Childhood How Many Here Have Been Treated Like Absolute Idiots?

[NoWhereKnowWhere]

Yes I was constantly told I was stupid or an idiot when I was younger and they even made me repeat it back to them and say "I'm stupid". I didn't get on well at school and looking back it was because of the abuse and neglect going on at home. It was always thrown in my face that I wasn't good in school yet no one took time to help with homework or even encourage me.

It's something I still struggle with and that inner voice is always trying to tell me I'm useless, stupid and an idiot. I know why and that helps. I do try to pick things apart and say to myself am I stupid? Or did I just make a human mistake and do something a bit silly. It's hard but it gets easier every time I do it. I sometimes even say that's not me, not what I think that's them their voice not mine.

 

[Freedomfighter]

Yes! To family, I'm brilliant if they're speaking of me, but I'm an idiot if they're speaking t...

Family members can be very hurtful at times, but there is much more to such behavior.

I work in an environment where prostitution is a daily occurrence in the workplace. At that retail place many females make it a practice to serve mail customers within the business premises. These women are angry (because they don't have a choice, they need the money), these women know that they can not escape their own demise, and these women will do anything to make others feel like low lives. They go to great extends to make others feel less than human.

I am thinking someone like that has to be in a complete rage, what these women are showing is that they must be walking around with anger and envy and rage all day long. Every time I talk to these women they attempt to put me down. Why? Because they played stupid little games, got knocked up, made the wrong decisions.

They hate me. Why? Because I do not play games, because I know that it is worth it to wait for what I really want.

They take men like band aids for their own problems, make the same mistakes over and over. I am completely the opposite.

You would not believe how angry that makes them and you would not believe how all of those loosers that are with these women are attempting to harass me.

Most people are like little pieces of candy lying on the road, many people get stuck tasting those candies, yummy for a little while, then they move to the next piece of candy.
These type of women are jealous of someone that really does have high intelligence, that really does prove that honesty can be achieved.

When I think about it a lot of people are like that. They see others do what they would like to do: but they themselves are too weak physically and mentally to adhere to higher standards. They loose out every time.

 

[Oceanya]

Ask my family, and they will probably rave on about how amazingly and outstandingly brilliant I am. (...

I've been made to feel stupid mostly by my father my entire life. Whenever I'm around him, even the most simple chores seem like a challenge that I have to win in front of him so he won't think I'm stupid. Even cooking for him stresses me out to the point of wishing I'd somehow skip the chore. Making a salad with him in the same room or worse, with him close by watching or feeling like he's watching makes me feel exposed and embarassed, even humiliated. As if I can't even make a salad. Not to mention of how many times I choose to avoid responsibilities and chores and/or activities just so I won't have to deal with his words. He's not doing it on purpose ofc, he's a generally weak and deluded person with a lot of insecurities of his own, anyone could say that upon really knowing him. I think during his childhood he must have also felt ''obliged'' to do everything perfectly. But this feeling is awful because in many ways..it HAS kept me from reaching my potential. It creates insecurities that are mostly invalid and makes you not even wanna take simple risks for things you love. I feel just like you, we should be ''made to feel stupid'' buddies ;)

 

[lostforgottensoul]

In 3rd grade I was placed in summer school for pointing. The teacher said pointing was immature. My dad went down to protest (only thing he did for me) and the guidence counselor said that I was testing well about average in all studies but was behind in reading. So all I did in summer school that year was read and play.

Somewhere around that area of time my dad was trying to help me with spelling and I just couldn't spell most words correctly so he threw the spelling book at me, the corner of the book hitting me in the eye.

I was severely bullied in school being called stupid, "retard", idiot. Rocks thrown at my head. I remember once I ran out of class, the teacher was also bullying me with the kids, and I ran out of class and curled up on the floor at my next class.

I didn't have books so I found a set of encyclopedias in the trash and so those were my books. I read them all about 8 times each.

