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According To Folks Online, If A Person Does Or Says These 30 Things, They Might Not Be Very Intelligent
In his famous satirical poem "The Ship of Fools", the outstanding German philosopher Sebastian Brant, in particular, wrote that our world is mired in stupidity, that modern society needs immediate change, and that it cannot go on like this for a long time - after all, ordinary human stupidity will sooner or later destroy everything good that surrounds us.
If you think that Brant is our contemporary, you are definitely wrong. The "Ship of Fools" was first published in 1494, but even today, more than five centuries later, much of what its author wrote about is more than fair. If there's anything in it that has not changed since then, it's the amount of great and small stupidity around us.
No, of course, we are not talking about such striking manifestations as, let's say, wearing clothes upside down, investing in financial pyramids, or perhaps choosing Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan in the NBA draft. We are talking about some obvious or less so cases which clearly signal to us that we are dealing with someone with a pure lack of intelligence.
And just recently, this particular thread appeared in the AskReddit community, which has gained around 6K upvotes and almost 8K various comments to date. The author of the thread asked the readers just one simple question: "What makes you instantly question someone's intelligence?" And you know what? It turns out that there are so many options that Sebastian Brant, if he lived today and read the full list, would definitely write a sequel to the "Ship of Fools".
But the great philosopher passed into the best of all worlds exactly 500 years ago, so Bored Panda took over his function and collected a selection of the most extraordinary, aptly and wittily described observations that demonstrate how to recognize any slightest manifestation of human stupidity literally out of the blue. So please feel free to read all the signs we've selected, and of course add your own observations. After all, no one is immune from the fact that what today is considered absolute wisdom will be no less true nonsense tomorrow.
More info: Reddit
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Littering.
Wish I could upvote this more. I despise people that litter. TAKE IT HOME WITH YOU!! Sorry about the raising my voice.
I just heard a guy say "God gave us the right to have a gun, if you're against my right to have a gun, you're also against God."
Politics aside, whether you're for or against gun laws; that is a ridiculous statement.
A gun? Not the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch? “ARTHUR: Yes, of course! The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch! 'Tis one of the sacred relics Brother Maynard carries with him. Brother Maynard! Bring up the Holy Hand Grenade! MONKS: (chanting) Pie Iesu domine, dona eis requiem Pie Iesu domine, dona eis requiem. Pie Iesu domine, dona eis requiem. Pie Iesu domine, dona eis requiem ARTHUR: How does it, um-- how does it work? LANCELOT: I know not, my liege ARTHUR: Consult the Book of Armaments! BROTHER MAYNARD: Armaments, chapter two, verses nine to twenty-one SECOND BROTHER: And Saint Attila raised the hand grenade up on high, saying, "O Lord, bless this Thy hand grenade that, with it, Thou mayest blow Thine enemies to tiny bits in Thy mercy." And the Lord did grin, and the people did feast upon the lambs and sloths and carp and anchovies and orangutans and breakfast cereals and fruit bats and large chu-- MAYNARD: Skip a bit, Brother SECOND BROTHER: And the Lord spake, saying, "First shalt thou take out the Holy Pin. Then, shalt thou count to three. No more. No less. Three shalt be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, nor either count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out. Once the number three, being the third number, be reached, then, lobbest thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch towards thy foe, who, being naughty in My sight, shall snuff it." MAYNARD: Amen KNIGHTS: Amen ARTHUR: Right! One!... Two!... Five! GALAHAD: Three, sir. ARTHUR: Three!”
Having even a cursory interest in what the Kardashians are doing.
When they like andrew tate
For those who don't know AT (like me), here's what Google says: "Tate, a former professional kickboxer, is known for his viral rants online about male dominance, female submission and wealth. He openly advocates violence against women, and had previously been banned from every major social media platform until Elon Musk reinstated his Twitter account after taking over the company."
talking about horoscopes
"I'm toxic and clingy because i'm a caprisun"
no sharon you're just a c**t, the stars had nothing to do with it
Active hostility to books (as opposed to simply not reading them).
