MIT Basketball aiming to become competitive with Ivies?

[mathboy98]

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Gah. I HATE being called a genius. I know that sounds weird, but just think of someone meeting you and within 30 seconds finding out that you go to MIT and going, “oh, so you’re a genius.” It’s just weird, and it bugs me.

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<p>It’s definitely an annoying thing when terms are so carelessly used that they carry no meaning.</p>

<p>Like I’ve mentioned before, I know at
least one star professor of math at my school who calls himself “just a normal guy” – it amuses me to no end. I mean, calling Noam Elkies or Terence Tao a genius isn’t a bad thing I guess…but people draw the line very, very early. Perhaps to other fields medalists, Tao isn’t a genius, but at the point where you can count the number of people at that level on a few hands, I think we can use the term “genius” without it losing meaning.</p>

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It’s the presumed hilarity and oddity of it, as if you couldn’t be smart and interested in playing basketball (or, in my case, interested in wearing a short skirt and throwing people up in the air). It’s fine if people want to be mocking like that, but I don’t want to be involved in the conversation.

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<p>I guess I take these things very lightly, and while I certainly wouldn’t scoff at someone doing 2+ things that aren’t commonly associated with one another, I am kind of amused that people are so amused. People have been excessively amused when I say I used to play basketball at a younger age, for instance. I don’t think it’s surprising though. </p>

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"You’re probably thinking, “MIT has a basketball team?”</p>

<p>BARF.</p>

<p>I can’t even tell you how much I hate stupid people who think they’re hilarious asking stupid questions like that.

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<p>I have to agree that this comment makes me shudder. The attempt to be excessively cute…in the absolute least clever of ways.</p>