# Are Dopers particularly smart? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 18, 2016, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-dopers-particularly-smart/775094 "2016-12-18T23:45:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-dopers-particularly-smart/775094/21 "2016-12-19T03:48:09Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Hey, is there an easier way to make a point than by getting a movie’s title wrong? I suppose… But, then, I didn’t claim I was particularly smart! ---
**Author:** ![Salvor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Salvor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Salvor)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-dopers-particularly-smart/775094/22 "2016-12-19T04:47:40Z")
All I know for certain is that the dumbest commenters, by FAR, are the Breitbart commenters. Even YOU Ditka must acknowledge this. Go on, admit it. They are the worst. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-dopers-particularly-smart/775094/23 "2016-12-19T06:36:32Z")
As others have mentioned, this board still has roots in the Straight Dope column. So, you (the OP) might want to take a few moments to read some of the columns, old or new. “Smart” can mean many things … but do we at least tend to be _curious, well-read_, and interested in _facts_ (even when expressing or contemplating _opinions_)? Yes. But we have fun, too (though not maliciously at the expense of each other). As Jack Nicholson said in _The Brightness_, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” 😉 ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-dopers-particularly-smart/775094/24 "2016-12-19T07:51:41Z")
I’m dumb as a box of rocks, but hang out here hoping that some of the Smart Stuff will rub off on me eventually. In my favour\*, yes, I can punctuate and use paragraphs… 😃 \*That’s how the really smart people spell it btw. ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-dopers-particularly-smart/775094/25 "2016-12-19T08:02:51Z")
Let me just put this in for comparison… At a recent forum I went to, there was a poster who constantly and consistently posted nothing but stupid Donald Trump memes, juvenile political attacks (“Obummer”, “Killary”, etc.), and hate speech. Really just the dumbest kind of alt-right troll. That forum didn’t ban him, or even ask him to maybe cut it out a bit. There were a lot of posters arguing at or around that intellectual level, which drove down the overall level of discourse, even if there were some really bright people arguing at the margins (shoutouts to **Zippy2006** ), and eventually a lot of those smart people wandered off to find less stupid grounds. On Straightdope, he wouldn’t last two weeks. The forum climate here is legitimately more inquisitive, curious, fact-based, and intelligent than almost any other forum I have ever seen, with perhaps the exception of certain dedicated science- or tech-based forums, which don’t tender political discussion. It’s also far better equipped to deal with trolls, or the intentionally obtuse. Shoutouts to the moderators for that. ---
**Author:** ![Streetcat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c57346/32.png) [@Streetcat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Streetcat)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-dopers-particularly-smart/775094/26 "2016-12-19T08:29:04Z")
I’m too lazy to [google](http://google.com) it, but there is at least one study that shows that most people believe they are smarter than the average. In other words, asking someone if (s)he thinks the group (s)he belongs to is particularly smart, will not bring reliable results. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-dopers-particularly-smart/775094/27 "2016-12-19T10:41:58Z")
You’re thinking of the Dunning-Kruger effect: > **[Dunning–Kruger effect](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect)** > > The Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias whereby people with low ability, expertise, or experience regarding a certain type of task or area of knowledge tend to overestimate their ability or knowledge. Some researchers also include the opposite effect for high performers: their tendency to underestimate their skills. In popular culture, the Dunning–Kruger effect is often misunderstood as a claim about general overconfidence of people with low intelligence instead of specific overconfidenc ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-dopers-particularly-smart/775094/28 "2016-12-19T11:22:44Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > You’re thinking of the Dunning-Kruger effect: > > [Dunning–Kruger effect - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect) Sorry, no. I was thinking of the number 17. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-dopers-particularly-smart/775094/29 "2016-12-19T11:43:42Z")
> [@Streetcat](#): > > I’m too lazy to [google](http://google.com) it, but there is at least one study that shows that most people believe they are smarter than the average. In other words, asking someone if (s)he thinks the group (s)he belongs to is particularly smart, will not bring reliable results. 😉 In fairness, the OP included “educated” on that “etc” list; I don’t know how likely you are to be wrong about how smart you are – but I’m guessing you get the answer _right_ when you’re asked to state your highest level of education. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-dopers-particularly-smart/775094/30 "2016-12-19T13:11:00Z")
I don’t know about a cite, but personally I’ve founded that arguments and discussions almost anywhere else online are trivially easy compared to Dope discussions. For me, the Dope is like a baseball batter swinging a weighted bat to make the real swing easy – the “training” provided by Dope arguments makes arguments elsewhere much easier to win. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-dopers-particularly-smart/775094/31 "2016-12-19T13:13:40Z")
