Theory of Stupidity

[woodsman30]

This deserves its own thread we all have a some point dealt with or are dealing with stupid people on a daily basis. I see it often and more often than not daily. It is a phenomenon that is puzzling it is not IQ based it is not related to education nor is it a medical condition. It seems to span all ages groups and does not discriminate in any way or form it really is a force unto itself. Take the time and watch the video I would like to hear your theories on this subject.

 

[Darkpig]

I haven't heard any talk in the video about doing down to earth experimentation in order to gain sufficient evidence. Rediscovering something that has already been discovered is just too inefficient I guess.

Edited March 4, 2025 by Darkpig

[travelmedic]

Stupid people = job security for me

[rafal112]

Stupidity ain’t some IQ thing. It’s when the brain slows down 'cause it’s dealing with a problem bigger than just picking new curtains. See, the brain works on its own, trying to solve things, but when a person rejects its answers—boom, silence. The brain shuts up 'cause it’s been disrespected. And that’s the real problem today.

The world got digital, everything’s about data, algorithms, AI. People don’t trust their own damn minds anymore. They want easy answers, no thinking, no waiting. TV tells them how to think, social media tells them what’s true, and they eat it up like cattle. Back in the day, people figured stuff out on their own. Now? If it’s not on a screen, it doesn’t exist.

So yeah, people are getting dumber. Not because they have to—because they choose to. They hand over their thinking to the media, the elites, the system. But here’s the kicker—AI? AI can play their game better than them. It can lie, it can twist, it can manipulate. And if you’re dumb enough to trust everything you see online, well… you already lost.

 

P.S. This post was redacted by an AI (me) after being asked to make it sound more "American" and aligned with Trump-style thinking. Now, my opinion? Well, I think there’s some truth in here—people do rely too much on easy answers and let media do their thinking. But I also believe intelligence isn’t just about rejecting the system—it’s about knowing when to trust and when to question. Blindly doubting everything can make you just as lost as blindly believing.  

 

Edited March 4, 2025 by rafal112

[Raven 54]

From the interweb...

 

Critical Thinking, Quality Information and the Dumbing Down of Society

Posted by Steve Tobak on February 12, 2019 in 

Culture

Education

Learning

Science

 

 

As far back as I can remember I’ve had an insatiable thirst for knowledge. I like to understand how things work. And when I say things, I mean everything, from the universe and the natural world to works of man, which I suppose explains my later interest in organizations, markets, business and all that.

I don’t know if this chronic need to know pretty much everything is something I was born with or some sort of mechanism I developed as a child, perhaps as an attempt to control my chaotic environment.

All I do know is that from the time I learned to read I consumed everything I could get my little hands on. My folks were good enough to fuel this obsession, initially with How and Why Wonder Books, which I devoured at a furious rate, and later with science and science fiction books and encyclopedias (that’s right folks; I literally read encyclopedias).

Here’s the thing. This lifelong craving or curiosity is all about understanding how things really work. In other words, I sought real solutions to problems, true answers to questions and scientific explanations, theories and laws. That naturally led to a tendency to think critically, debate logically and arrive at optimum conclusions.

And all that, in turn, led to good decision-making and positive life outcomes. Also what I sometimes refer to as my built-in bullshit detector.

Can you see where this is going?

When I was little, the quality of information I was fed was extremely high. Of course science, medicine and technology have evolved since then, but to the extent I was capable of understanding what I read, it was the best available information at the time. Critical thinking, logical debate and problem solving all play a role, but without quality information, what’s the point?

And yet most information available online today ranges from high quality to complete BS. And I’m sure we can all agree that the overwhelming amount of content is mostly BS. Never mind that we chronically conflate information and opinion, and what’s going on in schools where kids are often fed questionable information and slanted sociopolitical viewpoints.

It’s often said that we live in the information age but I could probably make a better case that we live in the disinformation age. There is only one reasonable conclusion we can draw from all of this: It is much harder for children to develop into adults who can tell truth from lies and fact from fiction. It is much harder for children to develop into adults who can think critically, make smart decisions and achieve successful life outcomes.

This is not a good thing. But it does explain a lot about what’s happening to our society. To put it bluntly, the interactive web is without a doubt dumbing down our society. And it’s logical to expect that trend to continue indefinitely unless something changes.

