StopDropAndBowl said:
I see no indication that she is stupid. Young... sure. Conceited? Absolutely. But not stupid. No less intelligent than Yui. Perhaps a little less perceptive, but I remind you that she is very young. Besides, I didn't say that she was a great person, or that she was a genius. I said that she was intelligent, and likeable. To me, she is likeable. I repeat: I would have loved to date her when I was in high-school. She is just the right kind of bitch that can be really fun. Of course she has some growing up to do, but then again, Hayaman DEFINITELY has some growing up to do; and in his own way, he is just as, if not more, unfriendly than she is.
Another one of your favorite words: young. Please remember that every character in this series is 'young'. If you will, even Shizuka-Sensei has a childish side to her. However, 'young' is by no means a way of comparing a bunch of characters none of which are truly mature.
(And I doubt you're trying to throw around your weight by showing how grown-up you are)
I shall provide a more detailed explanatioin as to why I once considered Yumiko dumb and still refuse to believe her to be intelligent.
It's the tennis event in episode 3.
"Hey, you're playing tennis! Hey, mind if we play here too?"
"Miura-san, we're not playing."
"Huh? What? I couldn't hear you!"
"Totsuka got permission to use this place. So noone else can use it."
"Oh? Aren't you using it?"
"No. I'm just helping him practice. I'm like a subcontractor. Outsourcing, you know."
"Huh? That, like, made zero sense. It was, like, totally gross."
Shortly after, she butts in on Hayama's conversation with Hikki.
"Hey, Hayato. I wanna play tennis already"
And shortly after, butting in again on the boy's agreement to settle it with a match:
"Oh my god, sounds totally fun. Like, let's make it a mixed doubles match! Oh. My. God.
I'm like, a genius!"
Lastly, after proposing the mixed match herself, she's halfway attacking Yui for taking Hikki's side. Now tell me, genius girl. Who is it you'll be playing a mixed match against? -_-
Basically, what makes her look like a stupid bitch are her 2 catchphrases.
"That makes, like, zero sense" - pretty much admitting she's too stupid to understand. Yet by no means would she admit that. It's the question that's stupid or 'totally gross', not her being unable to comprehend it.
"I can't hear you!" whenever someone says things she doesn't like. Her hearing is perfectly fine.
After all, she could hear Yukino saying she's out of stamina from the other side of the court.
The only reason I don't consider her 'dumb as a brick' anymore is that instances of her acting stupid like in episode 3 did not reoccur. Instead, she showed how she's looking out for her friends, not letting people talk bad about them and her quick reaction to Hina's Fujoshi lines in order to keep her out of trouble.
Maybe Yumiko and Yui look stupid by contrast because Hachiman and Yukino are just so damn smart.
But still, what is your definition of 'intelligent' ? Non-primitive? Humanlike intelligence? Merely not being stupid? Or just as intelligent as an average person?
No offence intended.
StopDropAndBowl said: Yeah, I listed superficial traits because let's be honest, Yumiko is a pretty superficial girl. I don't hate people for being superficial, I actually am kind of fond of it. Just like some people are very introspective and have a lot of depth to them, some people are superficial and shallow and not very introspective at all. I don't hate people for being the way they are, I accept them and try to find the good things about them. And I would hate to say it, but being attractive physically is a good attribute. It does make a person more likeable a lot of times. Not just being naturally pretty, but actually taking good care of themselves, showing good grooming and fashion sense. Those are admirable qualities, especially in a female. I don't want to spend time with someone who doesn't even have the sense or courtesy to take care of their appearance.
Maybe it's just a facet of me getting older, but I'm much more tolerant now of superficial people than I was when I was young and more like Hayaman. As I grew, I realized that hating people for being superficial was no better than hating people for any quality or personality quirk.
It's not like I hate good-looking people. It's just that I refuse to judge a book by it's cover. Looks are deceptive, therefore I must see past that in order to see the people for what they are. Whenever I notice that someone's good looks unconciously make me have a higher opinion of someone, I try to counter that.
Maybe it's just me being stubborn, but I refuse to spend time in order to adjust my appearance so that a maximum amount of people would accept me. Those who are shallow enough to dislike me due to my looks - I already consider them scum. And I wouldn't be able to get along with those people even if I did manage to 'deceive' them by adjusting my looks. I judge people by my own standards, not the ones that society tries to shove onto everyone.
Succumbing to society's principles and discarding your own values and opinions isn't GROWING up. It's GIVING up. Giving up your individuality.
Once again, no offence intended. |