I was tested in the 10th grade and all of my studies were at 12th grade and some were at college level, but I was reading at a 7th grade level. I was called stupid, lazy, and was put into lower "special ed" classes.

I didn't know anything about audio books but in high school I figured out that when I read something i couldn't understand what I was reading unless I read it 5 to 8 times but if I was read to i understood it right off the bat, so I got a huge amount of blank cassette tapes and recorded myself reading my text books. Every one of them from front cover to back cover. Labeled so when we would enter a new chapter, I knew which tape to play.

I went all the way through school, being called "stupid", "idiot", "dummy", "special", "retarded"...and other things...being bullied in many horrible ways.

At 16, 17, 18, I found out that i couldn't work with money. I would mix up the amount and change. I was also belittled by co-workers and bosses.

I was about 21 when I figured out I was seeing letters and numbers backwords and mixed up. I was tested and tested posiitive for dyslexia for letters and numbers.

My therapist says I have "upper level intellegence". I don't see that about myself. But I was bullied and beaten down, called stupid and other words, and the school put me in special ed all because I am dyslexic. So yes, I have been treated like a complete idiot.

I am still, today, treated the same way.

Here is something cool.

What it's REALLY like to read with dyslexia: Simulator reveals how letters and words appear to people with the condition | Daily Mail Online

And this:

Link Removed

It's just intresting for non-dyslexics to see how dyslexics see words and numbers. Most don't get that it has no reflection on intellegence and most dyslexics are very, VERY, smart and very artistic. I do fall in the artistic catigory and my therapist says the "upper level intellegence" area. Though I don't see myself as anything but dumb. I'm working on that.

Sorry for the long post. :/

 

[Freedomfighter]

Ask my family, and they will probably rave on about how amazingly and outstandingly brilliant I am. (...

Wellll, what I have learned is the following: everyone that goes out of their way to attack another is a person that is out to hurt others in order to seem superior, in order to eliminate someone that they can not compete with.

I get this from total strangers. They see a competent smart woman in front of them, someone that they can not be, and they will do dumb and hurtful things.

Such females will harass me while shopping, in the past while I was in the gym, oh yeah and while they are at work, constantly harassment from jealous females.

 

[Oceanya]

In 3rd grade I was placed in summer school for pointing. The teacher said pointing was immat...

I'm so sorry to hear this has been happening to you. I work as a speech therapist and hearing such things make me freak out about the violence and the total lack of humanity some people present. You'd think that especially in more advanced countries with high rates of economic growth, technology and education, people would be more..knowing and suspicious of people's learning issues..the behaviour of those people around you who bullied you for your difficulties including your dad remind me of some total backwards savages who are the ones who..though they can read and write, cannot ''brain'' normally. It's utterly ridiculous and pathetic how some people choose someone's difficulty to belittle them and make themselves feel superior.

Your dad and your bullies are a shinning example of utterly insecure self absorbed people. As for the teacher that bullied you...only thing I have to say is that she needs to be fired..she's not capable for this job and while she stays there she might cause misery and problems for more kids. Teachers like her honestly disgust me. I had a teacher in my first years of school who would ridicule me in front of everyone about anything she could find, to this day I still think people like her should simply not teach. As for the intelligence part..you better BELIEVE it sweety. I've met many kids with dyslexia and other learning difficulties who actually were some of the most intelligent people I've met. You also seem very smart as well. Not that I know much of course but the way you write makes me think of a person with a quite impressive IQ and since your therapist says so as well she knows what she's saying. Some of the smartest people in the history of mankind had actually been people with learning difficulties.

A basic research of it will convince you. The reason you have so much low self esteem is because you've grown up around people with much lower one who needed to beat you down in order to fill the 'void' of their insecurities. They could sense that you were something very good despite your problem and wanted to make sure that you'd never get ''arrogant'' and beat them or make them feel inferior. That's what non-intelligent people do. They try to make intelligent ones obtain low self-esteem. But you have to know one thing. I'm not saying that you should become arrogant or self-absorbed of course..but by not believing in yourself at all and by seeing yourself the way THEY want you to see yourself, all you're doing is sabotaging YOUR life and providing THEM with satisfaction over your failures. You have to start discovering your best traits, your likes, interests, talents, strong points and your potential and thrive in them. You have to start making your life away from those people's poisonous influence. Do not do them the favor of staying down. They beat you down but you don't need to stay there too. It's up to you. You will decide what you become in your life not those idiots.

