Smart people don’t think others are stupid

On the same principle, I don't think people can be classified 'Smart' or 'Stupid' unless the frequency of the adjective qualifying their actions begins to define them.

People who aren't focused or do not want to sort out something would probably end up blaming an entity or situation - including people or conditions. The people are therefore labeled stupid or the conditions are labeled horrible.

Exactly. And this goes for all name calling too, really. Name calling solves nothing. It just escalates conflict.

That is strong stuff Derek and a really good point. that flips my perspective on the way I think of others. I don't want to be someone who is stupid because I think others are stupid and have not given them the chance to think it through.

Sharing this now with others. A great perspective to start looking at.

I think it can apply to business as well when helping customers because "educated" by helping them think it through which will lead them to your product.

Love this!

It took me a long time to figure out that 'I don't know' was way more powerful than bluffing my way through something I wasn't sure about. And now I am trying to teach my kids that 'I don't know' is okay if it's the truth.

When we label others we are displaying our fear and reluctance to make the effort to understand them. The labels share much more about ourselves than they do to prove our point.

I have never met anyone that I can not learn from.

Thanks for the post Derek. Perfect timing.

Good insight Derek. Thanks for sharing.

Must be why people like to get answers from me.

Love this post!

Excellent point! Just as there no stupid questions - its just that you don't have the information yet, once you know the answer you no longer "feel stupid". It's just a state before you have the information to fill in the blank in your knowledge base.

I say "I don't know" a thousand times a day. I must be a genius.

Derek I just love the way you think. I believe we've all had those moments of impatience where it is just so much easier to say 'don't be so stupid' or 'he/she is an idiot'. But the words don't feel or taste very good when spoken. And I know I would be deeply hurt to know someone has plucked a moment from my life and characterized me as 'stupid' as a result of that moment. Thanks for talking about this. It's a great subject to expose.

Absolute BS. You can tell an idiot from miles away, you don't need absolute evidence for it. There's no such thing as 'jumping to conclusions'.

I have to admit that I do look at people who don't have the same values as me as a little less smart. I'm not talking about stupid, but I feel bad that they don't want to view the world from different lenses. They see things as just black and white and don't appreciate other people's opinions.

This is a great post. Really makes me think that I have to be the one that is more opened minded to closed minded people. :)

Reminds me of the bumper sticker that says, "Mean people suck." All I can think is, "People who tell other people that they suck are mean." Folds back on itself.

When it comes to being smart, as Susan Cain pointed out in her book Quiet, people often view "first talkers" as smarter than people who sit back and contemplate. She then went on to explain how Harvard trains people to take fast, decisive action, which supposedly puts introverts at a disadvantage.

Is it "right?"

Probably not.

But people are people... and as long as people continue to have a bias towards those who talk first, there will always be people who take advantage of it.

The key is to make sure you're not someone who's easily swayed by a first talker :-).

And then, to your other point, about "I don't know" being a smart answer, I agree with you wholeheartedly.

But again, what we know to be true, is often drastically different than how people behave in the real world.

It reminds me of that research study by Don Moore. He noted "consumers tend to pick advice from those who express more confidence that they have the right answer."

So, in a room filled with people, if you have one person saying "I don't know," and another person saying "the answer is A," the person who has the answer is more likely to win people over... even if that answer ends up being wrong... because Moore went on to later elaborate that confidence trumps accuracy in situations like this.

Personally, I respect the people who can say "I don't know." I much rather them say that than get a wrong answer, anyway.

Maybe it's time we make t-shirts that say "Experts... It's time we respect the I don't know"

I love this! I've always thought something along the lines of this but hadn't been able to clarify in the way that you have. Thanks!

Agree that calling people stupid is not smart but disagree there are no stupid people. There are stupid people just like there are evil, unkind, and all the other people. It's a side effect of the poor design of our multi-layered evolutionary ice cream brain and the unoptimal integration of its primitive and modern parts.

Without elaborating here, very much on target, Derek.

Sorry HTML filter removed some text in my previous comment.

This line was meant to be:

just like there are evil, unkind, and all the other {insert negative adjective here} people.

I like the way you've put it - labelling someone as stupid is circumventing a process, either a thinking process or a relational process. That's very helpful.

I often label my bad past decisions as stupid, not because I think of myself as stupid, but because I see those decisions as being the result of an amazingly, stunningly, incomplete thought-process.

Always good to read your posts, Derek, thanks!
I don't think anyone is stupid. I also don't think there is a single living being on this planet who is a loser.

We all make mistakes and are human beings. Sometimes, we jump to conclusions and sometimes we hold our tongues. Sometimes, we even forgive! Sometimes we project because we can't own what is deemed 'unacceptable.'

Seems like we're all just being human and learning yet another lesson in this school of life.

Thanks for sharing.

Probably why the word 'sheeple' repels me.

Not only do I get things wrong, I miss the moment and usually take ages to get the point - by which time everyone else has moved on.

It's odd and doesn't appear to have much to do with intelligence or the lack of it.
Hehehe... I can never think of the word sheeple again without thinking of this comic!! — Derek

Very true Derek
I think it stems from a desire for closure. A strong human desire exists to have a final say. In reality there is little or possibly even no finality...in anything.

To illustrate: Think pre 1879. Ask anyone the question. Would it be possible to flick a switch and have a room magically lit without the use of fire?
Undoubtedly the answer would have more often than not been no. Was it the correct answer?

The greatest things in humanity are often not a product of people with high IQ's or even academic credentials. Imagination is a very under appreciated talent.

ah yes Derek you seem to be quite right. Jumping to a conclusion...easy to do, a straight line, no smarts required. Forming an assumption...straight line, pretty easy, no thought required.

Formulating a thought or opinion on the other hand, looking at all conceivable possibilities, learning and absorbing as much information, taking the mental twists and turns required to actually 'think' about a given subject and then sharing that opinion with the knowledge that it still may be wrong and open to others interpretation is indeed quite smart. I think.

I love that this makes you step back and think about whether you are dismissing something/somebody/etc.

However, I personally believe that the type of person I think of as "Smart" can use judgement/past experience to recognize when working with/dealing with some people is going to be a waste of time.

Name calling is not productive, no arguments there, but I've had plenty of situations where assuming that a certain person's perspective is going to be one-sided and unhelpful (thus politely ignoring it) has actually increased productivity, instead of thinking "well, they've been wrong every other time we've talked about this, but maybe we should continue to treat their ideas and perspective as valid, despite the mountains of evidence to the contrary".

That being said, I've never thought of "I don't know" as a "stupid" response - but it can be frustrating if that's what someone responds every time you ask them an important question.

When Imam Syafi'e asked 40 question, he just reply 7 of it.
The rest he reply "I don't know".
Imam Syafi'e is great muslim teacher / ulama.

Most of the time when I say someone is stupid I'm using that as a verbal short cut to mean they are "avoiding thinking by jumping to conclusions."

The rest of the time I mean they are of low intelligence.

Love you bro :)

People definitely use "s/he's so stupid" as some sort of blanket statement so that they can get over the thinking part where they try to break down and assess the situation - and leave it at that. It's a sort of mental laziness.

Great post, Derek. Looking forward to the next!

I think it was Mark Twain who said that "any man who declares himself no fool, usually has his doubts. "

I think that might apply here.

I dunno, there are a lot of people out there who do a pretty good impersonation of stupid. I watch, I wait, I hold my opinions, I cut slack - and stupid is as stupid does. It shows.

Great post Derek. This is a good reminder. Thanks.

Hell yeah! I will share this. It is right on the mark. I also enjoyed the great thoughts from the follow on posts. Thanks for connecting and staying connected.

Derek,
I'd tell you that you are just plain smart, but then I'd just be playing the same game, upside down and backwards. Instead, I will say that I love your points. They resonate with me.
Also, you provided me with a perfect quotation ("Jumping to a conclusion is like quitting a game : you lose by default.") with which to respond to a person who jumped to a conclusion without bothering to do any research or thinking, and said something that I hold to be rather ignorant and inappropriate. Hopefully it will give him something to THINK about without being antagonistic. :)

Derek, thank you for this 'post' which challenges one to think first before drawing conclusions or making judgments!

I think Chris (#30) is thinking along the same lines as I am, in that the source for why we feel the need to call someone/something "stupid" stems from our primal need to make sense of our surroundings.

Think of our frustrations with those people (or that thing) as a length of rope or string that's been frayed on the ends and each strand is separating from the main thread... Calling someone stupid is a way for us to take our frustrations and cap them off with a tidy label, so that if we feel the need to pick that thread back up we can immediately understand why we dropped it in the first place - "Ah, right! They're stupid, now I remember why I stopped being interested in them."

Derek, it's an interesting paradox -- when we draw conclusions (sometimes prematurely) we limit our potential for understanding, and thus our intelligence. But by continually seeking new information and continually exploring the ins and outs of a concept we add more to our understanding, our perspective, and our insight.

Don't allow yourself to be satisfied with slapping a label on someone, because you'll often find your labels out of date. Stay inquisitive!

Hear, Hear! :)

Laurie (#43) - That's awesome that you were able to have someone so amazing in your life. The world could use more teachers like her!

I've always given more people credit for being more intelligent and sometimes I have been disappointed and many times not.

Interesting commentary Derek, but I think it could be better if you illustrated how this mindset is detrimental to artists.

I.E. Don't treat your audience like idiots.

This is so stupid. Just kidding:-) Keep it up, Derek!

Great points, Derek. This is why politicians are perceived as being so awful: because the voters tend to believe solutions that are "clear, simple and wrong" (Mencken) when they're promoted by people with conviction.

Literally, people get the politicians they vote for - whether it's a good idea or not. Complex problems require complex thinking and usually complex solutions - not chest beating.

Ditto building a music career, there is no magic bullet, no matter how appealing the simplistic solutions promoted by people who want your money might seem ...

I think this post is a bit stupid ;-) Or not ? To be honest, i don't know. There is another dimension to all of this. First, people are not stupid, its their behavior that is stupid. But when you are irritated by stupid behavior, it says something about yourself. Check out my post of a couple of weeks ago on "The Mirror of Gifts"
Nice one! — Derek

Somebody knows something/some things you don't, thats why we have Google search.

I agree. Smart people don't think others are stupid. As humans we all have cognitive abilities and although you may not agree with someone's assessment it is not because you are smart and they are stupid but rather they don't have the same perspective.

As a student of life, entranapenuer and programmer I can say most things people see as stupid is because of a lack of understanding.

People do stupid things because they are not informed.

Just my 2 cents. Worth that much I assume.

The second you say "I know..." is the second after you've stopped learning.

I think that I'm going to disagree. While the primary point is true- you shouldn't just jump to the conclusion that other people are stupid, because it is often a form of evasion, I'd like to provide a counter example.

I've spent the last decade (probably two) believing that people were not stupid. I have always thought that anyone could be a programmer if they wanted to. I have thought that when it comes to politics they often take what is offered to them by the media without thinking about it because its the default -- but this doesn't make them stupid. On the contrary, it simply makes them busy. I have believed that when presented with a logical argument they most people would recognize the logical argument and be persuaded, or, find an error in the argument and be able to possibly show me the error in my argument.

But over this time-- and truthfully, I don't want to admit it even now-- I've found that many people have great difficulty thinking about certain subjects-- like programming. Many people can't simply teach themselves new skills like I can. (I don't worry about not knowing how to do something because I know I'll just learn it when I need it, but for other people this is a difficult task by comparison. I've had close friends tell me this over and over again that I'm unusual in this regard.)

I've spent more than a decade carefully providing arguments, honing logic, getting facts at my command for making political arguments with people, because I believed they were not stupid, that they were smart and willing to continue thinking about it. And I've found that many of them simply aren't willing to think about it at all. A is good, B is bad, and anyone who makes anything that even smells outside the mainstream is crazy and not worth listening to.

So, I don't think they are stupid. I think they've simply been trained not to think. I don't decide this as an evasion, I decide it as the only possible answer I can come up with to resolve the empirical data I'm presented with again and again and again.

There are two wonderful examples of what I'm talking about: Inflation. Many people have been convinced that inflation is necessary for the economy to function and that "deflation" is bad. I have utterly failed to get these people to recognize that there are two types of deflation (monetary and lack-of-demand-downward-spiral) that have different impacts. I think that because they can't just learn new things they can't easily learn what I'm trying to teach them.

The other example is global warming. People are adamant that global warming is happening, because they've been told its happening, even when presented with scientific proof to the contrary. There are many facts that disprove global warming (IR absorption of CO2 is less than water vapor, the planet is getting cooler, mars was getting warmer with the solar cycle as well, CO2 is getting higher even though the planet has been getting cooler, on geological scales CO2 gets higher *after* warming)...... but the response is either to link to other people asserting that global warming is happening as "proof" or to just insist that all scientists believe in it therefore its true (And "what other conspiracies are the scientists trying to put over on us?" etc.)

The thing is, there is no evidence that "all scientists" or even a majority of scientists support this theory. And if there were, that wouldn't, according to the scientific method, be at all scientifically relevant.

But they don't want to know that and they don't care. They've heard it, it fits their .... desires or biases... therefore its true.

Does that make them stupid? I don't want to think so, but it does by your definition above. ("jumping to a conclusion").

Am I stupid for saying that they're stupid? No, I've spent years trying and trying to understand why or how they come to this conclusion and the best I can come up with is that they're taught not to think and not to question the status quo or the mainstream perspective.

At worst you could accuse me of reaching that conclusion against my will-- it is only in the last 6 months or so that I've started to feel that my time is wasted and I should give up. (Plus when I was younger discussing politics was interesting because few people are interested in talking shop.... but now its no longer fun.)

I think I probably don't qualify as an example of what you're talking about. But your article is hitting a very sore spot for me-- one built up of years of frustration at being patient and trying and continually failing.

People aren't stupid. I do think they are being taught not to think, however.

Luckily, we have the ability to grow as people, and learn to be less judgmental about people and situations.

It takes practice.

Someone or a circumstance may seem to be negative, but we can learn from it.

Anything, even the most horrible setbacks, tragedies, and losses.

This is far more important- learning from what happens to us.

Move the world in your own way.

Great thoughts on jumping to conclusions and throwing in the towel on thought. It reminds me of a quote from John Steinbeck. Although just a snippet out of context, it reads, “Perhaps my greatest wisdom is the knowledge that I do not know." Then there's Weird Al Yankovic's bold and enterprising, "Dare to be stupid!" It's the root of all invention and discovery -- wanting to find out what we do not already know, or that there's much more to what we believe we already know.

Yea great and also Truth comes to mind

Us fish love your positive stuff and see your willingness to help others humbully keep up the great work Derek your one of a kind.

Hmmm. I haven't had time to read hundreds of posts. Has anyone pointed out the endless loop yet? If you see someone declaring someone else to be stupid, can you conclude that that first person is not smart (stupid) or would coming to that conclusion make you not smart?

Thank you for sharing your idea. I think it's a very new creative thougth when you propose: "Being stupid means avoiding thinking by jumping to conclusions." This is one of the first time I encounter this definition of stupid. Thank you.
And I agree that saying "I don't know" shows that I'm not smart but I'm not so stupid either: I'm enlightenedly stupid: knowing that I don't know. And that's the wondeful first step to being smart (if we do want to be smart about the subject).

And I would also agree that words are again just labels. And what I've experienced seems to suggest that different people tend to interpret/feel them differently. And also, sometimes people use these words quite liberally (just as some swear words).

Thank you for sharing your insights on 'being smart' and 'being stupid'.

Agree with the sentiment, but I think it is a little inaccurate.

Smart people don't *assume* people are stupid. Until the evidence demonstrates otherwise.

it's my weakness, I think all people are smart, and give them all the benefit of the doubt. Then conversation after conversation I realize who the smart ones are finally...

“Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing it is stupid.”
--Albert Einstein

Derek, I love the idea of not jumping to judge.

How do you classify the destruction that people do to their lives, to their nations (Greece) ? People and nations do some really stupid things. Most people (inclusive yours truly) do some stupid things in their lives.

Since everyone is different; what is normal? We are all here to help each other; where one lacks the other fills in. Great message Bro Sivers!

We don't know what we don't know.

This is as true for me as it is for everyone else. When I sometimes lose sight of this, I'm the one being stupid.

Thanks for the thought-provoking post.

Well, I'm smart, and I know for a fact that there are people who are stupid... :)

"There's no shortage of idiots."

From my point of view, being stupid or an idiot is what happens when you have either a lack of integrity or a lack of humility, although it is often a combination of both.

As I see it, the smartest phrase in the English language is the words "I don't know." Your point about there being no stupid questions is right on the money.

The stupidest thing is to think that you are so smart that you can put one over on everyone, and that no one will be able to figure it out.

Maybe I've dealt too much with the darker sides of the human spirit, but there is a point after careful analysis when it can become evident that someone is acting without integrity. At that point, you know they are being stupid. When you can figure out after careful analysis that an individual has a pattern of acting without integrity, then you know that they ARE stupid.

Jumping to conclusions is the result of a lack of humility. Foolishly thinking that you can somehow grasp an entire situation from the beginning without taking the time to analyze and study it, is acting stupidly.

It is possible for a person to stop being stupid. They need to begin to act with integrity. Have some humility. Ask questions. Admit when they don't know something. Be honest. Eventually these will become habits of thinking, and the person won't be stupid any more.

Since everyone is different; what is normal? We are all here to help each other; where one lacks the other fills in. Great message Bro Sivers!

Derek, I often say "I Don't Know" , followed by "but I will try to
find out for you". None of us can have all the answers all of the time, so respect the question, and let them know you are going to try to help. I respect people who have said that to me! Always great to read your posts! Love you always!

Great post. Thought provoking. I like the way this type of short articles go directly to the point. Thanks!

I've always felt this intuitively, though I think I always just framed it as preferring to be around "open minded" individuals. I like the way you've framed it here even better though.

I agree. Smart people know that they really don't "know" anything. Therefore we approach each situation/experience as an opportunity to learn. Well put Derek.

Name calling is the last resort of the ignorant. On the other hand, there is the very real concept of having the courage of your convictions.
Not to have an opinion can sometimes be the haven of playing it too safe. Saying you don't know is an honest response if it's actually the truth for you. Saying what you believe is just as valid a response even if you're wrong. You can always admit when you're wrong ( well, some people can.)
Then there's the matter of real intelligence which is based solely on genetics. So I agree. You are either being smart or you are being stupid.

I think part of the problem stems from thinking that everyone is either in one camp or another. Intelligence falls on a spectrum, and everyone's native abilities fall somewhere on that spectrum. Labeling someone "smart" or "stupid" is just making an assessment of which side of an arbitrary line you've personally drawn on the spectrum from the least intelligent to the most intelligent as your own mechanism for defining "smart" or "stupid." This binary approach to thinking about something that isn't binary, seems to create a lot of angst across most of the debated topics today. Just a couple of thoughts to toss into the mix...

I personally change the word completely. I find myself using the words awareness and unawareness. So, here's to someone's unawareness. Without it, you wouldn't be able to find your awareness.

I respectfully disagree. It is important not to conflate ignorance with stupidity. Ignorance merely indicates that there is something a person has not yet learned; stupidity implies the inability to learn. "Acting stupid" is just an unwillingness to learn, but the fact is that some people are simply incapable. I do agree that calling someone stupid is an argumentative shortcut akin to violating Godwin's law, but it is an inescapable truth that some people are smarter than others.

To the extent that there is a concept of intelligence (whatever the definition may be--book smarts, street smarts, logical reasoning, etc.), some people will have more than others. Intelligence by any measure is heritable to a certain degree, and environment obviously plays a huge part, but to presuppose that every person is as capable of complex thought as any other person but simply chooses not to do so at certain times is hopelessly optimistic and naive. There are incredibly smart people (e.g., Einstein) and incredibly stupid people (I won't name names, but we've all encountered one or more people on that end of the spectrum), and most of us fall somewhere in between. There are people that, for whatever reason, either genetics, upbringing, or more likely a combination of the two, are simply incapable of complex thought. Many times people act as if they are stupid simply out of intellectual laziness, but for others, no amount of time or effort will let them act intelligently.

Intelligence by any measure is a trait that is not equally distributed amongst all people, and by definition, half of all people are below the median. Everyone likes to think of themselves as being above average, but many of these people are sadly mistaken. And unfortunately for everyone, many of these mistaken people tend to vote in elections, but that's democracy for you!

Since I've been called stupid in more ways than one, with expletives added after that, I can truly say it is a derogatory & demeaning thing to hear, especially from people you care about and have looked up to or went out on a limb for and they've conveniently forgotten all about that or didn't recognize what you did that was smart in the first place by their own willful ignorance or blindness. Another way someone will say you're stupid is to say you don't have "common sense." I would say that people who call others stupid or don't have common sense are too ignorant to know what they're talking about and judge by appearances only, think they know it all, are on an ego or power trip & they say it because they don't feel good about themselves. It might seem empowering to them to be that way. No one, in my opinion, is stupid. There is always something to learn from someone no matter what their grades in school were or the job they currently have or their social status or how much money they make or don't make. Another way of calling someone stupid is to say they are "slow." Someone said that to me about my brother who was right there when she said it to me. My jaw dropped when she said that & I hoped my brother did not hear her say that. I wondered real quick to myself why judge him like that and so quickly when she didn't even know him. My brother is schizophrenic and really shouldn't be classified as slow, especially with all that is on his plate. He's really one of the smartest & nicest people I know. Loving and caring people don't call others stupid. They say it because you probably have something they want and they can't have it. And yet, politicians seem fair game for being called stupid and that seems appropriate in some cases, especially when they demonstrate it to the entire world's population what the effect of their policies create for millions and even billions of people. And still, if we are a thinking people, a caring & civilized people, and not really stupid, why does it seem the same stupid stuff keeps happening? I guess we all could use some smartening up and that would not be a stupid thing to do.

I would agree with the sentiment that smart people don't think people are stupid. I prefer to question a person's stance to clarify why they believe their stance is reasonable. It really is quite charming to watch what appears to be a stupid stance unravel before their very eyes as your questions reveal flawed assumptions. Although it is far quicker to call them stupid!

Growing up, I was always told by others I was smart. First in every test, that sort of thing. I was the smart kid. Which meant everyone else was dumber than me.

Fast forward to now, my adult years. I feel that I am 100 times smarter than I once was. It is nothing to do with intelligence or test scores. I've just learnt enough to realise that I don't know everything about anything. I've learnt that every person, no matter how 'stupid' they are, has so much to offer if you listen to them.

You can't really be smart until you admit you're always going to be stupid.

When universal education was established here in the US there were six subjects considered vital to learn for becoming a good citizen: Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, Rhetoric, Logic and Music. Logic and rhetoric were seen to be tools needed for political discourse. Alas, these two (and music as well) have been removed from many if not most public schools. Our citizens are not encouraged - maybe even are discouraged - from thinking. People who think and ask questions cause trouble.

Debate, when engaged under rules of logic, has the potential of reaching a meeting of minds. What passes for political debate these days is nothing more than position statement. There is no attempt made to define the logical structure of the position and therefore no way to discuss policy in a constructive way.

Are our politicians stupid? Probably not. They are probably not willfully ignorant either. They might just be playing the game with a different rule book than the one they show us.

I don't know.

So resonating with me!

Yes, there are no stupid people, just people acting stupidly... and there are no smart people either, just people acting smartly.

I don't think any living person can/has to be labeled. Imagine a world in which each of us will be bumper-sticker-ed with an adjective. That would be the end of the world!

Great article Derek. You always delight me with your wit!

This post just made me think about Bryan Stevenson's TED talk for some reason. And particularly the quote "each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done", or in this case the stupidest thing we've ever done.

So does this also work for good and bad? Because we are not good and bad people, we are people who do good and bad things?

So if a "good person" says that someone is bad because they disagree with them, then by that judgement are they doing a bad thing?

Great post though Derek, something for me to ponder and make sure I consider in the whole preconceptions challenge stuff I think. You really need to stop making me think so much!!

"only not-knowing" as they say in zen ;-)

Give the lawyer answer! => It depends.

Haven't thought this way, thanks Derek for this wonderful read

Hi Derek:

Behaviours come and go ...

Not sure I know what a person is, really; in their essence ...

Interesting observations though ...

All the best :-)

Agreed!

How true. Great stuff.

I like it. That is re-framing at it's best. Thank You Derek you are an inspiration to me.

right on, Derek....that's why I ALWAYS read your posts. You have compassion and insight. Thank you.

Hey Derek! I totally agree. Decision making is a hard process when the answer isn't clear-cut. I sometimes get asked to give my advice. There seems to be some pressure to not say, "I don't know give me time to think about it." I want to be helpful but often end up saying the thing that seems the hardest to say. I would rather spend a few hours thinking it through and give my true opinion then fire back without thinking it through.

But smart people can tell when others are faking it.

I find that calling someone stupid does not usually result in that person being more open to learn from my superior wisdom. In fact, if I call you stupid, you will either stop trying, because you believe me, or you will keep doing the thing I think is stupid, because you feel defensive and need to take a position. Either way, things won't get better.

