What's So Great About Being Stupid?

[KissingSunlight]

OK, here is your opportunity. Tell me why human beings, while quite clearly flawed(Translated: Stupid), are actually great? Please answer that question. Why am I wrong for criticizing people for being stupid? Especially, when they do and say stupid things. Why shouldn't they be accountable for their words and actions?

Humans do great stuff all the time! You know someone invented the internet? And it's ace! Well, sometimes there's some weird shit on it, but mostly it's good.

And there was this one time when two people loved each other, had a bunch of kids, hung out with other people in similar situations, and were generally happy for most of their lives. Again, great! I mean, it's a shame that it only happened the those two people when there are so many people on the planet, but still, great!

On yet another occasion, I built a pond in my garden, and it is the bollocks! I mean, it isn't up there with inventing the internet or a new flavour of ice-cream, but it's pretty damn good still. Got frogs in it, and they're all like 'ribbet, ribbet, thanks for the pond mate, ribbet ribbet'.

Obviously there's some real nasty shit out there, but I think it would be incorrect to put things like the situation in Gaza down to something like low intellect. Pretty sure there's more to it.

On your last point: people generally are accountable for their words and actions, just not necessarily in the way you see fit. What're you going to do, call the police when someone fucks up their times-tables? Best bet is to relax and not stress it - build a pond, best decision I ever made.

I appreciate your answer. I'm glad you have such a positive view on life. I'm not that high about the internet as you are. I think it's a reflection of who we are as humanity. It has it's good and bad.

Like I said in an earlier post, one of the biggest frustration I have is people not taking responsibility for their own action. Also, other people, trying to make excuses for their actions that should be inexcusable. I guess the difference between you and me is that you are happy about the way the world is. I think it can be a lot better than it is if we just apply ourselves and hold people accountable to reasonable standards.

 

[DoPo]

I think it can be a lot better than it is if we just apply ourselves and hold people accountable to reasonable standards.

It's funny you say that and you still haven't accounted for the flawed reasoning you used.

 

[x EvilErmine x]

Well I wouldn't say stupid, because to me stupid implies a lack of sufficient mental faculties to solve a problem, and actually most people are quite smart in that given a solvable problem they will indeed find a solution.

What I would say though is that people are increasingly ignorant and actively strive to maintain a state of ignorance. It's like knowing something marks you down as some sort of freakish pariah. Maybe it's just the people I have to deal with on a daily basis but holy hell you gotta wonder how some people make it through the day.

 

[Techno Squidgy]

Wow this thread is euphoric it's like 50 fedoras being tipped all at once.

Anyway the reason people take 'offense' to the myth that people are only using 10% of their brain is because:

A)It's simply not true

B) It's one of the myths that plays into that obnoxious sort of smug lazy teenage 'cynicism' and misanthropy I.E everyone else is stupid and the world is evil and shit, you know myths like 'Today's music is stupid and shit' or 'The only thing people care about now is sex and social status'. It's fucking horrible and I hate it. And while you talk of people being too scared to accept people aren't as smart as they could be the truth is that it's actually much easier to write the world of as anti-intellectual and horrible than it is to face the reality that humans, while quite clearly flawed, are actually great.

OK, here is your opportunity. Tell me why human beings, while quite clearly flawed(Translated: Stupid), are actually great? Please answer that question.

Time for me to chime in. First, why do you translate flawed to stupid? Why do you keep twisting peoples words, or putting words in their mouths? You seem to keep twisting the scenarios presented to you by other posters, addressing an alternate version of what they present you with.

Human beings are flawed. Some of us are stupid. Others of us are arrogant or elitist. Many indifferent or apathetic. Most of us a combination of these flaws and the countless others that humans can have. As a species though, we have achieved many great things, and we will continue to keep achieving great things, and we have almost limitless potential for greatness.

We built the pyramids, a huge technological feat that took great intelligence considering the tools of the time (though they are also a product of great suffering, one of those flaws we mentioned, had nothing to do with stupidity). We harnessed the chemical energy of hydrocarbons and created engines, which are getting better all the time, more powerful, more efficient, and gave ourself the capability to travel great distances, move mountains and achieve feats of strength no human alone could, and that took the collective intelligence of many humans: physicists, chemists and engineers. We discovered the very building blocks of matter and managed to harness the energy of the nucleus to power our cities and our technology. We built huge rockets and sent people to the moon. That took a huge deal of intelligence, building on the collective knowledge of humanity about the natural world to design and build a device that allowed humans to ride a controlled explosion to the moon, to walk on it, place experimental equipment, and come home safely.

Why am I wrong for criticizing people for being stupid?

Well for a start most of the behaviour you're criticising doesn't appear to be the product of stupidity. Your example about the sign seems to be more people confirming the validity of a sign (or wanting further information than the sign provides), which they have learned may be incorrect through past experience, than people being too stupid to read a sign.

I don't know what effect you hope to have by criticising stupid people any way. It's not like that's going to make them not be stupid. Discourage stupid behaviours and thoughts by all means, perhaps attempt to guide them towards educating themselves.

Especially, when they do and say stupid things.

