We have more to fear from stupid people then evil ones..

[jim fisher 22]

Bonhoeffer's "theory of stupidity": We have more to fear from stupid people than evil ones (msn.com)

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/bonhoeffer-s-theory-of-stupidity-we-have-more-to-fear-from-stupid-people-than-evil-ones/ar-AA1aBuMc?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=fb94f61054204898a498da6d4996bed0&ei=48

As a gay guy a lot of my bullies were stupid people that would attempt me to beat me up for my being gay and would tease me and make fun of me and call me names for my being gay. 

[gldenwetgoose 21,485]

I was brought up by intelligent parents (although they became increasingly committed evangelical Christians - so make of that what you wish regarding being led).   But my childhood was spent watching UK tv programmes like Blue Peter, the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures and similar.  And lots of reading.

I do fear for a generation whose view on the world is what they see on reality shows (putting a dozen unintelligent people in a house together) and brain dead video loops.

Call me an IQ snob if you will...

[oliver2 4,418]

14 minutes ago, MonsterKane46 said:

omg me too.... and why are all reality shows filled with pretty people? do average looking people not want to find love too or something?

Might have to disagree on the video loops - it’s certainly possible to do something brilliant and creative in that very short box, but reality TV can bugger off - I’ll take the edited highlights where someone gets caught pissing in the hot tub and ignore there rest

(Oh, and reality shows are full of pretty people because that’s supposedly who we want to look at)

[Guest Wetling]

The most stupid people are those who derive their self-confidence from calling others stupid, because intolerance is a clear sign of stupidity.

[Hightower 607]

That's putting the cart before the horse-most people are 'stupid' in modern terms because we are constantly bombarded with so much information that it's impossible to parse it all and filter the bullshit.

It's only in the last 100 years or so that most people have been able to actually have an opinion on stuff like global politics because before that your personal sphere was entirely local. Engaging with even national level politics was a once in a lifetime event for most people, being something like a war/revolution or reform movement. 

Nowadays you get to see global events in their entirety and the internet algorithms forcefeed you content to reinforce whatever dumb opinion you held the first time you consume content about it.

An easy test for this is to read an article from MSM about something you know a lot about, say your degree subject if you have one, or your trade. You'll probably see that it's total bullshit almost immediately. Now think how many articles from the same publication you've read that you just nodded along with because it's outside your area of expertise. We're all idiots about something.

It's not the moron at the receiving end that's the problem, it's the misleading evil crooks at the top. Always.

 

[Goatscabinfragrance 4]

On 5/4/2023 at 1:58 PM, Hightower said:

An easy test for this is to read an article from MSM about something you know a lot about, say your degree subject if you have one, or your trade. You'll probably see that it's total bullshit almost immediately. Now think how many articles from the same publication you've read that you just nodded along with because it's outside your area of expertise. We're all idiots about something.

It's not the moron at the receiving end that's the problem, it's the misleading evil crooks at the top. Always.

Only the stupid believes his opinion is grounded on any topic.

The wise for sure does not know anything on any topic, but is able to decide which sources are trustworthy and which aren’t.

[colette888 6,967]

Dangerous field this one... 

Let me just comment that most often the very stupid ones are the ones who act and talk as if they were the smartest... 

[gldenwetgoose 21,485]

It's interesting isn't it - when we go through the early stages of school we are taught stuff.   As in, a teacher tells us stuff which we accept without question.

Then as we get through and beyond high school, particularly into college and university (for those that do) then the way we learn isn't so much being told what to believe any more - we are encouraged to ask questions, to form opinions, to consider the options around situations.  When faced with a challenge we are encouraged to seek information from as many sources as possible, to filter and grade each piece of information as to whether it is for, or against, credible or not in supporting us to make a decision.

Now - my ramblings there do have a bit of a flaw, in that just looking at how far through education a person goes doesn't tell you they're stupid or not.   But most scientists and doctors score pretty well on IQ tests. So maybe there's a rough alignment.

 

Back to the original point. The person of lower intelligence will perhaps hold an opinion, stick to that opinion, fear anything which challenges their opinion and fight to keep their opinion.  Bullying anyone or anything that doesn't fit inside their thought pattern.  Fearing, and fighting anything that challenges their environment.

And the more intelligent person, perhaps because they've been encouraged through education, will look at the wider picture.  They will consider from different perspectives, work out the strengths, weaknesses, the opportunities and the threats of all sides of the issue.  Maybe there is a need for change, maybe the alternative is credible.

Of course things get really scary when you get an evil person who is intelligent enough to know how to influence and manipulate the masses, channelling them into believing what they are presented with without question... 

[oliver2 4,418]

… so maybe we should fear stupid people allied with evil people. Or stupid, evil people (“why not both?”)

[steve25805 126,015]

On 5/16/2023 at 9:00 AM, oliver2 said:

… so maybe we should fear stupid people allied with evil people. Or stupid, evil people (“why not both?”)

The problem is that even in democracies we have this potential problem. Because - quite simply - in every democracy there exists millions of stupid people who have a vote. And sometimes they use it to empower evil ones, the most obvious historical example being when millions of Germans voted for Hitler, without whose votes he would have remained a nobody. On a lesser scale both the USA and the UK have in recent years suffered from the phenomena of idiots empowering incompetent bad people or buffoons. I mean seriously, no one but an idiot could regard either Boris Johnson or Donald Trump as the epitome of moral virtue.

Too many stupid people are susceptible to the lies of evil people on the make. Even in democracies.

Stupidity is the greatest ally of evil everywhere.