Why Are Stoners Typically Depicted as Stupid?

[garfoldsomeoneelse]

It could be common knowledge in the medical community. Theres a reason doctors say its not good for you. But he did say it, in my presence

Call me paranoid, but I'll trust the studies over anecdotes and speculation from someone that openly admits to looking down on people who use cannabis. Also, shouldn't you be considering the holes in your logic before offering them as a counter-argument? If it was common knowledge in the medical community, don't you think somebody, somewhere within the medical community would've... I dunno... said something? Maybe come out against the publicly-available results to the studies that show no conclusive evidence to support your argument? Wouldn't it be grossly irresponsible to pretend it didn't happen, if it did?

 

[Sexual Harassment Panda]

Pot smoke has cancer causing chemicals and causes brain cells to die. Whether people smoke it to get hurt or not doesn't change the fact that they will get hurt by it.

But anyway, I'll play. Weed smoke contains many of the same cancer causing compounds that tobacco smoke does, often in higher concentrations.

You're right, there's absolutely no way to consume cannabis in a way that isn't even remotely detrimental to your health.

Oh, wait.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaporizer

Everyone in this thread is so feckin' snarky and defensive of their position. I'm not anti-weed just because I'm willing to accept that holding smoke in my lungs isn't terribly good for them. I have smoked, I have enjoyed it...I've never smoked with anyone who has this kind of tech lying around. It's neat...but it's not entirely relevent to the reality of the situation.

 

[s0denone]

Triple post. Reported myself.

 

[Red Right Hand]

Because succumbing to the temptation of drugs is a sure sign of a weak mind and will.

And because people aren't exactly in their most clever state when they are high:

This.
Can't people just be happy without shoving poison in their blood 24/7?

Why is it weak minded to challenge the moral barriers created by goverments?
IMO, its weaker just to accept what you're told.

Its not weak minded to challenge the standards of society. I'm a gay rights activist, a Libertarian, and an Atheist myself.
Drugs are for weak minded fools because most people do them to be more popular, to be rebellious, or to escape reality. Drugs, including Pot, have serious side effects and damage your health and/or mental capacity. Pot causes cancer, kills many brain cells, and is addicting.
Drugs hurt you so they are bad

That is one incredibly weak argument against drugs. They hurt you so they are bad? Therefore any contact sport like rugby, football, boxing, ultimate fighting competition etc should be banned as well yeah? Weak-minded fools playing a sport that could potentially injure them for life, possibly kill them, just for the sheer pleasure of playing their preferred sport. Why is there no choice? If people were allowed to smoke pot there would be nothing forcing you to start smoking it, so why are you so against others getting high?

Cutting yourself also has its uses. But its bad because it hurts you. Same with suicide and seeing how long you can hold your hand on a hot stove

Yes and i'm saying I see no difference in playing sport or cutting yourself. Not that i'm going to run off and start cutting myself, i'm fairly certain I wouldn't enjoy that. But others might, who knows? There are some strange people in the world. I find it slightly ridiculous though that just because you don't enjoy something that's bad for you, it somehow gives you an imaginary right to tell people that they are not allowed to do it.

You also misunderstand the concept of "bad". It's not specifically things that hurt you but things that hurt you when you don't intend them to hurt you. In that sense, being run over when you don't notice the car coming, yes that's bad. Pumping drugs into your system when fully aware of the concequences, that's fine by me.

Because you don't try to get hurt in sports. Thats why we have shoulder pads and helmets for football, helmets for baseball, and gloves and tooth guards for boxing. With drugs and cutting yourself, there's no way to avoid physical damage.
Drugs can and will hurt people when they use them. Thats why its bad.

What? You don't try and hurt yourself when you smoke weed and smoking weed consistently still doesn't mean a certainty of damage from the drug, merely raises your chances of harm. Much like sport where the more you play, the more likely you are to get injured.

Also, in rugby there is no padding, in UFC there is no padding, should we ban those?

