When someone is street smart, it means they have a good situational understanding and awareness. In simple words, they know what is going on around them and how to navigate that environment. The way they go about it is practical, generally resulting from real-life experience.
But since we all have different backgrounds, many of us didn't even get a chance to learn these lessons. However, you never know what situation you can end up in, and knowing how to respond to danger, or simply getting the best bang for your buck, can make a huge difference to your day.
Recently, Uber Facts, an online project that shares "the most unimportant things you'll never need to know" and one that we covered in the past, tweeted a question, asking, "People with 'street smarts,' what's your biggest street tip?" and received plenty of useful replies. So we decided to compile the best ones and give you a chance to learn something new. Continue scrolling and upvote the entries you like the most.
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Image credits: UberFacts
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This needs upvoted a bazillion times!!! Good on you and thanks for posting!
Children usually learn about their own relative smartness in school. Overwhelmingly, it is poor and/or students of color who are unjustly left feeling not good enough.
Jean Anyon discovered in her work concerning knowledge construction in schools that, "[Working class] children already 'know' that what it takes to get ahead is being smart, and that they themselves, are not [book smart]."
Additionally, Black and Latino students have been overly-represented in special education programs and gifted programs often result in re-segregating schools, where the White students attend the gifted program while students of color are tracked into 'regular' educational programming.
Black children as early as pre-school begin to be over-represented in what is perceived as "low ability" classes and/or classes for the "educable mentally retarded."
As mentioned above, assignments to these classes can be devastating to the students' self-perception and they may even begin to think of themselves as not smart.
Consequently, this can lead these students to have low achievement, a lack of motivation, and a desire to drop out of school altogether. The failures of many of these children are often attributed to their own abilities rather than their school's.
As Dr. Beth Hatt said, the youth think the symbols of smartness within schools include grades, diplomas, labels, standardized tests, and participation in college prep courses.
These things are what make smartness appear "real" rather than as something socio-culturally produced. They make smartness especially powerful because it becomes extremely difficult for students to challenge the ways it gets defined and how they are constructed as smart or not smart in school.
Simultaneously, these symbols begin to influence students' perceptions of themselves and their own abilities over time.
And 'winning' is when both parties understand each other better as a result.
Students who struggle to acquire the before-mentioned symbols of smartness are left to either perceive themselves as not smart or to reinterpret smartness.
When Dr. Hatt asked what they thought it meant to be smart, the youth responded with definitions that included learning what is being taught at school and how not to get caught by the police when selling drugs.
"However, two key themes overwhelmingly were present in their responses," Dr. Hatt said. "First, they clearly made a distinction between being book smart and street smart. Second, they refused to define smartness in a narrow way."
Because lots of cars have darkened windows, we usually use the hazard warning lights' triangle button for 2 flashes.
"At first, this appeared contradictory because the youth seemed to be simultaneously defining street smart as the ultimate form of smartness while also defining smartness in a way that allowed everyone to be defined as smart."
"Eventually, I realized that these were not necessarily contradictory definitions. Instead, they were both attempts at agency in speaking back to the narrow definition of smartness that had been imposed upon them in school and an attempt at reinterpreting their own identities," Dr. Hatt said.
When Dr. Hatt asked the youth to define smartness they were quick to define it as book smarts vs. street smarts.
Book smarts were directly connected to the symbols mentioned previously but street smarts were often defined as a direct counter to book smarts or the dominant discourse of smartness.
The following include some of the ways the youth defined street smarts:
"Able to not go into bankruptcy I guess... and stay out of trouble. Just able to survive on the street without getting into trouble, and keeping a home for yourself and everything going," Calveda.
♪ Don't be suspicious, don't be suspicious ♪ Wait- do be suspicious!
"If you can make ends meet, whether you're educated or not... like in school I was a book smart type person, but when I dropped out I had to learn the street smarts part of it. And yeah, I was 19 years old, 20 years old, and I had $30,000 and I could do anything I wanted with it, but yet it was illegal," Nickili.
"I believe I have some street smarts. Like I've never been arrested for drugs... I know not to walk around here with all these drugs on me broadcasting it. I mean, that would be stupid... I know when trouble should occur that I need to leave, and get out of that situation, or I have to handle my business, or not handle my business," Quinn.