If I can come over to your side and see what the world looks like from where you stand, maybe you won't look so stupid to me. And maybe I will learn something from you. It could happen.

Or am I just being stupid?

For me it's about fear of the unknown. I find that my own knee jerk reactions are often an effort to forestall the unknown, the gap, the distance between what I can comprehend and that which is unknown. Therefore, patience, contemplation is the willingness to live with the unknown...and the fear that comes with living in that ambiguous state...even if just for a short while.

Derek...as I've told you before I find your work to be profound and insightful and from the heart. Thank you for it ... it enriches me...in a non-material sense!

-Aldo

ultimately right or wrong (smart or stupid) choices are only relative to one's own journey.. one persons stupidity will be anothers genius ~)

This is the stupidest thing I have read today. Congratulations!

When I'm tempted to think another person stupid/rude/unfeeling/self-centered or any other "name," I remember what a wise person once told me:

"There are 10,000 reasons why that person did/said what they did. 9990 of which I know nothing about." And that's only if it's a friend. If you don't know the person, you likely nothing about 10,001 of their reasons.

what is "smart" is Derek writing these think pieces and then reading everyone's responses...down the rabbit hole I go, with pleasure! Thanks Derek:)

x Tina

So simple, yet so powerful. I sure love having you in my email inbox ;)

Once judgement comes into play, the game is over. I always love the thoughts you inspire in all of us who comment because we value living more fully, more intensely and even more stupidly. THAT'S WHERE THE FUN IS !!! WHERE WOULD BLOOPER SHOWS BE WITHOUT THE STUPID? WHERE WOULD THE DIGITAL UNDERGROUND BE? The Rolling Stones 45 "Stupid Girl" , I don't quite remember, but was it the B-side of "Paint It, Black?"

Leave it up to Derek. I have been acquainted with him since the old school CD Baby days. His insight is always refreshing, inspirational, motivating and enlightening although just recently i referred to a woman as stupid when she made a left hand turn right into my driver-side door while not paying attention (she was texting to be specific). My son was in the car and got thrashed against the passenger window. Maybe she wasn't stupid but she def was not being smart.

stu·pid/ˈst(y)o͞opid/
Adjective:
Lacking intelligence or common sense.

noun. fool - goof - tomfool - booby - dolt - imbecile

Best Derek and thanks as always for sharing.

I love your posts and I also love all the discussion occasioned by your posts. I like the ones who ponder and say so - well, yes, but maybe no...

I'll probably continue to think of some people as really smart. I'm not sure I think of anyone as really stupid, except in some kind of reactive flash. In my work as a computer helper I find that some people simply don't get things, and sometimes I conclude that they probably never will. But I don't think it's because they're stupid, only that they just simply don't think "that way."

On the other hand, when a person can't figure out that they could take the scrap of paper they just left on the counter and instead turn around and throw it in the trash... that person I think is plain stupid.

With this, what do I reveal about myself?

I think everyone is capable of being "stupid" from time to time. It really depends on the situation and the actions taken by someone. I don't totally agree with the title of the article entirely because in order to actually be smart you have to be able to realize someone's stupidity. Now, does it mean they are entirely stupid? Not really, but maybe in some contexts it does.........it's really someone's interpretation on a situation. I mean we've all dealt with people that have no reasoning or sense about them right? Here's the definition of "Stupidity":

Stupidity is a lack of intelligence, understanding, reason, wit, or sense. It may be innate, assumed, or reactive - "being 'stupid with grief' as a defence against psychological trauma",[1] a state marked with "grief and despair...making even simple daily tasks a hardship."

In our house, when my son was small, the word stupid was one of the only "time out" words. It was never used. Period.
When people use this kind of label, it means they have suspended thought and rendered judgement.
It is akin to calling someone Evil. It is the first step in dehumanizing a person or group, and always leads to more conflict. The only thing left to do after that is to join a political party or other cult.....where all the dogmatic decisions are made for you...

No matter how strongly I may believe I know something, I always leave open the possibility that someone else's perspective is based upon additional information that I am ignorant of. We can never be too sure of anything.

Aristotle was considered "stupid" because he was one of the first to state that the earth was round. Go figure :)

Stupid like Yoda.

I agree with you Derek. Smart person wouldn`t judge, but will look for solution. Everyone has own experience, thoughts, believes and emotions, which create reality. The world is what you think. That is why one person can appear in 100 different characters to 100 people. Everybody of 100 will see this pereson differently. If I believe everyone has a good heart, I will view all people this way. If someone seems to appear negative to me, it means I have simular problem I have to work on. If you are smart, everyone looks smart to you since you will intuitively communicate with smart people. Like attracts like.

I believe is wrong in the first place of thinking this way.

You probably haven't met stupid people or you are acting stupid to start this blog post in the first place.

According to the dictionary, stupid means lacking ordinary quickness and keenees of mind. That said, there are thousands and thousands of people who have that problem. Thus, they ARE stupid.

A wise person can learn from a fool, but a fool can't learn from a wise person. Always a choice I guess. And.... if you spot it you got it....

No, YOU'RE stupid! (just kidding, I don't really think that)

Thanks Derek for new article.

1) the smart one doin stupid

or

2) the stupid one doin smart

(only the firts is the smart one),because he is smart he can do stupid but in His work He's smart.

Best Regards
Jan

Very well said, Derek. We should never jump to any conclusion. When we jump to conclusions, most of the time we're wrong and have misjudged someone. If we wait, the truth about whatever the conclusion we may jump to will show itself. Never jump to conclusions.

Derek, as you know, "stupid" does not actually exist. There are merely people with expertise in certain areas and deficits in others.

I know more about music and economics than my mechanic....but he knows more about fixing a car than I could ever hope to fathom.

I am an imbecile in all things automotive.

I know more about history and English grammar than my building janitor.

But he is a refugee from Iran, speaks five languages, and has a Phd in Chemistry. Since his fluency in English isn't perfect, he has a problem obtaining a teaching job in that area of his expertise, so he grabbed the first job that came along to support his family.

I am a moron in all things related to chemistry.

Years ago, I wrote a song called, "Prayer for America," and there is a line that states, "step into my church and pray, for a nation growing dumber every day." In many ways, I regret using the word "dumber," but in a song, sometimes you resort to an expedient adjective because there is not enough time to explain your philosophy of the mind.

In reality, America has some of the most high powered intellectuals in the areas of computers, robotics, nanotechnology, genetics, aerospace, military hardware, etc. In that respect, America is far from being a "dumb" nation.

Yet in other respects, America is far behind other nations. For example, Canada has been on the metric system for some 50 years, even as America continues to measure things in pounds, inches, and Fahrenheit degrees.

Unfortunately, the average working American, often forced to hold two jobs for survival sake and sleeping a mere four-five hours per day, lacks the time to introspect or educate himself on topics outside the typically mundane job(s) he must perform.

I don't believe in "dumb," I just believe that some people lack awareness on certain topics concerning the many permutations of debate.

I believe very much in the adage, "the more you learn, the less you know." Effectively, what that means, is that as you educate yourself concerning the many arguments about a particular subject, it becomes increasingly difficult to see things in "black or white." Instead, increased education about any topic usually leads a person to see life more in shades of grey.

However, it is difficult to conduct life on a foundation of uncertainty, so we generally are forced to "pretend" we have categorical knowledge about all variety of issues.

In conclusion, over time, as part of being an "adult," I have become a reasonably good actor, pretending to have certainty about all variety of topics.

But, here in Los Angeles, there is an old joke that goes as follows:

a model is a "dumb" person who aspires to become an actor someday....and an actor is a "dumb" person who aspires to become a director, producer, or politician someday......and a politician is a "dumb" person who goes into politics so he can meet actors and models.

In my own case, I'm just a shadow musician with a minor degree in acting, and that probably places me fairly low on the intellectual totem pole of society.

Our perception which leads to our presumptions, expectations, deductions and conclusions, is mostly clouded by our acculturation. It is so much easier to rape and kill numbers than individuals. We all have to know how to listen carefully, willfully, and let our ears lead our minds. Bless You.

Good point. A reminder that name calling is just a veil for laziness and when you are being really smart, you are working through the complexities of the problem to figure out how everyone reaches the solution with you. A fundamental premise of Getting to Yes.
Keep thinking.
Peace,
Todd

Right on Derek! I have learned through continued observation that there are no stupid questions, only stupid answers!

"Stupid is as stupid does."
-Forrest Gump

"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
-Albert Einstein

Very true. Personally I learned it early thanks to my 15 year old brother. A lot of people my age (27) are critical towards anyone who does the slightest thing wrong and very quick to drop snide remarks and thumb their noses at them. Never underestimate people!

Nice sentiment but not entirely true. There are more ways to be stupid than simply jumping to conclusions, which even intelligent people do. Some people simply refuse to exercise the brain they have and *that* is stupid. Declaring someone stupid is sometimes putting the brakes on thinking but not always. Sometimes it's just calling it as it is. Your assessment is too general to be entirely true. It's only true in some situations.

On another note, the one part that is dead accurate is "I don't know" being an intelligent answer. Only a fool pretends to be knowledgeable on something he's not and nobody is knowledgeable on everything. The mature and intelligent man easily says "I don't know" and therefore doesn't look a fool.

Oh no, this contradicts one of my favorite quotes: :"Stupid is as stupid does" :D .
For me, it's about consistent behavior - a smart or decent person can occasionally do something stupid or crappy, while stupid people make it a habit of being stupid and/or crappy.

"We'll see!

Or


"You can't fix stupid" (Ron White)

Derek,

Out of the corner swinging. Bravo.

I liked the story format and introduction. The length of the piece is impressive. The content?! Well said, well thought out...you have a marvelous habit of pointing out the not so obvious in a way that ruffles the least feathers with the most truth.

Thank you for the consideration and time taken to write the blog; as well as a chance to sound in.

Best regards,
~ stefan

Hey Derek, I have been guilty of being one of those people that say "They are so stupid!" It has toned downed a lot over the years and I think it is because when you start a business and realize so many mistakes you make that you realize how many people may have said the same thing about you or your own decisions over the course of time.
They may have not told you to your face, thought I wish they would have since I would have saved tons of money and time on stupid decisions. :)
Now, to go deeper I think that if someone really feels that person said, acted or did something "stupid" that person should immediately think...WAIT A MINUTE...Why did they do that? What could possibly have led them to do that??? Perhaps I don't know all of the information and history of that person to know what led them to that situation. Before with staff I may have said, that is "SO STUPID" Now I have turned that to a "That's really interesting, why did you think or do that?" And continue to question their thought process....
Here is a really good example of something that happened to me yesterday. A competitor has this really big large website with a whole step by step online application system which is quite good. Then I noticed they would be accepting applications via e-mail???? I was like that "is stupid"??? Why put so much money on an online system to go BACKWARDS to e-mail when you spent so much money on the system. Then it hit me! They had a huge problem with their system or operations being able to work properly and in order to solve it they needed to accept application by e-mail because they didn't know or were in the process of fixing it. Perhaps when they created their system they thought of X but didn't think of Y. They in their own way make it seem to the user that they are being more open and less intrusive with an "e-mail" but in reality they may have had an issue with the entire system and are making
it easier for the operations to get the customer do the application online without being online, per se.. So, was it stupid for them to do it? I don't know ;)

"the dunce" has no hands and a bite out of his back...careless words can hurt and even scar.
the essay reminds me to take care.

This is pure genius, such an important thing put in such a simple and straightforward... i can only bow to this genius....

"Stupidity is the major building block in the universe" (Frank Zappa)

I confess I am guilty of this; I get very frustrated. Thank you Derek for your good perspective. Deep breath. I will try to internalize this.

That's true! After all - every one got the same resources (a human brain + ...) - so it depends on whether they use it in smart way (by really using the computing capacity of brain) or in a stupid way (without any processing, fetching the result from the memory or some other sources). :)

You are so right. When I was 7 years old my mother moved us from New York City to Mexico City. My younger brother called the poor Mexican natives "stupid". My mother corrected him explaining that these people are not stupid, just uneducated. How right she was.

One should speak to all people regardless of their walk in life with the same amount of respect until and unless they prove they don't deserve it.

"We were put here to help others. Why the others were put here nobody knows."

reaction to post # 57
Identity
Jay
I agree with Jay and with Derek but both comments are not on the same level
Deep in us we know that when I am hungry I cannot feed myself with imaginary bread . So logical arguments are fine, assuming that the premises of logic are correct. So everybody likes them because they make sense and do lead to facts not illusions.
If everybody wants them and they do, stupid pl do not exist.
Still there is another player on the field regarded by the majority of ppl as far more important than the stream of logic: feelings. As soon as there is a conflict between feelings and thinking the more intense the feeling the more ppl listen to her.
THE reason behind it is our identity which does not necessarily coincide of what we intellectually understand, but always coincides with what we feel. Some ppl may belief their identity is always logical, I agree. But the proof is not that they think they are, but the lack of conflict between feelings and thinking assuming now that the conflicted feelings are not suppressed. So wgen a logical rgument is not accepted or denied, it looks (extremely) stupid from the outside, but from the inside feelings do make sense. The more important the feelings the more they resemble a kind of ideology anchored in identity. 99.99 % of ppl will disown their thinking in favor of their strong feelings. that is why the test that you are different is sooooo satisfying. Which test? Bungee jumping :D

I think you are been very kind. Some people do stupid things even people who think they are smart. Someone could be an expert in a certain field but if they get drunk and drive their car into someone's front door even the most reserved opinion will conclude that they must be stupid especially if you are known to be a very smart. Politicians who are generally clever are sometimes renowned for their stupidity. We don't have to dig too deep to prove this.

I like this discussion. It's about coming from the heart.

I want people to treat each other, the planet, and all living beings with love and respect. When they don't, I often fail to love and respect them. So, I become like them. I do better when I decide to be an example instead of a cop.

Attacking other peoples' self-esteem, whether it's by criticizing their intellect or some other aspect, is often an attempt to raise one's own self-esteem. It's about as effective as eating junk food to raise one's physical health.

"very interesting derek ..enjoyed you prudent very profound topic..which i really really enjoyed reading slowly on each word in fact, to understand fully. ..And if i might link to this topic, having a bearing in life and being led by Jesus Christ, is to be the beginning of being a new person and therefore when a person comes to say something about another, he or she will think twice this time, before they say it!..Not to mention the negative side effects in a situation where somebody acusses the other of using the word "stupid"..I also, think that immaturity is a an element, so unless the person decides to change route to the better, unfortunatly the pride can remain..And pride has a role in all things negative in the human character! .."

I couldn't agree more, brilliant as usual. Thanks Derek :)

I think there's actually a rational reason for this irrational behavior. Man is a social animal. We form groups because groups are good for our survival. Some groups, such as family, we do not choose and other groups, such as political party, we do choose (though there's actually some evidence that party affiliation may be more ingrained than we think).

These groups provide safety and security. For those groups we *choose*, however, this isn't always the case, but as we're social, we can often get the same comfort level. However, because no one really likes to admit that they're wrong, it's very easy to assume that the "other" is wrong, even if this is not the case.

This could actually be a survival trait as it reinforces group cohesion. Fear of the unknown and the bonding with your own group are powerful factors for group stability. Attacking (even verbally) other groups could be beneficial even if your group is wrong.

Sadly, we should be able to get beyond this, but it's hard :(

Being smart is choosing the best course of action. Being stupid is not the opposite of being smart. Not thinking something through is not necessarily being stupid. For example you may be impulsive and correct. Time is often an important factor when making decisions and there is often not enough of it to consider every possiblilty.

I agree Derek. If you learn from stupid things you do, you're being smart. If you don't learn from stupid things you do, you're learning the wrong way. If you're learning the wrong way, change the way you learn. So imo, there are only people who can change and people who can't change. There are only people who are self-aware or not self-aware.

There is no need to judge really.

From my experience, there are two types of 'people being stupid': those who haven't learned yet and those who refuse to learn. I try to be a part of the former category, although my stubbornness at times pushes me in the latter.

"Come in no.57!" Jay, I empathize with what you've said as much as anything else because I have had the same discussions and gave the same expalanations (more or less) about the same subjects!
--
Derek - wonderful essay/post - this is a well examined topic and of great importance. Great beenfit for me too.

I agree with avoiding in fact re-thinking any temptation to call out stupid when that's not the true story which is well night every time, yet still must call myself into account for slipping a little way down that slippery slope of contempt when the word starts to blink it's neon siren call!

Thank's so much. And to all those who have commented. Best wishes, Roger

Excellent point. That saying "assume makes an ass out of you and me" comes to mind.

Definitely easier to call someone an idiot than to go all Malcolm Gladwell and find the deep roots of an issue - but honestly, I think sometimes (only sometimes) it's healthier to make that assertion and walk away than try to understand.....kind of an issue of picking your battles and cutting your losses.

Always a pleasure to see you writing, Derek. Thanks for stirring the thought pot.

That's one of the shortest, most compassionate couple of paragraphs ever!

The key to everything is patience. You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it open.
– Arnold Glasgow, American humorist

Unfortunately I'm not as gifted at being brief!

Especially with children I think what you have said is so important. Rather than giving up on the ones that don't undertsand right away I would rather see more time put in to achieving the goal(knowledge, understanding) rather than labeling those children and allowing and helping them to fall behind. Finding a politically correct term for stupid does not really help those children.

When dealing with a stubborn, malicious adult, even a criminal, undertanding the the problem would lead to better treatment of it, although this might sometimes mean harsher judgement in order to protect self/society in ways that we don't right now, here in Canada any way.

If problem children of every sort were not given up on, and if we went beyond that first easy answer when trying to understand them, maybe we wouldn't have so many criminals in the long run.

Here's to more sitting around with friends or colleagues and thrashing topics, problems, and opinions out until they are thoroughly understood.

So well said. And, this makes me feel so much better after being yelled at by three clients yesterday. It was the same thing that you mentioned above. They were so frustrated by the process and what was required, they were just ready to write it off and give up. :)

This type of thinking holds truest in a vacuum. Being mature enough to not comment on how stupid we all are ... and to find another person's strength (like, some folks are great mechanics and others gardeners) instead of pointing out their weaknesses heads in a very favorable societal direction ... but we must never lose sight of our stupidity. Our saving grace will be the moment we freely admit how unintelligent we are and stop pretending that we are in any way superior to even a mud puddle. Or a twig.

It's not smart or stupid. We all can think. The problem is ignorance! If you have information provided to you and you choose to ignore it, then it's your own fault when you don't know it. I'm not saying believe everything you say. But consider it and verify it.

Very educative reminder of the necessary social etiquette of a wise person, and the damage one can do to others by being too readily dismissive.I love all the comments concerning the reasons why we do it - for our self-esteem (falsely) and I suspect, because of a longing for clarity about wrong and right in a muddled world. From a business perspective I have learned of my own stupidity from all the contributions above as well. How useful! Thanks to all. I wouldn't want to demonise jumping to conclusions, though, as a great deal of that imaginative development that Einstein was talking about comes from that ability, and I believe it is going to be one of the events in our forthcoming Olympics.
We probably just have to think a bit first before we pronounce anything.

I agree.

Strategically, "I don't know" is always a good opening gambit. However, what if everyone in the room used it?

Gut feel *is* vital to establishing human truth because it's often uncontaminated by strategy and agenda. It might not be right, but it serves as a springboard to others. It's risky, too - first talkers often get it in the neck from others. But without them, this blog, for instance, would just be a white space with the occasional "...". And Derek might have become an ice cream vendor ;-)

Thanks Derek.

Reminds me that 1) it’s not easy to stay continuously aware or present, and 2) it’s very hard to quiet the Judge that resides in all of us.

We’re all so busy putting things into their respective “boxes” so we can move on with our own life that we don’t consider what another person really said or did.

Reminds me of the quote: “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle”

Smart people don't think others are stupid ....because once you use that label you shut the door to learning.

Maybe, a truly smart person recognizes that labeling others does true damage to the human soul..both theirs and those they label.

Derek, does this imply that smart is good?

Apparently, King Solomon believed someone could be a fool, but that the greater fool is the one who thinks he is wise.


Proverbs 26:12
"Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him." (ESV)

Absolutely, Derek. Well said.

"Smart" people attract "Smart" people and have the ability to influence more people to be "Smart."

Great analogy Derek! I also had a nice grin with the 'more to the story.'

Good Points. In many subjects this is correct not to call someone stupid. It is hard though when they are being stubborn though and unwilling to open their mind to different musical concepts. For example atonality. SOme people hate it and tell me how bad it is , and i try to explain the ordered system used to create it, which takes acquired knowledge. In my anger i have insinuated that they are stupid for not being more sophisticated in their musical knowledge in order to accept these different sounds. Now i have realized that insinuating they are dumb or calling them stupid does not work even if in fact they are being stupid and dumb. People get offended so easily and they often don't like facts or truth about certain things. Another topic often discussed is religion and i find people who do believe in a 6,000 yr old earth are stupid and ignorant and when they refuse to look at evidence in their stubborness they are simply dumb. However i learned that the name calling does not work because people are so fragile and they don't want to believe they are wrong about anything. I hate to say it but there are sheeple and because they get so offended to new ways or changes it causes division in our world/ We are all different and i think we have to learn to accept the idea that others will believe in ways and things so contrary to what we think etc. Sometimes in life it is best to keep mouths shut when dealing with people who lack knowledge. We as humans are gullible and sooooo easily offended. Maybe i should have not said anything. Yes, i have been stupid for calling others stupid.

Adjective:
Lacking intelligence or common sense.

Ha. I lack both sometimes. Gut feelings, emotions, humanity, time management.... I can live with being stupid as it has rewards. Smart people are annoyed by me.

Obviously you hit a nerve here Derek. Good for you. People have been building themselves up for years by putting others down. Listening to someone is the only way to find out why they feel the way they feel and to learn. No one has all the answers and there are no stupid questions. Have a great day and congrats on your success!

As Forrest Gump would say "Stupid is as stupid does"
Kim Yarson

Once again - right on the mark Derek. I have generally found in life that people think they are being smart when they find something wrong with something or someone or some idea, etc. Negative criticism has become associated with being smart or intelligent. I've always leaned to the notion that builders are smart. You can build things, ideas, relationships, etc. That's my thinking on being smart. Thanks for fueling me once again Derek!

perfect morning for this thought...so easy to jump the gun ey....many folks feel their uneducated "opinions" are law of the land...now that makes them stupid!

Stupid is as stupid acts.

Only stupid people use the word stupid. Most people mean ignorant when they say stupid.

Smart is relative. There is no such thing as a smart person (unless it is a person who dresses well). So comparing smart and stupid is ignorant.

The opposite of ignorant is informed. The definition of uninformed is "anybody who disagrees with me".

The problem is, well-informed people are everywhere. They are just informed with lies and half-truths. This is the way politicians keep up divided. It works, so, we're stupid.

Not jumping to conclusions is similar to "not making assumptions" per the awesome spiritual guidebook The 4 Agreements - http://amzn.to/A0WfwV. Another good agreement is "Be impeccably with your word," which is similar to the old addage, if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. Thanks for this, Derek. I love your posts! Joe.

"They say it to feel finished with that subject, because there’s nothing they can do about that. It’s appealing and satisfying to jump to that conclusion."
I thought these words particularly insightful (and convicting;)
relating to a situation I am currently in... thanks for sharing!!

Wow, Very Creative, Charismatic & eMpHaTiC- Derek has proven how different people interpret events differently. I remember Cracker Bob Announcer who always made fun of me because I used to laugh at him when he spoke. To him it seemed I was making fun of him & In my culture if you think & feel some thing funny you laugh in a respectful manner.

My friend Red Headed Akash told me Bob Announcer is crazy, Cracker Bob Announcer friend Tomy told him that I was in US for Mental Treatment.

I went to Cracker Bob Announcer & told him my laughing problem & he told me "When ever I see you I get more happy & jokes pop up in my mind". I told him "He is a funny announcer with a wit" So the U-Turn was both of had good views & respect for each & other but it came out when we talked to each other. I told Cracker Bob Announcer- He should work as an airport announcer & he told me I need a good hair cut. LOL

Thanks Derick once again for this Mind Blowing & Air Blowing Article. I also enjoyed your song.

Regards,
Adil

Hi Derek.
Long time reader, first time commenter here. You see the essence of things and people - that's rare. Don't you think that your idea is MUCH bigger ? I'd say that no one is right or wrong in absolute, they are only right or wrong in the context of their own perspective and context and those of others. Your thoughts?

Extremely interesting! I have a damaged brain unfortunately, and have to go with how I feel now, with little interuption, otherwise, none of my poems or songs, such as 'George Bush Blues' or the more critical ones get done. You are a much brighter person, fortunately, as you have proved. I tried to click on the song but it came up unreadable for some reason, although the previous items did not! Makes me feel our internet rights are being denied, possibly? Keep smiling and dance while you can, Derek!

Great Post.

It is about attitude, not the topic.

The only think I would have added is that it is pride that blinds us.

Unfortunately, pride is an emotion, whereas logic is reason. It is in that gap between emotions and reason that all problems flourish.

Every single person is a teacher! And we are also students. Great message Derek.

