People expect stupidity. When they see intelligence they demand an explanation. What can we do to....?

Question

What can we as a society do to eliminate dumbed down expectations and attitudes that demote intellectual excellence?

Pathless Traveled: Yes, we SHOULDN'T expect stupidity. For, the social expectation of stupidity sets up many a self-fulfilling prophecies against the intellectual development of individuals.

j153e: Yes, we should try to exceed the expectations of others by doing the best that we can do ourselves.

Answer 1

In my humble opinion, half of this can be fixed, simply, in High Schools and Middle Schools, while the other half needs to be fixed in the Media and in our Political Discourse, which is of course harder.

In the Schools:

--Stopping the abuse, bullying, harrassment and insulting of intelligent children and teenagers would go a long way. These are widely known to be the "formative years", or the time of a young person's life where the experiences that inform an *adult personality* are formed. This is where young adults *learn* to hate intelligence (for its real social consequences) and *learn* to lower their expectations (in an effort to appease the rampaging humanoids around them).

--And speaking of which. The jocks are out of control. Changing the P.E. curriculum, moving it *aggressively AWAY* from a team-sports model and towards something more *remedial* (cardio to correct for childhood and teenage weight problems) and about encouraging fitness as a lifelong habit would work. It would demote the jocks socially, from being the "Alpha Dogs" of their pack mentality, and discourage them from organized bullying. Combine that with mandatory martial arts and self-defense instruction (as Japan and France have done for decades), and you also have a cure for *individual* bullying as well.

--And....we need to stop throwing pills at our problem students and telling them to "shut up and go away". School shootings *happen* because children and teenagers are ostracized, isolated, excluded and *ignored*, not just by their peers, but by *every* so-called adult in the chain of events that should care and should know better: parents, counselors, teachers, principals, doctors, and in time the person *selling guns and ammo* to kids without a background check.

Simply put, we need to get back to paying *everyone* some proper attention, *everyone*, not just the "model students" or the Pretty Ones.

And in the Broader Culture:

--The Mass Media needs to eliminate the word "geek" from its vocabulary as an insult. We need to have our people on TV, in the newspapers, on the internet, start to *praise* intellect again and start to *praise* individuality again, as positive merits *and NOT* disown them as threats to society.

It needs to start in the News Media, for sure, but it also needs to filter down in popular culture until intelligent/geeky TV and movies are *the Norm* and the Rule, and not the exception. More shows like _Lost_ and _Heroes_, and way *way* the hell less *Reality Television* and endless, anal-retentive coverage of *every last* mediocre Team Sports event.

--And in Politics. Politicians need to grow a pair on the issue and decide as a *moral principle* to *NOT* abandon Public Schooling for *all* citizens, not just the rich ones. Public schools need full funding and full support and full manpower to get the job done both *correctly and well*.

--Also, Politicians need to join a 12-step group and *get over* their addiction to sound bites and pandering to the Richest Lobbyist Around. Simply put: *Stevie Wonder*, you know, the BLIND musician, can see it coming most of the time, in terms of *who* (which company) any given politician has sold out to. It's that flagrant and transparent to anyone with *two brain cells* to rub together for sparks.

And Politicians need to *go back to work* and do their jobs, in terms of writing their own speeches and *having their own ideas* again. They need to favor both complete ideas and complete *sentences* again. "Nuance" needs to be embraced again as a value and an asset, and not as a liability. "Waffling" or "flip-flopping" needs to be re-encoded into "Changing your mind" or "being willing to listen to reason" or "being in touch with *reality*". And not only does this need to be re-encoded, it needs to be *re-enacted* as well, in the original sense of the word: returning to the *actions* and prior behaviors that *worked*.

These changes would go a long way towards making intelligence a value and a norm again in our society, instead of it being looked down on as a "threat".

But it won't happen....because if that happens, then people will want to *solve* problems versus *exploiting them* to death for a Company's profit margins. You know?

Just my worthless ten cents here. Good Question.

Answer 2

Ah, but it is only in the true appreciation of intelligence are we able to identify stupidity (relativity). The simple absence of reason to complain or critique is not really a symptom for superior intellect and personal preference of need is not a symptom for abnormal stupidity though possibly low education reception (there must be transmittion for an educations reception in an other). 'When they see intelligence they demand an explanation'? Do I? It may facilitate positive social inquiry but I have never personally 'demanded' an explanation.

Answer 3

Oh, how much I agree. But those who expect stupidity want it. When I give a rational intelligent answer to some questions, the "best" answer chosen by the questioner is often the stupidest or least explanatory of the question.

Answer 4

Educate people. People are afraid of things they don't comprehend. In Dick Morris' book Outrage one chapter is devouted to the subject of education and shows startling gaps between the private and public schools. Some up to 17%. then he has a chapter devouted to lobbyist and Cap Hill, I feel that may be oneof the problems. take care.

Answer 5

well u cannot eliminate dumbed ones cuz if life was full of genius ppl, we wouldnt be able 2 live. Then even the most brilliant person'd ask...In psycology, the questions: "how" nd "why" r the key to exploration nd sign of intelligence

Answer 6

"Climb the Highest Mountain," Mark Prophet,

"Kundalini West," Ann Ree Colton.

Answer 7

Don't expect stupidity.

Answer 8

stupidity makes them feel better about themselves and their own stupidity