Sure we is, who says we ain’t? ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-dopers-particularly-smart/775094/32 "2016-12-19T13:13:52Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > I don’t know about a cite, but personally I’ve founded that arguments and discussions almost anywhere else online are trivially easy compared to Dope discussions. For me, the Dope is like a baseball batter swinging a weighted bat to make the real swing easy – the “training” provided by Dope arguments makes arguments elsewhere much easier to win. So much this. I’ve been to a handful of other forums, and I often find myself the smartest guy in the room. Here, I often find that I have little to nothing to contribute to threads - someone smarter already said what I wanted to say, and better than I would have. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-dopers-particularly-smart/775094/33 "2016-12-19T13:18:45Z")
The front page of the Dope claims we are the smartest, hippest people on the planet, with a few total dipsticks. The first claim is probably an exaggeration. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-dopers-particularly-smart/775094/34 "2016-12-19T13:20:30Z")
> [@Streetcat](#): > > I’m too lazy to [google](http://google.com) it, but there is at least one study that shows that most people believe they are smarter than the average. In other words, asking someone if (s)he thinks the group (s)he belongs to is particularly smart, will not bring reliable results. 😉 It’s called illusory superiority or the Dunning–Kruger effect. IOW, stupid people think they are smarter than they are because they are too stupid to know what they don’t know. Average intelligence people wouldn’t know that.😃 Like I know I’m a fairly mediocre engineer because I didn’t get particularly good grades in my engineering program. Still makes me smarter than the average idiot who can’t add up his change because “math’s hard”. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-dopers-particularly-smart/775094/35 "2016-12-19T13:21:36Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > The front page of the Dope claims we are the smartest, hippest people on the planet, with a few total dipsticks. > > The first claim is probably an exaggeration. Technically that’s one claim, so there isn’t really a “first”. There’s a first _part_ of the claim, I’ll grant. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-dopers-particularly-smart/775094/36 "2016-12-19T13:32:27Z")
Whut? Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-dopers-particularly-smart/775094/37 "2016-12-19T13:34:36Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Whut? > > Regards, > Shodan You spelled it wrong. It’s “wut”, no punctuation, like this: wut ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-dopers-particularly-smart/775094/38 "2016-12-19T14:13:27Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > The only other board I visit on a regular basis is Fark. > > All I can say is this place tends to be less juvenile. This right here is the correct answer. I don’t see a lot of evidence the SDMB is used by a group of genuises. What it does have, though, is: 1. Strictly enforced standards of civil dialogue and message board etiquette, and 2. An entrenched culture of expectation of logical and sources arguments. If in fact the average IQ of an SDMB user is precisely 100, with a normal distribution, but you enjoy the benefits of those two points,\*\* the discussion will inevitably appear very intelligent as compared to any sort of message board without those things.\*\* Suppose I took a bunch of my buddies and had them do the following two things: 1. On Saturday, we sit around and discuss a book we’ve all read. 2. On Sunday, we go to a football game. On Saturday’s we’ll look smart, and on Sunday we’ll look like raving idiots. People’s apparent intelligence is highly context-dependent. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-dopers-particularly-smart/775094/39 "2016-12-19T14:14:49Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > So much this. I’ve been to a handful of other forums, and I often find myself the smartest guy in the room. Here, I often find that I have little to nothing to contribute to threads - someone smarter already said what I wanted to say, and better than I would have. 😃 Indeed. Sometimes I’ll get into debate with friends on FB. It often feels like I’m sparring with a 5yo. Sometimes I’ll even hold back because I feel embarrassed for the guy I’m debating with. And then I come here feeling like the village idiot. ---
**Author:** ![HumbleThinker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5daacb/32.png) [@HumbleThinker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HumbleThinker)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-dopers-particularly-smart/775094/40 "2016-12-19T14:56:11Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > As I’ve hung out here, I’ve noticed that this place likes to pat itself on the back a lot and think of itself as intelligent, educated, intellectual, etc. Is there any evidence that the average Doper is smarter than the average poster on any of these places: > > [ul] > [li]Reddit[/li][li]Democratic Underground[/li][li]Breitbart comments section[/li][li]Tumblr[/li][li]Stormfront[/li][/ul] > (just to provide some examples / food for thought) > > If I asked for a cite, is there anything that could be provided? Or does this idea (that Dopers are particularly intelligent) belong in the realm of unproven (and perhaps unprovable) theory / myth? Just from the little lurking around I’ve done, and my experience with other boards, the structure of the system seems to support mature, civil conversation more so than others. This seems to foster a more mature, civil posting culture. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-dopers-particularly-smart/775094.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-dopers-particularly-smart/775094.md?page=3)