would teach them a little compassion, which is sorely lacking in that house.

[demgirl]

Just as a general proposition, I sometimes have to remind myself that decent spelling and grammar doesn't equal "smart" or "intelligent". Like with Kim Coghlan -- she can spell and uses correct grammar, which puts her miles above the average fundie blog, so I tend to think that she might be more intelligent, or at least more educated. And while it's true that she might have had a better education, she isn't able to think critically and make logical arguments, or if she is, she chooses not to. Which, IMO, makes her an idiot.

[Patsy]

Ultimately, I think that I would be taking the easy way out if I argued that a lack of intelligence or sanity led some of these bloggers to hold a fundamentally different worldview than I do.

Agreed.

There are many different kinds of intelligence. ZsuZsu has the scholastic kind. What she doesn't have is emotional or global intelligence. In spades.

This is what I mean - can you give me examples of where you see the scholastic intelligence? I don't see it.

I think Kim has some SORTS of intelligence, definitely. She can be cheeky, teasing and funny, and you need a bit of wit to do that. I just don't understand the concensus that she's one of the really intelligent ones. Again, I don't think she's really stupid or anything*, I just don't see where people are coming from. I always assume when people here comment on someone and say "Well, she's quite smart," that they are talking about some intelligence that has been displayed in reasoning skills, or similar. I don't see blogging that isn't garbled mispellings as being an indication of any particular intelligence.

*Admittedly there are examples of stupidity - on one population post she said "I love debunking evolution and population myths!" I assume she's talking about what she's said on the blog, and what she's said on the blog about evolution is, "If it were true, so would some moral implications which I do not like". That's... not debunking.

[Cassandra]

Plus, she has no self-esteem. Why the hell did she let all her kids get up to dance in a rainstorm, when she'd just gotten them to bed at 10 after a very busy weekend. Since they do this at every rainstorm, why not say, "Not this time, kids, I'm too tired." It would teach them a little compassion, which is sorely lacking in that house.

What does that have to do with self-esteem? And it's Arizona, it's not like it rains a lot. I wouldn't call her out on that, with her level of rigidity I think any sort of free-spirited action like that from her should be encouraged ;)

I also wouldn't necessarily say that they are very smart. I think they're a lot smarter than the majority of the other fundie bloggers, especially in comparison to writers like Jessica, but I don't know if they're significantly smarter than the average person.

[QueenMother]

ZhuZhu is just smart enough to worry me. Here's hoping someone (read law enforcement) is keeping an eye on her and pissing Steve :?

I agree with you. My concern with her is her constant need to insult and bully anyone who dares to express a different view from her. The way she puts so much energy into being snarky and rude towards others. I would not want to be near her physically if she flew into a rage, as I don't think she can control herself.

[latraviata]

Zsuzsu, on the other hand, is quite bright. She writes very well for a non-native speaker. She is so bright that she is terribly bored at home--thus, her crazy plans to take all six kids and drive cross country. She is bored silly being at home *all the time* with six kids and absolutely no time for her own interests or hobbies.

She is decently educated, the German equivalent of Grammar School and just one year of university.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gymnasium_(school)

That doesn't mean she is intelligent, she had good learning 'abilities.' But I wonder wether she internalised the things she was taught. She told me, she had learned everything about evolution but since reading the bible and being saved, she knows it is all nonsense. Evolution being thaught at a Grammar shool in Germany or the Netherlands means a bit more than just the simple basics. So when you reject the knowledge just like that, because you found the man of your dreams and he told you otherwise, I don't think the qualification 'bright' or 'intelligent' applies to our Zsu

English is not her native language, but she lives in your country for over 10 years married to an American, homeschooling the children in English, (perhaps she stays 1 day ahead of them ;)) so what do you expect?

[latraviata]

What does that have to do with self-esteem? And it's Arizona, it's not like it rains a lot. I wouldn't call her out on that, with her level of rigidity I think any sort of free-spirited action like that from her should be encouraged

I wholeheartedly agree. She is fabulous snark material, but indeed actions like this should be encouraged. Children love that and breaking the routine and rules once and a while is just fantastic and exciting, especially for children being raised in such a rigid and hateful religious environment.