I meant what I said to him. When someone does not understand how to solve a problem or is unable to understand something fully, I would not say that they are being stupid or dumb (not mute).
So what does it mean to be stupid? When is it safe to say that someone is committing acts of stupidity? I suppose it depends on how you define this term.
According to me, stupid can mean lack of judgment or thought. For example, I would be stupid to leave my purse inside my unlocked car in plain view. Stupid can also mean to be silly. For example, I am being stupid when I start dancing with my friends in a grocery store for no reason. Stupid can also mean something that irritates you. For example, I wanted to strangle the stupid rear window captioning device when it refused to work for me. In addition, stupid can mean to act careless, like the time I thought it would be fun to ride an abandoned shopping cart down a steep hill.
In reading comments, blogs, and articles online I think it is stupid or thoughtless when someone says all are like this or that all need this and that. How can you possibly know that it will pertain to all if you have not personally met with or learned about each and every one of them? For example, how can you be so sure that all babies who have cochlear implants will be failures? And how can you say that all babies who are implanted will be successful? How can you say that all deaf people are going to have 4th grade reading levels by the time they graduate from high school? How can you say that all deaf cultured people are paranoid backstabbers? It infuriates me when I read things like this online either in blogs, articles, news, or through comments. How can one intelligently say that all are like this and that unless they know all there is to know about this group of people or have personally met every single one of them? Or to claim that something is an absolute fact without being able to back it up with data or primary sources, would be pretty stupid (which I am sure I have done before without thinking).
But, stupid, for me, is not when you are having trouble figuring out how to solve a problem or having trouble understanding a new concept. Sometimes it takes practice and sometimes it takes another way of looking at it or being taught in a way that you understand it. Would you say that you are stupid if you did not fully understand how to change the oil of your car, a completely new concept just taught to you once?
When it comes to solving certain math problems (more than basic math) I struggle. For whatever reason, as a child, it took me a very long time to understand certain math concepts. It took a lot more repetitions than the average student in my class to learn certain math concepts. As a result, this made me feel stupid. Sometimes when I was finally able to understand certain math concepts, I would often have trouble remembering the next day. But, I wouldn't say that I am stupid in math. It just happens to be something that may take me longer to understand or remember than most people. Perhaps, I wasn't taught in a way that I could understand it. Perhaps my brain isn't wired to learn certain math concepts quickly. Maybe I have a math learning disorder. Maybe I just needed a lot more practice.
But, because I felt stupid in math, I wasn't motivated to learn more about math or to practice using math skills. I was discouraged from pursuing careers in math, because I didn't feel confident enough to use math skills. I eventually convinced myself that I will never be good in math. Perhaps with the right training and practice I could have been pretty decent at math. Who knows.
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I agree with your first definition of stupid, but would use a different word for the rest.
ReplyDeleteUp close and personal with people who were formerly labeled "mentally retarded" (in the 70's) or "developmentally delayed" was a real eye opener.
"Stupid" doesn't apply to people like them. They are intelligent enough to know they are not like most others, and must work harder at many things whether they want to or not. If anybody were to use the S-word (or R-word) about them, they'd get a battle from me.
Totally with you on finding a way to explain things so one can understand, no matter what, and that the right training and practice can make a difference. That's really what teaching is all about.
Yup-couldn't have said it better, Dianrez.
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