#also a gender angle u could look at here because that same like judgement based on different modes of self-expression | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

teenagefeeling · 4 months ago

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i honestly don't rly believe in the concept of stupidity. like, being perceived as "smart" has so much to do with context and so little to do with the core of who someone is. i think individual people just have particular ideas, strengths, and ways of understanding the world that really, at the end of the day, require other people in order to make any sense. humans conceptualize a lot of things based on our social environements and i think the idea of intelligence is social. and i don't like it when it becomes a way of expressing or leveraging power over those who are "stupid"

#like first of all there's the ableism angle like logical reasoning or memorizing facts are not the only ways to be smart #and so i think a lot of disabled people—especially those who are nonverbal or intellectually disabled—get unfairly perceived as stupid #plus there's also the racism angle like how different dialects are labeled 'uneducated' or 'trashy'#also a gender angle u could look at here because that same like judgement based on different modes of self-expression #also gets leveled at women in general who speak in particular ways #there's like a million more examples i could give but basically the words 'smart' and 'stupid' when applied to people give me the ick #it feels like a cop out to insult someone based on this made up concept that's mostly based on maintaining power for certain groups #when u could take them seriously and examine why they're doing what they're doing #maybe they don't know any better. maybe they're acting out of malice. maybe they literally just have a different experience from you #regardless i don't think anyone is stupid #bri babbles

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