Pot smoke has cancer causing chemicals and causes brain cells to die. Whether people smoke it to get hurt or not doesn't change the fact that they will get hurt by it. And the sport excuse doesn't matter

It's not actually been proven that it causes brain cells to die. Yes though, you're right, it is harmful, the tar in the marijuana can cause lung and throat problems. My point which i've repeated many times and is one that you have failed to respond to, is what right do you have to tell me that I can't do something harmful to myself? I don't smoke it near people so even the second-hand smoke argument is null and void. The only person affected by this is me.

EDIT: Also, maybe it's not clear in my last post, but while it may be harmful, the point of smoking weed is not to harm yourself but to get high. A worthwhile risk in my opinion, maybe not everyones opinion but it's my opinion.

Its not my right to tell you not to do it. It is my right to say you're an idiot for sacrificing your life and health for a temporary feeling you could get from many other non-harmful things

Right that's fine, so you would agree that the politicians also have no right to tell me not to do it?

 

[s0denone]

Triple post. Reported myself.

 

[s0denone]

http://lungcancer.about.com/od/causesoflungcance1/f/marijuana.htm

I don't have a problem with anyone smoking, I used to get enjoyment out of it myself. But claiming that there are no adverse effects is pretty silly, it may not be as harmful as tobacco or alcohol(and it is hypocritical for it still to be illegal)but holding smoke in your lungs isn't good for them.

You said it causes cancer much in the same way tobacco does. That's flat out wrong, regardless of whether or not it's smoked. For fucks sake, even the page you link only says "probably", and that's about as usable as me looking at a cigar, then looking at a cigarette. "Wow, you have to smoke both of those. They are probably bad for you in the same way."
There may be a stronger connection formed in the future - but there isn't one now, and we can't base one side of the argument on facts and the other side on assumptions.

Also, you can vaporize it, or eat it, and not have to inhale any smoke at all, as others have already suggested you.

 

[Sexual Harassment Panda]

I think the problem is people are confusing the idea of stupid.
Was John Lennon stupid?
Were Bob Dylan or Jimmi Hendrix?

Hendrix took 9 of a sleeping pill that you typically take a half of one, I love the guy...but that's less than smart if you don't want to die.

OT: Exaggeration is the easiest way to flesh out a character, especially for comedic purposes.

Last I checked, spending your money on addictive, illegal substances isn't a sign of intelligence.

Well, first of all, pot isn't addictive. You may develop a psychological craving for the drug, but it is not addictive. As for the second bit of that (illegal substance), there are other substances out there that are even more addictive and worse for you (see tobacco and alcohol). If anything, it would make more sense to waste your money on the non-addictive, mind-altering illegal substance, rather than spending money on actually addictive substances that will give you many more problems quicker.

weed kills your brains cells which has for consequence the effect of making you stupid, simple as.

Source? Because I would love to see the proof that pot kills braincells (kinda like alcohol does - but wait, that doesn't count because it's ok since it is legal), especially since they have done studies that say that pot can slow the advance of Alzheimer's (that's the funky disease that kills your brain cells, and destroys your memory)

Neither directly kill brain cells, but that's not to say that they both can't lead to problems.

That's not exactly true. I have seen no evidence that comes close to saying that pot as brain damaging effects (and I've seen a lot of stuff in the news about the positive effects that pot can have on your brain), but there is scientific proof that alcohol kills brain cells (by starving the brain of oxygen IIRC).

Sure, alcohol and pot can lead to problems, but the negative effects of the two substances are in two entirely different leagues

Yes they are... And what I said was purposely vague, I didn't specify brain problems...I just said problems.

 

[Lavi]

For me, it's the exact opposite. All the stoners I know are actually extremely intelligent and often times are brilliant in their own ways. So why is it that the general public and the media depict weed smokers as unintelligent and borderline retarded?

