Are most people.....STUPID?
Are most people.....STUPID?
There are those who don't know the capital of states. Also there are some who don't know when World War II started & which countries were instrumental in winning World War II. There are people who can't read simple addresses & put mail in the WRONG box or misdeliver mail. Are most people....LACKING in intelligence?
There are differences between stupidity, ignorance, and forgetting.
"There are two things which are infinite;The universe...and stupidity,and I'm not so sure about the universe"~Albert Einstein~
At the same exact time there is more material ease and comfort available than ever before, and things are also, maybe, increasingly complex.
We live in a place and time where we have amazing food security. Nobody starves to death unless they are lost in the woods, or someone is intentionally doing them that harm in a criminal homicide.
With the rise of all this digital technology and its internet culture we have access to all the knowledge, or most of it, in the entire world. But we could also spend all day looking at porn using the same devices.
You know, I did read something somewhere saying our average intelligence in the western world is declining. Well, lets not personally be a part of that.I don’t think any of those things make someone stupid. A lot of that is stuff that people learn in school and then don’t use again for many, many years and forget. Someone who can’t remember the countries who fought in World War II may be more intelligent than most people when it comes to another subject that their mind is regularly involved in.
Intelligence can be found in many ways and many areas. Some people might have a large wealth of knowledge when it comes to historical facts and math but not be able to process conceptual problems quickly or struggle with abstract thought. Some people might be intelligent in all quantifiable areas but have the emotional intelligence of an ant.
I think that a lot of people do stupid things, make dumb choices, let their strengths overcompensate for their weaknesses instead of trying to strengthen their weaknesses. I may call someone who cuts me off in traffic an idiot, or I might roll my eyes at someone who says something clearly lacking rational thought, but I think it takes a lot more than we see in most people to determine how intelligent they really are.Hey, girlfriend, I was just about 2 log off & I saw this Q of URS. So, the word of the day is "Stupid." I'm bursting at the seams w/ opinions on this!
Given UR all-around average, healthy, sane individual, certainly all people R not totally stupid (especially since this would include U & me, right?) LOL
However, all people may just B quite stupid in some ways while being genius in others & those who are untouchable in brilliance yet haven't a lick of common sense. There's also, not so "book-smart" but outrageously intuitive, creative & multi-talented.
There is such a huge variety of smart & stupid, plus combos galore, we might even get the idea that it's meant 2B this way 4 our world 2 flow perfectly. Ya think?
To make this easy, I'll use examples of people I know personally.
There's my friend Jodie who is vivacious, an amazing conversationalist, attractive, talented & oozes "street smarts." When she 1st, visited me at my home, as we sat by the flowing creek, aside my yard, she asked me if there were crocs or gators in the river....*in Western New York.* OK?
Being who I am, I wanted so badly 2 tell her.."Only in the summer & they fly south 4 winter." I refrained.
My late Husband (Rest his sweet soul) A distinguished man w/ a Jurist Doctorate. Educated? Intelligent? Oh, yes. & when I hollered 2 him from the deck 2 please bring me the butter in the tub...he came out 5 minutes later 2 tell me "there wasn't any butter in the tub downstairs, might it be in the upstairs tub?" Just soak in the brightness 4 a while.
And then there's Yours Truly, Grace. Hey, I can whip out all the U.S. Capitals, spell them forward and backward, speak to U in English, Spanish & Italian, tell U at least 1 significant thing about each of them & even name a famous person from each. Then there's my severe directional dysfunction, so never send me 2 any of these Capitals unless U never want 2 see me again. Know what I mean, GF? Oh, & by the way, when I first entered the world of computers, my "go-to Geek," was my 8 yr. old grandson. He's such a darling respectful child, he never once said what he was thinking...like maybe "Wow Gram, UR really stupid!" LOL.
I believe we all have our own stupid here or there in some form 2 various degrees.
To your Question~ "Most people" would never admit 2 their stupid areas but they cannot be hidden forever!!
Of course, there R those sooo stupid, they don't know they're stupid.
They're the happiest of us all..........PaulaThanks, my friend. I just like to keep things honest, simple and REAL! All other ways are too much time, trouble and nonsense babble! LOL. I'm from a long line of "Tell it like it is".....uncomplicated people!