Hmmmmmmmm.....
Thanks Derek!
Have an awesome day today!
Rachel

Awesome thoughts! Thanks for sharing the brain food Derek.

Love it! Pride and Ego gets in the way of us thinking deeper sometimes. It stops us from channeling our energy into what's going on beneath the surface. Excellent example and love this post!

Ignorance is merely not taking the time to find all the possible answers! Yet another great article Derek!!!!!!!!!

This is a great post Derek. Calling someone stupid is simply a way to avoid admitting that you are unable to clearly articulate your point in a way that convinces that person you are right. On one hand it is lazy, because you are not taking the time to explain your point of view. On the other hand it is solipsistic because you can't accept that even if you did articulate your point well that someone could disagree with you.

On "I don't know" and learning. I agree 100%. I think there is a point to be made here about "core beliefs". Having convictions and beliefs is good to some extent. But when a belief has become a core belief then learning stops. In fact, no amount of evidence could ever change that core belief. You will then be willing to go through all kinds of pretzel logic just to preserve that core belief. Beware of core beliefs. "I don't know" is often better for learning, even about religion and life.

On taking time to come to the right conclusion. Well, I don't know. That is a tricky one. Sometimes using your gut and just executing is more important than arriving at the exactly correct decision. Other times going with your gut doesn't work out.

Thanks again.

But I like saying you stupid f76k.

It depends on how you define the word "stupid" as opposed to "ignorant." Ignorance is a condition where an individual does not know something but is opem enough to learn or at least become more aware. Stupidity on the other hand, is resistent to and in fact a condition that takes pride in thier ignorance. Sorry to sound strident, but the longer I live, the more I realize that yes, there are people who are stupid and there is nothing one can do to change it. In counseling situations, you say all you can, reason, offer alternatives, and finally you are still left watching them metaphorically walk over a clift into yet another personal disaster. That is why I got out of pastoral work and couselling. Calling someone "stupid" is a non-productive in a pulic or professional sense but is personally very satisfying as a venting vehicle.

thanks for that.

Since no one managed to bring it up in roughly 200 replies: Isn't the underlying point not only to differentiate ("he is not stupid but he stopped thinking") but really to stop judging at all?

How do I know someone really stopped thinking, stopped learning, or simply has another motive? Or trusts his guts?

Once I drove down a street in my town and a BMW, all tuned-up, cut my way, crossed a nearly red light and seemed to act like a mad man. I had all rights to think he's acting stupid, if not being stupid.

Later that day I came to know that the person who drove this car was bringing his pregnant wife to the hospital to give birth to his son.

I have found that I can learn a great deal about anything by having real friends who totally disagree with me. There are people that I love dearly who on some of the biggest questions in life are on the opposite side, but we can still care about and actively be part of that person's life.

The first thought that came to mind is Bill Maher. "Anyone who believes that there is a god is stupid." There are people that I love very much who do not believe that there is a god, and yet we sit an discuss the nuances with the care of a healer, not the weapons of a warrior.

It is the same with politics. We are actually stronger when we really care about what that person who disagrees with us is thinking. To let myself ask them, "what am I missing?" is confidence in action. I have thought this through, but help me to see all of the sides in the way that an ally can.

A closed mind never learns...

This is completely off the subject, but I realized after reading more of your words of wisdom that if someone asked me who in the world I would most like to meet in person, it would be you.

I think it all comes down to patience and understanding. The tendency to call someone stupid results from an expectation of timeliness not being met. Sometimes we just need to take a deep breath and let people handle things in their own way. Certainly our inability to understand their method for handling certain tasks will not result in an immediate adoption of a process based on how we "would have done it."

Calling people "stupid" to end a conversation is sure a sign of frustration and lack of arguments, so I agree with your statement Derek in that specific context.

Nevertheless, it's in human nature to have certain individuals with higher (and lower) cognitive abilities, skills, advanced reasoning, etc., and there exists a HUGE statistic range in between.

Therefore we obviously have people who can think and act "better" than others. It's just plain natural.

The problem is with the way we say it. It's all about not hurting feelings.

I'd rather say to someone "You're not thinking properly" than saying "You're being stupid". And give good, clear arguments.

Greetings from Chile!

I totally agree with this. Being smart doesn't mean you have a right to say anything to anyone. Just because someone doesn't understand our point of view, doesn't mean they are stupid.

Although words have been so very useful to humanities progress and are vital in communication, they have also been the cause of much distress and conflict. Words are just words. As a whole we all seem to agree or concur on a specific distinction of the meaning of a word, yet actually to the majority, each word brings up different memories and experiences that can change dramatically ones understanding of it . And not only does this occur from person to person but from generation to generation. I am sure the word "bitch"to a dog breeder has a different connotation than to our parents generation or to the present teenagers that seem to use it so loosely. Words as we feel them can hurt someone or bring them joy as is the case of the word "mother" to an abused or abandoned child compared to one blessed with caring parents. What matters aren't words in themselves. Words are just a sum of sounds we have convened to put a meaning to. It is how, when, why we are using them and the underlying intent that give them life. When we are to be read by many, we should be cautious as to clarify what we mean when trying to avoid misinterpretation. Anyways, I think there have been too many conflicts and blood shed caused by words and by beliefs. Respect is a must. Life and harmony and well being are too important to be harmed by "stupid" words .

I agree. Our capitalist system portrays the poor, rural dwellers, immigrants, and so many others as less intelligent. I have always found that every individual has unique perspectives and untapped talents, especially those who are ostracized, but many are intimidated by ignorance from above.
Speed in communicative response is not a sign of intelligence whatsoever. The brightest take their time to consider all factors and choose their words carefully, but radio and television constantly promotes hyper-active tirades as superior thinking. This is based on a militarized police state of mind and this system itself is one of total ignorance.

I understand your point, Derek. Yet the fact remains that there is more behavior based on "stupidity" (i.e. not thinking things through) than on "smartness" (an obvious example is the majority of people continuously voting against their own interests because they're falling for the lies of well financed media campaigns). It may not always be useful to call this behavior "stupid" in public, but I'll reserve the right to call it as I see it.

Obviously, you don't spend a lot of time with other people :D

But, seriously, great thoughts! I mostly agree, saying that someone is stupid just because you disagree with them is giving up on understanding the other persons position, situation they're in. And understanding their position would surely give you valuable insights, and enable finding the best solution to the problem at hand.

But some people are stupid. Not always, sometimes, ok. But they are, and it is not very smart to just rationalize this away. And also, sometimes it takes too much energy too keep everyone else's perspective in mind, so people often just say that someone is stupid to let off steam, and this to me is quite understandable.

Perhaps we should all be more careful with making judgments ;)

People are not stupid, they are what they are in whatever circumstance they are in. Only ideas, memes, systems, world views can be stupid. Phrenology is stupid, phrenologists just believe in something stupid. Extremely brilliant people throughout history have believed in very stupid things at times.

People are not stupid but it is our interpretation of human behaviour that we can judge others and dismiss this situation or another as being stupid. We need to have contrary opinions because this is why a diamond has it's luster. Our unwillingness to see another's point of view only limits our own. Therefore the more we can have an open mind about other's point of view the richer our lives become. Talking to children fascinate me, they are so full of p.o.v. and have no problem letting you know how they see the world. Thanks for your viewpoints.

I find that the word "stupid" is akin to a cuss word -- seems most people use it when they are expressing anger or frustration. Someone always ends up with the potential for hurt feelings.

Two things occur to me. One, there is a difference between jumping to conclusions and choosing to ignore incoming information that might change your mind. I don;t call that stupid, I call it lazy and defensive. It's like trying to drive from NY to LA, and deciding in Chcago you're tired of the trip, so you stop, and assert that therefore LA is inaccessible to New Yorkers.

Second, the labels are one more example of the principle that you don't make yourself bigger by making others smaller. It puts me in mind of the Brene Brown TED talk on vulnerability - http://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability.html - where she points out that guilt is feeling bad about something you've done, while shame is feeling bad about something you are. Calling someone "stupid" is shaming them Why would you do that?

Like the old saying goes:

The more you know, the more you ralize how little you know.

I guess smart people know, how much say do not know and always room to improve.

thank you for sharing.
Petra

I agree that name calling doesn't do anyone any good and the word "stupid" could be quite derogatory. That being said... don't you think people have different levels of intelligence - that we're not all equal, despite our greatest desires to believe so. What do you guys think?

Good word Derek. The modern definition of idiot seems to include anyone with a different perspective, meaning everyone.

I have never been a fan of names or group labels. Even in middle school. I didn't like the short sighted nature of them. I remember thinking that it let people think they know who you are without even trying.

At the time, I thought I was more than any group or name could imply (maybe I thought a little highly of myself...), but that has carried on to my adult self where I do not like to assume I know anything about people based on some affiliation. I like to listen and understand because it is really hard to get an idea about someone or something until you've actually sat down and asked questions based on what they said or what topic is being discussed.

I do reach conclusions, but they are not firm. They are there, then when challenged, I reexamine them.

Enough self boasting.

Hey Derek,

Nice post - I should probably read this once per week just to keep myself in line, because you're absolutely right. The problem is, it's just so easy to jump to conclusions. It's so easy to call others stupid.

I think the smartest person in the world does pretty stupid things at times. It is a mindset (temporary or permanent) more than anything else, in my opinion.

Ultimately, smart is subjective. At the end of the day, we'd all do better by thinking more about our own behavior than others.

Cheers,

Tom

DEREK, GREAT STUFF! YOU ALWAYS COME UP WITH THE BEST.
HOW ABOUT THIS.........MY GRANDFATHER ONCE SAID TO ME WHEN I WAS YOUNGER.
"JIM THE FIRST TIME YOU SCREW UP, THAT'S AN ACCIDENT, BUT, IF YOU DO THE SAME THING TWICE....."THAT'S STUPID"

Hi Derek............
If I were writing this for a magazine or newspaper column, I would add that most people do not stop and think about their prejudices or their ego projections onto other people. Our language is constantly changing. Unfortunately, it also changes to make words and expressions to EX-clude others and keep them out of small groups of "chosen" few. Hopefully, to make us more inclusive and supportive of others.Thank you for this.......and for staying in touch.....I send you much love, light and peace, dear man.
May I post this on my FB wall? I am going there now and will check to see what might be on your FB page.....and guess accordingly....cheers!

Dismissive natures make it easier to digest life. Not better, just easier.

You are awesome Derek, well said!

I'd hope you'd take this as a compliment if I said you have a very Seth Godinish way to see the world and I love it!
Thanks Derek~

Good Article Derek- we probably all guilty of this now and then -

but it’s a killer strategy to play the fool and let other people think they’re the smartest person in the room – Act like you just getting what going on and they will never see you coming or realise where the real competition is –

that how Colombo won all his cases they never thought he had clue until he put the cuffs on, and always the same question – When did you figure it out? And always the same answer – From the beginning I just needed you to give me the evidence to prove it.

I didn’t think you could be in the police if you were that short and only had one eye, I in the UK so many be it different in the US..

I aggree totally,

I have met some very smart people who say stupid things,

and visa versa some very unintelligent people come up with some gems of wisdom sometimes.

But please, someone tell me how America wound up voting for
Mr. Bush TWO TIMES!!! Stupid???

Nice article...I conclude it's all about having common sense...some have, some have none:)

Within a rather broad range of people your viewpoint has some validity. But, come on, you have never met someone who is off the charts smarter than anyone else you know? In a related context I remember seeing olympic athletes for the first time in person. They are only barely in the same species (these were track and field athletes). Or consider a musician like Yo-Yo Ma and consider if he is more musically talented than others. If you ever met someone like Richard Feynman you would know there are people who are just plain smarter.

I think it's important to agree on a definition of "stupid" before we even go down the road of this debate. What stupid means to you may not be what stupid means to me. A couple of readers made the point that ignorance has to be differentiated from stupidity, which is a good point. But also necessary to take into account is stupid means to some people a person with a permanently inferior IQ that supposedly can't be raised no matter how much hard work the person does. These are genetic determinists. To others, stupid just means that someone tends to do a lot more stupid acts than smart arts, regardless of whether or not that person has the potential to improve. I agree under the former definition that no one is stupid, but I do think there are some genuinely stupid people going by the second definition.

nice - this reminds me of a conversation with my neice - she was around 8 years old. I did something stupid and she said that was a bit stupid wasn't it? i said yes i guess it was (and felt stupid) and then she said "I don't mean you're stupid, just that what u did was a bit stupid." Ace...childhood wounds healed!

doing and being are too often confused. shame we don't have the spanish (etc) 2 different verbs for to be - one meaning more permanent state (where u are from/identity) and one for more temporary situation (mood, how u are feeling).

keep keepin us on our toes and heads in tune with hearts derek :-)

totally true. in a way.
and total bullshit. there are lots of dumb people out there. lots.
a clever why to say "don't assume, don't judge too quickly."
and that is wise.
but there are plenty of really synaptically-challenged people out there.

You have to look at all 4 sides of the issue involved

some "genius" will now say i'm stupid because of a typo, thereby missing the forest for the trees, and proving my point.

not that smart people can't be stupid.
and stupid people smart.

but there is a difference.

there are different kinds of intelligence though, and that would be a whole other discussion.

There are only two kinds of people, those who are willing to learn and those who are not. Call them whatever you want.

By the way, Derek, I write instrumental jazz. You can listen to some of it at www.rickcicconetti.com or at CD Baby. I sure could use a great salesman like you on my side! : )

three far too long thoughts in reaction to this post (if this is too long Derek, feel free to just delete this. sorry but you got me thinking :-P).

"there are no smart people or stupid people, just people being smart or stupid" - on the one hand I totally agree, but on the other hand part of the definition of these two words involves intelligence and that is measurably different in different people.

That doesn't meant that intelligent people don't do stupid things! Clearly they do all the time. And it doesn't mean that unintelligent people don't do smart things, clearly.

"stupid" is defined here on my Mac as "lacking intelligence or common sense". That's a pretty unfortunate definition as those are very different things! I know some geniuses who are VERY intelligent but who seem to be unable to exercise common sense because they are too busy exercising their intelligence on Big Problems (distracted professor anyone? :-)).


My dad pointed out the difference between "ignorant" and "unintelligent" to me relatively early in my life and this is an important and useful distinction to make in the context of this discussion as well, as at least one commenter noted.


So the confusion around "smart" always seems to be about the different meanings of "smart". Some meanings involve raw intelligence or cognitive ability and some are about being wise, strategic, thoughtful like I read Derek as speaking about in this post.

There are also multiple kinds of "intelligence" which makes this even more complicated. I think it's useful to recognize the different kinds of intelligence and to not assume that low intelligence of one kind means low in all kinds.


The interesting thing about "stupid" is that it is often used to mean either "unintelligent" (raw mental processing ability of a particular kind), "foolish" (silly or choosing not to think), or "failure to think things through" type of things. Clearly it's also used to mean "they don't agree with me" or "I don't want to think about this any more so I'll label it and move on", as Derek points out so well. "Dumb" is often used with similar meanings.


Derek uses "smart" here to mean being wise, using common sense, and not being lazy and labeling someone as "stupid" (unintelligent) just to avoid the work of understanding their perspective and reasoning, I think, but I think some will read "smart" and think of "intelligence". Since it's pretty clear that some people are more intelligent than others (on a particular scale of intelligence anyway) the readers who aren't distinguishing between "smart" and "intelligent" may be missing Derek's point, regrettably.

----

Some cultures think that each of us has the same amount of total "stuff" (potential, energy, gift, whatever you want to call it) and so if someone is seemingly low in one kind of intelligence or has no social skills, for example, then they *must* have something else higher than average to balance things out. So while they seem to be well below average intelligence, say, maybe they're a great musician, or a poet, or empathetic and able to help deeply disturbed individuals in need. The fundamental belief is that if a person seems to lack in one area, they have more in another - even if you haven't seen what that is yet - and that one may well want to spend the time to discover what that might be; the more so if the perceived lack is very great for that implies the potential for some great talent or gift waiting to be discovered or encouraged.

I like this philosophy of all humans having the same "stuff" (possibly "mana" in Hawaiian) or whatever one wants to call it.

----------

One thing that occurred to me lately is that the trouble we have in discussions in the USA (and the world I'd guess) is that there isn't a common definition of "fact" or how one determines fact or truth between various groups arguing about issues and honestly that makes conversation and discussion *very* difficult, if not impossible. I think this is actually the root of many of the disagreements we have in the USA today.

For some people the words written in a book (Bible or other religious texts primarily) are facts that don't need proof and in fact for which no discussion of their truthfulness is appropriate. Some people subscribe to the scientific method as a means of discovering facts or truth. There are probably other groups that I'm not aware of. These groups are having a hard time talking about very important issues in the USA (and perhaps in the world) because of these differences in what they consider "proof", "fact", or "truth" and until we figure out common definitions and ideally method(s) for determining what is "fact" or "truth", I think we are in real trouble.

If we don't agree on what constitutes a "fact" or "truth" then attempts to convince someone via logic are pretty much impossible I think. This is where I find people labeling others as "stupid" - when the other doesn't use the same reference points for what a "fact" or "truth" is - because this makes having a discussion with this other person feel useless; like having a discussion with someone with whom you share no words in common except it's less obvious than that because you do share a language.

I think we may need to work on this fundamental problem and leave all the discussions of other big issues aside until we resolve this for I don't think any lasting progress can be made until we do.


----------
A parenting story along this topic *:

I always had the sense that my son was very mentally quick and he learned to read way early, was able to read about and grasp concepts at a much earlier age than average (the danger of having books on math, quantum mechanics, music theory, philosophy, theory of computation, etc laying around I guess) and generally people kept telling us he was very different than other kids they spent time with. I shrugged it off for the most part as yah, sure he's a smart kid but there are lots of smart kids. I'm glad he's smart, it's useful after all, but I'm happier that he seems to be a kind hearted soul. In any case, by 7th grade standardized tests pretty well indicated that he's in the top 1% or less of the population in intelligence and knowledge as tested by such tests (which are clearly testing a *very* limited domain). Gads but that's uncomfortable to write - feels like bragging (yuck!), but I need to set the stage for my story:

At one point (2nd or 3th grade?) after skipping up several years of math classes such that he was doing math with much older kids he started to absorb what he'd hear the older kids and teachers/parents saying about him and said to me one day, "I'm really smart!" with a sense of pride. Not uncommon for kids to parrot the adults around them and a good reason for adults to regulated the praise to a reasonable amount I think.

I dislike arrogant people and far too many super intelligent people end up being arrogant and get frustrated with those less quick of thought than they are (or with those who just don't choose to flaunt their intelligence). So I thought about how to point out that being smart was a great thing but that it didn't make one better than others without crushing my son's ego or reducing his pleasure in exercising his intelligence (confidence is a useful thing to have!). Some short time later when he said something like that again as we drove home from school I replied with something like the following:

"That's great! Being smart is very useful. But it's only one aspect of being a great person. Are you kind? Are you a good friend to have? Do you make beautiful things? Do you stand up for the person who is getting teased or hassled at school? Are you a good listener? Do you work hard? Do you always tell the truth? These are all at least as important as being smart.

What I mean is this: being smart is very very useful and I'm glad you are because it can really help you in this society and there are some very tough problems in the world that we need smart people to work on and I hope you'll be one of those people. However, being smart is just one measure of a person and so being super smart doesn't make you better than anyone else because they can be much better at other things.

Also, being smart isn't enough. A hard worker can accomplish more than someone who's smart but doesn't know how to work hard. I think you might agree that being kind is arguably more important than being smart - who wants to hang around a total jerk who makes people less smart than them feel badly about it? No one. Sounds lonely to me. So I'm very happy that you're smart but I also hope you'll use your smarts to do good in the world and work on developing the other parts of yourself that maybe take more work for you to get good at. And most importantly, I hope you'll be a good friend to have, help others in need, and stand up for those who don't have your advantages."


I probably didn't do quite as good a job of communicating this at the time as I'd like to think (I never do, sadly), but this was the gist of what I tried to communicate and it didn't take many reminders for him to seemingly take it to heart (one benefit of having a smart kid - they "get it" quickly which makes parenting easier).

Just this year (high school) we convinced him to take an art class to try and balance out his "left brain" math/science/computing natural talent and focus, and while he resisted at first he ended up liking it and has made a great deal of progress in developing his artistic abilities.


Anyway, maybe this story will help some other parent think about "smart" and "stupid" and how to talk to their child about these things.

peace,
-Dad

* Note: I've intentionally used "smart" meaning "intelligence" in the above because that's the word that was used by my son back then and this is what he was hearing from others.

---

Derek,

Dr. Carol Dweck wrote a book called "Mindset". Bottom line is that there are two mindsets, growth and fixed. The growth mindset grasp that the anwers to something may be innumerable. The fixed mindset pigeon hole things because what is is just what is. So the person calling someone stupid is really perceptive or operates out of a fixed mindset. You be the judge. Ta ta!

The more I learn the more stupid I become. My grandpa told me that would happen.

I've been labeled both terms at the same time by two different people. If you try to convince the one who thinks you're stupid it usually persuades the pro person to switch sides. Abe Lincoln's idea: "better to remain silent and thought a fool than to speak up and remove all doubt."

Remain Teachable... my two favorite words from one of my most favorite books, the NA Basic Text, which is a learning tool that I've utilized in my journey in recovery from drug addiction over the past 24 years of my life! I just celebrated 24 years clean May 11, 2012 and have made many smart and stupid decisions throughout those years... I still try to be a student and teacher of life and love on a daily basis and Remain Teachable...

Sincerely, MrNDVERSE www.ndverse.net
also at ^UPWARD^ Motion Promotions at
http://www.upwardmotionpromotions.com

I could not agree more. This is an valuable thing to understand. Thank you for bringing to wider attention.

If you have not already. I think you might enjoy Daniel Kahneman's book "Thinking Fast and Slow" in which he describes how this machine for jumping to conclusions between our ears evolved, and how we can best deal with it to arrive at a more opitmal state of cognition.

Defining intelligence and stupidity is paramount for this discussion, but loosely defined, I think smart people believe in the potential for learning and hope that others discover and recognize the gift and utilize it. It might be projectivism but at least it is optimistic. Stupid people tend to be more subjective, selective, insular, and defensive about intelligence. They know what they know and think that is all there is to know and anyone thinking outside their box or frame of reference is an elitist or snob, sound familiar? They get defensive when their knowledge base is challenged or questioned and see no gamesmanship in defending their intellectual position. They also seem very afraid of change. But let’s face it; we all have our moments, we can be smart or stupid usually depending on the topic and mood.

Wonderful post! I loved seeing this. Good for you Derek!

Who truly has the right to determine what the meaning of smart or stupid is? Is being smart because of a high IQ? Is being stupid because of making a mistake? God made each person in His own image and gave them the ability to think and reason in their own way. I think that we can all learn from one another no matter what the IQ is or how many mistakes each of us has made.

I was working in the nursery at my church and there was a grown lady with downs syndrome in the nursey with us, names Winnie. Winnie did not speak at all. She shared cookies with the 2 and 3 year olds, giving to them as they gave to her. I saw those little ones be gentle with her as she was gentle with them. They would pat her if she was having a bad day and cried through-out the time there. Winnie would be concerned about them if they cried and she would walk over and look intently at them. They would gently roll the ball around to each other including Winnie. Winnie rolled it back gently to them. There was no verbal communication with most of them, but they learned from one another each time they arrived in the nursery and so did I.

If we look close enough and are willing to listen, we will find that no one is stupid, just different. Thank you for posting this article, Derek.

So true Derek I think we can all be smart sometimes, the main thing is that if we are able to think of other's and keep hope in our hearts even when the going gets tough then it will be a better day for us sooner rather than later.

I agree! Being negative about someone else just amplifies our own short comings. Thanks for sharing.

Nobody knows everything. If you don't know something because you didn't learn it yet, that's one thing. If you don't know something because you just don't care to know, then you are ignorant. If you don't know something because you can't figure it out, you are stupid.

Dereke, just one more addendum to my previous post worth considering:

I know a doctor who is an expert in the area of nuclear medicine and is regarded by his peers as being one of the most brilliant in his field.

When I asked him about his feelings concerning his esteemed reputation, he responded as follows, and allow me to paraphrase:

"As far as I am concerned, a day will come, many years in the future, where people will look at this science of nuclear medicine and they will compare it to a craft practiced by voodoo witch doctors. They will wonder how people could have been so obscenely stupid to use radioactive dye in the nuclear imaging process. They will read my published research and think that I must have been an abject idiot."

He further elaborated, "Knowledge of the day can be the idiocy of tomorrow. The intellectuals who admire my work today will be repudiated by the intellectuals of tomorrow. I am not flattered by their high regard of my skills because I know a day will come in the future where we are all regarded as having been abject imbeciles."

"Ever hear of a guy named Aristotle? In his day, he was considered to be a genius. Of course, he also believed fervently in the geocentric model, the concept that the Sun revolved around the Earth. Years later, he would be repudiated by Galileo and Copernicus, who no doubt considered Aristotle to be a total fool."

