# Stupidity is a disease.... **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 4, 2003, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-is-a-disease/159039 "2003-03-04T17:44:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![GOM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/5f9b8f/32.png) [@GOM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GOM)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2003, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-is-a-disease/159039/21 "2003-03-07T17:02:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by FranticMad \* > \*\*Children born with very damaged or poorly developed brains are at a great disadvantage. Most cannot and will not develop normal brains. Infants with severe “stupidity” might never grow up to support themselves no matter what happens after birth. I’ve worked with such people, and I doubt that you know what you are talking about. > > He’s not talking about intact people who happen to be on the low end of the intelligence curve. He’s talking about damaged humans who don’t learn well enough to feed, clothe, and protect themselves. > \*\* I believe you misread the article. Here’s a direct quote from Watson that explains his position: \*\* “The lower 10 per cent who really have difficulty, even in elementary school, what’s the cause of it?” \*\* The group you are talking about is not the bottom 10% Watson refers to. Btw, I’m proud of you for having worked with some of the people you mention. I think it takes a very special person to work under challenging conditions. However, Watson’s target is indeed the people on the “low end of the intelligence curve”, which I still find to be a stupid idea. :smack: Of course, YMMV (your mileage may vary). I posted this topic in fun (I thought that was obvious), but if you want to debate a certain position we need to avoid the apples and oranges confusion. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![GOM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/5f9b8f/32.png) [@GOM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GOM)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2003, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-is-a-disease/159039/22 "2003-03-07T17:06:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by FranticMad \* > \*\* > > It is partly hardwired. \*\* You’re right, of course. I should have said the brain is not **fully** hardwired. That’s what I was thinking, but I’m very short on time these days and I admit that I do sometimes post too quickly. Thanks for the correction. ---
**Author:** ![GOM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/5f9b8f/32.png) [@GOM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GOM)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2003, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-is-a-disease/159039/23 "2003-03-07T17:11:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by GOM \* > \*\*And now it looks like one of the discovers of DNA, a Nobel Prize winner, must have caught it. > > 😉 \*\* P.S. Just for clarification: When I include one of these 😉 in a post that means I’m not totally serious. My apologies if that is not generally accepted in your debate forum. It seems to have been understood in the “psychic” thread. ---
**Author:** ![GOM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/5f9b8f/32.png) [@GOM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GOM)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2003, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-is-a-disease/159039/24 "2003-03-08T15:55:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by FranticMad \* > \*\*1. Besides, what he said is mostly true – that genetic engineering could be used to alter beauty. > > 1. I have little doubt that someday it will be used for that purpose. \*\* 1. I can agree with “alter”. But we don’t know enough about the programming of life right now to have any idea of how to make a human **more** beautiful. We could possibly make some monsters, but humans should not be made into experimental toys for scientists. 2. I hope I never see that day. I wonder what the scientists who attempt this will do with their failures? And there will be failures… ☹ ---
**Author:** ![GOM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/5f9b8f/32.png) [@GOM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GOM)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2003, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-is-a-disease/159039/25 "2003-03-09T05:05:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Squink \* > \*\*cite ? \*\* What exactly are you asking for? Simple observation of yourself would reveal that you are not the same person you were when you were five years old. Btw, here’s a very interesting article on the human brain, which is still the best computer in the known universe. * * * When will computer hardware match the human brain?\*\* (Received Dec. 1997) Hans Moravec Robotics Institute Carnegie Mellon University [http://www.transhumanist.com/volume1/moravec.htm](http://www.transhumanist.com/volume1/moravec.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2003, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-is-a-disease/159039/26 "2003-03-09T05:12:42Z")
> [@](#): > > “People say it would be terrible if we made all girls pretty. I think it would be great.” Call me crazy but I think the guy has a point. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![GOM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/5f9b8f/32.png) [@GOM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GOM)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2003, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-is-a-disease/159039/27 "2003-03-09T05:38:51Z")