Is it because the media wishes to give drugs as much shit as possible, so in turn they show the users as stupid because of their drug use rather than just being stupid in the first place? Or is it actually true that most of them are just stupid and I am lucky to know the few intellectual dopers?

What does the Escapist think about this and do you yourself do any drugs of the sort?

Basically, yes. The media wants you to think pot is gonna fucking kill you. The media, especially here in Canada, is just a government employee. People who do pot are generally smart enough to know it isn't harming you and everyone who says otherwise is bullshitting. Course, here in Saskatchewan, ALL pot is laced. There is no unlaced pot. At that rate, you might as well go fry your brain on meth.

See, stoners are dumb... when they've fried their brains on meth or something.

EDIT: My position on weed is: the only thing that should be illegal is the thing actually giving you fucking cancer or completely frying your brain. For everything else, moderation is key.

I would do pot, but as said, it's all laced here. I want the pot, not the fucking heroine and meth.

 

[Yoshemo]

It could be common knowledge in the medical community. Theres a reason doctors say its not good for you. But he did say it, in my presence

Call me paranoid, but I'll trust the studies over anecdotes and speculation from someone that openly admits to looking down on people who use cannabis. Also, shouldn't you be considering the holes in your logic before offering them as a counter-argument? If it was common knowledge in the medical community, don't you think somebody, somewhere within the medical community would've... I dunno... said something? Maybe come out against the publicly-available results to the studies that show no conclusive evidence to support your argument? Wouldn't it be grossly irresponsible to pretend it didn't happen, if it did?

I don't read medical journals often unless its relevent to me and my friends. I have read reports that say Weed causes cancer and long term brain damage however

 

[Yoshemo]

Because succumbing to the temptation of drugs is a sure sign of a weak mind and will.

And because people aren't exactly in their most clever state when they are high:

This.
Can't people just be happy without shoving poison in their blood 24/7?

Why is it weak minded to challenge the moral barriers created by goverments?
IMO, its weaker just to accept what you're told.

Its not weak minded to challenge the standards of society. I'm a gay rights activist, a Libertarian, and an Atheist myself.
Drugs are for weak minded fools because most people do them to be more popular, to be rebellious, or to escape reality. Drugs, including Pot, have serious side effects and damage your health and/or mental capacity. Pot causes cancer, kills many brain cells, and is addicting.
Drugs hurt you so they are bad

That is one incredibly weak argument against drugs. They hurt you so they are bad? Therefore any contact sport like rugby, football, boxing, ultimate fighting competition etc should be banned as well yeah? Weak-minded fools playing a sport that could potentially injure them for life, possibly kill them, just for the sheer pleasure of playing their preferred sport. Why is there no choice? If people were allowed to smoke pot there would be nothing forcing you to start smoking it, so why are you so against others getting high?

Cutting yourself also has its uses. But its bad because it hurts you. Same with suicide and seeing how long you can hold your hand on a hot stove

Yes and i'm saying I see no difference in playing sport or cutting yourself. Not that i'm going to run off and start cutting myself, i'm fairly certain I wouldn't enjoy that. But others might, who knows? There are some strange people in the world. I find it slightly ridiculous though that just because you don't enjoy something that's bad for you, it somehow gives you an imaginary right to tell people that they are not allowed to do it.

You also misunderstand the concept of "bad". It's not specifically things that hurt you but things that hurt you when you don't intend them to hurt you. In that sense, being run over when you don't notice the car coming, yes that's bad. Pumping drugs into your system when fully aware of the concequences, that's fine by me.

Because you don't try to get hurt in sports. Thats why we have shoulder pads and helmets for football, helmets for baseball, and gloves and tooth guards for boxing. With drugs and cutting yourself, there's no way to avoid physical damage.
Drugs can and will hurt people when they use them. Thats why its bad.

What? You don't try and hurt yourself when you smoke weed and smoking weed consistently still doesn't mean a certainty of damage from the drug, merely raises your chances of harm. Much like sport where the more you play, the more likely you are to get injured.

