Maybe it’s a mixed-school thing. Personally I think it’s a female thing, but without doubt it’s not female only. People, wonderful people might I say, not being aware that they just like anyone else have their limits. To be blunt, people who think that they’re the cream of the crop, but in reality are nothing other than average or below the mean level of intelligence.
I don’t like it when people think I’m degrading them, but I do like honesty. From my previous bout with The Leaving, I’ve experienced girls with the I’m Lauren Conrad syndrome. Usually very attractive, and average in school until Senior Cycle stuff. Then it becomes, “I want to live in luxury with the Gucci bags, with boy’s chins hitting the floor when I walk in, I’m so confident, and to be frank, more intelligent than the rest of you”. No my dear, you’re not. You can try, and you do to be fair, which gains you much admiration, well mine at least. But you’re still not bright.
Honey, wake up and smell the roses. Intelligence levels have been decided long before you were fifteen or sixteen. You’re not going to get 570 points come June. No doubt some girls will, more girls than boys, but the girls I’m on about will be short of that without doubt. And this isn’t a vendetta against beautiful women, if a beautiful woman is intelligent and has been impressive during her schooling then there’s no reason as to why she wont get 600 never mind 570. I know them too. But people who frown upon others for being “like retarded” when the fact is they too were closer to the bottom than the top on entering secondary school. Stop eating books. Nobody thinks you’re intelligent if you’ve not slept and spent thirteen hours looking over business or physics the night before an exam. They just think you’re a, well, silly is the word. Especially when the exam returns with anything but an A.
Then it comes to “what are ya looking to do next year?”. Oh Dental Science. Oh Law with French in Trinity. Oh Actuarial and Financial Studies. All high points and ambitious targets. Well they’re too ambitious for a lot of people. You can learn off a mathematical formula, you can quote a poem word for word, you can learn a date in history, but come exam time you will be found out. You’ll still achieve an amazing Leaving Certificate for someone so average, but you wont get the course you want. And while you might be disappointed, everyone else will just think you’re a delusional fantasist because you thought you’d reach your target in the first place.
However don’t get me wrong, I couldn’t admire these people more. They are so determined and driven that it’s hard not to wish you were as committed to study as them. I can’t say I’d like to do as much as them, I believe there’s a point where it becomes too much. But if I could do half I’d be fulfilling my potential. However the point is my potential is above those mentioned. And that’s not arrogance it’s the truth. If I worked as much as them I’d take the Leaving as a piece of piss. But they will work more, and wont acquire a place in their desired course next year. And that’s the saddest thing. Unless of course they’re an up-their-own-hole cunt. That’s a good one then.:)
Oh and noone in my current school falls into this category! Purely last year and people I knew from other schools in years gone by. (Dodged that bullet).
Regards, preparing for a backlash, Ronan Morrissey.
[New Post] Be Smart, Don’t Try Be Smarter. – http://leaving-cert.net/be-smart-dont-tr…
You know who Lauren Conrad is and you have multiple ingesting orifices?
Now there’s a real man. I salute you! 😉
Ronan- its as if u have been bullied and humiliated by these “beautiful women” you talk about. It seems that is what compelled you to write this. I mean I see no reason for anyone to rant on about such an irrelevant topic out of nowhere. I dont think other people’s attitudes towards their OWN future should concern you.
Oh and it might not be a “vendetta” against “beautiful women” in general, but it certainly is a vendetta against one or two of the “beautiful women” you speak of.
Eager to see a response
P.S. “beautiful women”- how gay!
Good blog mate. There was that sort of syndrome in my family over the years espically me with all these big expections but ive come to release what my level is and im now back repeatin aswell.
What exactly is the point of this post? I really am struggling to find one. Why does it bother you that some people are motivated enough to work hard. Everyone has different levels of intelligence so obviously i would make sense that hard work is necessary for some people more that others! I really am confused as to why you would write such an irrelevant post.
I don’t think the leaving cert requires that much intelligence, it’s all about memory. Maybe in certain subjects, such as maths and perhaps physics or chemistry it’s not completely about how much you can remember and you need to be able to understand the topics covered. However, If you have a really good memory and study skills you can get a really good leaving cert.
The leaving cert is not a test of intelligence. An average person who works hard has a much better chance of getting a good leaving cert than someone. I seen it myself last year, out of my group of friends the one I would have pegged as the most intelligent, came out with results in the mid 300s. And another friend who I would very politely describe as being ‘not the brightest crayon in the box’ worked her arse off and got points in the 500s.
Honestly this entire post just makes you sound like an up-your-own-hole cunt.