Why was this answer VOTED DOWN, it is THE BEST ANSWER, PEOPLE!!!!!!! This reaction is very puerile to say the least!
Hey Grace,
Stupidity is a common occurrence amongst most people, as when someone has knowledge superiority on a certain subject or topic, then the other person/people immediately come across as stupid around the conversation. When someone is completely unaware of a certain topic that is up for discussion, these people tend to stay quiet for as long as humanly possible in hopes that the discussion switches to something completely different.
Intelligence cannot be measured by those who know when World War II started and ended. Ridiculously foolish not to have listened when someone at some stage told these people the WWII dates, but for many World War II may simply not be of interest. Intelligence is best measured by the skill levels that individuals obtain from doing various challenging tasks, and it is those that can find the solution that are the most intelligent people, and not the righteous few who endlessly speak of the problems.
Who exactly are the people that cannot read basic addresses, assuming this is pointing the finger at first street, second street, and main street. Those unable to read basic addresses would be secondly accused of not being able to read, full stop. Nonsense. A world couldn't function of the majority of its inhabitants couldn't make sense of basic street names. Or, perhaps it was the numberings that caused folks to trip-up whilst reading the front of a letter.
Anyway, this "stupid" word, can we assume it is being targeted towards the same poor people that were too unfit/unable to provide for their unborn children (as with more thinking like that, and there would be some seriously overwhelmed pregnant mothers in their mid 20s fearing the likes of pompous bigots speaking aloud these ill-mannered views).
Sorry, the argument is detrimentally flawed to stop pregnancies (for women in their 20s - since they would all be poor, to an extent), and stupid people are only made stupid by those ignorant enough to paint such hatred cruelty onto a mostly genuine side to society, and the larger economy.Lack of knowing is not an indicator somebody is stupid. As a teacher I have learned a student is not a fool because he failed in examinations or does not do well in school assignments. A stupid person is one who lacks common sense. This indicates he doesn't usually apply common sense. For example, you step on someone. Instead of apologizing you go ahead ignoring the error you did though it was deliberately. That is being stupid. Lack of doing what is right and congratulating yourself for that is being stupid or foolish. Not knowing is not necessarily being stupid since we cannot know everything.
Not knowing about state capitals or history couldn't be specifically considered as being stupid. Ignorance or lack of interest in that subject would be apt. Some people may even be clumsy or make silly mistakes which can also be forgiven.
However, answering your true question, sadly it is true that most people are not as intelligent as others. Classifying them as stupid is up to debate but I have come across quite a few people whom I would happily label as "lacking intelligence". Some people lack the knowledge to grasp concepts quickly or even how to interact in a social environment. Worst part is that many are ignorant of their own stupidity which makes it even worse!That doesn't sound like lacking in intelligence. And certainly stupidity doe'st stem from this. Knowledge of history, geography, economics etc, having it or not having it, has little to do with intelligence.
You could say, as Eckhart Tolle does, that most people are insane. The insanity varies in degree, but most people are not completely rational human beings. That aside, stupidity surely means that one knows that one should learn about something in order to achieve it, or get it, but deliberately chooses not to make the effort.
The old story of the man looking for his house keys under the street lamp outside his house because there is a light out there, but who knows he dropped his key inside his house - that is stupidity.This is another EXCELLENT ANSWER, why vote it down!
There are over a hundred ways to pray; again, there are over a hundred ways to interpret that word 'stupid.' Some say that Sri Ramakrishna, the great Yogi of Dakshineshwar, could hardly read or write, yet royality and politicians used to go to him for advice.
Stupid can be interpreted as dull, silly ... again, we give so much attention to the world, to ephemeral things, to all that is transitory and forget our true Self, the Soul. Isn't that foolish? " For what does it profit a man, if he should gain the whole world and suffer the loss of his own soul?" -Christ.
Your entire list in your paragraph, is considered as basic to the Seer. He may or may not know, but has very little use for this knowledge. Does it make him strong? Would it give him inner happiness? That would be his questions. He would work with the things of the world, yes and also dutifully, but his thoughts would be on another realm.
