Gunners (from the DVD "All About Law School"

This video is a perfect example of "passive aggressive silent gunners." (1) They don't want you to understand; (2) they don't want the professor to clarify for someone else; (3) they want you to fail your finals, and (4) they resent those they perceive as "smarter" than them. You will never have the opportunity to ask questions in such a "safe" environment again. If something is unclear, ask. Ignore these types. They are trying to peer-pressure others into silence. Their attitude is repulsive.

i cannot stand gunners for the most part.

Please - people who complain about relevant comments are wimps. It's a pet peeve of mine when the professor asks a question point blank and then the room stares at him like a dog that just got shown a card trick. It's annoying, juvenile, and it wastes my time. Answer the question or get the fuck out of the class.

There personality traits that make up a "gunner" are good ones for the legal profession. Initiative, confidence etc. Those traits alone don't make good lawyers but all things being equal they lead to higher salaries.

The quiet types often score better on exams but earn less after graduation. There's simply no getting around the fact that confidence and initiative are, and always have been, highly favorable traits in this profession.

This is very youthful advice. I suspect the people that constantly complain about "gunners" are the same ones that can't figure out why they can't get a job after law school. Kissing ass is a part of building relationships, and relationships are a critical component of career-building. To suggest that a room full of people should sit there like silent lemmings is a dis-service to law students, and undermines the role of the professor in maintaining order in the classroom.

Gunners are annoying and nobody likes them, not even the teachers whose ass they are trying to kiss. Teachers want more than one person to contribute to the discussion. By alienating your classmates with whom you will be working in the future, I don't really think you are helping yourself career-wise. This isn't to say that you should never speak up in class, just that you should do it in the same relative porportion as everyone else.

If in a class of 50 to 80 people, only 1 or 2 speak up, then it seems to me that the answer is to have 5 or 6 people join the conversation. The Socratic Method presume interaction and a unilateral discussion. The people who do NOT speak up actually create the vacuum filled by the so-called gunner.

Office hours exist for a reason...

And I'll add that this video doesn't distinguish between the intelligent gunner and the idiot who thinks they are intelligent.

Its one thing if the person speaks up and says something on point that is good to have in your notes - its another when the idiot speaks up and everyone knows the person is wrong or doesn't understand at all.

But I suppose its all a matter of perspective.