My god but you sounds like a pretentious, petulant child!
I know a hundred and one people like you who like to hide behing the “I’m actually really smart and could do much better than you but I’m just to cool to put the work in” and then criticise those who do bother to at least try to achieve their best.
Some advice – don’t you worry about anyone else and how much they’re working, or if you believe it’s a waste of time for them or not, just get up off your ass and prove that you really are as smart as you say you are. I also echo Lawliet’s last line.
I too am having trouble understanding this post. On one hand, you say “They aren’t smart and won’t get 600 points” and on the other, “they study hard and “eat books” but they still won’t get 600 points”. Is it not taken for granted now that the Leaving is nothing but an excercise in regurgitation, and knowing “that date” or “that formula” is essential to getting the course you want? Have I missed something?
And why are you only focusing on these girls? Sounds like someone is rather bitter. The goal of a great deal of people living in this world at the moment -boys and girls- is to live in the lap of luxury, with the Gucci bags and the jaws on the floor etc.
For every Lauren Conrad, there is a Brody Jenner.
Case closed.
“For every Lauren Conrad, there is a Brody Jenner”
Foof.
I likes.
🙂
Dear Ronan.
I’ve just had a scope at your chosen pic as a team member on this site, and forgive me if I’m wrong. But given that you’re posing in a rather pretentious, “look-at-me” manner, and you’ve also chosen to accessorise with some large, celeb-like sunnies that could have been snatched right from the bleached head of Lauren Conrad, I have drawn the conclusion that you strive to be one of these ” beautiful people “. I would also conclude from the bitter tone of your poisonous piece above that you have quite possibly failed, miserably, at becoming a beautiful person. The Leaving Cert is a tough gig, there’s enough negativity surrounding it. If certain people carry on as if they’re more intelligent than reality would allow, well let them. My question is, as you CLAIM your potential so exceeds that of others, and the LC for you would be a “piece of piss”, to quote your eloquent self, WHY are you bothered to write that much about it?? Seems someone is hiding behind the keyboard.
Yours truly.
ps. LC can stand for both Lauren Conrad and Leaving Cert – you’d be surprised how many beautiful women will surpass your results come August. Good luck.
Hmm…where to begin? I think, contrary to what some of the replies here state, that this is actually an extremely important aspect of the Leaving Cert to highlight on a blog that is, well, entirely dedicated to the Leaving Cert. However, the way you presented and structured the article was, to say the least, doomed to repulse your readership (as I think you’ll notice in most of these comments) and ultimately turn them against you.
Why is this article important? It seemed at the start as though it was going to perhaps bemoan the “book-eating” Joe/Jane Doe (in this case, you seem to specifically target the fake tan smeared Valley Girl stereotype, I suppose) who plies their books with assiduity and vigor and, despite an ultimate lack of awe-inspiring intelligence, still outperforms the more intelligent, but perhaps less applied, student. The fact that the system in place rewards this, and only this, is almost painstakingly fair. On one hand, we’re all on a level playing field. On the other, people with more natural ability in more academic areas aren’t rewarded for what is (however justly or unjustly) natural talent and ability. Most people nowadays would believe (and how P.C. they are) that everybody is a genius in their own “special” way (thank you Gardener’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences), given this, what’s wrong with a system that would reward people for whatever talents they have? After all, everybody should win.
That was the angle I thought you were going to take. Instead you did the exact opposite and haughtily proclaimed that these people were only deluding themselves and wouldn’t achieve that to which they aspire. As other replies have pointed out, it’s more or less common knowledge that the Leaving Cert is nothing more than a test of rote memorisation and regurgitation (well, for the most part anyway). If you are indeed as intelligent as you claim to be, why wouldn’t you recognise this? It seems to me that you fundamentally misunderstand the structure and niche of our educational system.
Also, lines such as “the point is my potential is above those mentioned” and “If I worked as much as them I’d take the Leaving as a piece of piss” are pretentious, hubristic and only serve to alienate your readership. Perhaps you could’ve demonstrated your staggering intellect to us by writing the article well and making your thoughts clear and coherent? Then, we might’ve thought to ourselves “wow, this guy really knows what he’s talking about!”; instead, you force-feed us your own perception of yourself in the hope that we’ll just accept it as gospel truth. Remember that golden axiom of writing (for which you’re here on this blog): “show, don’t tell”.
Maybe a bit bitter, but good post – I knew plenty of people like that. And man were they annoying. The thing is though, a lot of them do get high points – they may not be intelligent but, as has been said, lots of highly intelligent people end up with very average points.