Ridiculing people who read as well.. claiming that it's a "useless waste of time" and automatically assuming that if you read, you're not experiencing "LIFE" so theeey obviously are better than you somehow. These are also usually the people who claim that spelling isn't important.
When they post one of those things on Facebook saying "only a few will share!" or when they comment on one of those clickbait "God has a blessing for you today say amen!" posts
Or the , this month has 5 Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays it only happens once every 830 years its called money bags. Like ok stupid it happens every 5yrs but Facebook said it only happens 830 years so we won't use our brains to work out its 5yrs before you share and look stupid
Everything is black and white, there are no middle grounds. You either support and agree with every little thing they do at full force, or you're a worst enemy.
People who don’t accept that people change their minds. Example:
“I actually view things with
“Well if you don’t stick to your guns, how are you supposed to stand up for yourself?? You can’t just let people change your mind like that!!”
Yes, yes you can. People grow when they’re introduced to new information. If you don’t change at all, you’re not “sticking to your guns”, you’re being an idiot.
When you’re in the wrong, then “sticking to our guns” = doubling down on your stupidity.
When they use the Bible as their go to defense for anything they do. Especially when they misquote it or point to something that isn't in the Bible.
I don't believe in the bible, so those arguments don't work on me.
The bible does exist, I just don't believe what it says.
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Ah yes, cherry-picking the Bible, just like cherry-picking the Constitution. The favorite pastime of those with an agenda that isn’t going to turn out well for anyone (except for a chosen few, though they eventually end up badly one way or another). Putting together a few words from a sentence in a document, taking away every bit of the surrounding context and spinning it in a way that has nothing to do with the actual original meaning of the words. Been done for millennia, and not with great results.
Well said. Most people that cite the Old Testiment (eye for an eye). Jesus said we are to love our neighbors as ourselves. Then He defined the word "neighbor" as anyone that needs help.
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Or they cherry pick for what they need. The people who claim that the Old Testament forbids homosexuality are perfectly at peace enjoying a ham sandwich.
I know right?! One can prove anything cherry-picking the bible. It’s also how most "contradictions" are made.
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Very spiritual person here, but it's not my job to interfere with your free will, and it's not my job to interfere with whatever you do with your wobbly bits. Carry on.
All of us heathens with the wobbly bits salute you, sir!
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Or when they begin a sentence with „as a Christian...“ as if that gives them the moral highground.
I have quoted Deuteronomy where it tells you to kill your family in front of your house if they believe differently from you. Wrong god thing. Bible thumpers claim it is not there . It is. They insist I am quoting the Quran.
A fun thing to do if you're ever arguing with a Christian who cites Leviticus -- "You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination [Chapter 18 verse 22]," "If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them [Chapter 20 verse 13]" -- to justify their homophobia is ask them if they eat pork.Yeah, you're going to Hell as well, fam. "And the pig, though it has a divided hoof, does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you" [Chapter 11 verse 7]. Why, you may as well be eating poop as far as the Almighty is concerned.
Levitical laws, which were given to a nomadic people in a harsh environment without surplus of water or medical knowledge, were superseded by NT, for most believers. NT advises we're not qualified to judge diddly squat ...that's His gig.
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People who always insist that because of the bible we know God exists. Well by that theory, Noddy and Big Ears exist.
Yeah and then when you disagree or try to say that it's irrelevant they start yelling about religious freedom
What I have tended to see is cherry picking something out and that’s the hill they will die on. Ignore anything else that contradicts it like, love thy neighbor.
When Bible thumpers come to my door and start in on what the Bible says, I offer to check them out using one of my many Bibles (King James, RSV, several others in English), my Book of Mormon, my Koran, or any of my other books of mythology. They usually leave about then.
