Why you shouldn't say “stupid”
(the author is currently recovering from a psychotic break, and is not nearly fully sane again yet; an appropriate apology or explanation will be issued at a later time; the content of this post concerns a belief she has held for many years, including in periods of vastly better mental clarity)Why has hikari_no_yume historically tried as hard as possible to avoid saying “stupid”, “dumb”, “crazy”, “idiot”, “insane”, etc?
One reason is that holding it as an article of faith that all people are intelligent makes the world more beautiful. Another is that it's very important to try to avoid all forms of bigotry, and assuming that unintelligence or insanity are by themselves enough reason not to listen to someone is, you know, the road to prejudice.
But there's also another reason:
A suspicion that the notion of stupidity or insanity, if not controlled, becomes a thought-terminating cliché.
Basically, many people, when they are not sufficiently guarded about it, become literally more stupid because they believe stupidity is a thing that exists.
This might sound like a radical idea, but consider: which of the following statements are more insightful, and which are less?
- “They said that because they are stupid.”
- “They said that because it was contextually necessary to save face.”
- “They said that because they are insane.”
- “They said that because they have a narcissistic tendancy.”
- “They said that because they are dumb.”
- “They said that because they were very tired at the time and couldn't think properly.”
- “They said that because they are an idiot.”
- “They said that because they are surrounded by people they think are smarter than them, and are worried anything insightful they say might immediately have holes poked in it.”
- “They said that because they are crazy.”
- “They said that because their job requires them to do things they find utterly intolerable, and it is easier to believe that they have to do them, than that they have a choice in the matter.”
- “They said that because they are a moron.”
- “They have their own reasons for saying that, which might be valid in their own right.”
Of course, not believing in stupidity is its own form of stupidity, certainly. One must remember that all things, at all times, must be regarded from multiple perspectives to be fully understood.
But one hopes puzzling over what this might mean might make you learn something, if this happens to be a new idea to you.
And even if thinking about it harder might lead to a conclusion someone is, in fact, “stupid” or “crazy”, you may at least learn something by figuring out in what way they might be, in fact, unintelligent or insane.
If you enjoy a little riddle, here's some additional rot13'd hints (if you're viewing this page in a normal web browser, you should be able to click or hover to reveal them):
- Jul zvtug vg or qnatrebhf gb nffhzr Chgva, be Gehzc, be nal bgure jbeyq yrnqre vf vafnar?
- Jul zvtug gur enpvfg cflpubgvp frrz qryhfvbany rira nsgre gurve oenva unf pnyzrq qbja?
But to be clear, there's no correct answer, and these hints are nothing but “food for thought”. I am not making any claim any particular position here is enlightened, only that thinking about it might eventually lead you to interesting conclusions?
hikari_no_yume picked up this habit for stupid reasons, but it seemed to serve her well, that's all she knows. (And she made this post for stupid reasons, too: gung ebg13-erirnyvat navzngvba jnf ernyyl sha gb jevgr!)