Street smarts is a worthwhile business book, and i do recommend this book to anyone interested in entrepreneurial material, however the author played a bit of a deception in the reader. Booksmarts as people would define it simply means well read, excelled in school, reads a lot on many subjects, good problem solving skills. Intelligent people are sometimes street smart because. According to the urban dictionary, having book smarts is the ability to succeed scholastically, but not necessarily in the real world. Know a good few people who are just street smart who do quite well for themselves. Book smart or street smart, we have to put effort into becoming smarter. Engineers, planners, urban designers, elected officials and concerned citizens, read this book to strengthen your transportation understanding and win the looming policy debates. However, street smarts and book smarts completely mean different things. Someone who is intelligent, learns well, and educated very well academically.
My uncle, the business owner, is rarely taken advantage of because he is street smart. The real difference between book smarts and genuine. If youre book smart and not street smart, then get out in the freaking world. The first time i used urban dictionary, the online opensource dictionary of slang, i was looking for timbos. The dictionary shows one definition smart as follows. Philosophical shtis it better to be book smart or street. Street smarts vs book smarts, the epic debate continued. While intelligence has been defined in many different ways including as ones capacity for logic, understanding, selfawareness, learning, emotional knowledge, planning, creativity, and problemsolving. The urban dictionary describes street smart as the prevailing trait of someone who is intelligent, has good common sense, knows how to handle bad situations, and has the skills necessary to function where they live. A shrewd ability to survive in a dangerous urban environment. Competition, entrepreneurship, and the future of roads, a book about private highways.
The figured world of smartness in the lives of marginalized, urban youth. Being street smart means having interest in other activities more than in school work, while being book smart is the complete opposite of that. While which one is more helpful can be a matter of debate and also depends on the context, it is generally seen that street smarts weigh more on the scale when it comes. In graffs essay, hidden intellectualism, graff compares street smarts to book smarts. Practical knowledge, especially in a specific area of endeavor. Street smarts definition, shrewd awareness of how to survive or succeed in any situation, especially as a result of living or working in a difficult environment, as a city ghetto neighborhood. Whereas, street smarts refers to the experiential knowledge on things. Apr 23, 20 when people discuss street smarts and book smarts, its usually implied that you can only have one or the other. A common trait for many people, especially males, that usually grew up either in the inner city or hardworking rural environment. Essay on street smarts versus book smarts 706 words bartleby. This type of intelligence is used to recall or recognize, analyze, evaluate, and. Just to set an example in regardings to the topic, when the economy comes down to a threat where individuals will be drafted to war, street smarts will doubt less and think of strategies in order to survive through the battlefield,while on the other hand book smarts are hesitating about. Shrewd awareness of how to survive in an often hostile urban environment.
However, get on i95 or any other major interstate and without a little street smarts, that book will do very little for you. Apr 17, 2018 street smarts give you a different set of skills than academics. Being street smart beats being book smart any day of the week. Book smarts in academia 30 words 6 pages our society has always had an obsession with labels whether in the form of fashion, our description of personal relationships, or the way we see ourselves as individuals. Book smart people are frequently educated to a high level.
However, the stereotype of a street smart person is someone who is intelligent and knows how to handle important situations in the streets but is not as welleducated academically. Their precision of knowledge can somehow compensate for their lack of experience applying it in the real world. A good definition between street smarts and book smarts. Oct 07, 2012 thus i was happy to get some help recently from a new book by john a. Issues and ideas in public education, v39 n2 p145166 jun 2007. Street smart the psychology of good and bad judgment on november 10, 2015, in dr. Definition of street smarts in the idioms dictionary. Academics youre absorbing a ton of information, and youre most likely not to use a good amount of it. Being able to succeed scholastically, and not necessarily in the real world. Sep 10, 2017 the general definition of book smart is someone who is intelligent and very well educated academically.
Vox populi worldly wisdom and wariness in human interactions. Street smart film, a 1987 film with christopher reeve and morgan freeman. Street smarts vs book smarts talking about thinking. Street smarts definition of street smarts by the free.
I respect what graff, and x have to say and agree with them, both book and street smarts are very important. Urban dictionary says a street smart person has a lot of common sense and knows whats going on in the world. What is the difference between book smart and street smart. Information and translations of street smarts in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. The truth is, being book smart and street smart has a lot more to do than just your upbringing and personality. It has a lot to do with your preferred learning style, and which way you perceive the world. Definition of street smarts written for english language learners from the merriamwebster learners dictionary with audio pronunciations, usage examples, and countnoncount noun labels. A trait that helps one cope with the everyday person or situation in the ghetto and also in personal life and business. The general definition of book smart is someone who is intelligent and very well educated academically. This term is often seen more negatively in the context of college acceptance and level of general intelligence. Mullins, street smart disciplines of successful people that put some meat on the bones of what it means. In the beginning he emphasizes that his knowledge of business comes from street smarts, beginning with the lessons he learned on the street from his father. Street smarts definition of street smarts by medical. Street smarts give you a different set of skills than academics.
