Condescension And Intelligence

When someone condescends to you, it's literally an indication of a lack of ability on their part. A poor ability to assess the intelligence level of others is quite straightforward, no different than having a poor ability to work out mathematical problems, comprehend language, or work out spatial relationships between objects.

A person who was adept at assessing the intelligence levels of others would not be detected condescending, because the person they were condescending TO would not be aware enough to notice their tone if they were as dim as they had been assessed to be.

Further, the desire alone to assess the intelligence levels of those with whom one is speaking to indicates something about their personality and level of self-esteem. The exchange of information does not require any such assessment; information exchange is completely neutral. The ego that is looking for ways to boost itself seeks to assess the "limitations" of random others. The other common reason one would make a habit of trying to assess the intelligence "limitations" of others would be for conning, trickery, and thievery purposes. 

What's The Fun In Relationships?

Being in any kind of relationship is like riding a seesaw. There is joy and peace when each person is actually playing the game of the seesaw, creating balance, creating momentum, slowing it down when it gets wobbly or too high, and speeding up when both feel secure and are in the balance zone. The seesaw is great fun to play with, but that fun can only be found when another person who understands..., at least intuitively, the physics of balance. If the person on the other end of the seesaw is just trying to knock you off, bounce you on the ground, or make it go too fast so they can enjoy the look on your face, they probably don't comprehend the physics of balance, and would not be able to appreciate the feeling of achieving the subtle levels of balance and speed that can only be attained with two people purposely synchronizing with one another. If the only reason the other person likes to play on the seesaw is to manipulate the person on the other side, then they aren't going to be able to achieve balance, or comprehend the joy in it.
They will also jump off and let the other person slam on the ground when they get bored, or the other person won't let them be "the boss", or when they see another toy, or another game going on.
They aren't going to be able to focus on the seesaw for very long at all, and won't even know why anyone would want to. It's boring to them, they can't comprehend, or feel, the magnetic resonance that's created in achieving balance and harmony with another person.
What's fun for them is competing for control, attention, and domination over others. That' pretty much it. They simply can not grasp why someone finds achieving balance and resonance with others FUN and fulfilling.
Having a relationship with a Controller, whether they're friend, family, romantic or business, is like riding a seesaw with a bully. Most of the ride is going to just be either dealing with the bully's attempts at "taking control" of the seesaw, or trying to make you go faster or slower, and when you're not dealing with that, you're watching them for signs that they're going to slam it again, and you're wondering when they're just going to jump off and let you slam on the ground. It's not fun, it's just stressful. But you know you can't play the seesaw without another person, and the bully knows this too.
The only way to get away from a bully who thinks he or she owns the seesaw at the playground is to jump off. Go find a different playground, and stop trying to find someone to play on the seesaw for a while. Swings are fun too, and they only require one person. When you find someone you think you can trust to play on the seesaw with you, use caution and pay attention to their actions. If they show signs of being a bully, just get off the seesaw and go back to the swings.

What The ~ Happened To Discernment?

Just because something is supposed to be clever or intellectual doesn't mean it's good, or good for you, or good for the minds of children. Just because you can do something doesn't mean it should be done, and just because you feel something doesn't mean you should act on it.

What happened to the human brain, anyway?

Don't make 12 year olds watch "The Lottery", or 13 year olds read books that would depress a Tibetan monk, or let 9 year olds watch rated R movies, use some sense. Don't listen to songs about being severely depressed or being a "loser", quit listening to lyrics about violence and hate and then complaining that your life sucks because the world sucks. Whatever you feed the brain, whatever the mind is engaged in, that's what it remembers... that's what it absorbs...helloooo... how else did you think it worked? You're just born the way you'll be when you're 45 or 70? DUH! Quit feeding your brain and your kids' brains depressing input, and then wondering why "Kids are the way they are", or why the "World is screwed up"...! That's like eating donuts every hour on the hour and complaining that you've gained weight! "It's the woooorld making me gain weight...." No, it's you stuffing your own face with donuts.

Venting about real things and learning about real things are important; filling the air and bombarding ourselves with melodrama is a completely different thing.