Why we should do away with the word 'stupid'

[rousseau]

Let's take the number one definition of the word stupid from dictionary.com:

lacking ordinary quickness and keenness of mind; dull.

Most commonly, the word stupid represents a value judgement we make towards another person or living thing. In reference to [x] this person is not very insightful so we are characterizing him or her as having less value than those who are more insightful.

Now consider the real level of control that any person has over their own intelligence. For one, a person's parents genetics lays the entire framework of their life and abilities, so if they have poor genetics then they are already disadvantaged out of the gate. In addition to that, for a person to gain anything close to wisdom they not only have to come across knowledge, but they also need the ability to piece together that knowledge into wisdom. Both coming across useful knowledge and piecing it together into any type of meaningful wisdom is not an easy task, and few have the privilege of both.

With that said every single person treads through life with a bubble of knowledge that is uniquely their own, and which they have a very hard time seeing outside of unless someone or something happens to transform it. In other words: acquiring wisdom about the world is mostly out of our control.

So if we have little to no control over how insightful we are, why call another person stupid as if it were a choice they made? Claim that they are lacking important insight, claim that they may sometimes be misinformed, but just don't call them dumb.

 

[Bronzeage]

Sometimes it's just an objective observation.

 

[gmbteach]

Let's take the number one definition of the word stupid from dictionary.com:

lacking ordinary quickness and keenness of mind; dull.

Most commonly, the word stupid represents a value judgement we make towards another person or living thing. In reference to [x] this person is not very insightful so we are characterizing him or her as having less value than those who are more insightful.

Now consider the real level of control that any person has over their own intelligence. For one, a person's parents genetics lays the entire framework of their life and abilities, so if they have poor genetics then they are already disadvantaged out of the gate. In addition to that, for a person to gain anything close to wisdom they not only have to come across knowledge, but they also need the ability to piece together that knowledge into wisdom. Both coming across useful knowledge and piecing it together into any type of meaningful wisdom is not an easy task, and few have the privilege of both.

With that said every single person treads through life with a bubble of knowledge that is uniquely their own, and which they have a very hard time seeing outside of unless someone or something happens to transform it. In other words: acquiring wisdom about the world is mostly out of our control.

So if we have little to no control over how insightful we are, why call another person stupid as if it were a choice they made? Claim that they are lacking important insight, claim that they may sometimes be misinformed, but just don't call them dumb.

The terms stupid and dumb are often used in an insulting context. Perhaps, instead of getting rid of the term, rephrase it. For example: "That was a stupid thing to do" which can then be qualified further by adding "You are not stupid, though you do stupid things".

I personally abhor the word dumb to describe intellect.

dumb (dm)
adj. dumb·er, dumb·est
1.
a. Lacking the power of speech. Used of animals and inanimate objects.
b. Often Offensive Incapable of using speech; mute. Used of humans. See Usage Note at mute.
2. Temporarily speechless, as with shock or fear: I was dumb with disbelief.
3. Unwilling to speak; taciturn.
4. Not expressed or articulated in sounds or words: dumb resentment.

The moment anyone says they are 'dumb' I refer them back to this meaning and remind them that they are not dumb if they can speak. It helps self-esteem in kids to realise that they are not literally dumb.

rosseau, there are any number of words we use now that are used inappropriately and I agree that 'stupid' and 'dumb' are two of them.

 

[The Helmetmaker]

Boy! You're just baiting, aren't you? This is really a stupid post . . .

the word stupid represents a value judgement we make towards another person

. . . and I'm not making any value judgments about you . . .

not very insightful so we are characterizing him or her as having less value than those who are more insightful

. . . or remarking on your insight. The post is just dumb. You could have the intellect of a Hawking, but I'd still say it was stupid of you to chug-a-lug a half pint of 151.

Now consider the real level of control that any person has over their own intelligence.

I had a brother-in-law with a sixth grade education, and he could not read or write. He knew his intelligence was limited. Consequently, he learned to be more thoughtful when undertaking any task. More thoughtful than those less stupid than he, and therefore often more effective.

Both coming across useful knowledge and piecing it together into any type of meaningful wisdom is not an easy task, and few have the privilege of both.

You are wrong on both counts.

acquiring wisdom about the world is mostly out of our control.

And still wrong. I can only credit this to your youth and inexperience. The young say stupid things that sound wise to them.

 

[Duke Leto]

Well this has to be linked in any discussion of Stupidity.

Basic Laws of Human Stupidity.

 

[gmbteach]

 

[bilby]

To paraphrase Sheldon Cooper: We could also do away with the letter 'M', but I think that would be _isguided and _oronic.

There is a reason why phrases and words persist in the language. If they have no utility, they will vanish without our efforts, and if they are useful, they will persist despite any atte_pt to re_ove the_. So trying to 'do away with' ele_ents of the English language is basically futile, doo_ed to failure and, dare I say, stupid.

 

[rousseau]

I guess I should have re-phrased the original post and title in a different way. Maybe I just don't know an eloquent way to get the point I'm trying to make across.

The thread is less about literally doing away with the word stupid and more about the concept of why we regard others as the concept of stupid. It's an insult and value judgement towards other people that props ourselves up, but it's the equivalent of calling a fox 'red' or a shark 'dangerous' as an insult. When we regard others as "stupid" it holds a negative connotation and presupposes that we think the person in question has less worth, when in reality almost all people who are ignorant have little to no way of not being ignorant, it's out of their control, so we shouldn't judge them for it.

