Forum > The term "Gifted"

I can't believe it's taken me this long to figure out that there is something seriously wrong with the term "Gifted". When I first saw the word I just took it as label, a way to classify something. In my mind "Gifted" could have been replaced with "MacGuffin" or anything else really.

I never really thought much about the metaphor implied in the name. "Gifted" - the receiver of a gift, implying that the gift is actually somehow separate from the owner. But when it comes to talking about the "Gifted" type-of-human-being it stops making much sense. In this case you can't separate the gift from the receiver. The gift and the "Gifted" person are actually the same thing, they weren't given something but rather they [i]are[/i] something.

Well, I feel very silly for taking this long to "get it".

The more you know. ;-)
June 6, 2008 | Unregistered CommenterGeorge