How To Respond To People Calling You a Gunner?

[IamAnXman]

Last semester I amply and vastly participated in class and I could decipher my classmates' opinion of said participation.

How best to respond to these (to put it generously) rather immature individuals?

[MidWesternPleb]

I never got the whole "gunner" thing.  I've read about it on all of the boards ever since I started my app process over two years ago and I still see it when I come back to these boards as a student.  Maybe I'm missing a nuance in the definition, but trust me - being perceived as a gunner because you participated in class - asking questions, answering questions, briefing cases, and so on is the LAST thing you need to worry about.  99% of the people who were consistent participants in my fall semester classes were generally looked upon as being insightful and/or gutsy if they took a chance and flamed. 

My advise is to just ignore them.  I can't believe you're actually having a problem with this.  Just to clarify, your "law school" isn't "kindergarten", right?  Do you mind if I ask where you go?

[IamAnXman]

^ lol, tasha!! that could lead to honor code violations if i did what your advice suggests, whether in .gif format or physical format, lol!

^ nose thief, your advice is well organized yet misguided; i would participate every chance i could get in class, whether 'cold-called' or not. distinguishing myself early and often and quickly was paramount.

the easiest questions are the ones i most enjoyed answering, lol! particularly when no one else would raise their hand (which is an indication that they did not know the correct corresponding answer)

^ midwestern, ignoring them is the true kindergarten advice..this is a social and professional community in which networking and contacts are paramount. i cannot afford the luxury of alienating them by ignoring them..are you in law school yet?

[IamAnXman]

^ nose, i have gotten one B+ back. that's it so far.

self-esteem issues? lol! i am the most self-confident person of whom i know. when i speak in class and others listen, it largely resembles either a litigation situation or an oral argument scenario (if the prof and myself are disagreeing upon a legal issue). The practice is invariably useful to my future profession.

lol, i would argue, if given the chance, that the suck up who visits during office hours is obviously and translucently transparent, even to the profs.

[dashrashi]

Perhaps others are not as well-acquainted with Xman as some of us old-timers. Let me merely urge others to proceed with caution with the heartfelt advice, lol.

[IamAnXman]

^ dashrishi, i don't recognize you and yet you have twice my post count. if not for such a high number of posts, you likely would not act the way you do when others are seeking advice.

^ lol at nose trying to impose his authority by indicating his join date. tenure is not indicative of respect on these boards, nose. post count is much more important, and mugatu once made a very strong argument for why this is so.

[dashrashi]

Us pre-law/SFLSD old-timers? Dunno. I've been here since fall 2006, so we're roughly the same LSD age.

And X isn't a troll (although "incorrigible" isn't far off); he's just kind of special, lol.

X, it makes me sad when you say you don't recognize me, lol. You once drove me to the point of madness, where I posted simply "lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol," lol.

[IamAnXman]

^ lol, are you a girl, dash?

if you changed usernames, that must be it. stotan would constantly change names and it was hard for me to actually pin him down when he did said changing.

mugatu and cady are the only ones who never changed names...i miss those two. they were the only ones who really took me in and made me a MASer.

[Thistle]

^ lol, are you a girl, dash?

if you changed usernames, that must be it. stotan would constantly change names and it was hard for me to actually pin him down when he did said changing.

mugatu and cady are the only ones who never changed names...i miss those two. they were the only ones who really took me in and made me a MASer.

cady changed her name lol

[MidWesternPleb]

Okay, after reading the comments about xman, consider most of this for the benefit of pre 1Ls or others who genuinely have this concern.

Number 6 is the golden rule.  My opinion is - steer clear of that and you're basically good.  I think whatever personality trait that results in a student breaking that particular rule has predetermined their fate in life anyway.  The other five are hit and miss.  For example I've seen students monopolize a great deal of class time by starting (and continuing) an extremely interesting line on point - and they weren't viewed as gunners at all.  Just ask yourself this:  Am I asking a question or making a comment because I'm engaged and well prepared or am I doing the same because I want everyone to know how smart I am.  If it's the latter, stop immediately and punch yourself square in the genitals.  And then apply to medical school. 

And no, if I felt like the perception of me was as a douchey know it all, then I wouldn't ignore it, I'd freaking stop being douchey.  My flip kindergarten remark was directed at your feeling that you need a "response" in the first place.  What, are they taunting you in the halls?  Posting "kick me" signs on your back?  If you've truly done some of the things that stole listed and you've done them obviously with the intention of showing off, then your response is to stop.  Just stop doing that and focus on coming from a good place.

But alas, I could have spared myself the last ten minutes and, like stole, quoted you back the following:

"distinguishing myself early and often and quickly was paramount"

If you're honestly seeking advice, stop seeking it, because there's no advice on earth capable of curing that.

Argh, typed out a long post.
Gist of it was:

1) Maybe your comments aren't as valuable as you think they are.  Take a step back and honestly re-evaluate how smart you are and how valuable your comments are.  Be your own critic and be honest.
2) Maybe other people are jealous because you actually are smart.  No matter. Making people feel at ease, complying with social norms, and being well-liked are all important in firm life and the law.  Work on those skills.
3) Set a limit for yourself.  (One comment per class.) If you find you have a hard time staying within that limit, ask yourself why. Is it because you are so engaged?  Or is it because you feel your insights are so brilliant that others should hear them? Or because you want affirmation or attention?
4) Don't answer the easy questions.  I get annoyed when obviously advanced people raise their hand for every question; easy or not.  Save your comments for complex questions that most engage you; leave easier questions for other people to build their confidence on.
5) Don't monopolize class time.  Everyone else is paying $30k a year too for law school, not just you.  If you find you just love to talk about the subject, form a study group or visit the professor after hours. Do additional reading in law review articles suggested in the book to engage the material more.
6) Don't answer a question "Correctly" right after another classmate took a stab and failed.  The person waiving their hand to immediately correct a "dumb" response looks like they're trying to pump themselves up at the expense of someone else.