When are you allowed to consider people just plain stupid

[rutger5000]

Hi,

I while back I was at a party on campus and played a game with a group of students (psychology and economics I think)which involved guessing and describing famous persons. I'm a bit of a history buff, so I'm always tempted to go with historical figures. However those aren't always as well known as I'd expect. So I went with a figure that every educated (they were students at a good university) in the western world ought to know. I added Winston Churchill to the game, and some of the people I was playing with had no clue who that was.
I choose not to consider those people to be stupid, mostly because I wanted to remain social, but it made me think. At what point can you safely assume a person is stupid without being condesending.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Intelligence can be measured in many different ways.

I've known people who aren't particularly booksmart, but posessed a world wariness and philosophical perspective that would put some people to shame.

The same way I've known people who were successful academics, but have very little common sense or self awareness.


Not knowing something doesn't make a person stupid.

 

[Colour Scientist]

Assuming a person is stupid because they don't know something you do is extremely arrogant.

Not everyone is going to be as into history as you are, especially if you consider yourself a history buff.
They could equally assume that you're stupid for not knowing something to do with economics or psychology and they would be just as wrong.

Not possessing a certain bit of information doesn't make you stupid.


Apart from that, there are different types of intelligence.
People have different aptitudes in different areas, some people might not excel in the same areas as you, it doesn't make them stupid.

 

[EeveeElectro]

I've known people who aren't particularly booksmart, but possessed a world wariness and philosophical perspective that would put some people to shame.

The same way I've known people who were successful academics, but have very little common sense or self awareness.

You've just described me and the boyfriend. Me being the former, him being the latter. At least when we're together we form one well functioning person.

OT: Agreed with what has been said, people have their strengths. I don't like to think of anyone as stupid, but I've seen some people who have come mighty close. I know adults who can't read and would walk into oncoming traffic and are unable to hold down a simple job.
I still try to assume there's probably something they are well versed in even if it looks unlikely.

I'm not very well educated in history or geography either. Doesn't mean I'm stupid, nor does it mean anyone else who isn't a history buff is either.

EDIT: OP is a perfect example actually. Your grammar isn't perfect, nor do you use the correct punctuation.
Going by that, my English skills are better than yours (no offence intended) but I didn't once think "This guy forgot to add a question mark, what an idiot."
It goes to show you might excel at one thing, but fall behind on another.

 

[Dandark]

If they are American, especially from the south then you can consider them stupid..............

To be more serious you can't really have a set point where "If you know this then you are not stupid otherwise you are stupid", it just doesn't work. There are different kinds of intelligence and even just normal academic intelligence is hard to measure. Those guys didn't know Winston Churchill? Alright so he is pretty famous but I can see how someone who cares nothing for history may not have recognized the name. Why would they? He isn't really relevant to them if they don't care for history, they could know nothing of their own history and yet still be a math genius or have great writing skills.

Intelligence isn't really something that can be measured, if you want to know whether you have ground to stand on when you insult someone's intelligence by calling them stupid then you should probably judge it on their actions. If they consistently do stupid things and don't realize they are being stupid then I suppose you could say they are "just plain stupid" then.

What would stupid things be? I don't know, i'd class going out and getting crazy drunk every night or smoking at all as stupid yet plenty of people do that and it's generally accepted to be fine.

 

[kurokotetsu]

Look, oculd you tell me Newton's THee Laws of mechanics wihtou looking them up? THe Three Laws of Thermodynamics? Or how the hell was Claude SHannon or John Von Nuemann? Especially if you were in the middle of a party? For me those are basic knowledge that eery college student should know by heart. The guys you were with may not be interested in the slightest about WWII and WWI and all that, so not knowing CHurchill doesn't mean they are stupid. If tehy wre history majors, then I would worry.

 

[WhiteFangofWhoa]

When they drive drunk?
When they use cell phones while driving?
When they're Rob Ford?
When they sue a fast food restaurant for making them fat?
When a judge rules in their favour?

I don't like to be too judgemental since I don't know them personally. Lack of booksmarts doesn't make one stupid. Lack of common sense, perhaps. Everyone is stupid sometimes, but some have it as their default setting.

 

[Sniper Team 4]

Hi,

I while back I was at a party on campus and played a game with a group of students (psychology and economics I think)which involved guessing and describing famous persons. I'm a bit of a history buff, so I'm always tempted to go with historical figures. However those aren't always as well known as I'd expect. So I went with a figure that every educated (they were students at a good university) in the western world ought to know. I added Winston Churchill to the game, and some of the people I was playing with had no clue who that was.
I choose not to consider those people to be stupid, mostly because I wanted to remain social, but it made me think. At what point can you safely assume a person is stupid without being condesending.

There was a girl in my journalism class in college who firmly believed the U.S. got involved in World War II in order to stop the death camps that the Nazis were building. Needless to say, my opinion of her wasn't too high because of the lack of common knowledge on her part. I made plenty of assumptions of her just based on that, and then watched to see if they were true. Some weren't, but a great many were...

I'm going to throw PR out the window here. You are allowed to decide that someone is stupid when you decide someone is stupid. Everyone does stupid things. I have several friends who have caused me to smack my forehead in disbelief sometimes, but I don't consider them stupid. On the other hand, I work in customer service, and many times simply talking to someone for ten seconds is all it takes for me to decide that the person is undeniably stupid.

 

[SKBPinkie]

It's very rare that people actually are stupid. They occasionally do stupid things.

Only thing that matters nowadays is whether or not someone is there to witness it. And combine that fact with the internet and the multitude of ways you can share stuff, you have a 24/7 show of dumb things that people do. That doesn't mean they're stupid. It was just a highlight reel of idiocy.

