Dumbing down, making Aspies left out for being intelligent

[dragoncat16]

Perhaps being dumbed down is not such a bad thing, now that you put it in this context. If that Big Red Button is faulty when it's needed. That would have prevented World War III from happening.

You misunderstand me, and I wasn't very clear, for which I apologize. I meant that the big red button would be faulty in that it would go off without being pressed, not that it would not go off if it were pressed.

As far as I know, World War III hasn't happened yet, but I really don't have a habit of keeping track of the news. Did I miss something?

 

[megacomic]

The tyranny of many social majorities is often predicated only on large numbers. Not large brains.

Being different doesn't necessarily mean being deficient.

-My question is strictly rhetorical for the sake of humor. I wasn't looking for an answer.

 

[MonolithImmortal]

While I can identify with the spirit of your post, yes I feel like people want things in unreasonable binary options with no level of intellectual nuance, not everything is a matter of being dumbed down.

For example, in the math example, I have dyscalculia, which makes me unable to do basic math in my head, even if I understand the logic behind higher math. My brain simply can not manipulate numbers. Allowing people to have access to calculators for basic math is in many ways increasing accessibility to those with learning disabilities, and having a learning disability does not make one less intelligent.

 

[dragoncat16]

I'm all for providing people with learning issues with the support they need, and that support certainly doesn't qualify as "dumbing down".

The problem, as I see it, is that there has been a pervasive trend in the last decade or more to reduce the requirements to earn degrees and diplomas of all types. This results in less qualified people than before being given responsibilities beyond their training.

It is as if laziness and lack of ambition is celebrated, and to be a high achiever in any field is a shameful thing because then you are accused of putting others down. I think that is what the OP was alluding to.

To take the example of giving all kids prizes for participation in sports, contests and such, while I think that it is good for everyone to be rewarded for their effort, I think it is important to still let winning count for something. Otherwise why play the game in the first place? By not letting the winning team celebrate the fact that they won the game, those kids are being robbed of the opportunity to appreciate the value of personal effort and teamwork. It also implies that there is something shameful about losing, and robs the losing team of a valuable lesson about being gracious in defeat, and the satisfaction of coming from behind and trying again when not doing as well as they wanted the first time. If kids really enjoy what they are doing, then they don't need a prize on top of that if they happen not to have won.

I'm sorry if that seems insensitive, but I think it's dangerous not to prepare kids for the real world, which is competitive and in which there are no prizes for the losers.

 

[Littlemissnaughty9]

Isn't it weird that most of the people that tease us and call us disabled have lower IQs than we do?

Bullys! I would never tease anyone who has any kind of illness..! people are rude obnoxious and the world has changed so much, I try to avoid most public transport or crowds these days and I am not an Aspie!

 

[Littlemissnaughty9]

Hi all,

I feel this picture realtes to the current world a lot and how I feel. I notice day in day out that everything we say and do has to be dumbed down to suit the current dumb people of society. I notice as an aspie that if I point out something intelligent to them they get all upset and feel criticized and offended. Yet what I said was what I learnt during my years of growing up

It is like people using a calculator for basic maths like 1+1 and when you do it in your head fast in front of them they get all offended.

I fail to understand why the current world is getting dumbed down. There is nothing wrong the old tried and tested way or the hands on and hard work approach.

Anyone else notice this or is it just me? Why don't people like it when I see things differently?

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• StuMan
• Nov 14, 2017

That is because you are too smart for them my dear

 

[NothingToSeeHere]

I'm surrounded by people just as intelligent as me.

 

[Fridgemagnetman]

I'm surrounded by people just as intelligent as me.

You’re standing in a hall of mirrors,right?

 

[Tom]

Yes I see that often. But I do think it is cyclic to some degree depending on where and when. One country is on the down swing and another is on the up. With strangers its best to go with the flow. One way to look at it is 'When in Rome, do as the romans do'. If you get to know people and they accept you, you might be able to be more yourself. But usually you have to find similiarly minded people and hang with them.

 

[NothingToSeeHere]

You’re standing in a hall of mirrors,right?

That is the only way any could be as smart as I am

Seriously though, I work at a university, academics are generally pretty intelligent and highly educated (being smart is no advantage if you're just as ignorant as the moronic masses), so I don't have much day-to-day experience of this 'dumbed down' phenomena, but then I do tend to avoid the more idiotic media outlets because stupidity annoys me.

 

[Mr Allen]

I am surrounded by idiots on social media who think I am a retarded work shy slave to the benefit system.

Meh, it's not my fault I can't get a job.

 

[fdsafdsa]

If you imagine when we were cave men, and some guy claims to have an answer but you don't know if it's true or how he had the answer, you will feel skeptisism. We should not trust that which we cannot understand or relate to ourselves. Trust should be earned etc. If you were to trust somebody who is in control of the situation and you cannot relate to how, then your genes would have a higher chance to be eliminated, (e.g. the guy could steal ur spouse, kill ur children and urself etc), which is why those with the ability of being skeptic are left. That includes you too. For example if I were to say, I'm the smartest here and you're all just ants compared to my vastly superior intellect (which is actually true, haha). How does that make you feel? Keep that in mind the next time you try to "help" someone

During socializing trust is again the keyword here. It's not about being better in anything, simply look for genuine reasons to establish trust and try to be positive then you will also observe positive ques from others which again establishes trust.

 

[Gracey]

There’s always a little bit more to learn though.

I haven’t met or spoke to anyone yet who can’t get any further in their field because there’s nothing left to learn or discover.

Some pick up and retain information quickly, others, not so much, others less still.

We’re all still learning, just at different rates or speeds.
Because we’re all still learning, we’re equal.

 

[HidinginPlainSight]

I don't know if I'm really smarter than other people. I think about this sometimes and wonder if everyone is smarter than me or the other way around. I certainly have never been awed by anyone's intelligence, but this likely has to do with my inability to sense much of anything in other people. I have never noticed anyone to be particularly caring either............or any other characteristic which people casually assign to others after having met them a limited number of times.

As to this sentiment, I have been told in conversation, more than once, to stop trying to show how smart I am. This ends the conversation in question, but it also misses the point. I am never trying to show how smart I am, as mentioned above, I am not even confident that I am smart.

These conversations tend to revolve around some particular point, often scientific, and in an effort to learn more I pose questions to invoke someone to defend their position. I will do this by bringing up specific points which, if true, would challenge their position. If the position is successfully defended then I would look to include it into my understanding of the topic. Otherwise, I have trouble thinking of a reason to talk about something. I'm not unaware of the average person's aversion to this, but what I take from the conversation is that they didn't know what they were talking about to begin with.

I don't understand why people respond with emotional responses to practical topics. I wish this wasn't the norm.

 

[Progster]

I don't understand why people respond with emotional responses to practical topics. I wish this wasn't the norm.

I agree with this. Often, when I ask a question, it's because I want information and not an opinion. I get an emotional response, but I just wanted facts.

Many people are not dumm, but mentally lazy - they don't want to make the effort to think to work out a solution. They want all the answers provided for them.