"Street smarts were connected with being able to maneuver through the structures in their lives such as poverty, the police, street culture, and abusive 'others,'" Dr. Hatt said. "This distinction is key because street smarts stress agency in countering social structures or obstacles whereas, for many of the students, book smarts represented those structures or obstacles, particularly in their efforts of passing the GED or acquiring 'papers.'"
This begs the question, why is teaching (and, in turn, learning) so fragmented? Can't we figure out a way how to teach the young in a more inclusive manner? One that doesn't force them to choose between books and the street? But that's a topic for another time.
Not just on the street or whatever - this can apply to a lot of situations
Yeah, first it's hello back, then him "what's your name", or wevs. Then the insults fly and if you're lucky, they give up. Not all men, but enough men. So no to your post, as nice as you might be.
I greet averyone and thats that, nothing more.
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Yeah no. As the other women have said, this usually doesn't end well for women.
Yeah, that's a 'no" from me, dawg. Spent most of my life from about 11-20 traveling on public transportation or walking to get places, and being polite gets you almost taken to a rando's hotel. Looking pissed off and glaring gets you left alone.
This is not street smart in the slightest, do not do this, a stranger is still a stranger even with a smile and nice demeanour
Out here in farm country, we say hi or wave. The city I moved here from, no WAY would I do that. Absolutely would never ever do that. It's not safe or smart in any way, shape, or form.
Yeah. See that's so different. I live in New Orleans but I had to temporarily move up to very VERY small town Indiana when my dad passed away to fix up his house and get all of his stuff sorted n s**t and I absolutely reciprocate pleasantries from everyone here. But that's just because everyone knows everyone else & nobody is smiling or waving or asking how you're doing with the expectation of more. It's just a simple "hey!" Or a smile or wave n you go about your day. But in a city... nope. Never. Too many creeps. Too many ppl who bad intentions. Too many ppl who feel entitled to your time. Too many ppl with Ill intentions or expecting more to come of it. So I mind my damn business n I expect ppl to mind theirs n leave me alone. Lol.
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This is very situational. The random creep ogling women who pass by, ignore. The neighbor you occasionally see walking their dog past you on the street, engage.
Except if it's a dog: 1. a smiling dog is never happy 2. if you hear a dog to say hello, you'd better grab them and rush to a hospital; one of you isn't okay.
my dog sometimes looks like he is smiling when he is happy...........
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NO. If a man says "Hello" on the street, it's a test to see if I'm receptive to him trying to hit on me. Every f*****g time. If you are unhappy that women ignore you, blame the MILLIONS of scummy dudes who have chased us down the street because we made the mistake of smiling back, or saying hello back to them. It sucks because I would PREFER to be friendly but pigdog males have RUINED casual courtesy for the whole f*****g world.
I agree, although I feel like I can generally tell whether or not it's a full attention "hello" (where dude is way too interested) or just a passing mutter of "How's it goin?" and already moving on, not looking for a real reply.
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clearly a man wrote this. As a woman... I will never acknowledge a man in public like this. Even if it's just flashing a smile back.. nope. Idk how many times men have taken my "I'm just being polite" smile as an invite to come talk to me. I can't even tell you how many times a man has smiled or complimented me in public while I'm standing in line or commuting to work just because I happened to be polite he then thinks he's entitled to my time & kindness n expects me to reciprocate the interest in speaking to him. then when i politely shut it down I get yelled @ and verbally abused. So I just ignore men altogether now. Even then I still get bitched at and get told s**t like "I was just being polite! You could have just smiled back or said hi!" So if you're a woman, men already think they're entitled to your kindness... (spoiler: they're not) & even when you do smile back or say hi... they still feel entitled to more. So no. You don't owe anyone anything. Unless.... (1/2)
You're like.. going into a store and a cashier acknowledges or greets you or you're in some sort of situation where a service worker is just doing their job n being polite. Then yes, of course be polite back. But in terms of strangers in public. Nope. It's safer for women to just not acknowledge men sometimes & to pretend we don't even see you. But as a whole ... you don't owe anybody anything and Vice versa.
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This is definitely regional. I absolutely do this because it's seen as standard politeness around here. But when traveling, I don't.
There’s a tone and a look that says “I’m just being nice and now I’m done with you” and a tone for “I’m open to interacting further”. Learn the difference and use the former. I’m male and this works for me. I see females in the chat disagree so I’m open to being wrong.
For women: if you're staying in a hotel alone put something heavy in front of the door like a heavy chair or love seat.
