Intelligence: Friend or Foe?
(Written on Oct. 30, 1993 at age 10)

	When you think of a scientist, what do you think of?  
An old geezer with a cane hobbling over an experiment. 
How about a very intelligent child working above age 
standards? A stuck up really rich snob? From my own 
experiences I have been called 500 billion different names 
just because I am a speedy learner, and I was bored like 
heck with my daily math assignments. During all of grade 
school I went to a program before school which gave me 
excelled lessons. Throughout my insults I was depended on 
to do all the work and my partner would sit back and relax. 
In third grade I was put in a special full-time program in 
which I did work ahead of my grade level and I am in today. 
Ever since I have taken everything from swears to kicks in 
the shin. My program , called Magnet, has in past years been 
called Maggots just because we are different. So then comes 
the question: Why be smart if you're going to be picked on 
day in and day out? Another point,  I (as many may know) 
have a very  bad sense of humor. Again, I am called stupid 
because everybody ecspects to be a big snotted up fool. So 
then "Why in the world should I be smart? If I do I'll be 
picked on." And also you only ever see sports stars on boxes 
of Wheaties or Gatorade. (I won't mention any names such 
as Michael Jordan.) You never see Nike shoes named after 
Isaac Newton or Einstein, do you? No, you probably don't. In 
everyday life the most populuar people are the superstar 
athletes, not the could-be Nobel Award winning brianiacs. 
Athletes=the most famous people known. Scientists=the 
people that make the most famous people known's shoes or 
artificial hip or whatever. Kids these days only want to be 
the next Shaquille O'neal, yet what do they do for the good 
of mankind? Absolutely positively not one tiny speck 
of diddly cr--! So with all this considered, why in heck 
should anybody be smart? Well without Mensa quality 
people we wouldn't have T.V. or Nintendo. God forbid no 
Nintendo. So in your lifetime you can be one of two things: A 
great scientist standing on the great shoulders of scientists 
past, helping all of mankind, or you can be a sports 
superstar slam-dunking over peoples' shoulders 
enterianing all the beer-busting slobs of America. I don't 
really care how much you dissagree, but if you want to give 
me your comments (or insults) just E-mail me and leave 
your name, adress, and date of sending, and I will get back 
to you as soon as possible. Thank you for reading this essay, 
and have a nice day. Beep!