Urban dictionary says a street smart person has a lot of common sense and. You can quote me yes, being street smart can give you a bigger advantage. Some intelligent people are not educated to a higher level. Just as useful as book smarts, and in many cases more so. Your iq is a measurement of your intelligence, and doesnt change because it is a measure of your ability to learn. Sep 08, 2015 the bottom line is that as with many other things in life, there are times when book smarts come in handy and other times when street smarts are the way to go.
American random house websters websters new world websters third new international dictionary world book dictionary. Tomas chamorropremuzic, editorial advisory board, leadership, learning, talent management, by dr. Getting along with others knowing which questions to ask and not asking too many,being polite and friendly, but also being assertive. Graff debates the common belief that having book smarts gives one an intellectual advantage over other forms of intellectualism. Six street smart urban survival skills survival life.
Malcolm x obviously had the street smarts, but like graff he mixed his new book smarts with his street smarts to be successful in life. But, by far, the most common definition of smart is to be very good at learning and understanding things. And if youre street smart and not book smart, then read a goddamn. Street smarts definition of street smarts by medical dictionary. It solely is a theoretical understanding of facts or ideas. Why you need to be street smart, not book smart better. Average intelligence, common sense, lack of interest in reading, ability to fix most anything without needing an instruction manual, skill at handling difficult people, and a refreshing lack. For many people, there is no difference between smart and intelligent, because the.
Why would someone think being street smart is better. Street smarts vs book smarts idiotest all new tue duration. Essay on street smarts versus book smarts 706 words. We will probably be very different from each other. Street smarts over book smarts gerald graff is a professor of english and education in the university of illinois at chicago. If you dont have street smarts, you wont last long out there. Common sense knowing who you can trust, which areas in town are good and which are bad, etc.
Oxford defines a street smart person as someone who displays the experience and knowledge necessary to deal with the difficulties or dangers of life in an urban environment. Its clear that some people have better judgment than others. How smartness is defined within schools contributes to low academic achievement by poor and racialethnic minority students. The stereotype of a book smart person is someone who is upperclass and well educated but less knowledgeable when it comes to handling important situations faced in bad neighborhoods and lowerclass city areas a. Some people are analytically intelligent or book smart. That last question is what im going to be talking about today. Know plenty of people with a ton of book smarts who didnt go to far in life. You can have all the book smarts in the world, but the real world will eat you up and spit you out if you aint able to play the game. Intelligence, on the other hand, is something with which you are born. Ebscohost serves thousands of libraries with premium essays, articles and other content including street smarts vs. Graff believes that having the personality of a street smart person can benefit society if one knows how to channel their potential correctly. Book smarts refer to the education, schooling and other kinds of knowledge that one has acquired. Body part 2 being street smarts is also the way to succeed.
Street smart video game, a 1989 arcade game by snk. However it also states that unemployment statistics show book smarts more than double your chances of finding a job. Streetsmart definition, possessing or showing street smarts. Urban dictionary is a crowdsourced online dictionary for slang words and phrases, operating. Apr 18, 2011 book smarts are having an advantage when receiving higher education and excelling academically.
Jul 27, 2011 that last question is what im going to be talking about today. Mullins, street smart disciplines of successful people that put some meat on. Street smarts is a major contribution to the great walkability shift so essential for sustainable, pleasant mobility in our lives. Book smart vs street smart essay research paper example. While this may seem unfair, its easy to see why more people tend to gravitate toward street smarts in this day and age. Now obviously you cant just get on the road and start driving with no experience whatsoever even though it seems as if many already do. Go get an apartment, or reach for a more challenging job. Jason may be street smart but he is also book smart. For example, 25% of people on social media have posted something they later regretted, the divorce rate in the us is 50%, and over the past decade the tattoo removal industry has grown 440% although tramp stamps and tasteless tweets are mostly benign mistakes, there are a remarkable number of people whose poor decisionmaking. Street smart s give you a different set of skills than academics. Why would someone think being street smart is better than. The figured world of smartness in the lives of marginalized, urban youth how smartness is defined within schools contributes to low academic.
When people discuss street smarts and book smarts, its usually implied that you can only have one or the other. The definition heres how the dictionary defines the two street smarts. The general definition of street smart is someone who is intelligent, has good common sense, knows how to handle bad situations, and has the. First, let us start out with a definition of street smart. We will always remember his i have a dream speech for being inspirational without exaggeration. Thus i was happy to get some help recently from a new book by john a.
Both malcolm x, and gerald graff make very interesting points about street and book smarts. Why street smarts always win out over book smarts when it. Jan 31, 2014 the truth is, being book smart and street smart has a lot more to do than just your upbringing and personality. There is no doubt in my mind street smarts kicks book smarts ass. Book smart people are usually great at reading a chapter out of a textbook and passing a multiple.
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