Just because you would act decent doesn't mean another would. Are women supposed to take chances with their lives and bodies every day all day long so you can have an easy score? If someone who is pissed off, has a gun and says hi to you are you going stop, say hi back and let them shoot you?
in Baltimore when I've been in the not so great parts being nice went a long way. I always was nice to the people others were visibly nervous walking by and it never went bad for me. I'd just give a smile and say hi or excuse me to get by or if I was looking for a certain place I'd say so sorry to bother you but could you tell me where xyz is? and never once were they anything but nice about it. it seemed to me like so many people were treated as scary and it was nice for someone to walk up unafraid and be kind. even the guys selling drugs very obviously on the corners and streets were totally nice and gave me directions plenty of times. at the end of the day it's good to treat people like human beings and it really does go along way. plus I think my being a skinny little white passing girl not being afraid of every black person I see helped differentiate me from a lot of people they deal with
Agree. It takes nothing away from a person to be kind. I live downtown in a major US city and it's sad that we have come to a point where humanity is nonexistent. I stand by my point. Sometimes I see humans but no humanity. Everybody has a story; some better than others, but we all do. Just be a decent human being. It's the right thing to do
This took a lot of getting used to. When I moved from the east coast to the Midwest. I used to be like what do you want for away.
"You can only fool someone who thinks you are weaker than them one time" - Sabretooth
I never use my cell or ear buds when I am out or walking somewhere. I use a cane and its too enticing I think, to a criminal, if they see this! I also carry my purse cross body and am prepared to use my cane as a club or weapon.
I'd say keep cash in multiple pockets so you can hand them the cash from your front pocket and they think they've got it all, but you've got a reserve in the back, or the other side. If they're going to steal your money, they're probably going to steal your phone. That's my tip.
Also as a woman, be ready to bend a bit and grab balls. That hurts and will drop them to the ground fast. If their pants are super low and even if belted, if you tug and pull on the legs they will drop like a sack if potatoes and lose their grip on whatever weapon they have, then you can run or call the police! If you can, hold onto their pants. If they shimmy out of them and run, you got DNA AND A WALLET or something they carry thats personal!
Lol I worked at a gas station that some guy was driving around the parking lot trying to sell some speaker system I was pretty sure it was stolen....same guy? Lmao
Nah. I don't think my Nigerian prince will betray me like that.
I was delivering Christmas gifts in a bad section of Orlando and was stopped my some very nicely dressed men coming home from church who were concerned for my safety. I explained my task, and they took me there, stayed on the porch, and made sure I got out of the neighborhood safely. Very nice men in a very scary neighborhood that I had no idea existed.
This! This right here is so annoying. You've obviously never went to dinner with 8 guys who all insisted they sit in that spot. So. Fripping. Annoying. No, Kevin, Donald, Goofy, Bobby, Dylan, etc. you are not a character in some novel. Your a pretentious jerk who wants everyone to believe that you secretly live a dangerous life when the most dangerous thing you do is let Grandma drive you to church on Sunday.
If you go to a bar alone and it feels "rough", don't drink alcohol there. Leave.
So we are betting on foreigners tracking our movements in the first place?
Yeah, go ahead and trick the little independent restaurant into giving you a four cover table when you only need two. In fact, why not go the whole hog and book the entire restaurant out so you and Briony can have a little intimate time without all the NPCs crowding you out?
Met people like this. I'm a give for free anything your willing to do without. There is a lot of stuff/time I just don't care about. Like, it's nothing for me to give you 10 mins to vent or empathy if you need to tell a stranger about the recent death in the family. Want my unopened snack food, sure here. I'm going to be ok until the next meal anyway, you might not. I don't give money though. That feels like I'm being scammed. Coworker complaining about having to work this weekend and I'm not doing anything special, I'll work it and expect a polite thanks in return. Nothing else. I don't hold it over your head or demand anything tangible in return.
My boyfriend was an Army Ranger and spent 20 years in combat, he is now a State Police Lieutenant for Illinois usually assigned to the worst areas of Chicago. We both grew up together in Cicero, IL in the 70's and 80's which is rather notorious on it's own. Trust me- go with the or 4- be in the habit of carrying multiple items to defend yourself. I have at all times a pocket knife, pepper spray on my keys and in my jacket pocket and a concealed carry license. If for whatever reason those things don't work for you- go to the boat store and get yourself an emergency flare gun- I keep one in my car. Virtually no problems with legality and no one is going to mess with you once they realize they have a good chance of being hit with a flaming bar of potassium nitrate that will melt their clothes into their skin. Gruesome I know, but there are some very bad people in the world, protect yourselves.
