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arthurmerlin

32 karma · joined September 11, 2017

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arthurmerlin··on Why won’t anyone teach me math?
I think part of the issue is that, students feel like average grades in the 50s are low, but the professor might not feel that way.
arthurmerlin··on Why won’t anyone teach me math?
Mathematical maturity should be well defined if you are using it as a prerequisite. Mathematicians, of all people, should be good at coming up with such precise definitions.
arthurmerlin··on Basic Social Skills Guide (2012)
What happens when people tell you about problems that require experts in a specific area to solve, and you are not an expert in that area? Do you still try to help?

Like I will tell my friends and family about problems I am having at work because they are my friends and family and I assume that they care about how my life is going. If they are able to provide solutions, I will not rule it out for them. But most likely they are not because they have different jobs. When people attempt to give advice on things they don't know about, I assume they are more interested in appearing smart than my well being.

arthurmerlin··on Basic Social Skills Guide (2012)
At least for me, I would love advice that perfectly solves all my problems. But probably this advice doesn't exist, because if it did, I would have figured it out already. I often have conversations that go like this -

Me: I have this problem that sucks.

Other person: Have you tried A?

Me: No, I thought about that already. A isn't a good idea because of B.

Other person: Well, what about C?

Me: No, I thought about that too. C isn't a good idea because of D.

Other person: (Angrily) Well, I don't know how to help you then.

And so now in addition to having to deal with a hard problem to solve, I have to deal with making other people angry about how they can not solve my hard problems.

arthurmerlin··on U.S. teens are spending less time with their friends in person
I know many people who are very happy to talk to me online but are not willing to hang out with me in real life. In my case it's because I'm inherently unlikeable, but I suspect if I were unaware of this, I would assume it's because people like to be online.
arthurmerlin··on Americans Are a Lonely Lot, and Young People Bear the Heaviest Burden
What do you do when your friends don't pick up, or if they aren't willing to go on outings with you? I think the biggest contributor to my loneliness is that no one seems to like me. I reach out to hang out, and usually, get rejected.