Of Stupidity

[Stella_Omega]

"Stupidity: a process, not a state. A human being takes in far more information than he or she can put out. 'Stupidity' is a process or strategy by which a human, in response to social denigration of the information she or he puts out, commits him- or herself to taking in no more information than she or he can put out. (Not to be confused with ignorance, or lack of data.) Since such a situation is impossible to achieve because of the nature of mind/perception itself in its relation to the functioning body, a continuing downward spiral of functionality and/or information dissemination results. The process, however, can be reversed at any time . ..."

Samuel R. Delany, Stars in my Pockets like Grains of Sand

It's as good an explanation as any other...

 

[voluptuary_manque]

I consider "stupidity" a condition but "dumb" to be a choice. One may be born stupid but one should only be dumb by accident and never the same way twice. However, this is a elementary school version and no where as erudite as Mr. Delaney.

 

[penandpaper]

A quote by Abbey I always loved:

"One man can be pretty dumb sometime. But, for real bonna' fied stupidity, ain't nothin' that beats teamwork."

 

[DeeZire]

How mysterious. The "Of Stupidity" thread is directly above the "Shroud of Turin" thread. I wonder if God is trying to tell us something?

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Stupidity is the inability to understand or profit from experience. You might be unconscious or comatose or drunk or asleep or whatever. Delaney is full of shit.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

How mysterious. The "Of Stupidity" thread is directly above the "Shroud of Turin" thread. I wonder if God is trying to tell us something?

God concluded long ago that while you can always tell a DEE ZIRE, you cant tell him much.

 

[rgraham666]

Perhaps the problem is not stupidity but our definition of intelligence.

From my favorite book.

INTELLIGENCE The ruling elite's description of its own strengths. It follows that this is the primary measure of superiority among humans.

In the late twentieth century, superior intelligence apparently resembles ascending multiples of the crossword mind. Its strengths are mechanistic, rational and linear. It tends towards narrowness, is fearful of the uncontrolled idea, person or event, as well as intuitive or creative characteristics, and thus of humanism. The exclusive is preferred over the inclusive. Controlled mediocrity is more intelligent than either original or sensible thinking because it is responsible to existing structures.

There's more, but that the gist of it.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Intelligence is always the ability to ascend and descend the ladder of abstraction.

 

[bronzeage]

Stupid is as stupid does.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Stupid is as stupid does.

The voice of experience talking! Listen to him!

 

[elfin_odalisque]

"A wise man speaks because he has something to say: a fool, because he has to say something." - Plato

We say, "I'm so stupid", when we have failed to initiate an appropriate output to a data input: forgetting a birthday or leaving an umbrella on the subway. Which I guess is Delaney's point.

Intelligence is the ability to analyse cognitive input and build schemata. the greater this ability the higher the intelligence until you reach perfection, which is omniscience.

Surely, stupidity is the inability to analyse and form individual schemata based on input; at the extreme, nescience.

 

[TheeGoatPig]

Wut?...

 

[R. Richard]

Intelligence is the ability to analyse cognitive input and build correct, relevant schemata.

Stupidity is the lack of a process to analyse cognitive input and build correct, relevant schemata.

Insanity is the ability to analyse cognitive input and build incorrect and/or irrelevant schemata.

 

[NoJo]

Stella is a stupid dumb dummy

-- Sub Joe, authors Hangout

That explains it just as well

 

[Stella_Omega]

"A wise man speaks because he has something to say: a fool, because he has to say something." - Plato

We say, "I'm so stupid", when we have failed to initiate an appropriate output to a data input: forgetting a birthday or leaving an umbrella on the subway. Which I guess is Delaney's point.

Intelligence is the ability to analyse cognitive input and build schemata. the greater this ability the higher the intelligence until you reach perfection, which is omniscience.

Surely, stupidity is the inability to analyse and form individual schemata based on input; at the extreme, nescience.

Delaney says that stupidity is the decision to stop allowing input, much less processing it. It's the "lalala I'm Not Listening!" mode.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Delaney says that stupidity is the decision to stop allowing input, much less processing it. It's the "lalala I'm Not Listening!" mode.

You invented it,"lalala I'm Not Listening!", but Delaney doesnt get to redefine stupidity.

 

[Huckleman2000]

Beauty may be only skin deep, but stupidity goes right to the bone.

 

[R. Richard]

Beauty may be only skin deep, but stupidity goes right to the bone.

Beauty may be only skin deep, but stupidity goes right to the bonehead.

 

[TE999]

Random Thoughts on Stupidity

"The only thing we learn from history is that we learn nothing from history." Hegel/Shaw

"Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results." Einstein

"The worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal." Aristotle

"No good deed goes unpunished." C. B. Luce

 

[elfin_odalisque]

Intelligence is the ability to analyse cognitive input and build correct, relevant schemata.

Stupidity is the lack of a process to analyse cognitive input and build correct, relevant schemata.

Insanity is the ability to analyse cognitive input and build incorrect and/or irrelevant schemata.

Agreed - thanks.

 

[elfin_odalisque]

Delaney says that stupidity is the decision to stop allowing input, much less processing it. It's the "lalala I'm Not Listening!" mode.

Without getting too philosophical, I would argue that the rational decision to " stop allowing input" immediately stops you from being stupid. It may make you a bigot or an extremist - closing your eyes to other POVs - but surely 'stupid' is an inability to be able to make sense or ignore the stuff that invades your cerrebellum.

For example, there are guys here who post stuff I don't agree with but I can follow the logic.

On Lit, people put some posters on ignore. I've never understood that - except for cases of personal insult. The ability to see the banality of some replies helps form our views, surely?

 

[voluptuary_manque]

On Lit, people put some posters on ignore. I've never understood that - except for cases of personal insult. The ability to see the banality of some replies helps form our views, surely?

Life is short enough that it has no more room for deliberate aggravation than is required.

 

[Stella_Omega]

Without getting too philosophical, I would argue that the rational decision to " stop allowing input" immediately stops you from being stupid. It may make you a bigot or an extremist - closing your eyes to other POVs - but surely 'stupid' is an inability to be able to make sense or ignore the stuff that invades your cerrebellum.

For example, there are guys here who post stuff I don't agree with but I can follow the logic.

On Lit, people put some posters on ignore. I've never understood that - except for cases of personal insult. The ability to see the banality of some replies helps form our views, surely?

I really did not come to a porn-writer's forum in order to form my views, I came here because I like to write, and I like to write porn. I like to puzzle out plots, debate nerdly grammatical questions, exchange encouragement, and talk about sweetsubsarah's pussy.

If you want to get some view-forming experience, there are bazillions of places on the web-- craigslist.org forums are good for debates, and opposingviews.com is another. Not to mention lit's very own General Board.

If you want a writerly forum where sex is not a BIG HUSHHUSH DEAL, AH is just about all there is out there.

Although, guys, I have been revamping the story forum. It now has a really good chat room, and a blogging community. The AH side has been gathering dust, but there are two writing groups have been using it, in private forums.

And the moderators actually pay attention to reported posts.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

Really? How nice! I'll have to come back for a visit.

 

[ThePleaser]

I describe stupidity as acting or talking without much or any thought