Remonds me of "I beleve the bible is true because it stood the test of time and science is is always changing." First: there are loads of things in the bible like the slavery laws that did not stand the test of time. Second: science changing when something is discovered isn't a bug it's a feature to make it as correct as we can.
Everytime someone uses Bible as reference for their opinion, I bring in Leviticus 11.
And believers have so many biblical texts and translations to choose from! My shelves contain various renderings, none in total agreement. Is this the method {JHWH} uses to keep believers confused and subordinate?
Isn't it funny how they never quote the Torah or the Quran, though? Like Christianity is the ONLY religion on the planet? FYI - there are over 4,000 (ish)? organized religions/sects on the planet, the most prominent (in no particular order) being: Baha'i, Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Shinto, Sikhism, Taoism, and Zoroastrianism. And guess what? They all have their own "Book".
Yeah as soon as this sort of thing is brought to the argument, we are done arguing.
My sister took theology classes…it’s so much fun to watch her throw scripture in Zealots faces.
Ah yes. The "because the bible says so" bit. It's a useful book. But it was written by human beings. Who sometimes, just sometimes misinterpret things. Or outright lie. Do YOU tell the truth 100% of the time? I certainly don't.
also, to a lesser extent, the US Constitution. I've lost track of people who exclaim that something's "IN THE CONSTITUTION" when in fact it's not. It's not a very long document, it's pretty easy to read and determine what is or is not written in it. But that doesn't stop some people.
my grandmas like that, she said there are no true atheists bc the only way the universe could exist is by god, "atheists" just don't want to admit it
Especially when they pick and choose verses to suit their needs. "The Bible says marriage is sacred!" The Bible also says not to wear mixed fabrics but you're wearing polyester and cotton Sharon.
I would imagine this applies to almost any book sacred or otherwise. The book isn't the problem it's how it is used.
The bible, usually, has another verse that contradicts the point that people use from it to make a point ...
The act of being rude or condescending to retail workers or waitstaff, in my opinion, is indicative of poor education and social skills.
I don’t thin they meant formal education, but the wisdom & knowledge experience brings. If we don’t allow for that wisdom & knowledge to shape up and help us grow, we’ve poorly educated ourselves in social and interpersonal senses. I didn’t read it as structured or formal education. Some of the least schooled people I know have the been the best teachers of life lessons.
When they insist that feelings and beliefs are on equal footing to facts.
When people insult rather than use a counter argument.
Yeah. As a person who loves debates and hates arguing this is very annoying
Interest in a pyramid scheme
This is a truly tough one as pyramid schemes often prey on single parents, usually single mothers, and lure them in with the potential of a better life and a community. They are horrible as they brainwash people into giving up their entire life in exchange for an unattainable dream. So many people end up losing money and alienating those around them. Many people fear leaving them as they are made to feel like failures by people higher up. The Iluminaughti on Youtube has some wonder videos about pyramid schemes and MLMs and how people get caught up in them.
If every mistake in their life is blamed on others... Dropped out? Thats the schools fault. Didnt get a GED? Thats their parents fault for not helping them. Electricity wasn't paid on time? Yeah the company is out to get him...I mean an excuse for EVERYTHING
Just a complete lack of critical thinking. They cannot trouble shoot anything. I have an employee like this and it’s painful watching them sometimes.
For most people, the ability to use critical thinking has to be taught. Cognitive dissonance tends to be very common in humans, and to become a critical thinker, self awareness and self examination have to be practiced, also honesty, when you have to admit to something you were wrong about. It's hard to do.
When people constantly go on and on about how such and such is overrated or people who's favorite thing is X are idiots then I suspect they are being immature or dumb. I recognize this because I used to do it constantly. I now realize how stupid and immature that was. I am not perfect and still find myself doing it sometimes. It such an easy trap to fall into.
