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[Vector]

No matter what, expressing the view "we should not be such complacent wretches" is going to make people angry at you because it disturbs the status quo they enjoy, and makes them feel uncomfortable.  If you turn that discomfort into full-fledged shame or anger directed at themselves, they may actually do something about it... but there's this shell you have to get through, when it comes to this particular issue.

I was sure not to elevate myself over the other students, and said that I was indeed in the same boat =/  I think this is why my professor didn't disown me.

[Something Evil]

I, for one, have never managed to understand this "every one of you is unique with insightful and imaginative ideas" trend. It breeds idiots. Sticking your wiener into a primed mousetrap is very imaginative, but that doesn't make it any less stupid.

There was a slogan on a softdrink commercial, if I remember correctly. Something like.
"You are unique. Just like everybody else."

[AntiAntiMatter]

Brian Jacques died.

This made me sad.

[SalmonGod]

I, for one, have never managed to understand this "every one of you is unique with insightful and imaginative ideas" trend. It breeds idiots. Sticking your wiener into a primed mousetrap is very imaginative, but that doesn't make it any less stupid.

There was a slogan on a softdrink commercial, if I remember correctly. Something like.
"You are unique. Just like everybody else."

I think this is too often misinterpreted.  People need to understand that being unique doesn't necessarily mean high value in all aspects.  It only means that everyone has a combination of life experiences and predispositions that is 100% unique to them, which amounts to everyone having different perspectives and talents to offer the world.  People still need to work to figure out how to make use of them so they're actually worth something, and recognize their inherent disadvantages as well.  People hear this unique snowflake stuff and seem to think "Oh... so everyone is awesome?  I'm awesome?  Right now?  Neat!"

[Vector]

^ EXACTLY.

I'm working on ideas to combat this.  "Everyone has an intrinsic value of awesome, when you're using the word "awesome" one particular way.  In the other way, there's a hell of a lot of disparity out there."

There will be papers, there will be publications, and there will be ideas, god dammit.

[Il Palazzo]

No matter what, expressing the view "we should not be such complacent wretches" is going to make people angry at you because it disturbs the status quo they enjoy, and makes them feel uncomfortable.  If you turn that discomfort into full-fledged shame or anger directed at themselves, they may actually do something about it... but there's this shell you have to get through, when it comes to this particular issue.

I was sure not to elevate myself over the other students, and said that I was indeed in the same boat =/  I think this is why my professor didn't disown me.

Since you know what reaction shoving the "truth" as you percieve it into their faces is bound to provoke, then it should be obvious to you that it's not the proper course of action, if you're aiming at making them change their evil ways.
Use a carrot rather than a stick. Making them angry will only lead to rejection of your ideas, but you can try and engage them in (civil)conversations and disputes, and entice them to accept your point of view as their own, by making it attractive to them, by making them feel good about themselves for accepting it.
How you should do it exactly, is not something that I can, or could answer, but seeing how you appear to have some spare cycles in your brain when compared to at least some of them, you should be able to think of something. The chances of success are certainly better than screaming bloody murder becasuse your fellow students are god damn idiots for thinking as they do.
A good analogy, I think, is with religious discussions - I never heard of a situation where calling the other side dumb made them convert.

[Something Evil]

The annoying thing is that educators (and most have surprisingly poor knowledge of what makes people tick) quite often deliberately spindoctor the idea of "Just as unique as everyone else." into "You are awesome." with the purpose of instilling confidence into students.

In theory, it should work, because of the connotations in most people's vocabulary of uniqueness as something special, but uniqueness is the most horribly common thing in existence. Likewise, in theory, raising taxes during an economic crisis should also work, bc. there's nothing worse than budgetary deficit.
Reality then swoops in and punches you in the nads.

All this method is doing is inflating egos.

[SalmonGod]

Yeah.  People need confidence, but too much confidence most often leads to complacency.  It's a fine balance... and somehow most people seem to think a sledgehammer is the proper tool for achieving it.

Personally, I believe in all the unique snowflake stuff, but I'll only ever recite it to someone who needs a major boost... not that I'm an educator.  I thought about being a teacher when I was much younger, but it didn't take long to realize I would be incompatible with the system.

[Bauglir]

-snip-

[Bohandas]

I, for one, have never managed to understand this "every one of you is unique with insightful and imaginative ideas" trend. It breeds idiots. Sticking your wiener into a primed mousetrap is very imaginative, but that doesn't make it any less stupid.

There was a slogan on a softdrink commercial, if I remember correctly. Something like.
"You are unique. Just like everybody else."

My personal philosophy is that each and every person is an asshole in their own unique way but all are equally insignificant.

You know what, just listen to this song by National Lampoon, it sums up the position much better than I could myself

Sticking your wiener into a primed mousetrap is very imaginative, but that doesn't make it any less stupid.

Unless you're getting paid the same kind of money that Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera, Steve-O, etc. get for doing that kind of thing.

[Something Evil]

Misplaced confidence, not overconfidence ruins things. Being unshakably confident that you can gain a new skill if you work on it is perfect. And the sick thing is that it works, even in art. You may not make anything groundbreaking but "competent" is always reachable.
Being unshakably confident that you've mastered a skill will make for the Wall Street Crash of 1929.


Someone I know is about as unique as they get. She has no skills other than being a prick, and is hellbent on proving everyone wrong about the fact, while retaining said null skill level that passes in her for competence.

So, something like this then?

PERFECT!

[Leafsnail]

She also told me that if I was going to be unhappy with the level of the course, I should leave.  As such, I will be leaving and starting my own university.

This is what my mental autocomplete read.

[Darvi]

Bluh, new day, have a physics test in 13 hours. Hope that I'll remember the theoretical stuff -_-

[The Merchant Of Menace]

She also told me that if I was going to be unhappy with the level of the course, I should leave.  As such, I will be leaving and starting my own university.

This is what my mental autocomplete read.

Vector U?
I'd go there.

[Darvi]

She also told me that if I was going to be unhappy with the level of the course, I should leave.  As such, I will be leaving and starting my own university.

This is what my mental autocomplete read.

         ->
Vector U?
I'd go there.

Corrected that for ya