What if you want to spare someone else from having to make the sacrifice that you made?
Some of these are actually laughable. "Fighting skills are a must..." Surely the ability to avoid fights is more rewarding
If you are old enough to drink you are no longer a girl but a woman and don’t accept drinks from strangers.
It seems like most of this advice isn't good advice. I mean what's with the not trusting anyone? I've got trust issues and I think that's overkill. I know there are people you can't trust in life, but that doesn't mean you just don't trust anybody at all. There are good people in this world.
A long time ago I decided that I would rather go through life trusting people, and occasionally getting hurt, than live assuming the worst of everyone. I get burned, but I think it's a better way to live. I have also helped a ton of people. *Obviously this does not apply for women in bar situations or alleyways. I'm sorry the world is shitty enough that the asterisk is needed.
People who are ‘overly paranoid’, what’s your biggest paranoia tip?
Some people spent way too much time trying to be clever, but here's some actual and useful advice. If you're going to a concert or sporting event, take a couple of extra minutes when you arrive to back into your parking space, especially if you're parking in a parking structure. When the event is over and everybody is trying to get out of the parking lot, you get to pull straight out and drive away - at least to the extent possible by the other people in the lot. But if you pulled straight into the space, you have to wait for somebody nice to let you back out. Not only is it easier for you to leave if you backed into the space, but you reduce the delay to others, too.
Always, always lock your car doors and- DO NOT KEEP YOUR HOUSE KEYS AND CAR KEYS ON THE SAME KEY RING. If you are car jacked, the bastard that took your car doesn't have immediate access to your home and anyone who is there.
I don’t expect to be car jacked any time soon, but I do keep my keys separate. If I lose my house key I can drive to the person that has my spare, if I lose my car key, I can get into my house to get the spare….
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Don't trust anyone, ever. Be miserable. Hide. Don't ever be polite. This entire list is ridiculous. Be reasonable here. Not everyone is out to get you.
Where do people live? So much advice about being careful when walking alone. Sure, be more careful when you're alone at night and there are no people on the street, but come on, do you all live in Gotham City?
Some good, some bad... some too easily taken too far... like the "mind yo' business" - suuure.... but... extending it to "don't ask anyone what they think of you, don't ask them ... " now that's veering into the "I will not be considerate or take any advice, ever" territory. That kind of singular-closed-off-pov doesn't sound like a recipe for good things.
If someone seems a little suspicious or shady, talk to them directly. Be open, bold, and loudly friendly. Ask them for a small favor, like telling you the time. Often, this will catch them off guard and diffuse the situation. They will feel caught out and seen, and therefore less likely to go through with anything bad, and they'll feel fonder of you after doing you a small favor.
If you find yourself in a nearly empty car on the subway when it would be weird for that to be the case (the other cars are packed, for example) that is not a time to think "score! I get a seat!" That is the time to quickly leave for one of the more packed cars.
This list is stupid. This is street smarts if you are talking about the cul-de-sac. I don't know if any of these people have actually ever been on the streets, or if they've just heard it from a friend of a friend. The one is just stolen from another thread that they reworded. Joke. That and they act like it's cool, you know street smarts because your life literally depends on it, not because it's fücking trendy.
Turns out my best tip is not living in a place where you need all these tips. True, I don't go out at night anymore, but my area is pretty safe. Hint: not the US.
I'm going to take the downvotes I'm sure to get for being "paranoid" in the hopes of keeping someone else safe. My boyfriend was an Army Ranger and spent 20 years in combat, he is now a State Police Lieutenant for Illinois usually assigned to the worst areas of Chicago. We both grew up together in Cicero, IL in the 70's and 80's which is rather notorious on it's own. Trust me- be in the habit of carrying multiple items to defend yourself. I have at all times a pocket knife, pepper spray on my keys and in my jacket pocket and a concealed carry license. If for whatever reason those things don't work for you- go to the boat store and get yourself an emergency flare gun- I keep one in my car. Virtually no problems with legality and no one is going to mess with you once they realize they have a good chance of being hit with a flaming bar of potassium nitrate that will melt their clothes into their skin. Gruesome I know, but there are some very bad people in the world, protect yourselves
Send me your cash, PayPal me any funds you have that you feel are a burden, I will store them in a safe place and you’ll never have to worry about getting them stolen by some dodgy n’er do well. I’m an honest bloke on the internet, you can trust me….
