Was Gunn too Smart?

[Buffyverse Fan]

Even before the brain boost, was Gunn's seemingly educated wit and eloquence believable for a homeless man?

 

[Bungle Jerry]

No, there's no connection between level of education, level of wit and homelessness. A lot of people without access to traditional education still thrive, perhaps through being naturally bright or perhaps through being inquisitive. I think Gunn would say what he has is 'street smarts' - a cunning honed out of the need for survival and a leadership instinct.

 

[ScoobyGroupie]

Ooooo I never thought of that but he did seem very smart. 😱 Not that homeless people aren't smart. 😛 But he did talk like he was raised with a very good education, better than most maybe. That's quite odd. :confused2:

 

[Wishing Oceans]

He did? Lol, I never noticed. 🙂 But he DID seem to have a lot of life experience, and was probably naturally intelligent.

 

[BuffyElevated]

No, there's no connection between level of education, level of wit and homelessness. A lot of people without access to traditional education still thrive, perhaps through being naturally bright or perhaps through being inquisitive. I think Gunn would say what he has is 'street smarts' - a cunning honed out of the need for survival and a leadership instinct.

I highly agree with this post. Just because someone is homeless doesn't mean they're not intelligent. I mean, they still have access to things like libraries or even newspapers to be able to read and learn things.

 

[Willow-Tree]

Well, I suppose homeless people would be more street-savvy than others, but there really isn't much evidence to support this.

I don't understand what you're trying to ask?

 

[NY State of Mind]

I know street people, drug addicts, and people in jail who are extremelly intelligent..its called self education and living life..its how i gained most of my knowledge

by the way..street smarts is a whole different thing..theres people who educate themselves reading wise and research topics..street smarts is what you pick up on the street like knowing how to read people..how to survive certain instances..spot cons, etc. Just knowing the way the street works

 

[Willow-Tree]

I agree... Intelligence is not determined by class... I mean, yes, it could have an impact, but most of it is whether or not you have the ability to learn, and if you do, do you use it for your advantage?

 

[LadyLavinia]

Or it's possible to HAVE an education before one becomes homeless. I'm sure that Gunn's education began before he and his sister became homeless. Or one can be simply homeless . . . and intelligent. I do recall seeing many homeless people spending time in my city's main downtown library.

And Charles Gunn wasn't just "street smart". He was a very intelligent man, who suffered from insecurity. I believe he had the brains to become an attorney without any magic spell from the Senior Partners.

 

[white avenger]

I think that it would have been highly unlikely, if not impossible, for someone to have survived on the streets for as long as Gunn did, especially considering the fact that he organized and led a crew of like minded street kids in actually hunting and killing vampires. His intelligence has, to me at least, never been in any doubt. As for any formal education, that's another matter entirely, and he was almost certainly even more lacking in that department than Faith ever was. However, there is another factor to consider here.

Almost certainly. between bouts of sex and gorging on pancakes, Fred would have helped Gunn to improve his education, if only on an informal level, by assisting and tutoring him in the finer elements that would help him to function in an environment considerably less primitive than the abandoned houses of his younger days, as well as to contribute more to the team than "just the muscle," as he once put it.

Also, it's quite possible that Cordy helped him along in that area even before Fred showed up.

 

[mrrout]

gunn was raised by his grandmother before living in the streets. he certainly had basic school (he can read, count) and his grandmother told him about vampires.
and he is naturally smart, which helped him survive in the street.

 

[Tome]

LadyLavinia said it best, but to answer the OP's question... Gunn wasn't 'too' smart, he simply had not been put in situations beforehand to show he was a very intelligent man.

 

[Buffyverse Fan]

Fred would have helped Gunn to improve his education, if only on an informal level, by assisting and tutoring him in the finer elements that would help him to function in an environment considerably less primitive than the abandoned houses of his younger days, as well as to contribute more to the team than "just the muscle," as he once put it.

Also, it's quite possible that Cordy helped him along in that area even before Fred showed up.

I'd have to agree. The Charles Gunn we first met wouldn't take a break from the Good Fight to eat a meal (literally), so I can't really see him holding up in a library reading, while his people were in jeopardy. I think his pre-Champion days of education coupled with Fred and Cordy's influence helped him come across as the eloquent and knowledgeable guy from AS2-4.

No, there's no connection between level of education, level of wit and homelessness.

Good to know. You should probably get Barack Obama, Arne Duncan, Carol Goodheart, and Gary Beckner on the phone. They surely are not as enlightened as you. Their speeches and publications seem to diverge dramatically from your own research, so I'm sure they'd be pleased to hear from you regarding your superior sources...

 

[LadyLavinia]

Almost certainly. between bouts of sex and gorging on pancakes, Fred would have helped Gunn to improve his education, if only on an informal level, by assisting and tutoring him in the finer elements that would help him to function in an environment considerably less primitive than the abandoned houses of his younger days, as well as to contribute more to the team than "just the muscle," as he once put it.

Gunn had proven during the team's search for Darla in Season 2 that he did use his brains to help them. Why are people still making assumptions about him, based upon his background? He didn't need Fred's help for a better education. All he had to do was go back to school. And having an education does not automatically mean that one is very intelligent. There are many highly educated people who are also incredibly stupid.

 

[Joan the Vampire Slayer]

Even before the brain boost, was Gunn's seemingly educated wit and eloquence believable for a homeless man?

Short Answer: Yes.

Long answer: Back later for that 🙂

 

[dan k]

I think his wit was totally believable, he was a man who had to think on his feet in order to survive and sometimes your just blessed at birth with the qualities that Gunn had.

I'll let Joan formulate a longer and better response though. :biggrin3:

 

[caitaintdead]

I will also let others fight this battle on my behalf, but I absolutely believe it was believable for Gunn to be intelligent and witty. Not all homeless people are stupid. Especially when it comes to young children that have been placed into environments that they need to escape.

---------- Post added at 03:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:37 PM ----------

Also, if you have watched Bones - do you think Brennan is 'to smart' considering she had a very poor education and a troubled childhood in the horrible state care system?

 

[Vengeance]

I'll diverge from popular opinion and says it wasn't that believable. I'm not denying he was intelligent but he did seem awfully well educated for a homeless man.

 

[LadyLavinia]

I'll diverge from popular opinion and says it wasn't that believable. I'm not denying he was intelligent but he did seem awfully well educated for a homeless man.

Seemed rather educated for a homeless man? Do you honestly believe that all homeless people are a bunch of simple-minded boobs? There is a homeless man that I run into nearly every day after work . . . and this guy can play several different musical instruments. Some of them very well and some of them not so well.

Being homeless or not is not an indication of one's intelligence. Why do so many people assume otherwise?

And what makes you think that Charles Gunn had spent his entire life (before meeting Angel) as a homeless person? He had a family before assuming guardianship of his sister Alonna. And considering that he does know how to read, I guess one can assume that he has been educated and schooled in the past.

 

[Cherchezlafemme]

Word.

I never once assumed that Gunn was homeless all of his life. Chances are, even though the show didn't delve into his past, his parents could have been eaten by vampires when he was a young teenager, which turned him onto fighting them. Plus, since he's from LA, I like to think of his upbringing being like the characters in L.A. Banks' Vampire Huntress series.