He concluded by stating, "I find certain scientists to be the most repellent people I know, generally full of themselves, insufferably arrogant, and convinced that they have the answer to all problems. In my mind, a reasonably intelligent person is the fellow who recognizes that life is little more than an abundance of questions in search of answers, and one answer should only lead to another question. I dislike religious fundamentalists who believe they have all the answers and, analogously, I detest Atheists and Agnostics who are equally arrogant in their certitude, their laughable reverence for the science of the day. The truly intelligent person is somebody who recognizes life is little more than a string of uncertainties and the immediate answers we acquire are rarely absolutes, but only a bridge to the next string of uncertainties."

Anyway, from my perspective, that answer seems pretty "smart." :)

There is a word that cancels both expressions ( Smart & Stupid) ...that word is "Wisdom" the simplicity of Common Sense paired with a life long pursuit of reliable and learned skill-sets as one gets older. In other cultures, old people are revered,respected and honored for their wisdom they possess and pass along. Somewhere between becoming all "Individualists " our village/tribal connections were severed, damaging our links to one another. Our need to belong and bond has been replaced with imaginary identities of being either "Smart or Stupid" people keeping us apart. Today we need the wisdom of the Village, The Tribe and The Family to provide wholeness and self-worth. Yes, it takes a Village to make a person.....let us all learn to Wise Up ! Why do you think Twitter , LinkedIn and Facebook are so popular today? We need each other! Nothing smart or stupid about it...just plain common sense on call......enjoy!

You're right on the money, Derek! The only people more ignorant than the people that know nothing are the people that know everything.

You are in my mind, a wise man Derek. Thank you for sharing your insight and thoughts !

Peace - Karen

I kinda thought of this before, but I just never put it into actual words.

Hey Derek,

Thanks for a thought-provoking piece - very different from the vanilla flavor, politically correct musings of the pseudo intelligentsia.

oh to be so attached to our own rightness = trouble

This piece reminds me of Johnathan Haidt's "on the moral roots of liberals and conservatives.

I've been schooled very recently in the dastardliness of my own judgmental-ism. Life simply lacks happiness when I choose to stand in judgment of others. My loss.

It can be a long miserable life if I choose me/us vs. them. Or one filled with happiness. Can I see the value in others.

My choices: how I choose to see the question? How will I choose to relate to the world? Do I want to be right or do I want to be happy?

Seems to fit well with the Bertrand Russell quote- "The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts"

Stupid is as Stupid does......:-)

The simple wisdom of humility to know when to admit, "I don't know" is such a relief. What a burden on the rational mind to feel as if there always has to be an answer or a conclusion to something. It is a common reaction to such an open 'ending' to feel the pressure to be 'in the know'. The uneasiness that follows in the form of anxiety can tend to eat away at the individual much like when we know something, but just can't quite 'put our finger on it', or that 'it's on the tip of the tongue', but can't remember.

The pride, value, and desire to retain large amounts of information seems to garner a free pass up the social ladder where acceptance and respect is automatic. The acquisition of knowledge is similar to the material chase and acquisition of wealth in this way.

So in actuality, there is no such thing as smart or stupid, for they are, if anything, labels of being in a given moment, rather than something that is concrete and unchanging over time.

“Everybody is a genius. But, if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it’ll spend its whole life believing that it is stupid.” – Albert Einstein

I love the way you think. Keep 'em coming!

And then there is Northern Lights' "Don't believe everything you think."

I'll contribute a quote, also:

Tact is the ability to describe others as they see themselves.
- Abraham Lincoln

Deep comprehension, known as smartness here.

This is good. Reminds me of my professor who use to say 'It was not a stupid mistake. It was you being stupid'. Had lost these lines somewhere in my life. Thanks for bringing them back to me.

Love this. Being educated is understanding how little you know about the world.


“As for me, all I know is that I know nothing.” - Socrates

I think that altruism enters into this because no matter how dumb someone acts he or she is a human...they're our species and one should look on them with fondness and love. Don't mean to sound like a 60's Hippie (though I am) but intelligence is relative like everything else and there's always someone smarter than you think you are. That's a good think.

Rich Walker

When someone actually invents a 'babelfish' - all will be clear to everyone

Great post and great perspective. It reminds me of the concept of projection from psychology classes at college. Taking all those negative feelings about your self and putting them on an outgroup. I agree that classifying someone as stupid really is based out of the frustration of failing to understand their motivations and their thought processes. Not to say that we can't still disagree with a bad choice, but I like the idea that we shouldn't write them off. If nothing else, the situation requires more scrutiny to figure out the puzzle.

The other thing it reminds me of is the brain's tendency to simplify, classify, and label everything we perceive into neat little boxes on a shelf. It's easy to label and dismiss someone. This especially true when we don't understand something.

Thanks for the post!

Thanks for that post Derek. It really makes me think if I ever call people stupid? Hopefully not! I like to think that life is always about knowledge and progression. The minute we stop learning or think we know it all, is when we stop progressing. No one knows all there is about life. Thus, we can always progress.

Mahalo

On Webster's, one definition of stupid is "stupid from fatigue." That, in fact is my state on occasion after working too many hours. ;-)
All others are judgments and assessments, such as dull, slow and irritating, which depend on and reflect the person doing the judging and assessing.

When children, my older brother, for sport, would force me to say that I am stupid. As an adult, I noticed one day, out of the blue, that I used that word consistently to describe things and people, including myself. The interesting thing is that, as soon as I stopped, all stupidity miraculously disappeared. So, that's a pretty easy fix.

All that said, there is such a thing as varying degrees of cognitive ability. It is possible that someone may not be able to grasp a difficult concept that someone with very high cognitive ability--combined with specialized knowledge--might lay out. This has been the case for me on a few occasions.

Words of wisdom to live by. The ID that fuels peoples arrogance is nicely defined here.

Simple, witty and so, so spot on!

Hey Derek -
like the new website - it was so time for you to get off blogger!

I like to use this assumption, "People are always doing the best they can with the resources available to them." The issue is that very often we have many more resources available to us, but because of our beliefs, assumptions, expectations - we just don't see them.

And so we choose from our limited view - when we could be so much bigger than that. Part of my work as a coach is to expand my client's experience of the resources available to them. So they can take risks, step out, be bigger.

And often when we choose small (whether small actions or small mindedness) it's out of fear. Fear that this is all there is. Fear that the opportunities available to us are small and limited and might be taken out from under our very noses. And fear that the other person won't see us - or will see us and see only our own limiting beliefs about ourselves. And so we'll be alone, and unloved.

Often - small mindedness is just a coping mechanism. Because opening our hearts and our minds feels really scary and out of control. I encourage you to trust, step out, be bigger. And to have compassion and love for that "stupid" person.

Just remember - that stupid person over there - they are JUST LIKE YOU.

Dear Derek,

Some very astute observations about smart and stupid, and about people here, man! There's not much I can add to what you've said. This is as rational as anything Albert Ellis has ever wrote about in his many books. What I notice which is very serious in this country now is how many people are not thinking thru these 2 candidates for President. There is a stark difference between them. One is for a more traditional America, and one is more in the direction of a European America. Personally I love our Constitution, and I love America and all that it stands for. Obviously America is not perfect, but I still believe it's the greatest nation that has ever been on earth. Anyway, this is my 2 cents worth, and what you wrote here in unique and sensible, my friend. Best to you always, Derek! Clay Wilson

Stupid is indeed an overused word.
Almost everyone is smart in some way and I use almost just to hedge my bet.
What many people are NOT usually is curious.
Being curious is smart.

So the question really is - are they curious enough?

I like saying: 'I have no idea.' 'Cos I'm always curious... ;) I hardly ever call other people 'stupid' and when I unfortunately do, I stop and think: Who am I to 'know'..?

What I run into a lot is people saying "I'm no good at such and such" or "I could never do x." But the thing is, everyone has a different focus. Whatever we put our time and attention into is what we are good at (or smart about.) To me, it boils down to paying attention and, as you said, not jumping to conclusions and short circuiting the mind.

Saying someone is smart or stupid is not relevant, all it is is an opinion, it can be considered, none of us know all there is to know, so, the amount of information, or knowledge one person needs to know, may be more, or less than what another person needs to achieve their particular endeavor, 2 + 2 is 4, so is 3 + 1, so is 1 + 1 + 1 + 1. some of us like to take the faster simpler route, while some of us get better reward by taking the longer road, who's smart, who stupid. theirs only one absolute in the universe: LOVE no room for smart, stupid, or judgment, just LOVE......

In the end
everyone Conclude that they don't know nothing,
But if u understanding This before u can help to
mankind
to understanding this to :)

In #95 above I wrote:

Hi Derek:

Behaviours come and go ...

Not sure I know what a person is, really; in their essence ...

Interesting observations though ...

All the best :-)

Hmm ... a couple of days later ...

Hi again Derek:

Well, perhaps it just goes to show that if you throw a question out to the universe, even obliquely, an answer just might came back ...

I revisited what you wrote originally.

Its seems there's an answer in your original notes, i.e., to my oblique question about just what a person may be, in their essence ...

You wrote above ...

"There are no smart people or stupid people, just people being smart or being stupid. "

Perhaps the answer is simply that, i.e., that a person, in his or her essence, well, they are simply "being", itself ...

So, they are "being" smart, or "being" stupid, or "being" happy, or "being" sad ... all the while that they "do" whatever they might be "doing". :-)

Sometimes perhaps the simplest observations are the least obvious.

I suppose the fish doesn't "see" the water it swims in.

All the best

Cam

Someone once said to me: "Smart is what you do, intelligent is what you are". Another one said: "the more you learn, the more you understand how little you know".
Anyone closing an argument the way you describe, sure has not learned enough :-) Even if you have to look long and hard, there is a lesson in everything that happens.
So nothing wrong with being humble and looking at the world with an open mind. To stop learning is to start dying....

Best, Peter

Derek,
I always enjoy it when you're in one of your more active writing periods. Thanks for making me think.

Guy

That's very true Derek, and I hope this will open the eyes of the people that think low of others.

Indeed Derek....

Never assume....
Well we all now that old saying.

Rushing to judgement has been going
on for centuries.

We all wish that everyone would think correctly, act correctly and do correctly....

If only that happened we could have avoided many wars....

Peace to you my friend!

That's stupid .... oops!

So many of my problems have come from thinking I know things I don't, but even more from assuming that others don't know anything.

Being stupidly intelligent it's possible. So your tittle doesn't work at all.

Keep it trying to be something like you are.

An important philosophical idea that I've learned that may apply here is separating the person and the judgment of the person from the action. Everyone knows it's rather dumb to smoke cigarettes, but just because someone smokes doesn't mean they're stupid; they're just doing a stupid thing. It's a tricky thing, but it's helped me a lot learning to think this way.....I also agree that it pays to be honest and simply say...... I don't know.

we tend to condescend to our own level..where in reality we are judging ourselves

Hey Derek,

i work in a hotel so i c people acting stupid all the time ( guests & employees...) and i dont know where even to start talking about that so i am just passing that over... i stopped trying to understand where their behavior is coming from and get the feelling of ohhh poor him/her its taking too long and life is short and that is a fact.

Derek

Another great post. It is very easy to miss learning opportunities, great relationships, and getting to know extraordinary people, just because we pass judgement before we understand. In this world we have followers, leaders, teachers, managers, workers, Republicans, Democrats, Americans, French, Latinos, those with formal educations, those without, and my life has been enriched greatly in one way or another by someone from all of these groups of individuals. We should always approach others convinced that they possess treasure, and it is our job to find it.

Kind of like these people who have started using the phrase, "No, wait, I lied!" like it's some sort of recovery tactic. I was at a Starbucks and asked for a chocolate chip and an oatmeal raisin cookie for my daughter and myself respectively. The lady said, "I have the oatmeal raisin cookie, but I don't have the chocolate chip one," then she burst out, "No wait, I lied!" I then told her, "No you didn't, unless you were purposefully keeping a chocolate chip one back behind the counter, you know, for your break." She stopped and said, "Oh yeah, you're right." I'm not sure if she thought about telling people this (especially working behind a counter of a respected company) as it seems a bit unprofessional. She could say, "...oh, wait a minute, I did find one!" The difference is integrity and when one receives more information.

This post remids of a saying: "You don't see people as they are you see them as you are". Also Peter Gabriel's "Come talk to me" is playing in my head while reading:

"Don't you ever change your mind
Now your future's so defined
And you act so deaf and blind"

In my opinion thinking someone is stupid is the basic reaction to provocation or idea you don't really embrace at the moment. In that sense it's ok - if this triggers a venture to find out which of your values this idea confronts and why you stick so strong to them, it could be even percieved as a constructive act.
I think the key is whether you look for the reason of this childish behavior in you or in the outside world. The latter option would just made the journey to yourself a bit longer but that's the beauty (and the burden) of personal choice.
If I have to illustrate this with example it would be the following - they say people attract people and events that harmonize with their attitude to the world. If you attract stupid people in your life then could you be the mr-know-it-all?

As a conclusion I would say accepting is more fun than rejecting new stuff and fight back. But it pays with the effort of building that level of awareness on your own.

Thanks for sharing that, Derek:)

The real problem is when you feel everyone else is smarter than you. When you feel like you just can't tackle yet another learning curve, but you know you will, because even though you're not very smart, you're willing to get it wrote thousands of times until you get it working...if not exactly 'right'.

Having again read your initial remarks, I better undersatnd your points! Hope you might ENJOY my 'Please don't shoot the busker' and 'Radicalised' on your previously owned cdbaby. Was good to have met you in London at the Troubadour and wrote about visiting you there on my website, 'cause it was great meeting you before I went off to busk around London that day. Keep smiling Derek!
p.s. I still reckon George Bush was a bit of a wally but of course was merely a front man, as was Ronald Regan in his time. I wonder which of the two did better for the U.S.A. with all it's military might? Regards.

Jon was telling me this morning about a guy who was talking about "how stupid his wife was" that she left him and won't tell him where she is. He said he was going to keep her name on a credit card they have instead of removing it like she wants, just to punish her.

When my husband asked why he wouldn't simply remove her name (thinking there is obviously a reason the woman wants to 'hide' from this guy) so she doesn't rack up more charges he said, "Ha! She's too stupid to even know she can do that!"

Hmmm.....why would anyone ever want to leave such a warm and loving man?

Thank you for the itunes suggestion btw. Hugs.

Derek this is positively the tritest thing I have ever heard you say. I see your point and yes, you are right but....over the years I invested money in CDbaby.com services so you could ultimately retire and post this pablum for all of us (who you obviously think) are in need of it. Hmmm....glad to hear you are coming up with such deep thoughts since you quit your day job, man.

Derek,

Great point and well agreed. It's all about the question. I'm a scientist, and I've found focusing on the question is far more fruitful that making a pre-conceived idea come true. The question is more like a seed. When it sprouts you get to see what kind of a plant it becomes.

Finally! A smart reason to put my mind towards thinking others are smart.

Truly smart people realize that most of what passes as knowledge is just opinion. They realize that 99% of opinion is wrong and that life is truly a mystery. In light of this it is safe to say that we are all stupid. Those that know this don't claim to be smart and remain speechless.

This is an interesting Line / quote by You Derek- that hooks me.
" The key is to make sure you're not someone who's easily swayed by a first talker "by Derek "
I've been called this name & worse - this one - is kind of mild - but if it's said repeatatively for years to a person,it can steel confidence, away - I agree with another person who responded, name calling is a dominating cop-out / sometimes .I find myself using this because, of old habit. Habits are hard to break , but I'm making progress - I think now when this pops up - I might - Ask Myself why am I re-acting like this? Because mabe there's some thing that will benifit me; in the senario - and then again mabe there's nothing, but if there's something, I might be happier & not say that as much ! Yea! that was also an interesting point , that You made as well Derek, "People, seem to accept poeple who sound confident, even if they're wrong, that's so incredible.
& powerful. This idea gives me ideas to help my music & live shows.
Thanks, I'm gonna think about this more !
Very Cooool !

There are two kinds of people in the world, those who think there are no stupid people in the world and those who know better. Alternately, there are two kinds of people in the world, those that think there are only two kinds of people in the world and those who know better. The last one should rightly be credited to Kurt Vonnegut.

What utter nonsense. The world has both smart and stupid people in it, not seeing that fact denies the intelligence of the supposedly smart.

Some points, rather obvious:

Being smart often means knowing which conclusion to jump to without wasting crucial time.

Being stupid often means rigorously hanging onto a time wasting process for lack of understanding of the key issue.

Often, when someone says “They are so stupid!” - it means they are actually stupid ( e.g not capable of understanding ). They MAY have stopped thinking, but more likely they never had a meaningful thought in the entirety of their sad and underutilised lives.

Trying to soft soap disability is doing no one a favour.

Very well said.
In my opinion, just stay foolish, and never underestimate anybody, never ever...and never over estimate yourself....

Great article! Over the years I've noticed that I draw people who are like me...who see the good in others more often than not. As they get older in life, they become great leaders. I simply avoid stupidity as much as possible and avoid paying attention to other's actions.

Wow, lot of discussion on here.

My two cents... This article is preaching to the choir. The kind of people that can hold multiple partial perspectives of truth in the head and understand the contextual importance of those perspectives are already with you... even if they might argue about the semantics of what your saying a little.

The kind of people who are going to call a group of people 'stupid' in a serious not joking sense are not going to follow your train of thought here.

Because they are _______ (fill in the blank).

The last sentence is a joke. Though if pondered can lead to an interesting realization of personal beliefs.

I like it.
I also feel that if I am calling someone stupid, especially if Im pissed and have a strong reaction to whatever they are doing or saying-
It's because Im seeing a mirror of a disowned part of myself, the part that does stupid things and judges strongly...anyway, whole other discussion. Hope you guys are well. ;-)

Dope.

I like this note - I'm sure I've been guilty of doing the same thing, but more out of not wanting to spend any more time on the issue, or perhaps realizing that we're not going to see eye to eye, not because of thinking someone who disagrees with me is stupid :). Sharing this one with some colleagues, should create some interesting discussion.

You don't know better til you do better ;)
Nice work Derek!

I think understanding the 4 personality type can ease
the tension, most people who jump to conclusions have
high opinion about themselves, and we can't change
that no matter how much we try to educate them

I'd show this to my boss... but I'd probably get fired...
>;)~
(He might get it set on his desk though...)

On the smart/stupid debate... well said.
On not jumping to conclusions... also well said.
'I don't know' is a good and often brave option, if it is truly the case.
But to follow that point (which, sure, was only tangential to the post) -
'I don't know', by itself, is eventually also quitting, losing by default.
We should absolutely take time to contemplate, to consider different points of view, avoid declaring our necessarily partial understandings as gospel etc.
Then 'I don't know' should be followed by what we think from our current point of view, what we understand of the others', what our questions are.... in short by discussion and learning.
How often is 'I don't know' used to end a subject, because the underlying meaning is:
'I can't be bothered to think about it'
'It's complicated so I don't want to have to consider the possibilities or try to understand'
'I have an opinion but I think you'll judge me for it'
'I have an opinion but I don't want it disturbed by alternative points of view'
'I have an opinion but I think it would cause conflict and I'm not willing to delve into the dialogue to deal with it, so I'll just avoid the issue'.
I would suggest the really smart answer is not just 'I don't know', but as someone above quoted, more questions....

Good way to present the rationale. It seems similar to my mantra of "Prefer using 'I disagree' rather than 'you are wrong' in your discussions with others".

"Dad" ... post 240 ... the post was long, but I loved reading it. :-)

Parents, we need all the help we can get ...

All the best

Cam

And if someone is being stupid 100% of the time, it's because they are stupid.

Very true. Too bad a lot of people think saying "I don't know" is a sign of weakness or a sign of a lack of intelligence. There is NOTHING wrong with needing more information on a subject before rendering an opinion and admitting the same.

Wam Bham Thank You Mamm.

Couldn't agree more with Derek on this one. Whenever some act appears to be stupid, smart or even anywhere on the scale in between...

It's Always worth relaxing the gaze and taking another look (I like to call this act of looking , "the Karma Embalmer").
Only usually takes a second or two,,

Then through a second look, another perspective proves even the greatest (apparent) stupidity to be quite often one step away from pure genius.

"stupid and smart are relative to the moment never people".

feel like a bit of a donkey posting this but still,

Thanks Derek

Top Banana

Joseph

I have an (think) own coined phrase: "Stupid is not a matter of who, but of when and with whom". I thought about it after several years I broke with my first girlfriend.

Derek,
You make some excellent points, but I would still be hesitant to say that there are NO stupid or smart people, because that statement is basically equally as definitive and 'set-in-stone' as the mindstates/philosophies of the people that think there IS a such thing as stupid or smart people.

Obviously you have not had to deal with illegal alien women drivers very much.

Absolutely love this! To me, the article is about treating others with mutual respect and not thinking you're "above it" all.

Used to work at a dot com where the many of the employees followed the lead of their bosses and continually called our customers stupid, even to the point of calling them names on the company website. Imagine the fun when one day one of these bosses found out the customers could read what they were writing.

I've lived in Mainland China for seven years. Your view sounds very nice and egalitarian. But there is very much such a thing called ignorance, and yes, it does lead to stupidity. Challenging, open, well-rounded education hard-wires the brain from an early age to be able to solve problems creatively and examine issues critically and with depth. The absence of that kind of education spells trouble for individuals and societies.

My four year old gets quite upset if one of us uses the word "stupid" in a conversation. She tells us it is a bad word! And we immediately apologize for saying it. :)

Great piece of useless-in-life philosphy. Anything put in fancy words sounds right, you know? I'd like you to meet one of my co-workers, get to know him really good, spent some time in his company, and after all this tell me in my face that there are no stupid people. You just play with words, man. Imho we're all stupid- in relation to some hypothetical real, objective knowledge (regardless of if there even is such thing) but some people are distinctly more dumb. I recognise them by repetitive, consistent stupid behaviour, observable by anyone you ask. And yes, in terms of their own experiences and view on life they probably do not think of themselves as of stupid. They see meaning in their own decisions and follow their personal beliefs. But does it really change anything? All in all- all we wrote is just words. They mean only what you make them mean. Im sure many people think such discussions have deep, profound meaning- and to those people my advice is: 'get a life!'.

Ah, and pardon my english- its far from beeing my first language ;)

Great article. I think this is why it is often times so difficult to communicate with other people. They get so entrenched in their belief that they are right and you are wrong to the point where they are unwilling to consider your idea as "smart" or meaningful. Going into a conversation with the mindset that the other person is "stupid" or "wrong" already eliminates the possibility of engaging discussion.

Great insights Derek. We wouldn't know what being 'smart' is if we hadn't all experienced the opposite. Also there's no learning or expansion without being 'stupid' along the way at times. When we understand this about ourselves then we can't help but feel compassion when we witness other people's learning. ~Marcus

Nice words Derek. We can all take a deep breath and realize that we know very little about what is coming in through our eyes.

Having an awarness of not knowing everything in itself is brilliant.

Years ago when I started on my spiritual journey, I came across something that Krishna Murti said that "the thinker is the thought and the observer is the observed" truly opened my eyes about my thoughts and my observations in relation to the everyday reality around me. My thoughts and observations describe me, particularly my mental state, not the reality around me. With this saying, as my point of reference, I have been working on prejudices ever since.

Yes, apparently “intelligent” humans do and/or say stupid things on occasion and some apparently “stupid” humans do and/or say “intelligent” things on occasion.

But there are at least three degrees of stupidity: imbecile, moron and idiot, although I don’t know which order they go in, so I guess I’m stupid. :)

In the animal world, a creature’s intelligence is based on its brain size in proportion to its body size, or brain mass vs. body mass. Humans come out tops. And in humans, intelligence can be measured by their IQ (intelligence quotient).

Why are some societies/groups of people more advanced/switched on than others, or at least they are at different points in their history? Some break it down to climate, toys, and mineral consumption.

Q: Why are we here?
A: To reproduce.

Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die. :)

My experience is that anyone who seems ignorant in one area is always brilliant in another, though I must admit sometimes its a challenge to find the brilliant area.

I love this article.

I have been saying this to so many people. Not so much that smart people don't think others are stupid, but rather there is inteligence in everyone and everywhere. I truly believe we live in an intelligent universe where so many things happen on the macroscopic and microscopic level that it is truly mind blowing. There is no way it could be any other way.

I am glad someone else has the same point of you.

Thanks for sharing!

Love it.

I was at a wonderful festival this weekend where a lot of my design and creative heroes were all gathered. The most remarkable thing about all the brilliant folks: they lacked an ounce of pretentiousness.

The people who were criticizing and judging and "thinking others were stupid" were those whose work WASN'T great.

I don't know about this. Maybe wise people don't think others are stupid.

Nicely said Derek. As leaders or followers we can get self- impressed into thinking that we are "smart ". We become "advocates". That is: we lock in because we know we are right. We can however choose to be more like the "anthropologist" who asks "hmmm what's this all about and what can I learn here?". Thanks for another reminder about the fun and value of being that inquisitive anthropologist when we encounter new or different thinking.

