Hidden Intellectualism
In the article “Hidden Intellectualism,” Gerald Graff explains that many people know someone who is “incredibly street smart” but that person does not do well in school, but Graff argues that street smarts are just as important as school smarts. (Page 380) To many people this is seen as a waste, and that this person should spend more time on their school studies than things in sports or popular culture. But Graff argues that schools should take these street smarts and transmit them into good academic work. Graff also believes that to be able to have students read literature such as George Orwell; we need to first have the students read things that interest them, encourage them to dive deep into whatever their reading, forming an opinion and arguing their point. Allowing students to do such reading, Graff believes will cause the student to naturally be drawn to more intellectual readings, as they will want to argue points and form opinions. As Graff grew up in the Chicago neighborhood it was like a constant battle with himself, attempting to figure out if the “clean cut” book smarts boy was going to be approved by the “working class hoods”. (Page 382) Being scared in a sense of losing his self-respect by being bullied, it was a matter of trying to be tough physically or being verbal. Graff and his closest pals constantly debated about who was “the toughest guy in school”. (Page 382) If they were an insignificant fighter like Graff was they settled for the next best thing which was to hide their intelligence to avoid any conflict. Though comparing himself to the 1950’s when Marilyn Monroe Divorced the retired baseball star Joe DiMaggio to marry playwright Arthur Miller, it gave Graff a different retrospect about intelligence. Not to focus so much on what everyone else’s opinions are on how you express your intellectualism,