Also, in rugby there is no padding, in UFC there is no padding, should we ban those?

Pot smoke has cancer causing chemicals and causes brain cells to die. Whether people smoke it to get hurt or not doesn't change the fact that they will get hurt by it. And the sport excuse doesn't matter

It's not actually been proven that it causes brain cells to die. Yes though, you're right, it is harmful, the tar in the marijuana can cause lung and throat problems. My point which i've repeated many times and is one that you have failed to respond to, is what right do you have to tell me that I can't do something harmful to myself? I don't smoke it near people so even the second-hand smoke argument is null and void. The only person affected by this is me.

EDIT: Also, maybe it's not clear in my last post, but while it may be harmful, the point of smoking weed is not to harm yourself but to get high. A worthwhile risk in my opinion, maybe not everyones opinion but it's my opinion.

Its not my right to tell you not to do it. It is my right to say you're an idiot for sacrificing your life and health for a temporary feeling you could get from many other non-harmful things

Right that's fine, so you would agree that the politicians also have no right to tell me not to do it?

Politicians don't have the right to tell anyone not to do something unless it hurts other people

 

[garfoldsomeoneelse]

Everyone in this thread is so feckin' snarky and defensive of their position. I'm not anti-weed just because I'm willing to accept that holding smoke in my lungs isn't terribly good for them. I have smoked, I have enjoyed it...I've never smoked with anyone who has this kind of tech lying around. It's neat...but it's not entirely relevent to the reality of the situation.

I think you'll find it's a pretty natural reaction to having to deal with people that tell me I'm wasting my life based on propaganda disseminated by organizations that profit from the illegality of a generally harmless substance.

Secondly, yes, it is entirely relevant to countering your argument that usage of cannabis is a harmful practice.

 

[Lust]

It's easy to call stoners stupid. Just like it's easy to say that all gamers are prone to violence. Anything people don't like can labeled as an addiction.

 

[shotgunbob]

No offense to anyone here but almost every stoner I know is incredibly stupid for the most part

 

[garfoldsomeoneelse]

I don't read medical journals often unless its relevent to me and my friends. I have read reports that say Weed causes cancer and long term brain damage however

You seem to have missed the part where I said I'm wary of purely anecdotal evidence. I could just as easily say that I've seen reports that say cannabis gives you superpowers, and it would be just as relevant.

 

[Infinatex]

1. If you smoke then you are, it's illegal for a reason. (simple enough)
2. When they are high they are they are stupid. The intelligent revelations they have in this state are only so amazing because they are high.
3. Long term effect on the brain. Can trigger psychological disorders.

I've seen it turn very intellectual people into mindless no-hope conspiracy nuts. I've also had a close friend become schizophrenic and terribly disturbed over years of abuse of this drug. It's terrible because we know this happens and people still smoke.

 

[razer17]

Probably because of Clerks and most other cult classic comedies that pictures drug users as idiots who do stupid things. It doesn't help that there are a good portion of idiotic Stoners in this world and I've seen them for myself.

I have no problem against stoners, but a good portion of the students at my school do smoke pot and a good portion of that number are idiots who literally just talk about getting stoned all day. From what I've seen, I think that this is one stereotype that could be true for the majority.

It's not the drugs that make the person. Just saying.

Because they're doing drugs.

Oh, SNAP! How very clever of you there. Everyone that does drugs must be an absolute idiot.

Why?

Because in order to make to decision to use drugs,you either have to stupid all the time, or at least at the time of the decision.

Honestly, I'd prefer that the media use the other,more appropriate description; that drug users are weak-willed, cowardly and lack self-control.

No, no you don't. I, on occasion, smoke weed. I am neither cowardly, weak-willed or lack self-control (the latter two actually being the same, smart ass). And yet, I am a university student who is doing well in his studies despite his occasional spliff. Drugs don't automatically make you an idiot. Get of your high horse, and stop being a douche bag.

