<p>You see, this is probably why you are having the problems you have. You say smart-ass condescending phrases “preconceived notions”, as if I somehow conceived these notions before I… conceived them? Your whole first post is the one of the strangest things I have ever read, as if you have never been in a school environment with other people your own age before or are otherwise totally socially inept. Nobody cares if you are good at chemistry. When someone says it is hard, that is called a generalization, not for something you to take offense to. That is why I asked if you were home-schooled, because your original post is so absolutely eccentric that I thought you could have skipped out on routine points of conversation. If you think it is somehow incorrect for me to assume that home-schooled children have less social exposure than your average public high school child, please explain why that is. I have known a fair amount of home-schooled children- there are a lot here in NY. Not all of then, but most of them, had to grow up really quick and learn a lot about high school/college age people that they weren’t familiar with interacting with. It is the same principle with many strict, religious, non-coed private school children that have a culture shock after school. I’m not saying anything against it, I’m just curious if this could explain why you are so insidiously condescending with your “I’m smart and capable and I don’t like it when people assume otherwise” BS. People don’t care.</p>
<p>The person who gave me the unwanted advice apparently cared that I wasn’t good at chemistry. Unless it was all act and he had an ulterior motive then if he didn’t care he shouldn’t have bothered trying to help.</p>
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<p>Lack of social exposure doesn’t mean that there must be a lack of social skills. There are people who are naturally gregarious and don’t need a lot of social exposure in order to get good at dealing with people.</p>
<p>Your mistake is assuming the Chemistry student is trying to put you down, as if his remark is meant to be taken as “OH HO HO, YOU ARE STUPID AND BAD AT CHEMISTRY!”</p>
<p>In reality, he was trying to help you by steering you away from a class he thought was hard. Maybe when he took the class half the students failed or maybe he personally found it hard or maybe he found it easy but listened to his friends complain about how Chemistry was tanking their GPA. Whatever the reason, he thought it was tough. And he brought this up to help you.</p>
<p>Not as an insult. But to warn you of a potential hazard ahead, as nice people do.</p>
<p>If you were walking down the street and someone said, “Hey, be careful because there is a road crew up ahead and they left a three foot wide ditch in the road,” what do you think would be the socially correct response?</p>
<p>A. “Why do you think I’m incapable of jumping three feet? You’re insulting my athletic prowess!”
B. “You think I’m blind, don’t you? DON’T YOU?”
C. “Thanks for the tip!”</p>
<p>Hint: C is the correct answer **even if you already knew about the ditch.<a href=“Might%20change%20it%20slightly%20to” title=“I already saw it, but thanks for the tip!”>/b</a></p>
<p>I’m sure there are SOME people like that, but MOST people, just like every everything else in life, get better with experience. Not saying they will turn out to be fantastic people, but they will not be socially inept weirdos.</p>
<p>People don’t perceive me the way I feel like I want to be perceived. it’s unfortunate, I know. but that’s why I just emotionally detach myself from everything and go on emotional autopilot. I convince myself it’s a joke, and it’s actually better that way</p>
<p>Gaiden, in all likelihood, the person was either 1) making small talk, 2) resentful of his own bad grade in chemistry and wanted an excuse to vent, or 3) just trying to be helpful. I think you would be best off to calm down and stop taking people (yourself included) so seriously.</p>
<p>Gaiden, what you are trying to convey, I understand. It happens to me often enough as well but the reason I can just smile and nod my head up and down as others assure me of my incapability to “get an A in XXXX class” is that I know I can. And that makes all the difference.</p>