Just want to say I'm absolutely not into the "who has it harder" game. What resonated with me is that we have at least some societal recognition of what a math nerd is. We don't really have the same recognition for . . . I don't even know quite what to call it.
"Verbally gifted" doesn't quite capture Persson's description of "persuasive argument . . . and the precocious ability to question, analyse and think critically about philosophical, ethical, moral, sociological, political and historical issues."
It's harder to quantify, and it doesn't have a convenient readily-understood label. I think it's also talked about less even in the gifted community, because it's not something we know how to test for (although it probably correlates somewhat with tests of "verbal" ability).
And I think there are unique difficulties that go with being such a person. Other people do tend to see them as obnoxious know-it-alls, if not outright control-freaks who think they have to be right all the time.
But suffering isn't a contest. I don't think it's meaningful to talk about it being worse to be this or that type of gifted. I just think it's valuable to recognize that the different types exist, and this is one that I think is under-recognized, and it was thrilling for me to see it described. I think my daughter is going to be like that. My father, who I admire very much, is also like that.
