So that's why I always felt like a genius growing up. The people around me were just stupid, and so was the system that enforces their stupidity.

I was always the one ruining the curve by acing tests that everyone else got Cs and Ds on, and people acted like that was my fault. Classmates would ask me to explain something on the homework, and I didn't know where to begin because I just couldn't comprehend how they weren't getting it. I would state it in the plainest terms and they'd say things like "That's not an explanation, you just said what it is" and like yeah, any further detail than that would basically sound patronizing. (The funny thing is, people call me arrogant when I make it sound too dumbed down, but they also call me arrogant when I assume a higher-level understanding. It seems "intelligence" is the same thing as "arrogance" to some people...).

But then I go to Europe and basically feel like a dumb, backwards redneck because everyone around me has such a better understanding of the world than I do. That's why I love Europe though, I'd rather be the dumbest person in a room full of smart people than the smartest person in a room full of dumb people.

People in the US don't get it though. They think Europe is "posh" because all they ever see of it are shallow instagram travelers, so they think I'm a snob for liking Europe better than the US. It's really annoying.