Hope the best for you :)

 

[lostforgottensoul]

You have to start discovering your best traits, your likes, interests, talents, strong points and your potential and thrive in them.

Yeah, my therapist is find one or two attributes and making me reflect on them. He gave me having "an amzing sense of humor" and having "upper level intellengence". But he gave that to me a few months ago and I am still reflecting and can see it a tiny bit but that's it for now.

Thank you so much for your kind reply!

 

[Lionheart]

One of the most irritating stressors for me is to be talked down to as if I am not bright enough, good enough, etc. That goes all through me like a bolt of lightening. I don't take kindly to it and that is putting it mildly.

No one has to talk down to me to get their message across. It has taken me a long time to feel comfortable offering my opinion, making a suggestion, or elaborating on my feelings.

My mother used to be overly critical of me and talk down to me as If I were stupid...still does occasionally.

These days I will usually defend myself very quickly if talked to in that manner, especially if there is tone and attitude attached.

Other times I am able to laugh it off as being about them and whatever is on the flat screen of their brain. I guess it depends on the type of day I'm having.

I can now see why I am terrified of public speaking.

Good thread!!!

My heart goes out to all of you who have had to endure this kind of verbal assault.

 

[Freedomfighter]

One of the most irritating stressors for me is to be talked down to as if I am not bright enough, g...

I have people who try that approach all the time. It is a purposeful action to hurt that person if they do that. Many factors come in play, mostly used by criminals who do not have the necessary intelligence to communicate in a sensible way.

The other day I witnessed someone who possessed a high level of intelligence. I wanted to for one second just communicate and say something like: OMG, so tbere really are such intelligent people out there, people that really are on my level.

 

[Friday]

What are your experiences? Bonus question: In addition to flashbacks from the major trauma, do random memories of minor instances just pop into your head out of nowhere like that?

I'm just not very smart, and I know it, so I'm rarely bothered by it. Box'o'rocks :P When I do mind is when people who love me do the "miracle" thing :banghead: FFS. I may be stupid, but I'm not completely incompetent. Can we please confine the jokes to things I actually suck at, please? It's not like it's a short list, or you're gonna run out of material any time soon... So going after one of the few areas I can actually do? Is just rude.

To be fair, however... One of the great upsides to being stupid is that I honestly don't think I have ever met a person who isn't smarter than me in some way or another. <grin> So there's always something to learn! Or just enjoy. Sometimes it takes a while to find, but unless someone is so badly damaged they've lost themselves? It's there. It's usually fun to find it, if it's not immediately apparent. People are soooooo dang amazing. :D If I had a million lifetimes, there wouldn't be enough time to learn everything.

I do usually compensate by surrounding myself with smart people :sneaky: I have been extremely lucky in finding people who aren't just smart, but who are f*cking brilliant. Love. That.

 

[Ronin]

I don't mind if I'm stupid nearly as much as I mind no one having hurt for it, & me not being hurt for it.

So it's a DGAF brains as much as giving a f*ck about safety.

Off I go before I give myself a panic attack about this one :D One thing to still work on.

 

[katz]

My family has always looked down on me. To this day, I still get treated like I'm stupid. I've had them call me to remind me to "go to the store" (or something simple). I'm over 50 yrs old!! Geeze, do you think that I would not forget!!

They remind me to do things that are common sense. I get treated like a child all thru the holidays also. You'd think that it would give them an idea that I'm not what or who they think. Full time job, college education, husband, home....

It just seems that no matter what I tell them, they just don't get it--maybe they are the ones that need help!