Huh. I never heard the second half of that phrase in my entire life. I'm guessing that the first half was so popular that the second half is an afterthought to most people. Welp either way today I learned something!MCerberus said:
What's So Great About Being Stupid?
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Actually, from my experience, this is quite often fairly intelligent lying.KissingSunlight said:
You see the out of order sign.
You go to the maintenance man/store owner, and insist you put your money in and nothing came out.
In order to improve customer satisfaction, they give you a free drink, or open the vending machine and give you something from there, instead.
That is literally every case of "It stole my money" I have seen on a known out-of-order machine.
Granted there are also mites of stupidity like tonight, touching off my travel card on a train, a woman goes to a gate with red X across it and tries to touch off there for about 10 seconds.
This is, however, understandable, as people are often in a hurry when they're getting on and off trains, and aren't always looking for which gates have the tick or the x as they have more important things to worry about.
More on topic, your hypothesis is incorrect. I don't know how it is elsewhere in the world, but down here intellectual's aren't looked down upon. Well, unless all they are is intellectuals that contribute nothing to society, but that's a different kettle of fish [And that's one saying that makes not a ton of sense...].
Probably more accurate of a reason, is that its a fairly common pet-peeve myth for people to pick on. Its like a movie trying to realistically sell the idea that the CIA have contacted aliens - not in a Men in Black all-for-humour style, but in an 'Aliens guy' style. Its something you look at and proclaim as stupid. Were the movie to have gone a different route for unlocking all of Lucy's potential, people likely wouldn't have been as annoyed. But the whole "10% of the brain" thing is a pet peeve for many people, so of course they're going to bring it up.
That's being unperceptive. Not stupidity.KissingSunlight said:
That's indifference. Not stupidity.KissingSunlight said:
That's laziness. Not stupidity.KissingSunlight said:
Do you care about starving and malnourished children, every time you shovel food into your mouth?KissingSunlight said:
Do you care about poor people living in squalor, every time you have a bath or shower?
If the answers to these questions is "no", then that's indifference.
But according to you, indifference = stupidity.
I think you're stretching the definition of "stupidity" a bit here.
Also, you really need to address all of the counterpoints raised in this thread, instead of just cherry-picking at a couple each time.
Here is my problem with it: A lot of the time people make the mistake of thinking stupidity or intelligence is purely a matter of intellectual capacity.KissingSunlight said:
If your brain can process data faster than anybody else's, it doesn't strictly speaking translate into more accurate or intelligent thoughts going through it.
In fact greater capacity can lead to greater stupidity - because you have the intellectual capacity to come up with excuses and defences for your dumb-assery.
People with high intellectual capacity can end up being ant-vaccine loons, or conspiracy nuts because all that data they can process includes a lot of garbage, and they haven't quite learned how to sort that stuff out.
The thing about actual intelligent thought is that it requires training. It requires training to spot your own biases, to work around the biases of others, and to think systematically rather than simply relying on "Common sense".
Simply having a better brain than somebody else does not automatically imply being better at thinking.
Actually, I've heard this one a few times as well. Usually this is from the group of people that, in high school, would be the 'cheerleaders', getting by on their looks and popularity. The non-PC response is usually 'Well, my intellect won't fade... is that a wrinkle?" And then they shut up and walk off in a snit.IceForce said:
OP is missing a vital point. Yes, the fact that we use 100% of our brain is the truth, but 1. We don't use that all the time, and 2. OUR BRAINS CAN BE TRAINED TO BE BETTER. IQ is trainable. Learning is possible. Education is possible. The myth is irrelevant, it's our desire to be smarter that's lacking.
I have to clarify this: is it really your assertion that disagreement equals offense? Because all the poster really did was dare to disagree with your assessment of things.KissingSunlight said:
I have to echo this too.Zachary Amaranth said:
If the OP truly believes that disagreement = taking "great offense", then that also becomes a two-way street, since we can then accuse the OP of taking "great offense" for even making this thread in the first place.
Wow this thread is euphoric it's like 50 fedoras being tipped all at once.
