Considering that some of the world’s greatest achievements have come to be through the work of smart people, why is it that people don’t like smart people?

They feel inferior

Typical people, upon the moment of discovery that they are dealing with a smart person, sometimes instantly feel a few inches shorter. They know that at least when it comes to problem solving, they do not stand a chance. I remember once at work, one of the girls was bragging on me about how I had figured something out. She was telling her direct report about how smart I was. Now mind you, I wasn’t the one bragging, she was. I remember how he kind of swaggered over and told me (loud enough for everyone to hear) about how, even though I might be "book smart" he was "street smart" so presumably, we were now equals. I never mentioned to him about how my years in Detroit probably made me a hell of a lot more "street smart" than his years in a cozy suburb of Indianapolis made him. The point is, he felt squashed. But even so, we’re not equals. We work in an office where our aim is to solve problems on our company’s behalf. Typical people, especially those in authority, suddenly become aware of their capacity to lose, badly. I don’t think they like this.

They are jealous

In the crudest version, they want what they cannot have. When it comes to a poor man who meets a wealthy man, at least the poor man can say to himself, "One day…" Not so with smarts. Granted, there are lots of things normal people can learn, lots of new skills they can pick up, but the ability to acquire raw computing power has limitations. When a typical person encounters a smart person, they are suddenly faced with something that will never be available to them. What’s sometimes strange about this is that they proceed to immediately dislike the smart person they just met, even though it’s something that they want. I guess it’s like the male/female drama thing. Like the girl until you find out she doesn’t like you, then you hate her.

They know smart people can see through them

This one will most likely get me flamed, but there’s some significant truth to it. Typical people can enjoy a normal day of navigating through their world and they know exactly how to act around other normal people. They’ve got all those little games down pat. Joke about the game, check. Talk about boobs, check. Discuss the recent hangover, check. But when they encounter a smart person, none of that actually works. It forces them to make an effort to enter new topics on new and unfamiliar ground. They might realize that all the things they’re used to talking about are artificial, and when they try to talk about topics with real substance, they might quickly realize that…they just don’t have anything to say.

This is what Nietzsche pointed out as well: most people create inferior complexes when facing competition from smart individuals, so they develop resentment against anyone rising above mediocrity, and voila, you have the basis of morality, saying all people are equal. Reality says we're not, so let's move on and make the best of who and what we are. It feels better that way, for all of us.

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Data persona: Friedrich Nietzsche