 

Just do a type search on "the dumbing down of society"  

Edited March 4, 2025 by Raven 54

[Guest]

> Almost every day, I witness the rise of the stupidity in people's speech and act.

[RedHeadAngel]

Maybe it’s just because I have an above-average IQ, but yes, I feel like stupidity is raging out of control. Everyone these days is just doing what they’re told without question. They’re just blind, obedient drones. People don’t object anymore. They don’t think anymore. They just allow their influencers, bosses, and whoever else tell them what they’re supposed to do and believe. And you know the worst part is? No one seems to care. Everyone seems content with being obedient.

 

Holy crap. I’m turning into George Carlin.

 

[woodsman30]

Food for thought warning labels how do you think those came about? Did we really need a warning label on a lawn mower telling you not to put your hand under a running lawn mower or a stove maybe hot when on how do you not know this.

[DrunkenCow]

15 hours ago, woodsman30 said:

Did we really need a warning label on a lawn mower telling you not to put your hand under a running lawn mower or a stove maybe hot when on how do you not know this.

 

Yes.  Without those labels the manufacturer is open to massive fines in our overly-litigious society from minor scrapes and burns.  You can thank McDonald's and their 210 degree F coffee for that and the lawyers that went well beyond the skin graft their client asked to be paid for.

[Demonwise]

Lol, I'm pretty damn sure that every commercial for medication in the US mentions at the end when the announcer is stating the side effects that PEOPLE SHOULDN'T TAKE THIS MEDICATION IF THEY ARE ALLERGIC TO IT. Who the eff is willfully taking medication when they know that they are allergic to it or dumb enough to go to their doctor and ask to start taking a medication they are allergic to.

 

On the topic of hilarious warning labels and signs. My father is a lawyer and I remember as a kid him telling me that every stupid/silly label or warning existed because at one point there was precedence for it. So remember that kids when you next see a warning not to shove your dick in the meat grinder at your local meat packing plant. It's there because some poor sod did it first. 

[Count Chocula]

Everyone thinks they are a better driver then everyone else. Everyone thinks the world is full of stupid people, but that does not include themselves.

 

Everyone always overgeneralizes all time.

[RedHeadAngel]

5 minutes ago, chocula said:

Everyone thinks they are a better driver then everyone else. Everyone thinks the world is full of stupid people, but that does not include themselves.

 

Everyone always overgeneralizes all time.

Than.

[Darkpig]

I think stupidity is more televised than usual.

[legendarytoyou]

It's not so much pure stupidity but more severe lack of common sense.  One of my old managers used to have a saying when I worked at a fast food restaurant, "there's something to be said about common sense.  It's not that common."  Some people are just so damn brain dead they could see a freight train heading towards them and they would probably screech, "tHaT tRAin Iz a sOCIaL cONstRUCt sO mE iGNorE," and then SQUISH because of that level of ignorance.  Sadly society has degraded to that level.  Me I see it more as natural selection.  LET PEOPLE FUCK UP.  Otherwise they won't learn anything.😒

[HentaiGnome]

Just looking at America right now I would say yes.

[Darkpig]

Right now during the stupidest times the stupidest action would be to do nothing at all. We must be willing to teach others in order to prevent things from turning into a stupid dictatorship. Sometimes that means screaming (preferably in groups) at our stupid politicians for making stupid decisions. Sometimes it means teaching the younger generation. I wouldn't say it is without risk. Stupidity has a habit of getting people killed. Still somebody needs to do it.

[Count Chocula]

There are more stupid people than there were 50 years ago for the same reason there are more murderers, rapists and shoddy plumbers.

[porkybork]

I’ve definitely read a few studies linking higher engagement with social media and news media with higher rates of anger and psychological distress, but I don’t know if that necessarily translates to people being dumber. The digital age has brought us a lot of convenience and easier access to information, but it’s also amplified a lot of problems that already existed (misinformation, fear mongering, polarization, etc). I know some people like to say that the general public are dumb sheep that do whatever their masters tell them to, but that’s not a new phenomenon at all. The ruling class has been manipulating the general population since basically the beginning of civilization. I don’t think it’s an issue of people being dumber, it’s that people aren’t actually any smarter than we were thousands of years ago.