Just to share this with ye,
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Leaving-CertNet/253296809652?ref=ts
A lot of really great replies and even if Ronan is a little bit extreme about it, I think we can all relate to the delusions of grandeur idea. I know I can, and not in a good way! But for people that work really hard and get great results? More luck to them, and I know who I’d want to employ.
Seriously, if you kill yourself working at this Leaving Cert. thing and can hand-on-heart say that you worked hell for leather at it, I hope you get what you want I honestly do. I’d much rather lose out on a college place to someone who really deserves it as opposed to some pretentious genius who doesn’t work.
And I still think this is a good post!!
Jealousy is that pain which a man feels from the apprehension that he is not equally beloved by the person whom he entirely loves
Judgin by your picture mate you’re so ugly you couldn’t even get a date off the calendar ..
woah..this is getting a bit out of hand. Debate is great but ‘I didn’t do it’,you’re taking it a bit far don’t you think? Fair enough if you don’t agree with him but taking a crack at someone like that is just petty and immature.
Oh and for the record, good post but you don’t half come across as a conceited chauvanist! definitely don’t deserve the harsher comments here but I am just a bit offended that you seem to insinuate that most good looking girls lack any genuine academic ability.
Apologies I don’t have much time to respond!
I do think that this aspect is perfectly relevant, and I believe the reaction supports this. In fact I’ve smiled at a lot of the negative comments and I respect the people who left them.:)
I’ve said before that I am quite pretentious, so I don’t mind anyone calling me that, in fact I don’t mind anyone call me anything, everyone’s entitled to an opinion.:) As long as my friends and those who know me don’t think it, I couldn’t give a flying fuck, and I don’t mean that in a bad way.:)
I’ll say that possibly I’m naive in thinking that everyone’s experience is the same as mine, but in my past these people haven’t reached their own ambitious, or over-ambitious targets. For which I will apologise for.
However I wont take back anything, I do still believe that if people just come in the first day of September in 6th year and think I’m going to put effort in and get 600 points, if they’ve shown no promise beforehand, they will not.
If people want me to feed them happy butterflies and rainbows flying out of their arse I’d be glad to do so over a few drinks and a bit of craic.:)
Oh and any attacks about appearance, it’s not as if I care for it. If I throw on sunglasses I’ve found and my friends want a funny picture, I’ll pose for a laugh! Especially with a few pints in me!:P That doesn’t mean I cherish stardom.:)
Although I can play up to the initial belief of being arrogant about my appearance amongst other things?;)
“I think the fact that those hands in the picture aren’t mine shows how everyone thinks I’m incredible, a hero down in Waterford so I am.8) Couldn’t get a date in a calender? You should see my missus, savage.:o8)”
Apologies for not getting in detail!
Sorry that apology was for being naive in thinking everyone’s experience was the same as mine, think of it as a sentence before I typed it!
And I’m surprised noone took a dig at the fact that I’m repeating!:P Sound!;):)
Oh one last thing, don’t be silly, nobody closes a case here.
Hell even I wouldn’t be so arrogant as to think I can close a case on an opinion forum!;):P
I’d say you’re half-right.
See, intelligence can be roughly defined as “the ability to efficiently learn and retain information” (although there’s dozens of theories on the specifics). I find it’s not that smart people work less, they just work faster and better.
So, for example, if you take a “person of lower intelligence” (for convenience sake, let us refer to them by the scientific term, ‘dumbass’, from here on), and a smartass, the dumbass might spend an entire week revising and working for a test, and the smartass might slack off the entire week, and then pull a hellish, caffeine-fuelled all-nighter right before the exam. And they get the same grade. Not because smartasses don’t need to work as hard, but because the smartass does all the work the dumbass did, but crams it all into one night.
So it appears the smartass is doing nothing, and the dumbass is inside hitting the books all the time, working his ass off, but in reality the dumbass is struggling to understand it all, and the smartass just needs to power through it. The information absorbed — the empirical ‘work’ being done — is the same. Nobody can pass an exam without studying. That’s just silly, like saying you can know stuff without learning it. When people say “sure, I barely studied, and I did fine in my LC”, they really mean “I did fuck all until the end, then worked so hard in the last few days I actually caught on fire.”
That actually happens.
(See if you can count how many times I said ‘ass’…)
Stupid post. the bloggers this year are defintely not as good or intresting as over the years been very disapointed. leaving cert.net need to sort it out and some of the comments left after Ronan’s post are very over dramtic alot of know it alls.
ahem, dick……..
you can do anything you put your mind to !!!