It's sometimes hard not to think that what you are saying is the ONLY answer, solution, etc. Truly listening and hearing what others have to say takes patience. Criticizing an judging are only human. Everyone has a choice about what actually comes out of their mouth.

I have been stupid when tired or stubborn or angry, but that is just a corollary to what you wrote: that the only way to stupid is to stop thinking.
I tend to avoid thinking of others as stupid. I am too detail-oriented to see a whole person as stupid. An act, yes. A person, no.

Agreed. You are right when you say people either make smart decisions or stupid decisions. I have been told a few times that I don't make decisions quickly sometimes and I have always thought that it doesn't mean I am stupid, it just means that I want to take my time to come to my right conclusion.

Good post.

For years, largely due to my career success or lack of such; I have said the following: "I understand", "ok", "maybe", "we'll see", "I'm uncertain", "I'm unfamiliar with that"......etc.
You oversimplify the question. I have know certified OBTUSE persons. They lack the ability to apply logic, organization or sequence to their thoughts or action. Often endangering themselves and others. I was seeking a more "in depth" perspective: i.e., genetic or environment or.....gender! OK, then.......I understand your site.

I think your argument does not have enough depth. There are several primary definitions of "stupid" in Websters. No doubt, some are perhaps contemporary incarnations. It would seem to me that the most utilized intended definition of "stupid" when used in the context you cite would be the synonyms of "Exasperating" or "Vexatious" i.e......"I give up on this person" With this in mind, the mental conclusion that people draw relates to another definition of "stupid" being, marked by unreasoned thinking or acting. Therefore, the condition is that, the person one is dealing with cannot be reasoned with or is incapable of higher reasoning and despite best efforts continues to confound one. If anyone took the time to research or consider this relation, they would be exhibiting a reasonable level of intelligence. Failure to do so in presenting the argument would indicate that conclusions were in fact....jumped at. This negates the whole original premise as well as the reliability of the author.

This is why I have forsaken politics. When both sides argue that the other side is stupid, maybe their both right.

I must be a genius. I always say 'I don't Know'! :)

Very smart to see things in that way. So from now on I will say my friend that your are not stupid but your are being stupid.

It's been a while since I've read one of these articles but they never fail to inspire me. They always make me see things in another light and I want to thank you.

You are being ridiculous. Of course there are smart people and stupid people. IQ is measurable and the results can be reproduced and some people have a higher intelligence than the others. It's absurd to try to question that.

And yes, absolutely, smart people perceive other people as stupid – just as other people keep referring to them as remarkably smart. The thing what political correctists like you fail to realise is that being smart is not equivalent of being better. It is merely a difference in intelligence. If you're two meters tall, most other people seem short. If your IQ is 150, most other people seem stupid. So what? That doesn't mean they're inferior.

I don't understand what makes people like you think that intelligence is the measure of a person's worth, and therefore we are not allowed to call anyone smart or stupid because that would imply that they are worthy or worthless. That's absurd. Intelligence is only one of people's good qualities and a stupid person might have other, good qualities and a smart person might have other, bad qualities.

I totally agree, people use those generic labels when they either don't want to, or can't think through a situation fully. It's easier to say someone is stupid instead of trying to find out why they said what they said in the first place.

I agree, people are neither smart or stup, they just sometimes act that way. I hate putting general labels on people like that, it's a sign of a small mind. Thanks Derek!

The car you're driving here, Derek, is called relativism, egalitarianism and similar isms, depending on the context you are in and usually nothing good came of those isms.

People - be they little or literally grown up - are different in character, different in temperament and yes different in their ability to grasp complex patterns (in music, maths or any other field) and hence should be treated differently...that is according to their abilities and temperament.

I am amazed that most commentators here (except Aen and LordoftheFlies) should have been so lucky to never, never have met someone mean, unkind, stupid (YES!) - what a sheltered privileged life they have.

Sorry, but this is just plain wrong. There ARE stupid people in the world. You are just being overly pedantic. You can't rule an argument Null and void just because someone calls someone else stupid.

There are strategic benefits that are gained by using the right insult at the right time. If that insult happens to be 'You're stupid', and the person using it gains what they require for the argument, they are far from stupid for using the word.

This article basically says "I don't think smart people call others stupid" Which is an opinion you are welcome to have, I just think you couldn't be more wrong.

Take for instance this example. Person A and Person B are arguing. Person A is clever, Person B isn't so smart. Person A is trying to get the outcome that Person B leaves them alone and feels bad.
Person A uses insults strategically, whilst making their point, not only to prove Person B wrong but to make them feel bad so they are less likely to want to do this again.

I don't see how using the word counts against your 'smart person points'.
It's irrelevant. It's about producing a result that is beneficial to you.

If you don't like my first example, take this one. Someone is Religious, they believe something totally without evidence and try arguing using flawed logic, straw-man arguments and pascals wager, They are in fact Stupid. i.e "Lacking intelligence or common sense." I would stress the OR common sense part here because common sense is incredibly important to arguing. If you produce arguments from ignorance and make false claims you aren't using common sense, and are lacking the intelligence to hold a valid argument/debate or even in some cases, conversation.

As I say, you're welcome to your opinion. But it's just a word and doesn't define how 'Smart' the person using it is.

"Being stupid means avoiding thinking by jumping to conclusions."

This is how I used to be, and it is dead on.

Stupidity is the fact. If I agree with the article, then I must be stupid:). For illustration some quotes:

"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
-Albert Einstein

"Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and consciencious stupidity."
-Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Men are born ignorant, not stupid. They are made stupid by education."
-Bertrand Russell

"Only the wisest and stupidest of men never change."
-Confucius

"The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt."
-Bertrand Russell
Brilliant! Thanks for the great and appropriate quotes. — Derek

It does no one any good to pass negative judgment with no substance on others. Not in business nor social situations.

At the risk of comming across as being stupid I would like to believe that people are intelligent, most are, but it doesnt mean you cant be stupid too. An example I would like to use is the argument for what is common sense? To even ask this question is stupid, its the senses human beings use to evaluate the world in order to maintain the individuals survival. Most people I have witnessed in daily life cant even walk without bumping into me or traversing a passage that directs them from mine, even when I am walking a straight line. No real inherent danger I guess but that danger does escalate exponentially when we travel faster i.e. driving, how many of you have forgotten the two second rule when following another vehicle in order to avoid tailgaiting or an accident. Ok youre a good careful driver what about the numbskulls who weild shopping trolleys blindly in supermarkets like an express train barrelling into my knee or ankle. No I think most people are stupid because most of them dont have the observational skills to conduct themselves properly and enable their own survival. Its only because we live in an over regulated world that protects the stupid and supposed to punish those who are so arrogant that they would weild their shopping trolleys (anology for four wheel drives or suvs) in such a way that they would do others harm. If people were smarter we wouldnt need all the regulations and warnings on products that we do have. Your argument is invalid!!!.

TO ME,

BEING SMART MEANS, SOMETIMES, TO KNOW WHEN/WHERE TO STOP BEING SMART.

I FOUND MYSELF DOING THINGS I DIDN'T KNOW I WAS ABLE TO, FINDING OUT THINGS I WAS AFRAID TO CONFIRM THEY WERE REAL. IF I HAVE HAD STOPPED WOULDN'T BE RECOVERING FOR SEVERAL MONTHS TODAY FROM A PAINFUL TRUTH. FINDING OUT, WASN'T SO SMART I THINK. THANKS FOR READING.

I have read every single comment in this article, I have seen some very good points and some points that I didn't agree with. To me, a point of view I didn't agree with would be considered stupid. Anybody here who claims to not have called someone stupid or an idiot is a damn liar. Its human nature to be hypocritical, selfish, stupid (at times) I mean our selflessness comes purely from our superego and the feeling of 'righteousness' from doing the "right" thing. If you don't have it, it means nothing. Sociopaths have proven this. A good person doesn't always do good things but hopefully they do the best they can, no one is perfect. The same applies for smart people, I've seen smart kids completely fail tests, not recognize social cues, been ignorant, selfish or judgemental but on the same note I'm just as guilty. But let me ask you, if people weren't smarter than each other...Then why did I see MULTIPLE Einstein quotes but no George Bush quotes? Do you think they were on the same level of thinking? Is their brain activity on the same calibre? This post is very black and white, well life isn't black and white. There are a spectrum of colors and like the spectrum, people fall somewhere in between. Some are red, some are purple, some are smurfs. After having my opinion swayed back and forth as I am a over-analytic thinker and anything that is logical and makes sense with a valid argument, is indeed, a valid argument and cannot be displaced until proven wrong, I will respectfully remain neutral with you. Some of this I agree and some parts don't make sense or have too many variables to be accounted for it to seal a halfway-acceptable theory. There are stupid people, go watch 5 episodes of Judge Judy, come back here and tell me stupid people don't exist.

On division I run is a call center and I hear the "stupid" word far too often when it relates to customers or peers. We have an entire training department that manages this for us, we put our people back through training to better tolerate and calm down a bit so they can think more clearly.

I think most of the time just plain laziness is mistaken for stupid.

As a teacher, this philosophy of stupid can be dangerous. Anything taught in class is just something that hasn’t been learned yet. If I assume a student is ignorant of something, I can find a way. Once I think someone is stupid, hope disappears. Instead of shouting at myself, “That class is just not getting it!” I can make it into a statement, “That class is just not getting it.” Can you tell the difference? If you can’t, just think about it for a minute, repeat each of these and notice how it makes you feel. One is frustration, one is the beginning of a new direction.

Great post.

I read "Smart people don't think. [period] Others are stupid".

Wise words. But, aren't we all BOTH smart and stupid from time to time? as a part of being human.
Enjoy your weekend.
Benny

Great post. I was just thinking today that it is hard to engage someone in a meaningful dialogue when their only recourse is to call names and spew hate.

Great post Derek!
I didn't know that 'I don't know' is actually smart :).

If you are a professor who agrees with gravity and you're arguing with someone who doesn't, your smart and the're stupid.

Thinking others are stupid is not smart and being smart does not mean you know everything! Nobody expects you to know everything so being smart also means you need to know when to say 'I don't know' instead of pretending to know things that you don't.

After thinking it through and through, one may finally reach a conclusion that "those people" have refused to think and jumped to conclusions too quickly. This, you define as being stupid. So if somebody says "Ugh, those people are so stupid", you should probably not jump to a conclusion that this person did not think it through.

From childhood people are brainwashed to believe in education as a know it all rather than a tool for learning - ask a child in grade one about something they learned and they will tell you information that to them is absolutely true and this carries on throughout the education system - this system makes for memory but not understanding and therefore their inability to think because they already know the answer - they are no truths or facts, just things that work from time to time - no I am not stupid I have not reached that level of intelligence yet - as they say after you buy something, have a nice day

@John Flerianos (2012-05-16) #

Gathering your facts before forming an opinion will keep you from 'jumping to conclusions'.

idk, some ppl r so uninteresting and stupid, and say idiot stuff
and make sme not like them
i feel like they r a sorta of lava
in earth
like, they mean nothing
like, a body with nothing to say
like, stupid, without a brain
its weird, but its a feeling

someone is stupid when to me, all they do is reproduce.. like, they can think nothin for themselves
they r very like, re´prodctions.. of what they hear, see on tv, etc
and they idk
they have no personalities

its weird
they r like lambs its so weird
oO

like, they cant fend for anything but whats common mwahahahahahahahaha

But that's something which is all too easy for me to forget, especially when I'm trying to move quickly and my patience is running short. I've never met a person I can't learn something from.

Maybe a reputation of continuous and successive 'stupid' moments or actions ought to be the line or identifier for a stupid person. You cannot truly say someone who continuously acts without thought, or never learns from previous (and resultant recurring)past mistakes cannot eventually be called or at some instant (till they change) be called stupid (among other things)...

If you define being smart or stupid as a state of thinking rather than a state of mind.
If it where to be a state of thinking one could never really be stupid or smart. Just think more or think less. Therefor your articles conclusion,based upon your argumentation cannot be a correct answer, because stupid or smart dont really excist.
But im sure a lot of *non critical thinkers* will find your article delighted and fresh to read.

Then what do you call someone that believes themselves to always be right even though they no nothing of the subject? Are ignorant and delusional better words?

To sum up what I perceived your message to be in one word; objectivity. When we become stupid, or make stupid decisions, etc. etc. we are no longer objective in our thoughts. In order to be objective you must be aware that your thought process is a separate entity from your emotions, and not allow your emotions to influence/control your thought process. When someone quits the game, dismisses another's opinions because "they are stupid", they allow their frustration/fear of being wrong/laziness etc. to force them into subjective thinking. When you say no one is stupid or smart, they can only be stupid or be smart, I ask what about IQ? So if no one is stupid or smart, does that mean even someone with a pitifully low IQ is capable of being smart? If so is it just more difficult for them to do so because their capability of smart(objective) thinking is so low? Are they only (being) stupid because it is so extremely difficult for them to think objectively/smartly? Or is it that because they have such a low IQ, their emotions, mentally, hold so much more power than thought, that over time they completely forget what it means to be objective? If they ever knew what it means to be objective in the first place. So, their emotions are in complete control of their thoughts, and since they allow(?) their emotions to control their thoughts completely for extended amounts of time, the neurological pathways involved become so accustomed to the pattern followed, they simply can't break free of developed thought processes and be objective(smart) in thought?

408. John Smith. - Isn't that simply arrogance? The root of the arrogance however can be debated. It could be narcissism, a superiority complex, or simply the way they were conditioned through their childhood. Imo, basic stupidity, and stupidity in thought, stem from the combination of ignorance and arrogance. Their arrogance prevents them from realizing their ignorance, thus they are in a perpetual cycle of ignorance. Or their ignorance, if supported by others (religion for example), leads to arrogance. Since they cannot be humble, they cannot accept that they simply do not know, thus they never learn. It's a vicious cycle. The way I see it, the most prevalent example is when people take religion literally rather than metaphorically. When people take religion literally, they forget to apply the lessons/values/morals to themselves. They blindly accept what they are told out of fear of the unknown, or the fear of thinking for themselves, thus become ignorant. Their ignorance, and unshakable faith due to being supported from all directions, despite how incorrect their belief might be, leads them to arrogance. Thus, if their beliefs are challenged they simply dismiss any challenge, no matter how valid/logical it is; stupidity in thought.

violinist david montague (2012-10-15) #
I think one of the purposes of this article is so that stupid people who consider themselves stupid, thus never even attempt to be smart (what's the point. I'm stupid.) can realize that they have the ability to rise above their stupidity. They can think critically. They can be smart. This article in a way can lead people who have embraced and accepted that they are stupid, to refute that idea, and think "even though I'm not as smart as that guy, I can still put the effort in, and try my best".

“Stupidity is an unfortunate but necessary by product of cognitive evolution.”
- Xenocrates

Great post. I agree that just saying "I don't know" is sometimes the best way to go.

I'm sorry, but when I consistently see a person doing stupid things, I have no choice but to conclude that he or she is an utter moron. I think we have evolved to identify stupid people in order to preserve our own safety, because stupid people with stupid beliefs and stupid behaviors tend to also endanger others around them.

I'm amazed at the amount of comments here. Seems to be a somewhat controversial topic. I see the point the author is trying to make. Don't conclude that someone is stupid just because they disagree with you or fail to see your point.

Your's is one of the stupidest blogs I've ever encountered. You're evidently unaware of the on-going reversal of Evolution that is responsible for people becoming more ignorant rather than more wise as they age.

Oh wait. I forgot Mitt Romney's comments outdo your's and your readers.
http://www.newyorker.com/images/2012/07/09/p233/120709_r22362_p233.jpg

Brilliant! Thanks for validating what I thought all along.

I am glad to see some like-minded, genuinely intellectual people on the Internet. You are not afraid to challenge simple concepts like stupidity.

Everyone around me is so pseudo-intellectual - they have broad bodies of knowledge, verbal skills and fine senses, but they are so caught up with activities and relationships (for which I can't blame them, they are living their lives after all) that they don't exercise the same level of awareness and critical thinking that people like you do (frankly, they almost seem like philosophical zombies, clones, artificial intelligences - yet they are the ones that form the bulk of our civilization) - and sometimes it really bothers me because:

(A) I feel like I need the company of intellectuals in order to develop my abilities to the fullest, because they would help me clarify and express my ideas and would share some of their own ideas which would further deepen my perspective and understanding, which is an important goal for my ego. But I find it difficult to convey that message to those around me courteously. I think that that must make me pretty conceited, and even more hypocritical, because one of my ideas is that treating others kindly and making them comfortable through reciprocation, attentiveness and honesty is one of the most important practical lessons in life.

(B) my life has reached a pretty low point (but it could be much worse; I'm actually quite fortunate to have a large and diverse extended family that is very supportive and respectful - if only I could tell them what I'm going through) and I feel envious of their achievements and untroubled minds. Not something I'm proud of, and it makes me feel like I can't confide in anyone because they would judge and disapprove of me, whether they voiced their opinion of me or not, but if I'm going to post an anonymous comment on the Internet I want to be completely honest.

Is this relevant to the article? No. I just needed to write my thoughts down and because I don't maintain a diary or anything to that effect, I tend to respond in comments to webpages around the world that got a train of thought going in me. This will probably never be read by another human being, though, so who cares! Oh, hi there...

:) your point is interesting.. And funny! For me it exposes very accurate the way a programmer's mind works like (it's seen in the logic of the construction of this idea). But I agree just partially. Sometimes calling someone stupid can really be the conclusion. :)

Actually, this article is stupid. You will generally find that less intelligent people may automatically and subconsciously identify more intelligent humans, just as the opposite is true for more intelligent humans.

You can't tell anyone intelligent that there is absolutely no scale to differentiate between more or lesser intelligent human beings. To suggest we are all 100% equal and intelligent people don't let emotional reasoning or otherwise draw them to the conclusion that by comparison, someone else is stupid.... is just stupid to begin with.

So here you are: this article is stupid. While you may or may not be, this article in specific is short sighted and unintelligent.

Quite a few people seem to missing the point, don't accuse anyone of being stupid, ask them why they are acting stupid, if they say they are not acting,

then it's OK to call them stupid...

thank you!!!! It's brilliant!! as simple as that is, i couldn't put it into words but it kept on bothering me my conservative friends' condescending, righteous, infallible attitude. They think if I don't vote as they do I am: a socialist, mindless, brain washed, misinformed, disinformed, under informed, stupid and plain ignorant!!! they don't even have the time of day to explain things like: Why Does Romney lie so much???! Their answer: Oh you are just stupid! Stop disseminating all that mindless propaganda about Mitt :-) and these ARE MY FRIENDS!!!! hahah!!! some of them anyway :-)

Awesome stuff Derek. I must be real smart because I constantly find myself saying "I don't know" :)

Derek:
Within a very short amount of time I've become addicted to your various posts and the subsequent respondents.

You, IMHO, possess an insightful mind within the given parameters of a vast array of topics. I for one, am grateful for your inspiration to consciously engage my own grey matter and actively assist in the firing of increased synapses that enhance my own knowledge on the particular subject(s) under discussion or review.

When it comes to the subject at hand, "stupid people", "ignorant people" vs the highly acclaimed "smart people", the latter being, where we as individuals are, automatically, more likely to place ourselves. People who find it mentally convenient or emotionally expeditious to do so, in my limited experience as a casual observer of human nature and having personally witnessed the interactions of a wide variety of personalities, across a plethora of nationalities as well as varied cultures and intricate familial influences, seem to do so to elevate within their own personal spherical existence, an emotional balancing act of self worth that justifies their demeaning of others.

I have always personally held, that no one individual is "better or worse" than any other.
Existing and revolving within an industry that is heavily populated by peoples from a vast background of races,cultures, languages, ideologies, etc., I have been blessed to have been elevated into positions of authority, to interact, guide and "manage" the wide human diversity, historically inherent in the industry.

The feeling of "superiority", oft-times inbred, through a variety of outside influences, or come by "naturally", is the mongrel that rises to the fore of the pack mentality, when interacting or interfacing with others, regardless of their positions albeit societal, corporately, or individually.

This is apparent at either a conscious or subconscious level. Only through careful observation, visually, and thoughtful use of our hearing and "listening" for and recognizing deleterious nuances, can we be an individual that becomes part of the problem or part of the solution.

By relegating others, consciously or subconsciously, to lower positions of intellect, we, through our own arrogance, lose the possibility of furthering our own knowledge of the great and wonderful intricacies available, that lead to accumulated wisdom in the avid pursuit of problem solving.

Each person on this planet has something you could personally benefit from, if only you could place yourself in a mental, emotional or intellectual position or combination of all of them, to gain from them by always lowering yourself first to the position of student and elevating others to position of teacher.

IMHO, all of this is readily and easily available to each of us regardless of our individual positions of authority, or lack of it, in business, in familial settings or in just casual interrelations during an average day in each of our lives.

Having never, even once in my life, been accused of being short winded, this is only "my" humble opinion.
Once again Derek , I thank you!

Will be in Sing in Jan. (with my two bags)

"There are no smart people or stupid people".

This claim is disputed by science. For example, psychologist William Stern devised the concept of an intelligence quotient and a belief in different levels of intelligence is the status quo in the scientific community.

Where you might be right is that the accusation of being stupid is often leveled at people who simply have a different opinion.

I think we're all geniuses :) post modern art is like pantheism for me...

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”


― Albert Einstein

I believe there really are "stupid people" and here is why.. 1st to me, it seems you are trying to think positive and be friendly which is perfect. it sucks when other people put you or others down without a proper understanding. we all know people arent born smart and that we learn and start from almost nothing. so saying someone is stupid is almost true, because they have not yet learnt something you already know. the better word would be alot of people are unaware and niave. but as for stupid i really do believe some people are..stupid. in your early 20's your braincells(neurons) slowly start to deplete and die, usually why people are a little senile after. but some people are born with brain deficiencies and all kinds of problems. if your brain did not develope healthy. chances are you will not posses the ability to reach the same limitations of others, who may be smarter then you. BUT the only way to find out, is to really try. life doesnt just give you answers, you need to find them. (says me lol) take it or leave it.

This topic is an ongoing never-ending topic that could be argued both ways forever, You are doing the right thing. not knowing whether that person is truly stupid or just niave or less learnt then you, they still deserve respect and with that it will benefit both sides and help the entire world to move forward. its a great attitude to have.

sorry typed this really fast and didnt put much effort into it, message might not be clear but ya takecare

sorry, reread that. its a bit ignorant. sorry

Everything Derek said is on target.

>There are no smart people or stupid people, just people being smart or being stupid.

kevquote>There are no great men, only great deeds


>So when someone says “They are so stupid!” - it means they’ve stopped thinking.

Correct, I'm a certified genius IQ 99.7% and I have seen first hand the stupidity of high IQ club members (mensa top 2%, intertel top 1%)

intelligence is a tool that has to be engaged to be effective, another example is "walking with einstein" memory champs forget things unless they use their techniques to create the memory

A few thoughts:

Sometimes smart people do stupid things
Sometimes stupid people do smart things



different people are good at different things

Excuse me... while I agree saying 'I don't know' is a very clever thing to do, you are committing a logical fallacy by intuiting that all instances where frustration is expressed at 'stupid' people is a result of cognitive bias or being arrogant and illogical. If you were a truly smart person, I think you would be able to identify with that feeling very well.

good job dude...

I disagree. Some people are just stupid.

For example, in winter, one of my relatives sets her heater to the highest setting and opens all the windows in the apartment. In addition, she runs hot water on full blast from her tub for about 1.5-2 hours everyday (in 10-20 minute increments throughout the day). This doesn't include showers. At the end of every month when she gets her bill, you can imagine her shock at the triple digit amount printed on the statement. "But I unplug everything!" She even sits in the dark.

Multiple relatives have told her practices are the reason behind the high bill. However, she insists that she does not have to pay for her hot water as her water heater is battery powered. We've checked and it's not. Talking to her about the heater just doesn't go anywhere. This relative is not mentally challenged and is of sound mind, but extremely stubborn. She has made herself ill multiple times mixing her medications, because she is convinced that her genius is unrivaled by that of her doctors'.

Skepticism is a good quality to have and prevents people from becoming blind followers, but at some point it translates into the inability to see reason. When the possibility of insanity is pretty much voided, I call that stupidity.

I don't believe much in drawing conclusions. Of course, one must have a proposition to write or speak about something, so it's a a paradox to be sure.

Even so, I define stupidity as willful ignorance, which makes it much more specific and I believe, more useful, as a word.

I find that by concentrating on this definition, I can be more compassionate to others by understanding what might drive them to remain this way, as it clearly takes energy to maintain that stuck place. It's likely more energy than it would take to maintain that "stuckness", but I'm not in their shoes.

This is true even though, by my own standard, definitions are conclusions. What I hope is that we drop definitions again so we can properly understand what we're speaking about and the spirit of it.

Another way I like to come to compassion is to remember that repetition- even of willful ignorance- is a form of change. I have found that my own "stupidity" around certain topics comes largely from a lack of understanding of the linchpin of the matter. Maybe I need to hear it in different terms, or come to consider it in different terms myself.