hahaha Okay. Yer crazy. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Hazel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Hazel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazel)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2003, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-is-a-disease/159039/28 "2003-03-09T05:39:57Z")
I don’t think we know, yet, how to determine the cause(s) of stupidity in any one person. We can observe that he or she has low intelligence, but we don’t know the why that’s the case. Was he or she born that way? Or was the person born with the potential to develop average intelligence (or above); potential that was not realized? If the later is the case, what prevented the person from realizing his/her full potential? The cause could be any of a number of things, or a combination of two, three, or more causes. Factors that can prevent someone’s reaching their full intellectual potential include: inadequate nutrition in utero and/or in the first few months of life; environmental factors such as lead poisoning; an abusive, chaoic, or neglectful home life, abysmally bad schools. It’s my belief that we could raise the average intelligence level down the road by eliminating lead poisoning and similar damaging environmental factors; insuring adequate nutrition in early life, rescueing children from abuse and neglect, and improving public education. ---
**Author:** ![GOM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/5f9b8f/32.png) [@GOM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GOM)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2003, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-is-a-disease/159039/29 "2003-03-09T05:52:09Z")
See the irony here? Hazel covers many practical points to address a real problem, but most likely has never won a Nobel Prize so she won’t get international attention for her ideas. Mr. Watson, OTOH, has a Nobel Prize so some people are apparently willing to blindly follow him even when he makes stupid comments. Funny how that happens… ---
**Author:** ![GOM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/5f9b8f/32.png) [@GOM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GOM)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2003, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-is-a-disease/159039/30 "2003-03-09T05:54:39Z")
Ooops! Just made a stupid mistake of my own. 😃 I have no idea whether Hazel is female or male. ---
**Author:** ![GOM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/5f9b8f/32.png) [@GOM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GOM)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-is-a-disease/159039/31 "2003-04-04T21:28:56Z")
Apparently the disease is spreading… 😉 [http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE\_ID=31828](http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=31828) Guess what this clown just motivated me to do? ---
**Author:** ![arandomwinner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/46a35a/32.png) [@arandomwinner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/arandomwinner)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-is-a-disease/159039/32 "2003-04-04T22:30:47Z")
To me intelligence is a concept that varies depending on a person’s perspective. It’s already possible to enhance memory through drugs and once we understand the mechanism of those drugs it will be possible to alter genes in such a way as to produce similar effects. How though, does the ability to remember things contribute to ‘intelligence’? I believe a significant improvement in memory would cause a dysfunction in someone’s ability to forget. If the disturbing memories of life and the emotions attached to them remain constantly fresh in the brain it would be impossible to get anything done because we would be always reliving such experiences in our head. The result would no doubt be depression or something like PTSD. I’m not a scientist or anything, but to me it’s pretty clear that we need something better than a vague understanding of how the brain works before we try to ‘fix’ stupid people. For all we know stupidity could be an evolutionary advantage. Anyway, those who suggest we eliminate stupidity should first be required to define it. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-is-a-disease/159039/33 "2003-04-04T23:29:14Z")
Pray tell GOM, what’s the connection here ? Or have you just resurrected this dead thread to do some pointless name calling ? ---
**Author:** ![GOM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/5f9b8f/32.png) [@GOM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GOM)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2003, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-is-a-disease/159039/34 "2003-04-05T08:27:37Z")
Now it looks like “regime change” Kerry has caught it also! Too bad. I thought he was a little smarter than that… ☹ I guess this might help explain what’s going on: [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A29851-2003Apr4.html](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A29851-2003Apr4.html) Kerry’s comments come on the eve of a trip to Iowa, where rival Howard Dean’s strong anti-war stance has played well with the state’s Democrats. Dean also has been critical of Bush and Kerry, suggesting that the senator waffled in his position on the Iraq war. ---
**Author:** ![elfje](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19b73/32.png) [@elfje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfje)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2003, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-is-a-disease/159039/35 "2003-04-05T08:38:11Z")
I think before we start tackling stupidity as a disease, why don’t we tackle stupidity by choice, first? I know a lot of people who are ignorant, and proud to be so. If we could somehow get those people to start using their brains, that’d already go a long way to getting the global average higher. … 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-is-a-disease/159039.md?page=1)