Hollywood Geniuses

New York magazine critic Peter Rainer is right. Nowhere, with the possible exception of Pol Pot’s Cambodia, has there ever been a deeper mistrust of, and antagonism toward, intellectuals and intellectualism than in the United States, most particularly in the rural, evangelical Christian-based right wing that has driven much of American national policy over the past century (“So Smart It Hurts,” by John Clark, Dec. 16).

Hollywood’s peculiar misreading and mistreatment of characters blessed by their authors with exceptional intelligence or talent begin much closer to home, however. In this town, the mantle of “genius” is typically reserved for those directors whose latest film manages to crack the $30-million level on opening weekend.

Fortunately, the real geniuses in this world aren’t earning their livings entertaining the masses. They’re in laboratories searching for cures to disease, in observatories divining the origins of the universe, and in garrets chronicling the human condition in words or paint or bronze.

AVIE HERN

Los Angeles

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A few years ago, hoping to land a series writing job, I was inaccurately lauded as having a high IQ while being introduced to the show’s head producer, a high school dropout with a long list of successful series, extra homes and ex-wives to his credit.

The producer instantly bristled at the IQ remark, openly sneering while asking me, “You know how I measure IQ? How much money do you make? That’s how I measure IQ,” he said, and then muttered, “Smart guy.” Of course, he sure had me there, and I didn’t get the job.

Clark’s observations regarding cinematic portrayals of genius are dead-on, but depiction of rarefied minds as tortured is more than a dramatic tendency--it’s an assumption, a societal habit. Labeling a living person “genius” is simply not a compliment. It’s usually followed by the word “but,” and then a leveling, even nasty observation that negates any possible advantage to having those troubled brains (such as, “Sure, he’s a genius, but he can’t hold his liquor or a job”).

Unless it is couched in financial terms, not only does nobody like a smart guy--nobody is one.

REED McCOLM

Pasadena

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The existence of tormented geniuses is not a mystery. Imagine being really smart in such a dumb world.

JIM DEVINE

Culver City