Intelligence in its pure form, is an awareness of logic, reasoning...and higher still, it is an aspect of Spirit, Energy or Consciousness --that which the Seer has and what makes him/her attractive to Kings and Queens. Scholarliness need not be there. The Buddha was a prince, but the Christ wasn't. There is no hard and fast rule.
Some God-souls were wandering naked's and others lived like hermits in caves. Many were not intelligent in an educational sense, but their inner power were so great that it was very easy to serve the world, yet alone one or two. I never went to High school, yet I passed the American High School Equivalency Diploma quite easily.
I serve many in over a hundred different ways and earn respect. Yet I say that the true intelligence is the re-awakening of the psychic Heart; a Higher purity and Love of God; a sacred and burning intensity of inner Peace, without which all else are foolish, useless, dull.
Are you worried about anything right now? if so, why? reflect sincerely and then act in a way to maintain your dignity and inner worth. Om Shanti!!When considering intelligence, you have to remember there are many different types of intelligence. Some theorists believe there are three types of intelligence, others believe there are seven! So, when you consider that, I believe you can't diagnose whether someone has lower mental faculties than the general population or not with solely the information you provided above.
For example: Look how humans advance in their daily lives. I've known people who were a genius at one thing (programming, auto-mechanic, writing, etc.) and were so good at that skill, people admired them for it and sought them out, but they probably couldn't answer any of the questions you mentioned above.
There are also those who probably CAN answer those questions above. They might know a lot of seemingly useless, random knowledge, but this information lets them camouflage themselves as intelligent, so they can settle in higher positions because of the pretense of intelligence.
Then you have the group lacking skills OR random knowledge, those great at social engineering, who are just kind and considerate to the needs of others (or appear to be), who network to move forward.
Finally, you have those who have the high skill-level of the top group, but can't get ahead because they lack the skills to interact with others in a productive way, and who have trouble moving forward because they lack the practical application to make their work appreciated.
In conclusion, I believe the best measure of intelligence isn't how much you know or what you can do, but on how people use what they have to get where they're going. And this isn't linguistic, social, or practical intelligence, or "common sense," but the ability to make one's will reality.I doubt it's a question of stupidity, but rather being misinformed and plain absent minded. People think less and talk more. And then there's Technology, adding to the comfort by not Having To Think. But that's just my opinion.
Absolutely not! As a teacher I truly believe each one of us is uniquely brilliant in our own way. Referring to any human being as stupid is simply wrong.
I feel there is a difference between stupid and illiterate. There could be possibility that they might not be fitting into your measurement of stupidity .... like world war etc. Every one has a different scale as per their own perspective . Most people arent stupid , they are intelligent in their own scales, they might not be street smart , they might be bookworm and has tremendous potential and knowledge but at the same time they might be introvert or shy . Though I am sure there are stupid people but certainly not most of the people
- FoldingOperatorposted 6 years ago
0Do I know the capitals of all the states of the USA? No. I don't know exact dates for every historical events. But I consider myself pretty smart. Fact is everyone makes mistakes. There are a lot of variables in the human condition. Someone might be having a much much different day than you are. Sometimes it helps to imagine yourself in a completely differnt situation. That's not always easy though.
To answer your question... Yes. There are idiots among us. I'm chuckling at your question. You will open a mind field here that will be turned into a minefield. Kaboom!
I once asked my teacher how do you teach structure, ie the ability to build the ability to know. He said in exasperation: "I don't know."
When reading your question there is a sense that it is about knowledge and not intelligence. Who cares if you don't know the capital of all the States of America? Is it a priority to know this? An intelligent person could say google it if you don't know, I have more important things to clutter my head with.
Is intelligence the ability to learn? What is taught to anyone becomes knowledge and if someone doesn't know how to address a letter, is it that this is no longer being taught by those who already know? It's funny when there was a recent postal vote on a political issue, it had to be advertised what a post box looks like. Many people under the age of 25 have never had to post a letter.
We are beings that mimic so with the right circumstances we could all learn anything that was taught to us. But what if what was being taught is of absolutely no interest to the student? Are they stupid because they have apathy and don't want to retain useless information?