I like to believe that what Derek is expressing here is a manifestation of the nature of understanding itself, which transcends and includes all things that may have preceded it in the mind of the knower. Indeed, in the Indian conception, the idea of learning is to learn that which; being known, nothing else remains to know. In other words, known, knowledge and knower become one.

The goal of yoga is to take this ultimate perspective, in stages if needed, and train the mind to think in ways that transcend and include all available perspectives relatively quickly as maturity happens. The way beyond paradox is to consider how to transcend and include both apparent opposites.

So, Derek is describing a symptom of a mature mind, which he can recognize so easily because he's actively engaged in consideration of paradoxes. This is clear from the benefits I think we all derive from reading his ongoing blog entries and videos.

All spiritual (or smart, to use his definition; I consider them the same) people who are serious are deeply involved in the consideration of apparent paradoxes; especially in how they resolve themselves.

Derek apprehends this better than most, as his understanding and focus on this is beautifully made accessible to others by his gift of articulation. Not all who are so endowed with such insights also have such a second gift, so I advocate looking more closely at everyone you meet. They might surprise you with their understanding. Wisdom is available to all whose minds are looking, since it is inherent in the object itself, as well as the knower of the object.

Even the ignorant can be 'smart' in specific ways, which is why we often have saints who were considered pretty much dumbasses before they were properly understood; and unheralded geniuses who reclaim forgotten knowledge, like here:
http://www.theforgottentechnology.com/
and here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zGnxeSbb3g

I can also include here a great many shamanic traditions and even small bush children in Africa, while illiterate, may speak several languages fluently.

I am incorporating these frameworks and perspectives into my yoga teaching methods, and advocating them to my students. I will continue to use any and all who have this ability to benefit my students, but especially Derek.

Thanks again,
Regis Chapman
Durgadas

Wow. For such a brief post, this really packs a punch. One of my personal goals this year is to take my time to evaluate people before reaching conclusions about them. I think in the fast paced world we live in we tend to use shortcuts to make decisions, which often means looking at only one aspect of any given situation or person. This is a nice reminder that this is often a dangerous technique.

Makes perfect sense! Thanks Derek!

Yeah, I agree with it. Most people normally like to jump to the conclusions.They think " that's enough ". They don't like to think what the behind the scene is.

here is nice book - Now You're Thinking is a book with a true story about how a smart thinking transforms live. You are actually what you think! Learn how to think responsibly!

This is a valuable piece of knowledge. When my kids were growing up two things I did not allow to be said were, "shut up" and "you're stupid". Manners were expected in my family. Habitual use of manners and not allowing thinking others were stupid have resulted in many compliments to me on my two grown children. They have had no problems getting and keeping good friends, good grades and good employment. Life is good.

I call people stupid but I don't stop thinking about why I called them stupid. I analyze why I am smarter than they are, and I also come to the conclusion that everyone is afraid to come off as stupid and usually always end up doing something extremely STUPID!

Rephrased: "People who think other people are stupid are stupid." Refers to itself. If you don't want to end up calling yourself stupid or admitting that you aren't smart, maybe you should analyze why people have the instinct to do this and if/when it is okay or true. There are ways to use the word without simply jumping to conclusions or trying to end a discussion.

Derek, several years ago I stumbled across what came to be my "belly-button theory". It goes something like this:

The world revolves around my belly-button.

My world.

That understanding gives me a distinct advantage. Because I know your world revolves around your belly-button -- whether you admit it or not. Every opinion, philosophy or belief you have has come from things you've seen with your own eyes, heard with your own ears, etc etc.

You and I might share here on the web. And in the process, hopefully, both will be moved off dead center now and again. That is, neither of us will feel put down or denigrated over dissimilarities in our thinking -- each will be motivated to look at the others view as legitimate.

Doesn't mean we're prepared to follow one another into perdition or anything like that. We'll still have our own ideas and opinions.

But the world will still revolve around my belly-button. So will yours.

Regards, Sam

What if you have to live together with a person who is lying to you about trivial things, cannot cope with his past, is in constant struggle to forgive himself for that he cheated on his wife, left both woman, lives with a third one, which is you and is very jealous of the attention that you give to your children from your previous marriage, a previous husband, this jealousy is an obstacle for him in order to believe in what is right in this complicated situation that he caused to himself, to choose his children or you and stop lying to both sides.

Unless you believe there is no such thing as peak oil. Over the years of discussing it you still do not understand it. Than you my friend are indeed stupid.

This doesn't stop here.

Thinks everyone is racist? That person is probably racist.
Think everyone is a liar? That person is probably a liar.

I was on the internet today and someone posted "Atlas Shrugged is garbage" as a way of undercutting an opposing opinion. Now, I've never read Atlas Shrugged, but one thing I do know is no one is approaching this Fantastic Four message board poster about publishing his works into an anthology that nearly outsold the Bible. Whether I agree or disagree with Rand, it's fairly obvious she didn't produce garbage because what she wrote avoided the garbage by quite a large distance. But to this person, it's stupid.

It probably wouldn't be outrageous to question that person's intelligence.
☺ — Derek

My truth is my truth. I respect your truth but do you respect mine? And why do I feel so stupid when you disrespect mine. Do I disrespect yours? Yep. And then you feel stupid, too...Uh. I think that may be the larger truth. I won't call you stupid if you won't call me stupid. Deal?

But republicans are stupid because they have not even *started* thinking, so you do not sound consistent :D

Calling others stupid was always bothering me on the inside, i used to do it a lot but it was making me feel weak, i didn't know why, your perspective gives me an answer. Thanx!

My name is Muneer, ture story, myself not good education.. because My work CO, Gernal manager, Manager, and Superivoer called me, I am low smart and education.. I feeling been hurt and sad..i am been jealous people can writing and hearing but I am deaf, I not have friends lots..


Share with you.. Thank you

Your argument is flawed because the definitions are flawed. Just because you think doesn't mean you are smart. Smartness and Stupidness are levels of intellect - not actions. Even when we say "do the smart thing", we are effectively saying "do what a smart person would do".

I define intellect as being able to take in pre-existing or presented information and arrive at a desired conclusion. Your level of intellect is determined by how effective you can do so (assume no outside influence). Note it's not whether someone chooses to "think" but rather how well they can think (their ability to think effectively).

I then define stupid as an individual who's intellectual level is lower than the average man.

I don't believe these definition are extreme or out of hand. Given these definition true, I can, as a smart person, call others stupid.

I mean... sure we can say no one is stupid. But there is no denying that there are people who are smarter than others. In which case, there is always the one person everybody else is smarter than. I mean... we don't have to call him stupid. We can call smart - just not as smart as... well... anyone else. (In other words, he's stupid.)

I have been dealing with a particular person for approximately four years know, with the misconception that they are intelligent. I have been tearing out my hair because it has been infuriating the actions and decisions that they make. They are careless, not safe, and the bottom line seems to be their wishes/wants. I have tried to fight many battles keeping others safe and/or hold the firm line with what management has said or local policy states, which never holds. I just had my zen moment yesterday after another lost battle that they truly are simpleminded, and do not know what they are doing. It only appears that they are a harpy because they they want their way so badly at the expense of others, regardless of the consequences for support personnel. They are stupid, but they do not realize it. But I am the stupid one for not seeing this earlier, and approaching the situation as if I were dealing with an intelligent person.

So how many people are stupid in this situation? Two, me for giving this person the benefit of the doubt that they were indeed intelligent, and this other person for being exactly what they are...a simpleton.

So what can you do, that is the big question? Step back, take a breath, and count to 10. There is nothing you can do to change the situation, in the end they will have their way and only their way. The only thing you can change is how you deal with it. The other question is do you really want to be associated with the cluster that is their world? My answer is no.

The proof used in the article is funny, but irrelevant. It is similar to the proof that girls are evil, in effect you can use a proof for anything. People are simpletons, people are brilliant, that my friend is life.

If only you were merely ignorant.

The not making assumptions aspect is a good reminder for people. And ironically all the judgey parts of this are full of assumptions as well. I almost never call names, but sometimes the "answer" really is that the other person is unable (stupid) or unwilling (willfully ignorant) to consider new or different information.

I agree with your article. If someone does something weird it doesn't mean we call it a foolish person rather than calling a foolish person we can analyse his situation and make ourselves quiet and try to find out the positive way to make him realise it's not a good thing. Am i right?

I think this is why James Joyce claimed never to have met an uninteresting human being!

am real enjoying de teachings

i grew up believing i was stupid, reached adulthood and realised it wasn't me haha
i use the word stupid because it came to mean something to me. it wasn't something that had a clear definition, it was an emotional reaction to the isolation, a quick way of referencing my frustration. so i think to myself oh god, god no, they really are that stupid.
if you call people stupid you are stupid. this article is stupid. .. i'm stupid. i'm going to write an article about what the word stupid ACTUALLY means

i liked what Dee had to say in comment 469. as it rings true with my experiences.

Stupidity can be observed during the first reactionary or emotional response that people exhibit during a stressful situation. Stupid is as stupid does to coin a phrase. Those that are able to think before an emotional response are the higher thinkers.

And then sometimes it just means that they are stupid, or worse - willfully misinformed. In the United States today we have an Australian business magnate controlling a large portion of the airwaves both television and radio for which he has used a large portion of to shape American politics. Time and again he has aired false information with no repercussions and the American public continues to accept their lies. Or take Walmart shoppers for instance. Here is a company that exploits it's workers, buys most of it's crap from China where slave and child labor are too common, force the communities where they are located to subsidize their payroll because their business model is to use as many low paid workers as possible to add to their bottom line. Yet people still shop there. The owners, each one, made over a billion in profit. Yet they can't afford to pay their workers a decent wage? Actually why should they? They have all these stupid people who are all too happy to give them their money. And we go around in the circle once more.

I don't really think we are stupid. We have become fearful. We fear everything. We have to stop the fear. We have to become educated. We have to stop watching Fox News.

Anais Nin said that we don't see things as they are, we see them as we are. Calling something/someone stupid is ego's defense in front of something it can't understand in simple and obvious ways. It's a form of misjudgement caused by mistaking your subjective state of not understanding something with the objective characteristic of the other. It's out of pure emotional frustration, ego just projects it to the other. The one calling something stupid is really being it. And something non-rational or more complex is still not beyond any understanding and comprehention, so nothing can be classified as stupid. People prefer security of a false conclusion than staying open to not understanding immediately, which is the hallmark of the smart. And sometimes we take things at face value when there is so much more to them. Judgement is the end of thought, I agree.

U r right or am I jumping to a conclusion which would make me stupid!!??!! Not too sure on the answer to that. I will have to think about it awhile

I've got to agree, it simply does not seem to be cohesive in essence to decide that a person is stupid or lacks worth for one major reason. It is healthy to believe in each other, feels good, feels right, and when does not we are giving into our ego not believing in acting in a manner that is great for forming community.

I believe it should stated though that intelligent people are certainly always capable of acting stupid, and if an intelligent person doesn't always decide he wants to come to the "right answer" which generally is building community and progression with each other.

So I don't necessarily agree with the sentiment of the title, which seems geared towards controversy and creating headlines which as anyone who understands journalism knows that controversy creates interest.

I can't blame you for using that classic strategy in your title :) thanks for the read bless us all.

If something, like stupid, is well defined then it is not name calling, it is descriptive. I define stupid as someone who fails to or refuses to learn from experience, and this could apply to people with mensa level IQ's. For example the Shuttle program managers at NASA who failed to learn anything from the Challenger failure, and repeated all of the same mistakes that lead to Columbia. To quote a retired AF General who sat on the Challenger committee when asked if he had read the NASA report on Columbia in detail he said something to the affect: "Why would I, it is just a Xerox of what we wrote"

If you read my article "orwells boot", without or without quotes it is number 1 on all search engines you will see my theory as to how evolution makes people stupid and obedient to authority. It explains a lot about why our society is like it is.

I'm gonna have to disagree with that...making a blanket decision, e.g. that someone is stupid, does not make a person unintelligent...like you said, it's someone doing something 'stupid'. Biologically, there are OBVIOUSLY people who are very bright, others that are dum-dums, and a slew of people in between. There is very much such a thing as a stupid person...if you don't believe me, just go to Walmart. =3

One can call someone stupid after all the processed information he gathered on him, don't get me wrong, and intelligent people know that they are smarter than most people.

There was a time where I was also at this point, but I realized putting myself on the same level as everyone else will just drag me down, because this isnt me, I know better than them. I am not a stubborn person by nature but there are times where you must be. Otherwise your wise conclusion will be corrupted by other lesser people's conclusions.

Only if you arent sure that you should probably listen to what other people have to say.

I dont know about smart people, but Intelligent people definitely think others are stupid.

Basic uncommon wisdom, tremendously powerful. Thank you for sharing. Cheers!

People make mistakes and do stupid things, that's normal. But when they act stupid and do stupid things all day everyday, I would they they are pretty much stupid.

There are definitely smart or stupid people. That's a fact of life. Some people are not smart enough to fully understand some things. Some people have difficulty learning things, where others do not. I don't know exactly why you would argue that some people are just simply more intelligent than other people.

If a human has decided not to learn, they have accepted to be stupid. Some times it is about their capabilities, maybe this person could not learn as much as the next person no matter how hard they tried. There are many levels of intelligence and some are lower or higher then others. I feel some people are stupid whe I know others will look at me and think the same thing.

It's not nice to call someone stupid, I always try to understand from their point of view but we are not equal and your warm and fuzzy approach, will not help society.

You're so smart! :-)

I like this.

All my life I was calling almost all people stupid. Now I feel embarrass that I have Realize that how I was stupid

There is no doubt some people are smarter than others. A wise and intelligent person knows better than to act like the smartest person in the room and still get their goals met. The most appreciated and admired people value others for who they are. Not how they perform. Calling others stupid because they don't get your idea doesn't make you smarter than they are. It just makes you look desperate.

"Bill" could not be bothered to answer the door, let my wife do it, he thought.
"Bill" could not be bothered to make a drink, let my wife do it, he thought.
"Bill" could not be bothered to wash his clothes, let my wife do it, he thought.
At work "Bill" could not be bothered to answer the emails, let the new guy do it, he thought.
At work "Bill" could not be bothered to set the alarms, let the new guy do it, he thought.
At work "Bill" could not be bothered to get the coffees, let the new guy do it, he thought.
Does anyone doubt that "Bill" is lazy?
No? Denying "Bill's laziness" won't make it go away, ask his wife. (Or the new guy)

I have an example about myself when you try to think really hard but there's nothing coming in. Is the brain really stupid?

"I just want to encourage other standers. For the past year I have stood for my marriage against all the odds. My church and my family, no one believed that Dr Lawrence could restore my marriage, But after a year of separation my husband and I are reunited. Our marriage is being restored. Don't lose heart. God still moves and removes mountains. Don't give up he used Dr Lawrence to restore my marriage thank you so much Drlawrencespelltemple@gmail.com

This is awesome, the exact correct thing I was looking for. Bravo... You did a good job.

I found the perfect material for others but I do not know what talent Darrm?

Exactly

I agree

Thanks so much for this derek..it made me feel so much better. I was called stupid by my now ex-bf like two days ago...,.one of the reasons for our break up is because he says I am not that smart enough.

Awesome

Very nice point for everybody to think. Our feelings about what we say is also very important.

We all know that we are spark of God. Thinking spiritually and in practice this is true. Telling, thinking or feeling "other" is stupid is same as telling God is stupid.

Bible says :
1 John 4:20 ESV / 27 helpful votes

If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.

1 John 4:20 ESV / 27 helpful votes

I am not a Christian. Truly speaking we are all God experiencing human form.
If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.

New International Version
"The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'

i think a lot of smart people think that others are stupid, to be honest. it doesn't make that person stupid necessarily for thinking that others may be slower than them, but i call them annoying, an 'egomaniac', or even 'rude', definitely a 'diva', and surely 'arrogant' - which, to be quite frank, is a heck of lot worse than being stupid.

My happy cut dog Snowball is kind of um….well a little bit slow, but I'd rather hang out with him than some loser who thinks they are cooler than me because they know how to solve some a math equation faster.

B4 I thought that i am an unsmart but now i know i am a smart b cos i think everyone knows everythings but without me.

ahhhhh yeah..you are stupid and so is everyone if they talk about what you are not interested in at that moment

I disagree. Data and analysis is there to help us get to conclusions. Politically correct answers are not always correct. To NOT be able to come to a conclusion and keep on thinking for unreasonable amounts of time is a lot more stupid than being able to come to a conclusion in an appropriate amount of time.

I've seen some people who think they are smart do some pretty stupid, insulting, disrespectful things to the world...I as a smart person also realize that I am stupid...but not in insulting, disrespectful ways...I do not litter and act greedy and wasteful with the world resources...I treat people with the uost respect, but I have no patients for idiots with big mouths and big wallets showing off for their peabrained followers and toadied...I will not stand for those geeks who abuse animals...for the plants and animals can get along fine without humans, even though most humans think they are gods gift to this planet...we humans cannot get along without all the non human inhabitants of this planet...they are the once who subtly run the the show...even when the humans burst in with their guns ablazing to show everyone and evetything who's the big boss now...human history is just one big blood bath after another, making for a gory, gutwrenching trackrecord of so called smart people practising Stupidity 101...remember...you so called smart people should examine the stupid things you do to make the world a less safe, clean, enjoyable place...like driving gas guzzling private vehichles and boats instead of riding public transit...throwing yout trash and cigarette buts all over the place except in the garbage where it belongs...stay off the sidewalks with your bikes...be brave...be smart...be stupid...buy a bike helmet and ride in the traffic...that should eliminate a few of you ming heads...use your brains while on cell phones...nature loves to pick off the stupid...take your itunes and headphones into mountain lion country...then it's the lions fault for hunting down the stupid hiker...humans are born prey because they get lots of practise at being stupid...but most of them never learn from their stupidity...and I for one at times watching the circus come to town...I have a saying at work...I work on a fuel barge in a body of water I call "the clown school pool"... and there are " too many fools in the clown school pool"...if people drove their cars on the streets the way they do on the ocean, chaos would rule the cocrete...just because these fools have the money to buy million dollar yachts doesn't mean they'll ever know how to run them...these people end up being called Yachtnazis, sealice or my favorite "WAFIs"... wind assisted fucking idiots...stupid people and money don't mix...stupid, smart people and money don't mix...people and this world don't mix...it's time people were eliminated from this world...I'm voting for my friends dog as the next mayor...to hell with stupid humans...I won't miss you when you are all gone!!! Cheers!!! RCJ.

Sorry for the spelling errors of my previous diatribe...Cheers!!! RCJ.

No there are plenty of people out there who are just stupid. Maybe they chose to be that way, I don't really know the cause. But there are some people who are just freaking idiots. Not because of political views or religious beliefs (although those do tend to put blinders up to any alternative line of thought) but because they say and do stupid things and when you ask them why they do or think that they say I don't know or they same something insanely dumb. Like we shouldn't genetically enhance people (more incorrectly termed designer baby) because people shouldn't play God. But its okay to do way more God like stuff medically for the person later in life when whatever could have been prevented develops into a serious matter. That's just one example but there are plenty more.

This isn't necessarily true; it's all circumstantial. For instance, saying someone is stupid could mean just that: they're stupid. This isn't to say that they can't be smart, just that they aren't being correct. We all have our own breaths worth of stupidity. If you haven't already admitted that to yourself, then you aren't intelligent. So yeah, I completely disagree with your logic here; smart people can think other's are stupid.

I can live with more of this. I love it

Hi! My name is Adriana and I am a student working on prerequisites to get into the BSN program. Anyway, I was on my lab class with my teammates, and while we were getting ready for class, I informed them that after 2 years of hard work, I was finally getting into the nursing program. The response of one of them was very negative! she told me that she was not sure that I was going to be able to make it in the program and other nasty stuff... she pretty much called me stupid without saying the word. I was a bit surprise because I have been working with her since the semester started without any problems, and now that the semester is almost over, I get to find out that in her eyes I am a stupid person. At first, I did not know what to say to her because I was trying to "understand" her reaction, so after a minute, all I could manage to say was "never judge a book by its cover" and gave her a big smile. I am super friendly, organized, and humble, so not sure if people see these traits as "stupid". Later on, I was thinking about her comments, so I decided to do a bit of a research to learn more about her behavior, and came across this wonderful post. I agree with you 100% people who call others stupid is because they do not see the big picture, they truly stop thinking. I am not perfect by any means, and I am attending school for me to learn (if I knew everything there is to know and if I was perfect, I wouldn't be human!). Anyhow, I just want to add to my comment that I have been working very hard for 2 years, therefore, I hold a GPA of 3.8. Would I ever try to change her mind about me? nope, she is entitled to her opinions. However, I can understand how frustrating it can be to see others succeed :)

your right that its stupid to jump too conclusionj but simply calling someone stupid doesnt make you stupid otherwise you also would be stupid by calling everyone who calls someone stupid stupid xD

Intellegence is a weird thing hard to really define and in this age we fail at it hard
random information is the most important thing too know
but everyone knows some random trivia about whatever the diffrence is that someone (the state) says that this is important and this is not
and people just believ it think they are intellegent because they remembered something for 1 week and than forgot it after the test

and evryone thinks they are special smarter better the choosen one
the holy warrior who has the right to destroy his enemys because of god

A huge portion of our proplems can be tracked back to people being stupid
arrogant ignorant

because i can never know whats truelly going on in your head and our languages are flawed
and this word means something else too me than it does too you etc.
each and everyone of us lives in the "real" world and in the world in their head
and each and everyone thinks that their head world is the right wrong and that everyone else is wrong and shit

I like your theory, but it hasn't been thought all the way through. Because some people ARE stupid end story. Ever study math? where you have to prove the opposite is also true to prove a theory? Heck even your own words help with this, "Smart people don't think others are stupid". So therefore if I think someone is stupid that makes me (not smart), which is by definition stupid. Anyone else follow this? How about if someone you know makes stupid decisions over 60% of the time and you can verify this? Your statement that nobody is stupid is like saying everyone is a winner and that is just some nanny state mentality BS.

I appreciate you, yet still more so feel convicted in a sense. Guess i am none to bright ;-)

Thank you for writing this article so that I can shut my "smart" friends mouth up.

Well, I agree with your inference on smart people not thining others are stupid. But on the same note, please feel free to comment: I feel like it is a bit too simplistic. As saying so means that there are no stupid people. Also as for the statement where there are no stupid people but people being stupid, continuous behaviour at some point or the other does define the person personifying the behaviour, no? Therefore, there are stupid people. To me, saying that it is stupid to think people are stupid is the same as saying it is smart to think people are smart, thus leaving a lot out of the equation. I am trying and working on understanding people more and trying to see their point of view but, damn sometimes its hard. I have a 3.9GPA and I find, in most of my group works, I have to always be predominantly putting my view forward or else, the group makr is not good and I have to go see the prof to contest it and get the individual mark that I truly deserve. Anyway, all of this to say: I just find that a lot of people out there are stupid unfortunately, by any chance, are you able to point me in the direction of understanding stupidity maybe, or at least a way to not think they are stupid, as I think you might possibly be in the right direction with your theories..
Thank you

I THINK BEING STUPID IS SOMETHING HAS TO DO WITH COMEN SENCE!! I DONT NEED TO READ A BOOK TO KNOW FIRE BURNS!! I DONT NEED TO KNOW HOW TO WRITE TO KNOW THE SKY IS BLUE!! STUPID IS A SAD FEELING!! I KNOW CAUSE I USE TO THINK I WAS STUPID CAUSE I HAVE NO EDUCATION! AND MY WRITTING AND SPELLING IS NO GOOD! BUT I KNOW IM NOT STUPID! SOMETIMES WE JUST NEED TO INFORM OUR SELFS AND GET FACTS! I RATHER BE SLOW THEN STUPID!!STUPD IS A VERY HURTFUL WORDS ESPECIALLY TO THOSE WHO FELL LIKE THEY NOT GOOD ENOUGH!

I suffer from the experience of living in a world full of incredibly stupid people. If aliens did stand up comedy, it would be about how stupid humans are. They would attack earth in a millisecond but if they did humans might actually stop killing each other and fight the aliens. Human beings are organized and devoted to a " culture" of greed and competition. I can't hold my head up much less my heart because I am one of them.

So how do we deal with the stupid people hurting feelings?

I like 😊 smart people.

i agree completely with what you're saying especially when you say you aren't smart or stupid you just act smart or stupid. I actually read this because i need to prove to my boyfriend he's not stupid (he challenged me) and i found this article very helping. So thank you for your little little of knowledge for shinning on me.
Sincerely, Val

ok so i read some of the comments and although im pretty sure my comment won't be seen i still have to say that yea, maybe there are stupid people and there are smart people and this article isn't fully right. but poeple aren't thinking about the real intention this person had to right this article that was probably a good one. that makes this person smart so please quit the smack talk and appreciate whats good

I am Scott and have been suffering from physical and mental from my sister, brother, mother, and father. they say the effects are in coordination with the actions that I do. I make stupid mistakes. I don't know what to do?