It seems like most of this advice isn't good advice. I mean what's with the not trusting anyone? I've got trust issues and I think that's overkill. I know there are people you can't trust in life, but that doesn't mean you just don't trust anybody at all. There are good people in this world.
A long time ago I decided that I would rather go through life trusting people, and occasionally getting hurt, than live assuming the worst of everyone. I get burned, but I think it's a better way to live. I have also helped a ton of people. *Obviously this does not apply for women in bar situations or alleyways. I'm sorry the world is shitty enough that the asterisk is needed.
People who are ‘overly paranoid’, what’s your biggest paranoia tip?
Some people spent way too much time trying to be clever, but here's some actual and useful advice. If you're going to a concert or sporting event, take a couple of extra minutes when you arrive to back into your parking space, especially if you're parking in a parking structure. When the event is over and everybody is trying to get out of the parking lot, you get to pull straight out and drive away - at least to the extent possible by the other people in the lot. But if you pulled straight into the space, you have to wait for somebody nice to let you back out. Not only is it easier for you to leave if you backed into the space, but you reduce the delay to others, too.
Always, always lock your car doors and- DO NOT KEEP YOUR HOUSE KEYS AND CAR KEYS ON THE SAME KEY RING. If you are car jacked, the bastard that took your car doesn't have immediate access to your home and anyone who is there.
I don’t expect to be car jacked any time soon, but I do keep my keys separate. If I lose my house key I can drive to the person that has my spare, if I lose my car key, I can get into my house to get the spare….
Load More Replies... Don't trust anyone, ever. Be miserable. Hide. Don't ever be polite. This entire list is ridiculous. Be reasonable here. Not everyone is out to get you.
Where do people live? So much advice about being careful when walking alone. Sure, be more careful when you're alone at night and there are no people on the street, but come on, do you all live in Gotham City?
Some good, some bad... some too easily taken too far... like the "mind yo' business" - suuure.... but... extending it to "don't ask anyone what they think of you, don't ask them ... " now that's veering into the "I will not be considerate or take any advice, ever" territory. That kind of singular-closed-off-pov doesn't sound like a recipe for good things.
If someone seems a little suspicious or shady, talk to them directly. Be open, bold, and loudly friendly. Ask them for a small favor, like telling you the time. Often, this will catch them off guard and diffuse the situation. They will feel caught out and seen, and therefore less likely to go through with anything bad, and they'll feel fonder of you after doing you a small favor.
If you find yourself in a nearly empty car on the subway when it would be weird for that to be the case (the other cars are packed, for example) that is not a time to think "score! I get a seat!" That is the time to quickly leave for one of the more packed cars.
This list is stupid. This is street smarts if you are talking about the cul-de-sac. I don't know if any of these people have actually ever been on the streets, or if they've just heard it from a friend of a friend. The one is just stolen from another thread that they reworded. Joke. That and they act like it's cool, you know street smarts because your life literally depends on it, not because it's fücking trendy.
Turns out my best tip is not living in a place where you need all these tips. True, I don't go out at night anymore, but my area is pretty safe. Hint: not the US.
I'm going to take the downvotes I'm sure to get for being "paranoid" in the hopes of keeping someone else safe. My boyfriend was an Army Ranger and spent 20 years in combat, he is now a State Police Lieutenant for Illinois usually assigned to the worst areas of Chicago. We both grew up together in Cicero, IL in the 70's and 80's which is rather notorious on it's own. Trust me- be in the habit of carrying multiple items to defend yourself. I have at all times a pocket knife, pepper spray on my keys and in my jacket pocket and a concealed carry license. If for whatever reason those things don't work for you- go to the boat store and get yourself an emergency flare gun- I keep one in my car. Virtually no problems with legality and no one is going to mess with you once they realize they have a good chance of being hit with a flaming bar of potassium nitrate that will melt their clothes into their skin. Gruesome I know, but there are some very bad people in the world, protect yourselves
Send me your cash, PayPal me any funds you have that you feel are a burden, I will store them in a safe place and you’ll never have to worry about getting them stolen by some dodgy n’er do well. I’m an honest bloke on the internet, you can trust me….
