What other cities you Chicagoan have lived at and how did it compare? (Nashville: real estate, high schools)

[CarolinaBredChicagoan]

Originally Posted by ubuntumatrix

It's cheaper than London, but the people here seem much stupider by comparison.

How much more stupider? Like a little more stupider or a lottle more stupider?

[Avengerfire]

I prefer the term stupidest.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by surlycue

Jeez Drover, this vacation must be doing you good. We were all being bitter and snippy and here you come giving good advice and even welcoming nay-sayers.

Well, your first name is surly... It would be false advertising if you were all chipper and Minnesota nice like the rested Drover.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by surlycue

Jeez Drover, this vacation must be doing you good. We were all being bitter and snippy and here you come giving good advice and even welcoming nay-sayers.

Wasn't much of a vacation unfortunately (I'm back now), mostly just family business. In fact I'm kinda pissed off that I had the Northwoods right at my fingertips and didn't get to take advantage of it at all. The highlight of the trip was the scenery while driving through the driftless region. And I barely even got to see that because the whole drive there and all but 2 hours of the drive back was done at night.

[Spandau]

Originally Posted by ubuntumatrix

It's cheaper than London, but the people here seem much stupider by comparison.

Because there's nobody in London stupid enough to believe that Jordan writes her own novels and then BUYS them, or join the BNP, or camp outside the Big Bruva house during the 7th series, or build shrines to Jade Goody, or read the Dail Mail or the Daily Mirror, or buy High Street clothing that costs £10 but falls apart after one washing, etc etc etc. Did you have a really nice vacation there once where you went to the Tate and a show at the West End or something?

[linicx]

Chivaco is the undisputed queen city of the midwest. Its a contradiction in terms. It is a city of 1000 faces. Yuu hate itl you like it; you love it, and then you hate it again. Chicago is full of life. Its gritty; it's elegant; it's crass; people are packed like sardines in a can, yet is philanthropic. You can compare parts and things about Chicago to other cities in the world, but you cannot compare the whole to another, as there is no other to compare to Chicago. .

[ubuntumatrix]

Originally Posted by Spandau

Because there's nobody in London stupid enough to believe that Jordan writes her own novels and then BUYS them, or join the BNP, or camp outside the Big Bruva house during the 7th series, or build shrines to Jade Goody, or read the Dail Mail or the Daily Mirror, or buy High Street clothing that costs £10 but falls apart after one washing, etc etc etc. Did you have a really nice vacation there once where you went to the Tate and a show at the West End or something?

It's a known fact that London has one of the highest mean IQs on the planet, it's also know that Chicago isn't even touching the top 10 percentile in the United States of America. Same thing with municipal education, one is renown for its secondary and post secondary education, the other is infamous for its...

But, hey... Continue on with your ad hominem argument; you're just providing an illustration.

[oakparkdude]

Originally Posted by ubuntumatrix

It's a known fact that London has one of the highest mean IQs on the planet, it's also know that Chicago isn't even touching the top 10 percentile in the United States of America. Same thing with municipal education, one is renown for its secondary and post secondary education, the other is infamous for its...

But, hey... Continue on with your ad hominem argument; you're just providing an illustration.

Hmm, I didn't know that about the London IQ. Do you have a citation for that? Thanks.

[long101]

Originally Posted by ubuntumatrix

It's a known fact that London has one of the highest mean IQs on the planet, it's also know that Chicago isn't even touching the top 10 percentile in the United States of America. Same thing with municipal education, one is renown for its secondary and post secondary education, the other is infamous for its...

But, hey... Continue on with your ad hominem argument; you're just providing an illustration.

Wait were stupider then London?

[Spandau]

Originally Posted by ubuntumatrix

It's a known fact that London has one of the highest mean IQs on the planet, it's also know that Chicago isn't even touching the top 10 percentile in the United States of America. Same thing with municipal education, one is renown for its secondary and post secondary education, the other is infamous for its...

Oh wait, I totally forgot about that thing where citizens of cities all over the world are randomly given IQ tests!

A quick web search threw up one study that sounds even remotely credible, although it doesn't make Londoners look exceptionally smart... http://www.geocities.com/dienekesp2/greekiq/index.html And anyway, who even accepts IQ tests as a definitive measure of intelligence anymore?

As far as London's municipal education being renowned on the secondary level... What are you smoking? This is such a hot topic in London it's absolutely inescapable in conversation, in the press etc, particularly this time of year. I won't bore you with too many details, but public schools in the UK are what we would call private schools in the States. They are not paid for by the government or the council authority. Parents pay big money and jump through many hoops to get their kids into those schools, because the state-funded schools in London rank poorly in the league tables. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/lif...cle6822700.ece
If you knew London, you would be aware of the fact that patches throughout the city were decimated during the Blitz, and after the war council estates were built on these areas. This means that even in areas with extremely high property values, there are mid-rise government subsidized housing projects scattered in the catchment areas. Generally speaking, the kids from the council estates bring down the GCSE scores, and the wealthy parents flee. In some cases, like Mossbourne Academy, a good head and high levels of parent involvement in the local schools can make them an attractive alternative to fee-paying schools, but the same is true in Chicago and I suspect many other cities.

If you were arguing that London is one of the pivotal financial centers of the world, far outranking Chicago, I would agree with you. London is more prominent in the arts. It produces more television and film than Chicago (although increasingly large numbers of British TV shows and movies are now filmed in Wales, the BBC has been forced to devolve large portions of its production to Manchester and Glasgow, and ITV is essentially bankrupt, so watch this space.) It has a more significant role in the publishing, music and fashion industries. As a national capital, it has a lot of political power. These are concrete and verifiable statements. And it does attract intelligent and talented people from all over the world. BUT, they are not the only people living in London. It attracts a much, much larger number of glaziers, housekeepers, minicab drivers, etc. These 'average' people constitute the majority of the population that you encounter during the day on the tube, in the shops, at the pub, etc. (You have to be asked to be a member of a club and pay a fee of several grand, darling, before you can drink with the smart and powerful in London. Unless you've got friends to sponsor you as a guest! )

I think there's an argument to be made that people in British cities are generally wittier than in America, but with Chicago’s strong performance in comedy, it’s debatable how much it applies here. The next/first time you're in London, I suggest you go to a comedy club. The blokes taking the p*ss out of the poor comics are regularly the funniest part of the evening, although you’ll invariable get a good laugh down at the local, as well.

The thing that strikes me most about your assertion is that it reflects no understanding of the culture of the city itself. Londoners would never describe themselves as being smarter than anyone else. Anyone who would make such a claim for themselves or their peer group (and the number of such people would be few, British culture doesn't encourage it, particularly among men) would point to their Oxbridge background as a signifier of their intelligence, not the fact that they live in London.

Living in other countries is an eye-opening experience and I encourage anyone who is interested to explore the options available. I'm disinclined to go the 'and your nan smells of wee' route, so I'll just say, it's never a good idea to claim knowledge you don't possess.