NationStates Jolt Archive

We all use the word, 'stupid'- but what does it actually denote? how do we define stupidity? What are its' qualities? We can measure intelligence, but how can we measure stupidity?

And, much and all as I'd love skewering Mr. Bush, that's not what I'm talking about here. But, as to what you want to talk about, that's up to you. So...
feel free to berate him only if you feel the spirit move you to do so. Oh, and if you do, let's have fun with it, okay?

You'll get thousands of 'lolololol bush!112!' replies. Those people are stupid.

You'll get thousands of 'lolololol bush!112!' replies. Those people are stupid.
lolololol bush!112!

I think Gump said it best..

"Stupid is, as stupid does."

Stupidity as opposed to plain ignorance or just lacking in intelligence? It's an ad hominem used to say that your opponent has "obviously" not thought the issue through or depends on unreliable information. Sometimes it's justified, but people like Dubya and Murdoch didn't get where they are by being stupid, I think we can agree there. It's pretty smart to be in the Texas National Guard during the Vietnam War, after all.

Actually I thought that the most obvious retort would be "This topic is stupid". Seriously though, stupidity is just one person judging another person's ignorance as a permanent character flaw. Everyone does that to everyone else, even if they never call anyone stupid. Personally, I call myself stupid all the time, whenever I do something that I ought to know better than to do but I do it anyway.

Stupidity as opposed to plain ignorance or just lacking in intelligence? It's an ad hominem used to say that your opponent has "obviously" not thought the issue through or depends on unreliable information. Sometimes it's justified, but people like Dubya and Murdoch didn't get where they are by being stupid, I think we can agree there. It's pretty smart to be in the Texas National Guard during the Vietnam War, after all.

That's from money. Bush snorted his way through Yale with a 1280 on his SATs.

Also, did you know "ad hominem" used to be used in terms of the audience being addressed, as opposed to the actual subject of the attack?

I looked it up on dictionary.com. Pretty cool, eh?
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Stupidity is the inability to look at all the facts. Stupidity is the inability to know that man truly knows nothing, that all knowledge is mutable, and to be questioned greatly. Stupidity is the inablity to use empirical logic. Stupidity is the inability, or the unwillingness, to follow through in ones logic, instead of holding contradictory facts (on the same level of thought).
Then again, stupidity is the inability to recognize that some thing are inevitably contradictory to one another, and just part of existence (or lack thereof).

Stupidity is NOT the inability to articulate oneself, the inablilty to spell or use proper grammar, NOR is it having a lack of knowledge.

In my opinion, being stupid is not "being stupid" (i.e. lacking intelligence), but rather "thinking stupid" (i.e. lacking logic, common sense, and objective judgement).
Of course, it is also just plain acting stupid.

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I love acting stupid. That's why I delete 15% of my posts.

I think the best way to define stupidity (and by that I mean my way), is by looking at people's willingness to hear other opinions and views than their own. Close mindedness and ignorance seem to be best friends, if not gay lovers.

I would be glad to hear anyone's opinions or views on this.

I think the best way to define stupidity (and by that I mean my way), is by looking at people's willingness to hear other opinions and views than their own. Close mindedness and ignorance seem to be best friends, if not gay lovers.

I would be glad to hear anyone's opinions or views on this.

It's funny how those words are usually feminine... so they could be looked at lesbian lovers...

It's funny how those words are usually feminine... so they could be looked at lesbian lovers...


That's funny... colsed mindedness and ignorance seem to be words that apply far better to the stupidity of the male of the species than to that of woman.

I'm giving the point to Slack Baby. I like the tag, BTW. Ever been to the region of Subgenius?

Ignorant is sticking a fork in a toaster.
Stupid is sticking a fork in a toaster after you've seen someone else do so and get electrocuted.

I think the best way to define stupidity (and by that I mean my way), is by looking at people's willingness to hear other opinions and views than their own. Close mindedness and ignorance seem to be best friends, if not gay lovers.

I suppose people who seem to be close minded are willing to 'hear' other opinions and views, (because they've heard them before) but still think they are wrong.

A person can hear all the differing opinions on a subject, and still think their way is the best way? My parents are very close minded people on certain subjects. They're not stupid people, (maybe even over-educated) they're just stubborn.

I guess I'm more inclined to call someone ignorant about a subject, than plain stupid.

I guess I'm more inclined to call someone ignorant about a subject, than plain stupid.
Excellent point. Labels of any kind are dangerous.

i guess we could say that a stupid person is someone who is guilty of habitual ignorance, perhaps?

Here is how I define stupidity:

When I was a freshman in High School, I joined the wrestling team. As an 'initiation', I had to pull a prank on someone. The more outrageous, the better. Well, even back then, I aimed high in my mischief. So I snuck into the men's locker room while the high school football team was at practice, and I unscrewed each of the showerheads and poured in a measure of strawberry-banana jell-o mix into each one.

Suffice to say, my prank was deemed outrageous. Unfortunately, several of the football players were also wrestlers, and they let slip who had done the deed. It probably the harshest couple months of my life. Numerous very large jocks all wanting to get even... no... to get AHEAD on the little freshman that was me.

That was stupidity. :p

Hey you know I did the same thing once with jell-o and showerheads. It didn't work out too well for me either...

I think Forrest Gump said it best: Stupid is as stupid does. I suppose that makes Bush stupid. Sorry, but I had to make the token anti-gummint post.