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Sparklesatnite · 51-55, F
This question is unnecessary and should not be even be asked in my opinion
I understand that we all notice things in others that might frustrate or confuse us, but framing it as “what screams this person is dumb” feels unnecessarily cruel and dismissive. Everyone has different strengths, experiences, and ways of learning. What one person struggles with might be something another excels at … and vice versa.
Labeling someone as “dumb” doesn’t encourage understanding or growth, it just reinforces judgment and exclusion. We should be fostering curiosity, patience, and compassion, not shame. Let’s be kinder… the world has enough harshness already.
I understand that we all notice things in others that might frustrate or confuse us, but framing it as “what screams this person is dumb” feels unnecessarily cruel and dismissive. Everyone has different strengths, experiences, and ways of learning. What one person struggles with might be something another excels at … and vice versa.
Labeling someone as “dumb” doesn’t encourage understanding or growth, it just reinforces judgment and exclusion. We should be fostering curiosity, patience, and compassion, not shame. Let’s be kinder… the world has enough harshness already.
supersnipe · 61-69, M
@Sparklesatnite I believed this - or some version of it - until comparatively recently. While it's true we 'should be kind', the fact remains that there is a lot of stupidity around, and it's dangerous. As dangerous as deliberate malevolence.
Sparklesatnite · 51-55, F
@supersnipe
I agree…there’s certainly a lot of stupidity out there, and it can be frustrating, even dangerous. But my concern is when that frustration turns into generalisations , where individuals in a community are broadly labeled as “dumb.”
Once we start reducing people to a single label, it becomes all too easy to extend that judgment unfairly to others. The term “dumb” gets used so readily, without much thought about the person or their circumstances. Once we start reducing people to that kind of label, it becomes all too easy to extend that judgment unfairly to others. And when that happens especially to someone vulnerable, like a child it can be genuinely harmful, not just in the moment, but in how they begin to see themselves over time.
I agree…there’s certainly a lot of stupidity out there, and it can be frustrating, even dangerous. But my concern is when that frustration turns into generalisations , where individuals in a community are broadly labeled as “dumb.”
Once we start reducing people to a single label, it becomes all too easy to extend that judgment unfairly to others. The term “dumb” gets used so readily, without much thought about the person or their circumstances. Once we start reducing people to that kind of label, it becomes all too easy to extend that judgment unfairly to others. And when that happens especially to someone vulnerable, like a child it can be genuinely harmful, not just in the moment, but in how they begin to see themselves over time.