Also, it seems like a whole lot of people seem to completely ignore the second, far more interesting half of intelligence. Knowing something is one thing, but using that knowledge to solve a problem / create new content is much more admirable.

Memory is obviously crucial, but the true geniuses of the world have always been people who recognize certain patterns, and extract new and useful information from it.

To put it simply - knowledge is being aware that you can walk into a blue portal and come out of a orange one (or vice versa).

Intelligence is both knowing that fact and also using it to solve a puzzle.

Just an example, btw - Portal is not a hard puzzle game.

 

[Yopaz]

Einstein is considered one of the greatest minds in history. He needed help to get dressed. Judging intelligence is a tough one. That said, knowledge is not a good way to judge intelligence. I know how the sodium potassium pump in the cell membrane works, I know how proteins meant to be sent to the peroxisome are marked, but I barely know who Winston Churchill is. I've received decent grades in subjects where about 40% of the students get a failing grade, but I can't mention any details about the Cuba missile crisis.

To put it simple, you can never really assume a person is stupid without being condescending unless you know that person well. I could easily look back to a point before I realized that I am interested in biology and say I was stupid based on my academical performances, but once I actually started caring things changed. I don't think I am smarter than average, at least not by much, but nor am I stupid just because I didn't like history when I was in school.

 

[Kenbo Slice]

My friend said voice actors aren't real actors. That was when I considered him stupid, and stopped listening to his opinions.

 

[Happiness Assassin]

A lack of Intelligence and ignorance are two things that often used interchangeably, though in reality they have different connotations. The way I see it is this: ignorance is lacking a certain piece of information, stupidity is when they physically cannot grasp said information. I am usually pretty forgiving of ignorance of more esoteric subjects and even some more common subjects, as there is much I myself am pretty ignorant about. But when I am usually ignorant about something, I always try to correct this and educate myself. When someone strays into stupid territory is when they basically don't make any effort to correct their own ignorance.

Well that is just how I see it. Direct intelligence measuring isn't an exact science and we often have to rely on generalizations.

 

[Estranged180]

To put it plainly, anytime someone does something that will inevitably cause an injury... but they do it willingly. Such as any of these people.

See, anyone that would put themselves in these positions willingly, without monetary compensation, can only be described as people that want their '15 seconds of fame'. But at what cost?

 

[MrHide-Patten]

I choose not to consider those people to be stupid, mostly because I wanted to remain social, but it made me think. At what point can you safely assume a person is stupid without being condesending.

People excel in many different areas, and lack in MANY others. I could draw you a full figure detailing all the muscle groups, are you stupid not being able to recreate what I did? Short (and obvious) answer, no.
As far as Whinston Chruchill goes, can't blame peopel for not commiting him to memory, at best all I know is what he looked like, and that he was an important figure to the Americans... and that he sounded like he read Whiney the Pooh. Are you stupid for not knowing who Tony Abbot is? No.

I define stupid when somebody does something, with intent, and it gravely harms themselves or others.

Or to quote Men in Black; "A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals"

 

[the December King]

I never safely categorize anyone as stupid. They will always surprise you with their frames of reference, their own experiences, and creativity.

People in passing can come off as stupid, but it is a fleeting experience, and even then, taking it to heart can come back to mess with you later on- alot of people who seem to think others are stupid are also poor at disguising their contempt, no matter how 'gifted' or better a class of human they think they are, and that attitude will not get you far.

Unless you're rich, of course. Then it doesn't matter how you treat others!

 

[twistedmic]

I feel it is safe to assume someone is stupid if they take three to five minutes to pick out a carton of orange juice or a gallon of milk (I have seen this happen more than once at my job).
If a person spouts of incredibly racist opinions or thoughts they can safely be considered stupid.

 

[Ratties]

It depends on what you place value on. I think people that are not aware of their surroundings are morons. Sort of place a high value on being observant. Had people think I was stupid because I tend to be quiet. It's because some extroverts place a high value on social interaction. That's all there is to it, whatever you value most.

 

[lacktheknack]

Quick, if a resistor labeled with gold, red, black and orange bands is attached to the same breadboard rails as a resistor with purple, green, white and silver bands (in those orders), what will the approximate resistance be across them?

You've got twenty seconds.

Come on, bro. This stuff is easy. It's literally the first thing you learn upon picking up an electronics kit.

Dude, a kid could do this. As a kid, I DID do this. There's no excuse to not know the answer is "about 3 kOhm"! D:

^That's rather annoying, don't you think? For all intents and purposes, I could justify thinking that anyone who couldn't answer the above question while claiming to love science is a lip-flapping airhead, but it's more accurate to just admit that not every topic interests everyone.

You can only "non-condescendingly" conclude someone is stupid if they show no knowledge beyond surface-level on any topic whatsoever.

 

[Quiet Stranger]

I have a best friend who I always thought was pretty smart, he taught me that good and evil don't really exist but then he tried to convince me that my ADHD wasn't real and is just a made up disorder... yeah at that point I knew he was a crazy stupid conspiracy theorist.

 

[Blow_Pop]

I consider most of my city to be idiots. ..especially when it comes to driving. I would seriously like to know HOW they passed their driving tests especially when they don't seem to understand a stop sign means stop. As does a red light. I am particularly talking about people who I see repeatedly get pulled over in the same spot at least every other week. Usually because they have run a red light or a stop sign.

I don't consider people stupid. Just a lot of ignorant idiots.

And we won't get into my opinion of rich people around here especially the fucks I am related to.

Grasping simple concepts is where I draw the line of minimally functioning humans and ignorant idiots. Exceptions made for those with mental disorders especially those that cause the inability to grasp simple things.