Great input everyone, I have been reading your post now for an hour and I have to say,good stuff no doubt, but wtf people,each and every post here has awesome,versital, usable God givin wisdom ,but in the same post you obviously overlook simplicity, yeah you know,the only constant formula for getting things understood.facts everyone, that's the way I roll,& I can back up what I say, try me ,another way I roll is to be strait up in all ways possible, so no disrespect Brothers&Sisters please,I feel your sane pain,and can relate,we help each other get it, !!!$$$!!!

People, specially my director makes me feel stupid, he try to explain every subject but part of it I do understand. He put me apart and ask other people doing my job, he takes me as shit. I have also a lack of general knowledge and when someone is next to me to hold my hand I feel strong. I ask myself how someone else can be more or up than me??? I am not scare when I am in front of them but there is a bad feeling. Don't know how to explain. AM I STUPID?

hmmm for the most part you're right, but I think there is such a thing as a stupid person. I can think of a few I know that really hurt my brain sometimes and I'm not the type of person to judge them for it so it's an objective opinion.

Even the most illiterate person on our planet is smart in their own unique way and if you don't take the time to discover thier talent you aren't expanding your intelligence.

Thank you for this. People used to call me stupid a lot. Ever since I showed them this they stopped! Thank you so much!

I have always been around nice people who I always believed when they called me smart. I finally met my biological grandmother and one of the first things she told me was that I was very slow, tongue tied and she asked me if I was a racist. I've never had to deal with this so I just called her out. She didn't respond over text so I blocked her number. Idk if that's the right thing.

That is not nice why would someone think that of someone

"There are no smart people or stupid people, just people being smart or being stupid"... ?
"Being smart means thinking things through"...?
There ARE smart people... they have high IQ's. The low IQ people are "stupid" in relative terms to the high IQ person. (hey, the low IQ person is "smart" relative to an ape.)
But, smart is a 'capacity' for thoughts that are superior to the normalized group of IQ averages. No matter how much a stupid person "acts smart" their baseline capacity is still lower than the higher IQ smart person (afterall, IQ IS a relative marker... not an absolute score).
Anyway, your article is misleading to stupid people.

This is completely false. Intelligence like almost anything else varies from person to person. Saying stupid people don't exist is no less wrong than saying fat people don't exist. They are out there. Its rude to point it out and no one is going to be your friend if you go around making fun of them (well maybe you'll find friends theres some pretty sad people out there) but they exist. The argument you've made is nothing more than feel-goody horseshit.
Also continuing your logic because stupid and smart are just opposites, if there are no stupid people, just people who aren't thinking things through, then there are no smart people, just people who are thinking things through. The problem with this is that if there are no smart people they are by definition not thinking anything and therefore they aren't thinking other people are stupid. And therefore by your logic the article has no point because your writing about a group of nonexistent people. Anyway this is way after the original post (decades in internet time) so Im guessing no one will ever read this.

A couple of people have brought up the authors purpose. He dislikes the use of the word stupid when directed at people and wants his readers to stop doing it. Now this is noble enough but the way he goes about it is entirely wrong. He uses being labeled smart as the reward for not calling those around you stupid. This is not only logically strange as many other people have pointed out, it is predatory to his audience. A large portion of the people who read the article have no doubt felt stupid and by dangling the prospect of being smart in front of them he is taking advantage of them (probably should be some commas in that). Anyway don't hold up the authors motives as a sign that this is a good article, he dislikes the use of a word (probably feels it is mean) and wants to manipulate (yes I know this is a loaded term but its also accurate) the audience into feeling the same way.
Here is an example of a better way to get his desired effect. Don't call other people stupid, it is a mean thing to do. You don't have to be a dick to people (especially if you see yourself as better than them), so don't be. Like your mother has told you forever now, you are responsible for treating other people well so be an adult and do it. There is no reward for doing so (except possible everyone around you not thinking your a dick). It should be that simple.
☺ Well-put, Bill! — Derek

I think this is very true,I have come across so many 'smart' people who are just cruel. What more can I say. Disappointed in you. If you really think that about me, manage it. I don't need you, but you do need me.

Right, context matters. Your argument doesn't make any sense, though. "My coat just got wet from the rain", is a the first conclusion, there is no possible other conclusion to draw from that scenario, much like, "this person is stupid."

You also contradict yourself in the same argument, you wrote, "if someone says they're stupid, they've stopped thinking." Of course, context matters. I see where you were coming from, but you didn't write it out clearly.

@Cheney, Conflict is good. Unless it's purely abusive, (aka ad hominem), conflict and your ability to resolve it and ignore cussing is a good thing. Avoiding conflict is just as bad as starting unnecessary conflict all the time. Too many people that are very politically correct and avoid conflict, tend to be very sensitive and try to censor people who are deliberately offensive, because they can't resolve the fact in their head that these people are choosing to be assholes and have every right to project themselves that way.

There are in fact people who constantly jump to conclusions, are these people not stupid? At what point does continued behavior become character defining?

I find most people jump to conclusions often and I then believe them to be stupid, then swiftly put them in a box in my mind labeled "DO NOT ARGUE".

Does this make me stupid?

Very nicely put. Society has come to a point that every time people find an urgency of giving others some name tag. People leave no chance to put others down. It makes them feel better about themselves I think when they demean others, otherwise I don't think there's any reason for it.

Smart, what's that? Someone might be very smart in doing math, while their linguistic skills would be suffering. Someone could be a computer wiz, but can't fix a broken fence. I think considering others stupid is a sign of stupidity.

"Being stupid means avoiding thinking by jumping to conclusions"

Plenty of people do that, therefore, by your own admission, they're stupid.

There absolutely are stupid people in the world. Maybe they don't usually deserve to have it pointed out to them, but I don't believe that you are correct. Patience, and the willingness to probe and investigate, may be virtues, but this doesn't mean that there aren't stupid people. There are lots of them. There are also plenty of smart people with very little common sense, who have been made to believe some very stupid things.

People have different levels and different kinds of intelligence so I do not know how some people can say there are no stupid people or no people smarter than others. In my experience the people that say that are trying to feel better about their own intelligence. We all can be ignorant in some things and can act stupid at times. Perhaps they do not like the word stupid as it is quite harsh and limiting. I have used the word but never to someone directly. In fact I make a huge effort to not make others feel stupid. I have a very high IQ and more education than some of my friends so need to be mindful of not correcting them or sharing my knowledge of things too much (I have a scientific and very inquisitive mind)as they feel intimidated or just not as interested. In fact I recently lost two good friends for that reason. It was painful but it was often difficult to communicate because their brain just did not click like mine. If I shared information in the gentlest and most compassionate way I could it still was not welcome. They had other qualities that I did not but the difference in intelligence doomed a close relationship. I am a teacher, I have a mentally ill brilliant child and teach people how to care for mentally ill so am well equipped to show compassion, understanding and patience. My point is (other than just whining) that it is often difficult to communicate with people on a lower lever of intelligence. I believe there are different levels of intelligence but also agree with the person that said "I never met a person I could not learn from". I have a boyfriend that knows how to fix everything and is street smart. I have made friends with people of different nationalities, religions, education and status and learned from all of them. At the end of the day though I need more people in my life closer to my intellectual level with the humility and openness to learn from others. I liked Mike Anderson's response and some others along that line. (For those of you wanting to judge me on my coherency etc. I am doing this on my I-phone and first to admit ignorance on tech stuff!!)

" That's the kind of wooly-headed liberal thinking that leads to being eaten. "

"Smart people don't think others are stupid"

This whole blog is stupid because it contradicts itself.

You cannot possibly presume to know what all "smart-people" think. In addition to that, if there are so-called "Smart people", there must be people who are less smart and people that are stupid, by definition.
Standard deviation models and the IQ scoring system exist, but are they wrong to?

What about all the people that jump to conclusions, interrupt, don't listen and don't see things from a different perspective etc?

This is excellent and it needs to be at the top of every page on the Internet.

I don't think people are stupid. I'm 100% sure they are.
Everyone is stupid, including myself. It just happens that I use my free time to read something that isn't pure bullshit. The problem with the world is that too many people think everyone should have the right to give their "opinion" about anything. That's why we have stupid people giving their "opinion" about evolution, quantum physics, GMOs, medicine and thousands of topics where they completely ignore the scientific consensus and the empirical data.

Im too smart to think. The smarter I get the more restricted I become. Im mainly interested in freedom and topics of it.

So if you know that someone is making a statement/arguing an opinion that is not backed up by real facts (making it up), then he's stupid right? And we have the right to call him/her stupid don't we?

Going WAY back up to the first comment, I disagree. I have a form of autism called aspergers and find it difficult to concentrate, but I am still very smart, which sounds really arrogant (because it is) but is also true. I actually depressed myself recently when I came up with the theory that everything that was was always going to be as it was and that everything that will be is going to be as it always would have been. It's hard to explain, but trust me, it's actually scientific.

That statement is not true though, you know why?

Smart People can think others are stupid, but it's just that they won't jump to the conclusion by saying "they're so stupid!" Because that would mean they've stopped thinking, which would mean they weren't smart in the first place, just like you've stated in the article... Anyway, the statement is worded wrong and is somewhat contradictory to what has been said in the entire article, how about this: "Smart People don't say others are stupid." Now this would make more sense. Because obviously if someone is stupid, anyone, including a smart person, would think they're stupid; Thinking=being smart. Smart People wouldn't say others are stupid or use that as they're concluding sentence, but they could and would think it; and it wouldn't lessen their smartness level.

Just thought I'd point that out because when I read the title saying "Smart People don't think others are stupid." I thought "What? That doesn't make sense." So I clicked and read through it and thought "Good point, makes sense." But it's just that the title and the last sentence of the article (both are alike) don't make sense.

I know I'm really late to this article but whatever, peace out.

Ple correct me what i say is right or wrong. From my oponion only people with low mentelity will like to condem others coz they them are low grade people that is why their thinking is not broad. A wise person wont takl to much he only take sense to build knowledge for others

Well, yes and no. You said that smart people don't think other people are stupid. But then you said that stupid people jump into conclusions. When I see someone jumping into conclusions, I immediately think he is stupid. But isn't he stupid? You said it yourself, that kind of people is stupid. Isn't that the right conclusion to make?

Most people sort themselves out into cohorts of people who are roughly of the same general intelligence. This makes it difficult for many people to understand the challenges or gifts of people who are dissimilar from them in intelligence. How many people have you spoken to in your life who have I.Q.s greater or less than your own by a spread of 20 points? If your I.Q. is 120, you will know quite a few people who have I.Q.s of 100 (which is the statistical mean), but you probably won't socialize with them much. You probably won't know anybody with an I.Q. of 140, since such persons are very rare, and likely to work in professions that you could not have entered in the first place. (Like a tax lawyer or an engineer.) So you don't really know what such people are like. And remember, half of all people have I.Q.s that are less than average, and many people have I.Q.s of 85 or lower. It would be harsh to call such people stupid, but you should understand they don't experience or understand the world as you do.

I have a drunk roommate who drinks an all thinks about negative things and called me stupid and wanted to fight me i didnt because i am the bigger person i would have hurt him real bad and wouldnt have cared if he told me to stop

I think we may be having a bit of confusion about the meaning of the word "stupid." When you call someone of proper wit stupid you are using the term metaphorically. I'll bet Mrs. Einstein would sometimes say to her husband, " Albert you can be so stupid." But, if you use the term stupid to mean of abnormally low mental capacity, well of course there are stupid people. Millions of them. There are stupid people in the same way that there are short people or ugly people. It's just that, if you are smart, you don't run into stupid people very often, because they work at different jobs than you do, have different amusements, and live in different neighbourhoods. So it's easy to imagine that they don't exist in the first lace.
People with genius I.Q.s can pretend to be closer to average intelligence than they really are, but people with low I.Q.s cannot get away for long with pretending that they're average. Just the expressions on their faces and the patterns of their speech quickly give them away.

Maybe you are just perhaps more empathetic towards those who are comfortable sitting in their own waste because without inspiration dreams and the want to succeed what are we living for I am mind boggled that people that call people stupid are apparently the ones that are stupid you cannot win an argument with stupid have you ever heard that quote I'm sure you have. stupid people maybe equals doesn't give a crap knowing that it's at their fingertips and being too lazy to to take advantage of it I cannot be comfortable sitting in my own stale environment how could anybody be happy isn't happiness what you make it what you make yourself what you make your dreams unfold like I disagree I have met people the only word to describe them is stupid sir and I will not change my mind and I know for a fact I'm not a stupid person that statement is a famous quote that you cannot win a argument with a stupid person are you telling me that Einstein and other people that write quotes that have to do the topic of idiocracy and stupidity where in fact himself stupid then you just contradicted yourself you know that you said the people that call others stupid are the stupid ones you just made a double no no people who call stupid people are stupid ones and then you turn around and say they're stupid that is even make sense I don't understand this is to mind boggling I got to go you apparently are not aware of what's going on around you a lot of people are comfortable with no action in life of all sit around the couch watching TV and a state of complete confusion and then try to pick arguments with you on topics they have not learned about or try to learn about or care about making ridiculous claims against you when you know in fact they are absolutely trying to make an argument just for the sake of arguing not having ideas or statements to back themselves up in some degree that right there shows a lack of intelligence to me. Ever looked at somebody and decide my god what the hell is going to the head of this person sitting next to me trying to argue a simple equation it's so frustrating unimaginable thing nobody should ever have to go in through apparently you have not met ex husband for one and I'm not quite sure your failure to realize that some people do not care to have actions like learning inspiration but complete lack of action becoming comfortable in a state of not wanting to learn or progressing more. I am rambling because I don't even know how to explain this to you because it seems so obvious to me this I have to disagree finalization and I have to turn my voice to text app off now because I'm going to start cracking up laughing it seems so very lacking of seeming to try to put a good point out there but not quite making it and a well thought out conclusion before your public statement my very favorite thing that I consider stupid people is a want to argue and create tension in let's say those who believe in what they're saying let's put it that way but if only to continue to make a point destroying your day with pure negativity that to me negativity for example to assume something's going to happen before it happens and complaining and making up stories is absolutely absurd my ex husband was the most negative hateful constant nagging person I have ever met that had no way to I guess you could say make me notice anything in him that proves he was not stupid but only that ugliest coming out of him in fact proved he was stupid. Okay I'm gonna leave you with 1 more examples but I can't stop rambling on I am just so mind boggled is so funny to me I'm using voice to text. Probably not printing out right here but I don't even care negativity directed towards other people sheer meanness rudeness making a statement before thinking things through and NOT coming up with the most logical answer picking their nose at stop signs being disrespectful to you lacking in common courtesy showing complete lack of caring about respect for you thus most likely not expecting in return that one agent on the phone you cannot get your point across to no matter how much you try but she refuses to listen people that hurt animals a weaker species lack for our planet and its future people that throw their food bags outside of the car window as driving on the highway people who wear red and pink together lol people who don't keep their own business out of others oh my God I COULD go on and on but those are some examples of stupid people peace out and please wake up sir

Love it!

My husband is always calling let's say the majority of human species stupid. It bothers me, the word I guess, as I don't like to throw a label on that which I do not know from first hand experience. As to why one behaves in a stupid manner plays directly into whether they are ignorant/stupid by choice or by situation/environment. I love the thought that if on is truly intelligent, then one does not lend itself to genoralities in one's conclusion. Yes anyone can be or act stupid, yet not have it as a permanent condition.

This reaks of "everything is subjective" new age propaganda. I'm sorry but some people are stupid, and by projecting the blame for stupid one here is showing his own stupidity. It's called a tactic, make intelligent people look stupid by claiming nobody can be stupid (unless they call someone else out on their stupidity), so this way nobody calls you out on your stupidity.

Yes, I can accept other opinions, if they are rational and well thought out. If their opinion doesn't go against facts, sources, or common sense. Far left or far right wing people are stupid. We have the pushy bible thumpers vs. the pushy SJWs ("progressives"). Both sides are idiots.

Bravo

Well, considering when I say someone is stupid I'm referring to their actions. I'm not saying that they are as a person stupid, but that the action or words they said are stupid because they were jumping to a conclusion or didn't think something through. Which is then irritating because they then tend to stick to what they said instead of continuing to analyze the situation. I'm not jumping to conclusions, I'm describing the action in a simplified way.

You have to watch out for the mistake of calling people stupid because they disagree with you. Lots of things are unsettled matters of opinion, and smart people have different views of them. For example, I don't think Darwin's Theory of Evolution can possibly be correct, and people who do are quick to say that I'm just not smart enough to understand the theory. Which doesn't strike me as really fair, as I can understand the logic of the theory and also see what I think are holes in it. Y'know>

nice Mr Derek, i learn from you, just want to ask if someone said i am stupid, and replied sa mad back I am not stupid,

oh! this is cool, i learn from you Mr, DEREk, i just want to ask if i am stupid in a situation like "someone said to me i am stupid! and i replied back saying, oh! yes i am stupid, but for saying that i am stupid makes us both stupid, in a word is "2" symbolize as both stupid !! and is 2 "pid" symbolize your eyes works speed to judge me and define me?

With all do respect this is stupid. Its my opinion not a conclusion... What you're describing sounds more like judging a book by its cover.. When i call some one stupid its usually after several encounters and interactions.

Thank You, I work part time at a convenience mart, and about just under half of all customer's in there seem to be making themselves feel smart by testing you or placing you on the spot to see if you know your "stuff" I have noticed that if you mention "bare with me", math isn't my strong point, and I am a bit slower as a result of it, they, as I see from peripheral vision, or being observant of their behavior to the next customer near them, or will... they think, (aka, like to think and verbalize) this girl isn't the brightest, and doesn't know what she is doing. In my area, if you even mention (and I can laugh at) an area in which you are not the best at, I notice they take it "all the way" to say or think that one discrepancy makes you an idiot. May I ask.... What is up with that?

Really true I really see many smart people that do the same

Well I don't think anyone is stupid or dumb, just that the thoughts they are thinking,are dumb or stupid.People have dumb or stupid thoughts everyday,if you act upon those thoughts knowing this,then that is stupid or dumb.Acting upon those thoughts is the action we see as dumb or stupid.That does not mean you are dumb or stupid, it means that you are acting dumb or stupid, or that you are having dumb or stupid thoughts, not that you are.People can be genius,in thinking,but still can have stupid and rediculous thoughts that does not mean that they are,just because they had a dumb thought.At least they are thinking about all the possibilities, not just the ones that pertain to them.Everyone is different, so why can't they see differently,as well as the same.No one ever said they can't.What pertains to one's thoughts can be different, the same,or a combination of everyone's thoughts, and who am I to say who is smarter or dumber,I am just one individual in a world of many individuals,who all have their thoughts,and the reasons they think that way are their own life's experiences.That is what makes a person, their own life's experiences.Not all of us have had the same experiences,some may be similar.If we had, we would all be the same, and we are not, we are all slightly different.Like sand/salt,from far away we all look similar, but when you look under a microscope,they are all different little grains,just like us. Thank you for reading my comment on this subject geraldine Petra posada.

Love your analysis on this matter.

In my opinion, it's a huge problem with today's society. People seem to think of someone to be stupid when an "ignorant" act is committed and end their train of thought. When the person could keep a calm mind and try to inform the "ignorant" person of why it was ignorant. Then the ignorant person could take this to be true or false in their own mind. Although anger usually clouds this process.
Personally, I see the word (ignorant or ignorance) to be much more excepted than stupid. Ignorance is another way to say "that person does not know"(like you said with I don't know) and in a way seems more complete than " I don't know". So I can say I was ignorant to the matter and use my individual thought process to evaluate why I/it was ignorant.( the plethra of media outlets can be to blame for ignorance or people's laziness to use their own individual thought process) but that would start a whole new conversation.
Again, love the article and how short but complete it was. The only problem I had with it was "She could have said Southerners, Northerners, Republicans, Democrat's..." ect. In my opinion labels of any kind referring to human beings is ignorant.Labeling seems to segregate the world.For example, "Black live matter" and not "All lives matter". Just wanted to touch on that. Thanks.

Great advice

I like that.My kids be calling each other that word.So I just read this to them.Great thoughts.

Fool people gives decision very fast about anything, but smart people are slower in this matter.

Your comment on what is smart and what is stupid is more like advice not really relevant to the definitions. Take Einstein as an example of smart. First U have to be extremely smart just to follow the concept let alone the math of what his published work is all about. I would bet that 95% of the ppl in America could never know whether or not Einstein's work is right or wrong given a lifetime of time. Its not just about how fast U make a decision. Being smart is about understanding something well enough to critique it in detail. Most ppl will never understand quantum mechanics and even fewer can critic it even if given all the time in the world!

Doesn't "Smart people don't think others are stupid" imply that people who jump to conclusions are stupid? There seems to be a bit of a paradox here. :p

I think people who jump to conclusions about a person and believe the words of liars are stupid. They don't realise how their stupid judgements adversly affect the lives of the people they judge. If they were sensible they would have a direct conversation with the person they misjudge and clarify their opinions and have all their questions answered. If they think the victim is lying, they could request them to undergo a lie detector test. Instead many people prefer to jump to conclusions and side with immoral, unethical people. Which I believe is a great shame for all involved.

Derek,
Generally speaking, I look at things one way only. Grey. I don't believe that anything is black and white. The sooner we get more people to realize that the better.
Everything is relevant to the situation(s) leading up to that event.
Therefore; decisions that appear wrong or stupid to an outsider, may actually be the most intelligent decision they could have made.

I am also interested in how/why others see the others as not just wrong on this or that topic but view the stupidity of the opposing as profound. For example, I am profoundly stupefied regarding how any logically thinking human being could possibly think that Donald Trump would make a good president. I am a logical person but for me it is virtually impossible for me to imagine how anyone could support him. On the other hand, those who do support him view me as equally stupid. I really can't say whether either are smart or stupid. I just want to better understand this phenomenon.

I do not think people are stupid, I think people are ignorant. And no one is entitled to be ignorant.

I like it! Perfectly germane. I enjoyed reading this!

Because this is so good I shared it on facebook. So many on that social site use stupid as a way to define others. I think that they are people that do not like the reflection themselves that they see in others and are not willing to let others be who they really are.

Thank you so much for this content.

I am impressed with this version, it's fact of life

As you said, things are often not as they seem, and we should not accept the first answer but search the truth. What if all of us did not have the same mental abilities, and in order for the idots not to feel bad, the more intelligent made up a concept and told averyone that we are all the same, and that everyone can achieve something with effort. What if being idiot did not simply mean not doing the effort, but not having the capacity to do it?
I agree that not a single generalization should be made but those questions invite to think in order to search for the truth.

Hi Derek:

I think that all "stupid people" should wear a sign around their neck warning others that they are stupid!

I think that that action is just the responsible thing to do in a society that puts a great deal of emphasis on time management!

Personally, I do not have the time in my day to deal with stupid people. I do my best to avoid them at all cost. I do not want to try to understand them! I find them to be very annoying!

You have a nice "play of words" but it lacks substance!

Remember, stupid is as stupid does!

All the best to all the stupid people!

Dwayne

P.S.
How do you feel about the "village idiot" and the "town fool?"

"The ignorance of the educated is the lack of common sense."

Completely wrong.

On a genetic standpoint, some people are just more intellectually inclined than others, and there's nothing anyone or you can say about that. If I say someone is stupid, I'm not referencing their intelligence, I am referencing their actions because their actions are stupid, therefore they are stupid.

When anyone says someone is being stupid or is stupid, it's all about context, you never call someone who really is stupid, stupid. Why? Because they don't know what stupid is, they don't know they are stupid by society's standards or your own. If you have the intellectually capability to understand your own stupidity, you are by default, not stupid. Stupidity is the absence of reason and self-awareness. Animals in this sense are considered stupid because they don't have a Theory of Mind, they are Egocentric.

If someone says something idiotic, and does so repeatedly despite how often others correct him or her, we can definitely say, they are foolish, but not stupid. Foolishness while related to stupidity is not quite the same, for example; a wise man will consider a young man's recklessness to be foolish. Foolishness means lacking sense, and sense in this case has been known to metaphysically apply to a person's ability to distinguish danger from safety, or in other words, they lack reason. Stupidity on the other hand is a distinct lack of intellectual capacity.

So, someone can be stupid, we do have people born with intellectual disabilities and they are stupid, it's not their fault which is why I never call them stupid, but you can call a reasonably intelligent person, foolish because they can lack reason.

Before I call someone stupid I'm ready to prove my premise no matter what.

Judgement and huber make a ill fated mix. That being said, knowledge is a never ending pursuit!

This has been my rationale for years. I'm happy to see that it's shared. This is quite old, are you still writing?

maybe they mean that the other party has (long) stopped thinking, or was educated not to think by the system they live in?

we should also avoid quickly concluding that the person who calls another stupid, IS STUPID.

I don't know is not only powerful from the perspective that it is a head turner in a meeting. It becomes the catalyst for discussion.
It often shows how many others present don't know, with often very surprising results.
Ultimately the group find the answer then everybody knows.
One of the most powerful tools in anyone's box.

