Having
studied people for decades as it was one of my job requirements to read and
learn human behaviors I have concluded that smart people don’t think other
people are stupid and that acting stupid is actually being smart. An avid
student of life I try to find useful things and share them with others to make
more sense to the crazy world we live and work in.
First off,
there are not smart people or stupid people. The key words are “smart” and
“stupid” as that appears to be an inference or an observation based on what you
see rather than what you know about the person. People can either choose to be
smart or play it dumb. Sometimes they do both and are the same person
throughout the entire scenarios we are discussing.
Being smart
means you have the capacity to think things thoroughly with a significant level
of information or a complete analysis at hand to find an answer or to do
something required based on a situational awareness. On the other hand, being
stupid means you are avoiding the capacity to think things thoroughly with
complete ignorance of the situation at hand and decide to either jump to
conclusions or make irrational statements that have no connection to the
situation at hand in a most deliberate format.
Either way
these two actions appear to be a strategy of someone who could in fact be the
same persons but making a deliberate and conscience decision to act one way or
the other. How they acted was based on information available, provided or
sought to make a response. There are always motives attached to the response
and that’s the key to whether a person is perceived to be smart or stupid.
One can say
something stupid and yet be seen to be smart because of the appeal the answer
produced while on the other hand, one can be seen stupid because they chose to
stop thinking about it and blurted an answer that is not appealing to the
answer expected.
While this
may have exceptions to the rule, smart people normally feel that they don’t
others are stupid but rather, they chose to act that way for deliberate and
calculated reasons.
So what can
make a person decide whether to act smart or stupid? In my opinion I think it
has to do with the environment the question or situation is posed in or around.
Whether they are social awkward, introverts or extroverts, they have a problem
of being uneasy to be around certain types of people sometimes and act either
defensively or offensively.
he choice is based on the encounter, their past
experiences and the level of comfort taken away by the other person or the
environment. On the other hand they may be over confident in dealing with this
issue and talk too much.
What kind of
people can stifle or overtake conversations you ask. Socially awkward people do
not respond very well to super outgoing people who like to socialize and mingle
with the crowds. They may appear to be really confident popular and charismatic
individuals that overwhelm others and cause them to shut down. Opposing such a
feeling, it may trigger an outburst of your own confidence in you to show what
you have to offer in your social circle.
Another
group of individuals who may trigger your choice to act smart or stupid are
those who you think may make fun of you or judge you without knowing you.
Likely this is preempted by rumors or gossip about them and makes you aware of
assumptions whether they are real or not. It may cause shyness or extreme belligerence
depending on the approach or it can draw out an aggressiveness delivered in
your own style of dealing with any potential “put downs.”
Then you
have the elite group of people in power or authority who create a nervousness
about them by just being there. High status positions such as doctors, lawyers,
religious leaders, police officers etc. have power in social and community
establishments. You may feel either scared or uneasy to talk to them so you
limit your interaction based on your own fears. Some would call that as acting
dumb or stupid to avoid being noticed.
Competition is always present when
people meet. It’s an unwritten rule when two or more smart people meet they
tend to show off their knowledge, competence and cause you to fear you may say
something stupid around them even if they don’t call you out on the subject.
Thus you
avoid them at times to control your own fears. On the other hand, you
competitive nature may cause you to strike preemptively and show them you are
capable of hanging with them in equal form.
Summing up
your relationships with other kinds of people who may impact your willingness
to communicate are the tough thuggish types who intimate you because you either
lack the experience around such kinds of people or you just think they are
dangerous to talk to thus keep you words to a minimum. This includes rule
breakers or criminals that reflect an impression you are either too innocent,
nerdy or socially unacceptable to them as a group cause your mentality does not
match theirs.
Finally, you
may have trouble expressing or being yourself around people of your own gender.
Hanging out with members of the same sex can and does create unwanted friction
and you have an awareness whether you are being too different from them to create
a level of animosity or resentment due to someone being too aggressive,
unpredictable or just feel that way because of prior experiences as a kid.
Regardless,
we all have different reasons for how we act and why we do the things we do.
It’s human nature to react the way you feel and how you feel can only be
determined by your own analysis of your life, your experiences, your
upbringing, cultural influences and your social skills developed over the
years. Basically, it comes down to your own social biases and judgment of other
people how you react when approached. throughout the entire episode we are
discussing.
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