Like cherry picking the posts to respond to, twisting presented scenarios, failing to address important points that other posters have brought up, failing to answer questions that would really help everyone understand your point better and perhaps clear up some of the confusion in this thread. Those kind of things?

Like not clarifying how disliking a common piece of psuedo-scientific ignorance is somehow an indicator of anti-intellectualism? Seriously dude, explain that, because nobody here gets how you're making that connection.
In fact, most of the people in this thread talking issue with the "10% brain" idea are very much pro-intellectual, and desire to see a better informed and better educated world, or so I imagine.

Why shouldn't they be accountable for their words and actions?

Everyone should be held accountable for their words and actions.

 

[happyninja42]

Like not clarifying how disliking a common piece of psuedo-scientific ignorance is somehow an indicator of anti-intellectualism? Seriously dude, explain that, because nobody here gets how you're making that connection.
In fact, most of the people in this thread talking issue with the "10% brain" idea are very much pro-intellectual, and desire to see a better informed and better educated world, or so I imagine.

*Taps the imaginary like button* This pretty much sums up my previous post on the matter. I like the rest of your post as well good poster, but snipped to save space.

I dislike supporting a false premise, because it doesn't help us as a people. I take issue with the 10% thing because it supports some idea that we are less than what we are, that this magnificent thing we call the brain, is somehow mostly useless gray slush, just taking up space and using up bodily resources for no purpose. It's wrong, and insulting to me personally. We're so much more than most people understand us to be, and anything that suggests we're lesser than what we are, be it false pseudo-science, or religious doctrine that says we're flawed beasts that need to be forgiven for some fictional transgression at the beginning of time, is inherently dangerous and wrong, and only serves to limit what we can actually do and achieve.

The phrase "Well I'm only human" , is another example. It implies being flawed, and inherently prone to failure or being incorrect. And I acknowledge that we are far from perfect. But whenever you hear someone use that phrase, it's to justify some failing or error on their part, as if that statement is all the necessary reason for "why you screwed up". It implies and enforces a negative view on our potential, and I can't stand it.

*hops off his ranting box and stuffs it back in the closet* Ok, I'm done with this thread now xD I've said my piece, before I go off on an even longer tangential rant. lol

 

[IceForce]

Why shouldn't they be accountable for their words and actions?

No one here has said they shouldn't be held accountable for their words and actions.

Unless you can find someone in this thread saying that people shouldn't be held to account for their words and actions, this is nothing more than a strawman.

Address the counterarguments properly, please.

 

[DoPo]

Why shouldn't they be accountable for their words and actions?

No one here has said they shouldn't be held accountable for their words and actions.

Unless you can find someone in this thread saying that people shouldn't be held to account for their words and actions, this is nothing more than a strawman.

Address the counterarguments properly, please.

I think you're expecting a bit much from TC who in the OP started off with an utterly irrational chain of logic and then built everything on top of that gluing it with more irrationality and never...ahem, even accounted for these words and actions even after repeatedly being asked to. Because any rational argument against has either been ignored or dodged by twisting and subverting it.

 

[Scars Unseen]

Man, this thread was just custom tailored for random XKCD responses. Here's my contribution:

 

[KissingSunlight]

"People are more concerned about having intelligence, then being intelligent." That quote is from Lucy. Guess what! You can make a very entertaining film from a wonky scientific myth. Who knew? Except everybody that wasn't too hung up about the film's premise.

Here's what I learned so far from the responses I gotten on this thread:

1. People are really squeamish and defensive when it comes to the subject of intelligence. That quote from Lucy really hits home on this thread. There is a self-defensive tone to people responding claiming that people are intelligent, and defending every accusations of stupidity. I'm not accusing you personally of being stupid. I am relating my experience and perspectives to you. Like I said in a previous post, you may want to do some serious self-reflection. If you take people complaining about stupidity personally.

2. People do not read any posts. Please, stop with the cherry picking accusation! I have already made these counter-arguments that you want me to make. Read them already! Do you want me to directly respond to every post that gets made? That's not going to happen. Nor should you expect that to happen. What is happening here is what I have seen in other threads. People who disagree with the OP. Instead of explaining why they disagree with that person. They insist on the OP to further explain him/herself. This is really lazy arguing. If you disagree with me, say more than, "Nuh-huh! You're wrong! Justify yourself!" Of course, doing so will open yourself up to criticism. Which is really the real reason why you guys don't contribute anything more to the discussion than asking the OP to explain themselves.

3. You can be correct, but not right. Yes, everybody who keeps hammering me that 10% of the brain is a myth. I even agreed with you in the original post that it was a myth. However, you guys are wrong when you keep arguing that nothing positive can be gain from it. Like I said earlier, the movie that used that myth was pretty good and really entertaining. Right there, that is something positive. Another positive is what I mentioned in the OP, inspiration. What? People being inspired by myth? Yes, that happens all the time. Some call it religion. Others get inspired by works of fiction. Yes, you can glean positive things from statements that are not true.

 

[DesuMaiden]

The best thing about being stupid is that you make yourself a better candidate for eugenics.