I think the conclusion is a bit too glib. It would be better to say that smart people don't immediately think other people are stupid (or whatever label you want to apply). And it would be better still to make a distinction between aptitude and capability. Finally it is better to bound the particular area of intelligence (there are many). Clearly there are differences in peoples ability to gather, process and discern information. Some people who have great ability may choose not to employ that ability or may choose not to employ that ability for a particular subject or at a particular time. These people may come across as stupid in a particular area, but they are people who could reform that status if given time and a desire to do so. I have no doubt that I could learn and speak Russian if I set my mind to it and devoted time. But from the current perspective of my ability to respond to a simple question asked in Russian, I would come across as very dumb. I have strong aptitude in language but low capability in Russian at this time. Prince was a musical genius and I could never do what he did, seemingly with little effort, if I had all the time in the world and applied all my effort. And yes, the ability to make music in a way that millions can relate to and resonate with is a form of intelligence. Someone like Prince could have sized up my music aptitude (potential) and capability (current state) fairly quickly and I wouldn't say, as your dictum seems to allow for, that he is not really smart because he didn't withhold judgement. There are plenty of markets such as the failure to make obvious connections, discern patterns, avoid past mistakes, follow logic that allow smart people to quickly size up whether they are dealing with someone who is stupid. But if someone misapplies or wrongly interprets these markers and declares the truly smart as truly dumb, then they are stupid. Stupid does exists and a failure or refusal to see this is not an indicator of intelligence--just the opposite. Smart people take into account a rich variety of reliable indicators before assess a persons intelligence and they proceed both with humility recognizing that there are many types of intelligence and a recognition that they may be inadequate in a particular area to even make an assessment.

Thank you sir/madam you make my day

I could bet my last cent (after reading your 8 creativity killers)that you are either "a genius" or carry a form of ADHD just like me... ☺ (obviously one option doesn't negate the other - they can exist happily together in you).

What I'm trying to express is RESPECT and the WOW experience I had thanks to your written insights.

(Words are soooo limited)

Eden

You're wrong Derek. Smart people simply don't SAY others are stupid. What they think is unknowable to you.

I disagree

I believe this to be true. You often see online when people say "another uneducated opinion" as if you need to have some degree to explain your thoughts. It's another way of calling someone stupid and people always find it easier to blame someone or something when things don't go right, but they want all the credit when things go right, even if they didn't earn it or deserve it. I dont consider opinions to be uneducated, because you never know who you're talking too. You don't know what they know, and perhaps if people would look at the situation at hand and see the equal comparison of alike things, maybe it wouldn't be so easy to jump and say they're uneducated or stupid. Opinions are not facts and if its a fact based opinion, you can't call the person stupid, its easier to argue. Personal opinions and using the word "I", its easier. I think people just want to be right, without proving why.

I think you've thought this question though very well.
I've also seen very intelligent people, and i include myself here, make very poor decisions that have terrible consequences, in many different areas of life.
This, bad decision making, by "very smart" people completely puzzles me. Any thoughts?

I disagree. deciding that someone is stupid is not the same as not thinking.
it just means that there are no solution to fix the problem because you have recognized that the stupid person is stupid because he or she will never understand you regardless of your method of comunication, and that a continuation is a waste of time. any further comunication will be a phantasy based form of insanity, as it no longer relate to reality but the dumb persons lack of it.
your argument say that a person calling another person stupid is being himself stupid, but that is not true.
example, your reasoning is like saying if james can not understand what a spoon is, because he think the spoon is a banana then your stupid because you can't explain it to him.

Hi, im a computer programmer myself and good at logic.

After further look at your argument is see that it is self deafeating by distinction and defininition itself.
let me explain. being smart is being more than dumb therby saying that if you think others are dumb you are not smart, but if you don't think other are dumb
and your are smart because you say smart people who are more than dumb people then you defied your own argument by stating there is such thing as a smart person derby you clerly distinguish agaist dumb people that there is such thing as smart as opposed to dumb to begin with as your agument opposes that by saying that smart people don't think people are dumb.
therby there are no smart people neither dumb people and the distintion is meaningless. Congratulation your just ruined the whole concept of intelligence all together.

Very well written article. There are many times situations in which one has to act quick to prevent people who are acting ignorant from making grave mistakes.I wonder if you have any thoughts on short term solution with those people. I guess long term solution is always educating them about the facts.
Regards,
Gotit

smart people dont think others are stupid but they do know that what some people think, write or say is really stupid.
Exactly! We can all do something stupid. Doesn't mean we *are* stupid. — Derek

i have been told that my ideas are stupid and a photo or painting is stupid. they don't even ask me to explain. this article is good to read.

pls talk to me any one. Nd suggest me wht i m
do.

I agree! Every election time, we see plenty of people with opinions on various policies. And rightly so.... Democracies are about everyone having their say. But what gets my goat is the people who are so adamant that those who disagree with them are idiots. Just because you disagree with someone, just means you have different needs, or a different philosophy, and your opinion is formed on those things. ie you are both *thinking*. It is ironic that we all embrace the democratic process (so we can exercise our right to have our say) yet at the same time we condemn those who vote the opposite way to us (ie who exercise their right to have their own say) What is this arrogance that some people have, that they think they are right, and everyone else wrong? A truly "smart" person would try to convince me to change my vote to their way of thinking. But instead, they insult me and call me an idiot. ...hardly a smart way to get my vote. These self-proclaimed "intelligent" people are the real idiots. Opinions are opinions. We all have free will. If you want your say, you must also accept other people's right to theirs. Anything less lacks logic and reason.

We're all in this wonderful boat together

No, some people are stupid if they think stupidly overall. And people are smart if they think logically overall. That reasoning of yours is poor logic.

What about people with a low IQ and/or no insight?
Or people that is emotionally immature??

No, there are no stupid people just marginally exceptional. I agree that is not a good idea to tell people their stupid if you intend to deal with them farther down the line but the truth is many people are stupid. You can probably find dozens of examples online, but yeah there are plenty of stupid people and sometimes they need to hear that. Because one of the factors of them being stupid is a life time of people avoiding telling them that for fear of hurting their feelings.

Smart people realize that others have the possibilty to be stupid (which we all have)stupid people dont have the ability to distiquish between right and wrong yet alone smart and stupid IN MY OPINION smart and stupid is the ability to discerne right from wrong smart from stupid AND good from bad ie ive met alot of smart people who can not react normal people thats the great and wonderful thing about human we all have a dif opionion. of stupid we think dumb of ignorant we think uneducated but the real fact is that every human is different so being stupid is also a stereo type and we should all start to Think humans are awesome the smart ones are smart the dumb ones are dumb the black,white,brown,and purple are all the same type of humans they are what they are and we would all be alot better off if we realize that human evolution will make us all better over time weather it take a year or a hundred years the idea us being a better people as a whole is better than the dreams of the world being perfectp

Regardless of religion politics lifestlyle race etc Just be the best human you can be

Jumping to conclusions? You mean not avoiding the obvious? If anything, ignorance is avoiding conclusions. A conclusion doesn't rule out a new beginning.

Personally,I recievr invention within 20 seconds! If you don't respond immediately, I ll think you're stupid,indecisive, or under educated! Smart people are quick with positive answers. Others Are STUPID!like democrats who know Hillary has a criminal,shadey past worst than all other ,only have to read up on her,if you read up on Donald, he made person errors.when you finish,if ever on Hillary you'll see a criminal mind!That will cost all of America! She won't hive a fuck! Or like she says,What does it matter!while you are with her,ask her about "Agenda21" worst than communism! The End of the American Dream!

Correction: Privileged smart people don't think others are stupid.

That perception changes whenever you encounter harmful, toxic, life-ruining prejudice. The only reason prejudices exist is because of stupidity, which has been measured, studied, and scientifically concluded time and again. What you're also not seeing is that people have different intelligences, so a person with high social intelligence but low intellectual intelligence can convince you of their intellect despite their prejudices by dominating and bullying you into agreement, as their social intelligence may be higher than yours. Combined with a killer instinct and being willing to backstab? That's dangerous.

As a disabled person, I've encountered no end of stupidity in my life. The notion that I'm stealing someone else's taxes because I need a little extra support in my life is rubbish and comes from the mind of an idiot, the notion that someone is going to be a terrorist bomber just because they're of an ethnic minority is a position held by blithering dunderheads (see the post EU referendum racism in the UK).

You're lucky. You've been privileged. You're blissfully ignorant and merrily unaware of the kinds of prejudices that exist from stupidity.

Margaret Atwood, whom I would consider to be smarter than both of us, once said: Stupidity is the same as evil if you judge by the results. And frankly, to ignore unethical behaviour just because you want to prop up some self-absorbed personal image about not finding others to be stupid is, in fact, stupid.

People and even my family called me stupid and because i failed my school i had to drop out school it was not my willing to leave but i was too old and my classmates was younger and i was left out i had hard times in my life I always had the idea to end my life and leave this world because i was not educated I can't get employed anywhere i live in country where u have to work if u finished school people like me are left out i left school at class 9 and my age was 18 it was sad i had hard times and my family call me stupid and dumb nobody helped me and they ignore me and told me there no use of me and I can't get married because men marry uneducated girl my life is like trash i hate my self oh god i wish to die sometimes but the worse is i have nobody by my side

if you can't play clever lest be smart

i have no idea how i ended up on this page. but i do agree that a lot people don't thoroughly think through things.

Boy, did I need you on my side yesterday. I was told twice on Facebook discussion that I was brain washed. ne The poster added that his opinion was formed while he was earning his degree in economics. The other person said fox 9 news brain washes people to believe what they want them to believe. I was livid. Why is my opinion due to brain washing, and their opinion the only correct way of thinking. I recently returned to college as an adult learner, and I have sat through some lectures that I considered brainwashing, but most instructors try to teach students how to gather information, make sure it is creditable, and form your own thoughts. I responded to the Facebook bloggers if they were not doing the very thing they accused us of being. DONE TELL ME HOW TO THINK, GIVE ME THE FACTS. I RESPONDED TO THE ECONOMICS MAYJOR BY GIVING MY OWN FACTS , AND RELATING PERSONAL STORY TO THE DISCUSSION to prove these were my own thoughts. Essentially I tried to to make the points you so eliquantly stated here, but my words were not well received. I would love to post this article to my Facebook page. With elections coming up, and emotions running high, people need to hear this

Some important people in my life said im a stupid girl and i dont have brain.Im not handicap or syndrom but all said even my own family said im realy stupid girl.i feel that im wasting my life with this...im realy no guts to suicide but i believe that i cannot survive anymore.so what should i do now?
Thank you

Generally speaking people think I'm smart. Some members of my family berate me for people thinking I'm smart. I'm a Spanish speaking immigrant to Canada. I left my country before the communists destroyed it along with my family. In Canada I reached top positions in the executive ladder. Speak fluently 3 languages and am conversational in other 2. Have been in business trips around the world. Have read the best known classical books in it's original versions be it French, English or Spanish (about 200, really don know)). I'm a fan of J.S. Bach, Brahms, Beethoven, Pechelbel and the so. Know by heart the best movies from the 40's to date (with my father help). However when I'm in a conversation I do my best to keep my mouth shot and if somebody talk to me I level off right away to keep a friendly and simple conversation. When I certain that someone is wrong, I just stop the discussion and change the subject or move away quietly. I'm just retired, good looking, healthy, exercise daily. My kids are all professionals and already surpassed me. My father is very proud of me and what I've done in life. But he's the only one. In a way, for the rest I'm the black sheep of the family. Not too many friends, but well chosen. I'm a Christian and try to live my life by those principles. Now no matter what, I ask myself the question: I'm smart or lucky?

Right... Nailed It... <3

Amen

We have become a gentrified, politically correct nation when it comes to cutting to the chase and calling who and what is stupid, stupid. Calling someone stupid isn't just stopping the thinking, it is coming to a conclusion where no more thought is needed. Smart people do recognize stupidity and some do tell it like it is. The person is stupid. We educate children, never letting them know where they stand on the intelligence totem. This is not helping them. If they are intellectually deficient, they need to know it and with time and effort, cull the most they can with what they are genetically born with. Today we don't let them know they are stupid until they are 18 and of voting age. It's late then. Trump and followers are distinct examples of feelings over thinking. There are many reasons to disagree or to agree with a person. You can disagree because of differences of opinion but there are times when an opinion is based on little but feeling, no intelligence at all, feelings based on internet brainwashing and tribal need of belonging. Some of these people are stupid. Saying a whole group is stupid is wrong but being a part of a group based on needing to belong is stupid. The majority of a group may be stupid and again I point to Trump. America revels in anti-intellectualism and defending our falling I.Q. only worsens the problem and hides the truth,

This entire article is stupid, people do not use their brains, they make dumb decisions and they raise dumb kids because well, they are dumb chose to be dumb and never decided to do anything about being dumb.
Looking at others expecting them to have the same level of intelligence as you then you are opening yourself up to a world of pain and frustration.

I often think people are stupid because they have jumped to a conclusion. In fact, that the principle reason I find others stupid - because they judge others (including me) as stupid too quickly. So, question - does judging other people who judge people as stupid as stupid make you stupid?

This is a fair, and sometimes accurate point. However it is very possible to listen to a person's argument, completely understand where they are coming from and why they feel the way they do, and then still conclude that they are stupid. If you're not willing to admit that some people are just dumb, then you're part of the problem. Not everyone should have the option to voice their opinion. Too bad the internet ruined that for all of us.

I am not ashamed to admit I did not understand that story, feed back please, love to read more

I have no interest in understanding stupid people indepth. Once I realize they are either stupid or mental slaves, I literally am no longer interested. I don't give a damn about the backstory of stupid people.

I find this article to be cheap semantics. Not of much use in the real world.

stupid means avoiding thinking by jumping to conclusions.

If somebody does that and i call him stupid why would i be wrong?
You just found the secret punchline — Derek

"Smart" is the stuff of IQ tests. Wisdom, not IQ, is the far more important value.

A smart man might not call anyone stupid, but a wise man knows that everyone is stupid, including himself. One particular sage whom I admire said "mankind has only a flicker of consciousness", and I agree. Another someone said that we use only what, one tenth of our brains? How can we then, therefore, conclude anyone is really that smart, when we have yet to see the full measure of what smart is, and is not. How about the concept of the UFO, rather small vehicles with no kitchens, bunking facilities, support personnel, etc., which move about repelling gravity, no thrust propulsion like we use -- and just a few aliens inside like that one which crashed in Roswell, eh? -- which only makes sense if they arrived here in a few hours or instantly, from millions of miles away ( rendering those bulky crafts we create completely unnecessary ) and if anyone is smart, it is they, not us. But, I digress.....

Love it (your definition on smart people are people who don't think others are stupid...
My daughter, Sallys' Papa, when he gets frustrated with her, whether it'd be because shes not paying attention, or acting out, he says, "Your Stopid", and I look at him, and say in a, attempt to say in a mindfully more softe tone of voice ;), "hun, please stop calling our daughter, "stupid"... She is not "stupid", actually you are the one that is being stupid, by calling her "stupid", she is not "stupid" her action is "stupid"!!!
OR you could state that her not paying attention when you are trying to help her with her homework, is going to keep her in the category of "less educated"... And keep her in the bracket of low-income. Which, in turn, will make her life WAY more uncomfortable then if she were to just, sit up, hush up, focus, and pay attention to the problem answer
lol Matter of fact Papa you are being the one who is acting "Stupid", for calling her stupid vs. telling her, that her action is "Stupid". :) Love you guys!

owesome

annoyed people can say that, and yes Smart people don't have power of harassment but power of knowledge that is more unique to know then to just want to know,it is known of identity then wanting to identify,
yet people with tools in there hands think they are smarter, may as well have they hands in there ASS

I.Q. charts would disagree. Smart and stupid are terms that cover a range on said charts. Alfred Binet's tests were designed to repetitively gauge how quickly (if at all) someone picks up on a concept or pattern. And based largely on his work I would posit that "stupid" is an applicable term for someone who repeatedly demonstrates an inability to grasp a fairly simple concept. I think there is a division on how some people "use" the word. Some use it just strictly as an insult with no concern for the definition. Others such as myself use it according to definition with somewhat less regard for the insult someone can chose to take from it. We see it more as a statement of fact, like, "that car has 240bhp". The owner of that car may choose to feel insulted if they know that other cars have more, and see this as you saying they do not measure up. Yet, that is an insult formed in their own mind, and not the mind of the person who was stating a fact.

When a person uses the I don't think in a argument my response I am curies how did ya come to your conclusion? You can think about it and get back to me. Too many People today are letting others do the thinking for them and have lost the ability to think for themselves .

Those that defend others that say stupid things over and over again in my extended family. It is very hard being smart and nice at the same time. I took me 6 months teaching one of them that Islam was evil.

Islamic Culture is a Slave Culture
Many Muslims see us as Keffers and Dimmi's and Blacks as slaves. Keffers sub human for Christians and Dimmi's sub human for Jews, Black translates into Arabic as Slave. Women have no classification, they are just things in Islamic culture, lower then slaves. Talking to them as a civilized person is like a slave talking to a Master.

In the book: “The Third Choice” by Mark Durie: One choice become Islamic, second choice a slave, third death. Add one choice if you act now, Freedom.

"There are no smart people or stupid people"

That is utterly incorrect. There are smart and stupid - I've worked with both many times...

"I don't know!" ☺
However, I detect a couple mistaks in "logical phrasing" in a sentence -

I like the statement “They are so stupid!” - it means they’ve stopped thinking

Everyone is equal : But other people who have all the wealth and money always under estimate the poor people, They label them as stupids and useless. The poor people then act according to the way they've been labelled. They think that they are hopeless and their lives are controlled by the people who are in power.

Do you think it is a good thing to want look smart in front of people or a bad thing

Love this insight. Well worth having in the back of ones head to self regulate. I don't think it's something I do because it feels lazy. I agree with the logic entirely.

The headline , "Smart people don’t think other people are stupid"

Is t-shirt.

Hii

Do you honestly believe "there are no smart people or stupid people?" Do you truly, truly believe that all people have equal intelligence and only behavior differentiates them? Because if you do believe that, my friend, you are stupid. There are vast differences in the capabilities of brains. Your mother may have been overly optimistic when she assessed the intelligence of her little prince, and you grew up believing it. Since the brain can't conceive of anything beyond its own capabilities, you've had few ways of grasping that reality. Now you believe your opinions can enlighten the world, so you write garbage designed to convince stupid people that if they just say the right things, they'll be super smart like you. I take issue with this. Articles like this dangerously devalue true intelligence, and our current cultural eschewment of all things smart have caused us to alienate and marginalized the few people who might be able to fix some of our more challenging problems.

I know you have no way of knowing, and you don't have to believe it, but I am actually very intelligent. Not in the "mommy says I are a geenyus" way, but in the only way that counts: actual high intelligence. And let me assure you, the world is full of idiots. We're drowning in them. And I'm downright angry about it. Not that I'm angry at stupidity in general (someone needs to clean the toilets, after all), but that we have to continue to pretend these people aren't stupid in order to assuage their fragile little egos. We let them take jobs that impact the rest of the population. We let them spew moronic "facts" on the Internet. We let them vote. It's a crime against humanity, but in the name of playing nice we let it continue.

"Smart" is the potential of your brain, period. Smart people can do dumb things, but idiots can never become smart. You can't make yourself smarter via some nonsensical behaviors any more than you can make yourself taller (there are no high heels for the brain). You can do certain exercises to maximize your potential, but there will always be a limit. Not everyone is smart. But neither is "nobody." Some of us are. The rest need to face a little reality. We need to stop telling all children they can be anything when they grow up. Some of them just need to be handed toilet brush and reminded not to use it on their teeth.

Very bad premise. Yes, smart people can see and recognize the stupid, that is the definition of smart. Smart people are skeptical about their own smarts and knowledge and usually underestimate it, while stupid people actually do not even understand the extend of their stupidity. Majority of them actually think they are smart. If they realise that they are stupid they are still stupid.

Experiments have been made at Cornell University: Dunning and Kruger have postulated that the effect is the result of internal illusion in those of low ability, and external misperception in those of high ability: "The miscalibration of the incompetent stems from an error about the self, whereas the miscalibration of the highly competent stems from an error about others.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect

Awesome article

I might agree with you if you were referring to first impressions but... Honestly... Some people are actually stupid. I think if you have known someone for quite some time you may actually be able to judge that, yes, they are in fact stupid. However it is an opinion, it's not a fact. They are stupid in your eyes and you have come to this conclusion by assessing certain criteria which you would deem important when gauging intelligence. However, a lot of people share similar criteria and people who fail some major ones are generally regarded as stupid. I think it's silly to say smart people don't think other people are stupid... Without stupid people there are no smart people. You create a paradox if you say that. Ugh the stupidity of this article is so frustrating!!

Yeah exactly. I never think people are stupid. I'm just like I know why you're making that mistake.

Wise words

Intellect and obtuseness are both subjective therefore your argument holds no weight (just as this statement is arbitrary so are your remarks).

Indeed, but there comes a time when in spite of giving them loads of opportunities, the stupid person just does it again and again and just compounds the inescapable reality that they just don't think and then we/I have no alternative but to say to ourselves/myself 'My god, you are stupid' I know, I've lived with it :O :( You give them so many chances and you end up feeling like you're the stupid one :(

"...Other people cannot do any more than you can. So try to stop speaking of them and criticizing them as if they could. Other people may be able to understand—if you understand and can teach them from your own understanding. Do not live in a frozen world of thinking that others should be different. This is the ordinary life-situation here. Accept your situation intelligently and remember others are mirrors of yourself. Do not think what you see in others cannot possibly be in you. God is what you need. Begin with your neighbour. He shews you what you need—that is, what you need to see in yourself and become conscious of. We all need to become more conscious.---Maurice Nicoll, Psychological Commentaries... ,p87 (Positive Ideas.. 1)

I really wish I could show this to my dad... but he would either a. get pissed at me because I'm challenging his worldview, and therefore implying that HE is stupid, or b. only partially read it, then take away the wrong message, and use this article as an excuse to continue to call people stupid, or c. think it's some P.C. thing and get pissed that this author is somehow violating my dad's 1st amendment rights by expressing an idea that my dad doesn't agree with (that it's a pretty limiting idea to call others stupid when you don't agree with them).

I have read this article and i'm agree with you.
in my opinion, everybody on his earth has real capacities to develop

the most important think to do is NEVER leave bad comments about ALL people
all around you.

Nicholas.

I think it can be smart to jump to conclusions in a conversation with someone with a higher IQ than you especially if they're the sort of person who seems to like being right because they are more likely to 'rebut' your conclusion with better ideas. Maybe it depends what situation you're in whether it's a group think or you're both just out for yourselves

Sometimes a good one is to call someone with high IQ stupid and watch as they try to climb their way out of the hole you dug for their ego. You can glean some really good ideas this way

People do all sets of things whether the are gift , handicapped or avwrage. But the pressures of life seam to bring habits to all of us. We all have habits some are good some don't matter some cause a living hell to your self and to others.I can't put a label on some one without talking to them. My glass is never full. Sometime the the things inside are hard to see and even harder to make sense or to use the infomation from them. I keep looking with new knowledge and still can't put a label to the person when I am tired or Pissed off I can do anything and it usually doesn't make sense. I don't believe in a god but I do belive in collective energy. If I am very tired my wife looks very stupid and she is stupid because she married me. And I know she loves animals she stays with me. Bob e

When I'm trying to be funny and someone remarks, oh stop being stupid. Does this mean they are saying I'm stupid?

Correct very accurate

Love this article Derek. Your words have expressed my feelings. Looking forward to reading more on this subject

I'm sorry, you are right. Thanks for telling me that

I agree with the title in general. However, what if one is reacting to someone who is not thinking yet who claims everyone else is stupid and one can demonstrate the other is clearly incorrect/cite reliable sources that refute that person's statements, and yet that person doubles down on their obvious mistake? In such a circumstance, I do not think that many smart people are so virtuous that they wouldn't think that other person was stupid. After all, average IQ is 100 so that means a lot of people bloviating on various themes are in fact going to be pretty stupid.

My son continually calls others stooped, dumb, ignorant. He accuses you of being his enemy if you do not believe as he does or have a different opinion on something. EVERYTHING on TV, News, etc. is either a Hoax, photo shopped or staged. He screams to where the veins stick out on his neck when he feels his beliefs are violated in ANY manner. I have read on Mental health since 1988 and have not experienced this before and frankly do not know what to do except walk around or sit and say absolutely NOTHING 24/7. Thank you for your help so I can learn how to deal with this and enjoy being around my son.

I love this.. makes so much sense! Thank you

I cant stand what's happening then and that you can't find information now because it offends people guess what life offends people if a song about love and why can it legally be disbarred be in Be found on the US Internet

Makes total sense now,I am sorry for all the idiot questions,now I feel I'm not alone referring to messenger. I thought puthing I don't know would sound like your not a intelligence, I don't know would be the best answer.had you ever seen a profile,a person you never meant attractive?than all his followers looks like they could be models.I'm finding out not everybody is who they seem on facebook.does this make sense.I'm sort of in secured about all this social media stuff,and I apologize again but I'm happy you are here to help me understand this.thank you.