Desmond Fambrini

FLEXING "GIFTED" IS GETTING SO OUT OF HAND PLEASE STOP :)

I’ve been noticing this trend lately where being “gifted” is kind of becoming a label everyone wants to claim, and I just want to gently push back on that for a second. Not everyone is gifted, and that’s actually okay. Giftedness, by definition, is supposed to describe a smaller group of people with very specific cognitive profiles. When we start labeling everyone as gifted or 2e, it kind of loses its meaning and can actually take attention away from what people really need. For example, someone can absolutely have a learning disability and still be intelligent, capable, and incredibly successful. They don’t need to be reframed as “secretly gifted” in order to be valued. Struggling in one area and thriving in another is just part of being human, not necessarily evidence of some hidden, exceptional label. I also think we need to be careful about how we talk about ability. When we start implying that people are naturally superior because of genetics or some kind of innate “gift,” it can unintentionally echo ideas that feel uncomfortable or exclusionary. Intelligence is complex. Growth, effort, environment, and support matter just as much, if not more. At the end of the day, the goal shouldn’t be to fit everyone into a prestigious label. The goal should be to understand each person’s strengths and challenges and support them in a way that actually helps them grow. You don’t need to be called gifted to be smart. You don’t need a special label to be worthy. And you definitely don’t need to fit into a trend to succeed.