Learning is not a one size fits all situation. If a student is not stimulated by a topic then it will not be easy to retain information. If a teacher is not stimulating the student then it's likely the student will not care and therefore will not want to retain information.
There is so much to this topic.I agree with gmwilliams. Teachers teach subject matter but whatever subject they teach, they should also be teaching critical thinking and how to learn. Critical thinking applies to any subject and directs a student to self-direction, self-motivation and self-education.
Hello there, Grace Marguerite!
I'll ask you in advance to please forgive my tendency to parse words. But I feel compelled to point out that there is an understood difference between "knowledge," as in what a person "knows," and "intelligence."
The dictionary defines intelligence as: the faculty of acquiring and applying information. Intelligence, then, is a faculty --- that word must be stressed. Intelligence, then, is the ability to put information together with some kind of incisive analysis of a given problem.
The hope is that the process will result in Knowledge.
I happen to believe that there is a difference between knowledge and information. But there is no space to go into all of that here.
Knowledge of the U.S. state capitals is not a measure of intelligence, since the characteristic asks us to acquire AND apply information.
"Knowledge" of the capitals of U.S. states remains at the level of "information," in my mind, unless this knowledge is applied in some way, as to give a greater understanding of American geography in some way, for example.
Knowledge of when World War II started and which countries were instrumental in winning the war, again, also remain at the level of mere facts, unless these facts can be applied, in some way, as to give us a deeper and more meaningful understanding of the history of the first half of the previous century.
This is why intelligence cannot be measured.
Illiteracy is not an indication of "stupidity." It is merely the lack of the ability to "read simple addresses" and so forth.
Having such a Jeopardy-ready command of facts does make one an interesting dinner party conversationalist, I suppose.
Later!Are most people stupid, no they are not and i won't use that expression. I will use the term" lack of intelligence".
Lacking in intelligence, where do we draw the line. Does knowing the capital of other states or whether we know the ins-and-outs of a world war really make a difference in how we live our lives and the meaning of success. I'd argue "no" it doesn't.
As far as the schools go we need innovative pedagogical methods. Critical thinking, and a love of learning will fill many of the gaps in our children' education. It's better to know how to think and how to find the answers then to puke up some facts on an exam. But, i digress.
Intelligence is relative, our closest primate relative, the chimpanzee is considered very intelligent, but that all depends on what your using as your measuring stick. If some alien civilization sent a spaceship from a galaxy far away would they look upon us as we look upon the chimpanzee. Maybe they would look at one of our brilliant scientist, for example "Stephen Hawking" and say "isn't that cute he does differentiated calculus equations in his head, little Trisha was doing those when she was 6 years old".
I would conclude that the term "lacking in intelligence" is not a question we should ask.I will agree that some people need to improve their cognitive skills and incorporate critical thinking and reasoning in their day-to-day decision-making.Yes, I think they are. Apart from the occasional silly moment which we're all prone to, most people are stupid and lacking in intelligence. Some people just don't like to think too much about anything in particular which is quite shocking to the more cerebral among us. You'd think it wouldn't be the case nowadays that people can be so dumb when virtually everyone has the Internet at their fingertips. When I was young, I had to spend an entire afternoon at the local library to find anything out!
The more and more time I spend on the Internet, the conclusion I've come to is that most people nowadays really are stupid. I recently joined several groups which were designed as places where people could discuss the finer workings of the universe. There were members asking the most basic and off-topic questions that they should have learned the answers to at primary school and could easily have found out the answers themselves if they'd used their own initiative. Maybe that's the problem - perhaps they don't have any!
Acquiring knowledge is helpful to everyone but it's the correct application of that knowledge that makes all the difference, and some people just can't seem to manage it. There's absolutely no excuse nowadays to be misinformed. It's up to the individual to ensure they have the correct information they need and know how to apply it to their lives so it's of some practical use.Click this link to know if you are stupid or not
http://yamechanic.com/C9hGThe fact that stupidity is a behavior, is my first observation of the question. The second definition of stupid, has it as a quality. So, the question presented, Are most people... stupid? Well, yes. Of course.
It's interesting to discuss what makes a person 'stupid'. My 16 year old niece just aced her school exams and got A's in every subject. Shortly afterwards we were talking about chickens and she said that they had four legs.
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