Because weed kills your brain cells, which makes you stupid.
Don't even try tell me that's not true, because I know a lot of stoners, and it's very true.

You know a lot of stoners? A lot, being the key word. You don't know EVERY stoner. Stop stereotyping. Some of us are actually intelligent, well meaning members of society.

 

[Low Key]

Pot smoke has cancer causing chemicals and causes brain cells to die. Whether people smoke it to get hurt or not doesn't change the fact that they will get hurt by it.

But anyway, I'll play. Weed smoke contains many of the same cancer causing compounds that tobacco smoke does, often in higher concentrations.

You're right, there's absolutely no way to consume cannabis in a way that isn't even remotely detrimental to your health.

Oh, wait.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaporizer

Everyone in this thread is so feckin' snarky and defensive of their position. I'm not anti-weed just because I'm willing to accept that holding smoke in my lungs isn't terribly good for them. I have smoked, I have enjoyed it...I've never smoked with anyone who has this kind of tech lying around. It's neat...but it's not entirely relevent to the reality of the situation.

To counter, I know plenty of people who use a vaporizer, and many more who cook with it. Vaporizers are cheap (about $80 for a decent one) and cooking with it gives a different kind of high (more of a body high, not a brain high like when you smoke it).

 

[Sleifer]

Basically, yes. The media wants you to think pot is gonna fucking kill you. The media, especially here in Canada, is just a government employee. People who do pot are generally smart enough to know it isn't harming you and everyone who says otherwise is bullshitting. Course, here in Saskatchewan, ALL pot is laced. There is no unlaced pot. At that rate, you might as well go fry your brain on meth.

See, stoners are dumb... when they've fried their brains on meth or something.

EDIT: My position on weed is: the only thing that should be illegal is the thing actually giving you fucking cancer or completely frying your brain. For everything else, moderation is key.

I would do pot, but as said, it's all laced here. I want the pot, not the fucking heroine and meth.

Just kind of wanted to point out that lacing weed with anything other than pcp would be either impractical or impossible, and even then people wouldn't buy it again because they would definitely notice the difference. For example, you would have to be beyond ignorant to not notice heroin in your bag of weed, or even in your joint, ESPECIALLY after you smoked it or even smelled the bag. As for the meth, you can't smoke that the same way you would weed, and it would be way too noticeable otherwise. I'm sure there's a better explanation for your area's situation, but there is just no way that every marijuana dealer in your area is secretly dealing in pcp, it's likely just really shitty pot or just a really shitty pot alternative floating around.

I'm sorry to single you out like that, I'm sure you're a good person and such, but misinformation like that just kind of pokes me the wrong way. Please don't loop in marijuana with other drugs like that, they aren't as close to each other as you think.

 

[Snotnarok]

There's a lot of dumb stoners, so they are often shown as such. I know a few intelligent ones too, is it the weed that does it? I have no idea, doesn't look that way but I don't know much about drugs.

Go ahead and enjoy them, I've got no issues with someone who's doing it. I just wont to do them.

 

[Julianking93]

In the case of Judd Apatow, yes, he is saying drugs are bad. He said as much on Bill Maher some weeks back. He doesn't think drugs are cool, so all the drug users in his movies are losers of some sort or another.

I figured as much considering his characters who smoke weed typically get into bad situations do to their weed smoking.

Look at that movie Pineapple Express. Lots of people I know actually started smoking weed because of that movie (those people are obviously completely retarded) but the message of that movie is pretty anti drugs considering all that shit they got themselves into was because they were smoking weed.

I also find it funny that most people in Judd Apatow movies (Seth Rogen in particular) actually do smoke weed

Yeah, in the Bill Maher interview Apatow mentioned that. Something about how Rogen isn't really getting the message.

I also find it amusing stoners in general seem to like Apatow movies. So, apparently no one is getting the message. He's not a very good communicator, that Apatow.

Yeah, you put main characters in either cool or interesting situations with only a brief mentioning of "Pot is bad" probably won't get across too well in the long run.