The example I like to give is the band Rush. I'm not a fan of their music but it would borderline criminal of me to say they are overrated or that people who like their music are dumb. Those three dudes are/were insanely talented and had more musical talent than I could ever dream of. Their music just doesn't speak to me and that's not on them that's on me.
So now I try my best to say things like "Big Bang theory" just isn't my cup of tea rather than everybody who likes BBT is dumb. Calling people dumb for having different opinions about subjective things is dumb.
Much respect for your insight and personal evolution. I think many of us spoke/thought this way when we were children through our young adulthood and eventually grew out of it. My personal examples: Country music, Journey, the color pink (I was a self-important tomboy), organized sports...
They aren't open to changing their beliefs when given new information.
Or, refusing to believe facts simply because it goes against their beliefs.
Claiming to be a sovereign citizen.
my take is they don't subscribe to the country's laws and claim sovereignty (independence) which makes them either an enemy combatant, an illegal alien, or a domestic terrorist. In any case, they need anything between these points as treatment. Enemy combatant? Shoot on sight. Illegal alien? Deport to country of origin. Domestic terrorist? Guantanamo. Easy. Post them these offers and ask them which they prefer.
Being confidently ignorant
Ahh.. of the "I KNOW I'm right - so whatever your 'evidence' is, I won't listen" variety?
Talks a lot and never listens.
For some of us with ADHD this is hard. We try to listen, we try to wait our turn to speak, we try not to talk too much, but we can’t help it. We’re not trying to be rude, nor does it mean we are unintelligent. It’s just the way our brain functions — especially if we are interested in the subject. So, I think this statement depends on how the speaker is presenting; if they are being condescending or arrogant.
Oddly enough, when they try and tell me their IQ.
All IQ tests show is how good the person is at IQ tests. People's scores improve with practice so they cannot be a test of innate ability.
If they believe in TV magicians, ghost hunting show, or that most other reality shows are not scripted
I have absolutely no idea why, but people here seem to think that poor grammar = unintelligent, without considering people who don't speak the language and are trying their best.
People can be Intelligent in other ways some are good at solving puzzles, some are good at mathematics or physics, some have excellent memory and some are good at quizzes.
Yeah. Grammar is a social construct and a form of classism. I'll make jokes about it and sometimes correct my friends in a gentle way (I try not to make it obvious) but if you actually believe people who don't use great grammar are less intelligent you're the problem
The kind of dogmatic anti-education sentiment you see going around the internet. "I learned more in this 10 minutes video than in 3 years of highschool", "College is a scam, my friend's cousin's dog dropped out to run his own business and is now a multimillionnaire".
The education system is imperfect and you don't *need* a college degree to lead a successful life, but people who outright dismiss college as a useful tool or ask why highschool doesn't teach us about taxes after they slept through algebra and ~~home-ed~~ home-ec just seem to be complaining for the sake of complaining. "Oh look at me I'm a contrarian that likes to s**t on some of the most useful established tools in modern society".
While I totally believe education is a very useful tool because it passes down useful information and builds vital skills in all areas of life, I firmly believe that knowledge and wisdom are not the same. Knowledge will tell you fire is hot, wisdom will tell you that it can cause great harm and chaos and must therefore be respected.
"could of", "would of"
This. Drives. Me. Crazy. I had one person try to mock me for saying "It's could have.. and would have" they were all like "NO it's not, you stupid or something?" - please see 'confidently ignorant' on this list...
Note: this post originally had 42 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
Also: Please allow university lecturers to have and voice their own opinions. If you can't bear to hear an opinion that differs from yours, you shouldn't even be there in the first place.
Making up words that sound like words or constantly using words wrong to make themselves seem smarter, not just because they don't know the real definition.
Also: Please allow university lecturers to have and voice their own opinions. If you can't bear to hear an opinion that differs from yours, you shouldn't even be there in the first place.
Making up words that sound like words or constantly using words wrong to make themselves seem smarter, not just because they don't know the real definition.