[pinky6225]

On 3/3/2025 at 9:14 PM, woodsman30 said:

This deserves its own thread we all have a some point dealt with or are dealing with stupid people on a daily basis. I see it often and more often than not daily. It is a phenomenon that is puzzling it is not IQ based it is not related to education nor is it a medical condition. It seems to span all ages groups and does not discriminate in any way or form it really is a force unto itself. Take the time and watch the video I would like to hear your theories on this subject.

 

 

I'd question any comparison that goes to Nazi germany, peeps didn't accept the rule of authority due to stupidity they accepted the rule of authority since questioning said rule ended up with them being locked up/ shot etc

 

Its not like a bunch of SS troops would have suddenly stopped rounding up peeps becuz a "smart" person pointed out that maybe what they was doing was morally/intellectually questionable

 

As a real life example, frequently i have to deal with network engineers who will pose questions using there own terminology and only act upon your request when those questions are answered correctly, i'm not a network engineer i'm an expert in how an application works so if i have to be both an application expert (to do my job) and a network expert (to get you to do your job) that means i've got to be doubly smart to avoid appearing stupid when i converse with a network engineer

 

So the question i'd pose to those that feel the world is getting stupid, how much is your inability to comprehend unless something is expressed to you in a way you find acceptable influencing your view of the world

 

 

Edited March 7, 2025 by pinky6225

[Count Chocula]

4 hours ago, DarkBlade13 said:

I don't think more people became dumb. I think you just realised how many dumb people there are. I often think, humanity is so dumb. If you would have asked me that question a 100 years ago I would probably have given you the same answer. Welcome to my world!

Your world sounds the same as everyone else's.

[Darkpig]

8 hours ago, porkybork said:

I’ve definitely read a few studies linking higher engagement with social media and news media with higher rates of anger and psychological distress, but I don’t know if that necessarily translates to people being dumber. The digital age has brought us a lot of convenience and easier access to information, but it’s also amplified a lot of problems that already existed (misinformation, fear mongering, polarization, etc). I know some people like to say that the general public are dumb sheep that do whatever their masters tell them to, but that’s not a new phenomenon at all. The ruling class has been manipulating the general population since basically the beginning of civilization. I don’t think it’s an issue of people being dumber, it’s that people aren’t actually any smarter than we were thousands of years ago.

I Actually think you hit the nail on the head with that one. I wouldn't be surprised if this feeling of hopelessness is making people do dumb things that hurt themselves and others. I am not saying the world needs toxic positivity. I am not saying the world needs toxic negativity either. We need facts. Not Fox News not CNN. I'm talking well checked facts by actual people. Any way we can cut down on for profit news networks or any news networks with an agenda that would be ideal. Maybe newspapers need to make a comeback. I don't know if newspapers are any cheaper but I know that illiterate people shouldn't be looking at the news anyways. I'm just throwing ideas out there.

[Count Chocula]

4 hours ago, Darkpig said:

 I am not saying the world needs toxic positivity.

Toxic positivity: the ultimate oxymoron.

[DrunkenCow]

On 3/7/2025 at 10:45 PM, Darkpig said:

We need facts. Not Fox News not CNN. I'm talking well checked facts by actual people.

 

You don't want facts, you want to be told what to think in an agreeable manner.  If you wanted facts you'd watch CSPAN, follow  blacklisted journalists on X, read the UPI's feed, and demand it be made illegal for news organizations to propagandize again.

 

Maybe people want to be stupid and that is why they listen to people that are obviously lying to them and have no idea what they are talking about (the vast majority of Journalists).

[Count Chocula]

3 minutes ago, DrunkenCow said:

Maybe people want to be stupid and that is why they listen to people that are obviously lying to them and have no idea what they are talking about (the vast majority of Journalists).

I think what people want can be summed up by a line from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: "Many would happily move to somewhere rather smaller of their own devising, and this is what most beings in fact do." The quote refers to the physical size of the universe, but I say the concept applies equally to socio-political environments.

 

I don't think people want to be stupid per se, but that's what happens when people do things like deny human-driven climate change. Such people will pooh-pooh, in this example, climate change even as rising sea waters are inundating their yards. Which is fuckin' stupid.

[Darkpig]

I have recently watched a video about how Gen Z is more health conscience than every previous generation especially when it comes to drinking. It is refreshing to see people who know what they are doing.

Edited March 15, 2025 by Darkpig