Anyway the reason people take 'offense' to the myth that people are only using 10% of their brain is because:
A)It's simply not true
B) It's one of the myths that plays into that obnoxious sort of smug lazy teenage 'cynicism' and misanthropy I.E everyone else is stupid and the world is evil and shit, you know myths like 'Today's music is stupid and shit' or 'The only thing people care about now is sex and social status'. It's fucking horrible and I hate it. And while you talk of people being too scared to accept people aren't as smart as they could be the truth is that it's actually much easier to write the world of as anti-intellectual and horrible than it is to face the reality that humans, while quite clearly flawed, are actually great.
Anyway the reason people take 'offense' to the myth that people are only using 10% of their brain is because:
A)It's simply not true
B) It's one of the myths that plays into that obnoxious sort of smug lazy teenage 'cynicism' and misanthropy I.E everyone else is stupid and the world is evil and shit, you know myths like 'Today's music is stupid and shit' or 'The only thing people care about now is sex and social status'. It's fucking horrible and I hate it. And while you talk of people being too scared to accept people aren't as smart as they could be the truth is that it's actually much easier to write the world of as anti-intellectual and horrible than it is to face the reality that humans, while quite clearly flawed, are actually great.
*blinks* Where are you getting the idea that those of us who have a problem with the 10% myth are fans of stupid? It's the exact opposite.KissingSunlight said:
The 10% myth encourages some concept that we're stupid, that we're not using all of our potential, and that we're all just wandering morons who are barely capable of wiping our own asses without picking our nose first. The 10% myth is the thing insulting our intelligence and celebrating stupid
The human brain is WAY more powerful than most people understand, and is capable of a lot more than we give it credit for. And the people who believe the 10% thing don't understand it. They belittle all the advances that we have done, and use it to try and show how pathetic and miniscule our intelligence is.
Now, regardless of your comment about us being "butt-hurt" about it, and the inherent insult in that statement, the 10% myth is simply not true. It's a falsehood, it's wrong, it's incorrect, it's the wrong answer on the quiz. Believing a falsehood is silly, and potentially dangerous, regardless of the falsehood. It encourages you to believe and put faith in things that are demonstrably wrong. And if you are willing to live in that brain space, to allow things that have been proven to be incorrect and let them influence your daily life, then you are setting yourself up for potentially far more dangerous falsehoods that you will believe and act upon.
Our beliefs don't live in a vacuum. They color how we view the world, and influence our decisions and choices in life. So letting falsehoods direct your course of life is dangerous, and irresponsible.
The 10% myth isn't a positive story about the human brain, it's an insult to all of humanity's achievements, and to the true wonder and capability of our species.
That's why we don't like the 10% myth
You know, I am somewhat envious of stupid people at times(on a bit of an unrelated note, what really counts for stupid these days anyways? Seems a rather subjective term), it seems they know how to enjoy life and live in the moment to it's fullest. Thus they are not usually bored. On the other hand I am bored to tears almost 24/7 which is apparently a common trait found in people with above average intelligence. I can't really answer the OP's question as I am not a person possessing below average intelligence , but if I had to make an educated guess, it all boils down to this. Stupid equates to simplicity, and intelligent equates to complications. In many cases, simple is better as you can enjoy life easier that way. At least, that is what I think.
It can certainly bite you if you have a habit of expecting from everyone else the same things you expect from yourself. Lots of people have a tendency to define their personal traits as "the norm". If you tend to do that, than any attempt at self-improvement will lead to an increase in the number of people who fall below your standards.
Become super smart and you'll find yourself surrounded by intolerable fools.
Go to the gym and look after your appearance and you'll find yourself surrounded by ugly freaks.
Be extra mindful of how you treat others and you'll find yourself surrounded by immoral jerks.
Build up a strong work ethic and you'll find yourself surrounded by lazy parasites.
It doesn't mean you shouldn't aspire to improve yourself. There are plenty of benefits to self-improvement. Self-improvement gives you independence and prepares you for life's challenges. It just has drawbacks as well.
Become super smart and you'll find yourself surrounded by intolerable fools.
Go to the gym and look after your appearance and you'll find yourself surrounded by ugly freaks.
Be extra mindful of how you treat others and you'll find yourself surrounded by immoral jerks.
Build up a strong work ethic and you'll find yourself surrounded by lazy parasites.
It doesn't mean you shouldn't aspire to improve yourself. There are plenty of benefits to self-improvement. Self-improvement gives you independence and prepares you for life's challenges. It just has drawbacks as well.
