Some Characteristics of Stupidity, and Why Are They So Prevalent Today?

The question of the characteristics of stupidity and its prevalence today touches on a complex mix of social, psychological, and cultural factors. Stupidity, often understood as a lack of intelligence, knowledge, reason, or wit, can manifest in various ways and for different reasons. While challenging to rationalize, some reasons are intentional, as others are not, just errors of action, reaction, or dismissal.

The key is understanding ourselves well enough to avoid them occurring in our lives or careers proactively. Knowing the signs well enough that we can see others making the errors and assist them in avoiding them if allowed. However, the minimum we can hope for with an open-minded and growth mentality is to learn from our mistakes.

Here are some essential characteristics and potential reasons for their prevalence:

1. Cognitive Bias: People often fall prey to cognitive biases, systematic patterns of error in how our brains function, such as confirmation bias, where they accept information that confirms their preexisting beliefs or values. While some believe these are thought to be ingrained in us, they are nothing more than shortcuts we use to circumvent issues, trauma, or danger. Other cognitive biases that can creep in are the halo effect, hindsight bias, and overgeneralization bias. However, these can lead to irrational decision-making and “stupidity” in the face of contrary evidence.
2. Lack of Critical Thinking: With the overwhelming amount of information available today, especially on social media, there’s a tendency for people to accept information at face value without critical analysis. This does lead to the spread of misinformation and poorly informed decisions.
3. Overconfidence: Dunning-Kruger effect is a cognitive bias wherein individuals who have limited knowledge or competence in a domain overestimate their ability. This overconfidence can lead to errors in judgment and decision-making.
4. Conformity and Groupthink: The human tendency to conform to group norms and pressures can lead to “stupidity” when individuals suppress their doubts or differing thoughts in favor of group consensus, even when that consensus is irrational or harmful.
5. Information Overload: The sheer volume of information available can lead to difficulty processing and understanding complex issues, making people more susceptible to simplistic explanations and decisions that might be considered “stupid” in hindsight.
6. Emotional Reasoning: Decisions based on emotions rather than logic can sometimes lead to irrational choices. While emotions are crucial to human experience, they often cloud judgment and lead to poor outcomes.
7. Short-term Thinking: Focusing on immediate gratification or short-term outcomes without considering long-term consequences can lead to decisions that are seen as “stupid” in the long run.
8. Technological Dependence: Heavy reliance on technology for basic tasks and information can lead to diminished memory skills and reduced problem-solving ability, making people appear less intelligent or capable.

Why These Facets Are Prevalent Today:

· Technology and Social Media: The rapid dissemination of information (and misinformation) and the echo chamber effect of social media can amplify cognitive biases and reduce the incentive for critical thinking. Since social media has become the preferred place for young people to get their news, the growth of bad actor-generated fake news, disinformation, and manipulation has grown significantly. In 2020, the term infodemic was coined, reflecting researchers’ concern about its growth.

· Educational Systems: There’s an argument that some educational systems might not adequately teach critical thinking, problem-solving, and the ability to navigate complex information landscapes. Education at all levels has become more of telling people “what” to think rather than “how” to think. For example, when you use pop stars as examples of how to navigate marketing, most will take the class to emulate the steps rather than learn how to adapt to their values and processes to reach success.

· I believe this may say it best: “The paradox of education is precisely this — that as one begins to become conscious, one begins to examine the society in which he is being educated. The purpose of education, finally, is to give a person the ability to look at the world for himself, make his own decisions, say to himself this is black or white, and decide for himself whether there is a God in heaven. To ask questions of the universe and then learn to live with those questions is how he achieves his own identity. But no society is anxious to have that kind of person around. Ideally, societies want a citizenry that will obey the rules of society. If a society succeeds in this, that society is about to perish. Anyone who thinks of himself as responsible must examine society, try to change it, and fight it — no matter the risk. This is the only hope society has. This is the only way societies Change.” My paraphrase of James Baldwin

· Cultural Shifts: In many cases, there’s a cultural shift towards valuing speed, convenience, and simplicity over depth, nuance, and complexity, leading to a devaluation of deep, critical thinking. Today’s society has become part of the “consumable/disposable” venues, even though we may not have wanted it to be that way. All we need to look at is the number of innovations that became convenient yet essentially helped create a massive clean-up problem, with plastics at the forefront.

· Economic and Political Factors: In times of uncertainty or hardship, people are more prone to simplistic solutions and scapegoating, bypassing rational analysis in favor of emotionally appealing answers. We experience this daily in the news, politics, entertainment, and even religion.

In summary,

Understanding “stupidity” in these contexts is not about labeling individuals but recognizing the challenges and pitfalls of human cognition and social behavior. Awareness and education on these issues can help mitigate their impact and promote more rational, informed decision-making.

Which of these have you fallen for or your family has bought into daily?

What can you do to make a difference?

How can you change your thinking into critical thinking without becoming judgmental?

Are you willing to take on the challenge?