 

[rousseau]

Put another way:

Imagine we have someone with a severe learning disability with poor mental function because of it. We wouldn't call them stupid right? But for some reason we draw an arbitrary line (that doesn't exist) and anyone on the wrong side of it who isn't Einstein is an idiot.

 

[EricK]

Let's take the number one definition of the word stupid from dictionary.com:

lacking ordinary quickness and keenness of mind; dull.

Most commonly, the word stupid represents a value judgement we make towards another person or living thing. In reference to [x] this person is not very insightful so we are characterizing him or her as having less value than those who are more insightful.

Now consider the real level of control that any person has over their own intelligence. For one, a person's parents genetics lays the entire framework of their life and abilities, so if they have poor genetics then they are already disadvantaged out of the gate. In addition to that, for a person to gain anything close to wisdom they not only have to come across knowledge, but they also need the ability to piece together that knowledge into wisdom. Both coming across useful knowledge and piecing it together into any type of meaningful wisdom is not an easy task, and few have the privilege of both.

With that said every single person treads through life with a bubble of knowledge that is uniquely their own, and which they have a very hard time seeing outside of unless someone or something happens to transform it. In other words: acquiring wisdom about the world is mostly out of our control.

So if we have little to no control over how insightful we are, why call another person stupid as if it were a choice they made? Claim that they are lacking important insight, claim that they may sometimes be misinformed, but just don't call them dumb.

Is calling someone 'stupid' fundamentally different to eg calling them 'short'? Height is another thing which has a mixture of genetic and environemntal components which people don't have control over.

Describing someone as short doesn't imply that they are intrisically worth less than someone who is taller, and I think the same applies to describing someone as stupid.

 

[rousseau]

Let's take the number one definition of the word stupid from dictionary.com:



Most commonly, the word stupid represents a value judgement we make towards another person or living thing. In reference to [x] this person is not very insightful so we are characterizing him or her as having less value than those who are more insightful.

Now consider the real level of control that any person has over their own intelligence. For one, a person's parents genetics lays the entire framework of their life and abilities, so if they have poor genetics then they are already disadvantaged out of the gate. In addition to that, for a person to gain anything close to wisdom they not only have to come across knowledge, but they also need the ability to piece together that knowledge into wisdom. Both coming across useful knowledge and piecing it together into any type of meaningful wisdom is not an easy task, and few have the privilege of both.

With that said every single person treads through life with a bubble of knowledge that is uniquely their own, and which they have a very hard time seeing outside of unless someone or something happens to transform it. In other words: acquiring wisdom about the world is mostly out of our control.

So if we have little to no control over how insightful we are, why call another person stupid as if it were a choice they made? Claim that they are lacking important insight, claim that they may sometimes be misinformed, but just don't call them dumb.

Is calling someone 'stupid' fundamentally different to eg calling them 'short'? Height is another thing which has a mixture of genetic and environemntal components which people don't have control over.

Describing someone as short doesn't imply that they are intrisically worth less than someone who is taller, and I think the same applies to describing someone as stupid.

Yea I think you're right if we agree that stupid isn't being used as an insult. Usually it is, though. That's why I suggest that, as individuals, we shift to words like "uninsightful" or "uninformed", which are accurate descriptors.

 

[bigfield]

"Dipshit" is usually an accurate descriptor, as well.

And it isn't offensive to the mentally disabled, who are also often "uninsightful" and "uninformed". You people can be so insensitive sometimes.

 

[thebeave]

Let's see, as of the last few months, we're not supposed to say the word, "retarded" or "bossy". Now, its "stupid".

 

[rousseau]

Of course the idea is less about political correctness, and more about a mental shift in how we view other people.

 

[GenesisNemesis]

Is "you're absurd" more appropriate? Is it even useful to make any statement like that most of the time? I don't see what it does other than making someone feel more important.

 

[gmbteach]

rosseau, I agree with you in that we need to have some awareness of when and how the term 'stupid' is used. It's the self-fulfilling prophesy in action: if a person hears phrases with the word 'stupid' in it often enough, they begin to believe they themselves are stupid. Is this what you mean when you propose this idea? Stopping the self fulfilling prophesy?

 

[bilby]

At least it doesn't say "Not to be operated by stupid people".

 

[Kharakov]

At least it doesn't say "Not to be operated by stupid people".

Wonder if someone would fuck with it if it said
"Fuckwit this
is not to be
operated by
fuckwits"

 

[Kharakov]

Wonder how many here read that as "Why we should do away with The Word, stupid."

 

[rousseau]

rosseau, I agree with you in that we need to have some awareness of when and how the term 'stupid' is used. It's the self-fulfilling prophesy in action: if a person hears phrases with the word 'stupid' in it often enough, they begin to believe they themselves are stupid. Is this what you mean when you propose this idea? Stopping the self fulfilling prophesy?

That's a good point.

Na, not really what I was going for, though. I guess I am still trying to fully flesh out what I mean or it would have been clear from the very beginning. The major idea is that most people have almost no control over their level of intelligence or insight, and so ridiculing them for their intelligence is the equivalent of ridiculing them for being short, or having red hair.

On the other hand, the way we direct the insult towards people now is usually done so in anger, and in a way that presupposes lack of intelligence is something people do on purpose. As if it's the fault of unintelligent people that they're unintelligent, and so they actually deserve our ridicule. But they don't, is what I'm saying. There's all that, and then there's the fact we just shouldn't be insulting anyone for any reason anyway.

So by looking at people this way we have a little more forgiveness and empathy for those who don't act perfectly at all times, rather than getting hostile with them.