And more specifically, great offense at facts. That would mean that OP is demonising people for knowledge, which is pretty much what is being protested.IceForce said:
I don't understand this paragraph of yours in relation to the rest of your post. It seems that you argued against misinformation, then said (and I'm paraphrasing my own interpretation of the paragraph quoted above) that it's okay to use misinformation in pop culture media, even when it flies in the face of what you identified as the only reliable answer to everything: your definition of "real science." Yes, the hard sciences essentially disproved the 10% myth, but why would you say that a movie that perpetuates that myth is copacetic, while vocally opposing movies that disseminate what you label as pseudoscience because, as you said, people can be gullible? Won't they be just as gullible watching a movie that boldly and overtly touts the fallacy of "We only use 10% of our brains" in all of its promotional material, as well as basing its entire plot around it? Yes, the movie is fictional, but I doubt that people who don't know the truth will walk away from the film with a corrected understanding. It seems more likely that this movie will only reinforce a popular and pervasive myth.Ragsnstitches said:
Also, I take serious issue with your claim that people who believe in what lies beyond the realm of hard sciences are either old or poorly educated. I respect your right to hold and express that opinion, but please understand that it's a bit cruel to publicly degrade those of us who DO have beliefs that originated outside of the scientific method. Just because we think that there's more to existence than what can be empirically validated doesn't make us stupid or bereft of critical thought.
The media makes stupid look appealing. It does this deliberately so that they create a stupid population. You know what stupid people are good at? Buying useless shit they dont need. You know what big corporations and advertisers like? Trying to sell you pointless shit you dont need
A good example of this is a wifi enabled fridge. Seriously why do you want twitter on a god damn fridge. Your fridge is there to chill food
A good example of this is a wifi enabled fridge. Seriously why do you want twitter on a god damn fridge. Your fridge is there to chill food
I'll tell you straight out that i don't much care for what you hold as a belief, so your final sentiment means nothing to me. I will say this though:Ten Foot Bunny said:
You're right, and considering I didn't call you stupid for holding a belief it confuses me as to why you had to make this point. But since you bring it up, I'll address it. Holding onto a belief that can't be scientifically validated makes any notions you have about the nature of reality subject to scrutiny. However,, this isn't anything special or something to be worried about, as all of science requires scrutiny regardless of what you believe personally. It doesn't matter if you believe in supreme being, a pantheon, Bigfoot or Lizard Men, if your observations on reality can be tested and proven true, your beliefs mean fuck all to them. Truth is truth and your biases can't change that. Some people might scoff at a perfectly sound notion because of your beliefs, but I won't as long as you put it up for scrutiny by peers who don't share your bias.
My post does not contradict. I claim that pseudo-science and other shit peddling is bad for society when it's propagated without barriers. The degree to which it's bad is effectively negligible in the long run, but it's frustrating to have to live with it. Just so you know, I think giving science total freedom is also bad for society in so far as ethics is concerned.
On the other hand we have an imagination that allow us to explore abstract concepts that don't fit with reality, and as long as people are aware that what their brain conjures up is not necessarily concurrent with the real world, I don't see any harm in indulging it.
Pseudo-Science is a little trickier to accept as it often masks itself as real science. People look at science fiction as "what could be" the future, and sometimes it does offer a glimpse. This sets an expectation in the minds of many that Sci-fi is a prelude to reality and popular media often echos this notion. This is a strange scenario since it's inadvisable to take anything considered fiction to heart, but Sci-fi has influenced real world projects that have met real successes. Pseudo-Scientific concepts like the "10% myth" or "linear evolution" myths (that evolution is a set path from primitive to perfect) get passed around like real potential concepts when in reality the scientific community has debunked them years ago. These pollute the pool of social knowledge and can stunt progress in these fields, at least from a social acceptance stand point that is. Somehow I doubt it discourages real scientists, but I imagine it's endlessly frustrating none the less.
Ultimately I don't think censoring media so that it doesn't peddle shit anymore is worth it as you would have to go for a "no exceptions" approach to have any impact, which does more harm then good. However I do think a more ideal world would have, at the very least, more discernible barriers between facts and fiction. This is not the case today though I don't think we are far from such a world.
OK, here is your opportunity. Tell me why human beings, while quite clearly flawed(Translated: Stupid), are actually great? Please answer that question. Why am I wrong for criticizing people for being stupid? Especially, when they do and say stupid things. Why shouldn't they be accountable for their words and actions?JazzJack2 said: