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if ever there was a person who values the 'normal', it's you
Posted on: April 1, 2025 at 13:41:14 CT
90Tiger STL
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Calling people stupid or pointing out their stupidity are generally recognized as acts of condescending judgment. We disapprove of what others did, why they did it, or even how they did it, and so we call them or their actions stupid as a way to reflect our disbelief or disgust. In this sense, the act of naming the behavior of others as stupid is a simple way to vent frustration and express displeasure.
But calling someone stupid is not just a mechanism for psychic or psychological relief. Although we may feel better or even superior when we lash out like this, it may not be the only reason we do it. There may also be underlying sociological components at work here. A possible explanation is that calling someone stupid is an attempt to reinforce the boundaries of group norms and solidify our social (or collective) identities.
If you think about it, one of the underlying sentiments we are suggesting when we call someone stupid is: “Why can’t you just act like the rest of us?” We are shocked that others could act so unintelligently because these actions fall outside the expectations of normative behavior. It is hard for us to understand how someone could act this way when everyone else, or at least most of us “normal” folks, does not engage in these sorts of uninformed thoughtless actions.
In addition to identifying norm-breaking behavior, categorizing others as stupid might also be an attempt to secure our social or collective identities. Calling someone stupid is no doubt often understood as a patronizing insult; however, it can also be a not-so-subtle plea to bring someone back into the fold of the social group. The underlying sentiment, “why can’t you just act like the rest of us,” also may contain within it an expression of concern. If someone with whom we align ourselves is acting stupidly, then our collective identity is potentially soiled and threatened by their actions.
But calling someone stupid is not just a mechanism for psychic or psychological relief. Although we may feel better or even superior when we lash out like this, it may not be the only reason we do it. There may also be underlying sociological components at work here. A possible explanation is that calling someone stupid is an attempt to reinforce the boundaries of group norms and solidify our social (or collective) identities.
If you think about it, one of the underlying sentiments we are suggesting when we call someone stupid is: “Why can’t you just act like the rest of us?” We are shocked that others could act so unintelligently because these actions fall outside the expectations of normative behavior. It is hard for us to understand how someone could act this way when everyone else, or at least most of us “normal” folks, does not engage in these sorts of uninformed thoughtless actions.
In addition to identifying norm-breaking behavior, categorizing others as stupid might also be an attempt to secure our social or collective identities. Calling someone stupid is no doubt often understood as a patronizing insult; however, it can also be a not-so-subtle plea to bring someone back into the fold of the social group. The underlying sentiment, “why can’t you just act like the rest of us,” also may contain within it an expression of concern. If someone with whom we align ourselves is acting stupidly, then our collective identity is potentially soiled and threatened by their actions.
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if ever there was a person who values the 'normal', it's you - 90Tiger STL - 4/1 13:41:14