Why is questioning someone's intellectual capacities an insult?

[Martinus]

I don't know.
I never get insulted when you question my intellectual capacity.
I am the first to recognize I am not very intelligent.
As a matter of fact, I am breathing and posting this today because I am not very smart.
If I were I would have been feeding the worms for a long time already.

I was actually going to refer to you in my OP, since you are probably the only person I know who admits that - which is respectable.

[Razgovory]

Siege understates himself.  Dumb soldiers on the front line get shot.  The problem is that most of Siege's mental faculties are devoted to his job.  It keeps him alive, but it makes him someone stubborn and resistant to new thought.  Perhaps it's to the best.  People who spend to much time over thinking that kind of work go crazy.


Seriously Mart, what is the situation that came up.

[The Brain]

Someone called Mart stupid and he got upset. The usual.

[Iormlund]

I think you are pretty close to the truth there Siege 

You think?

I for one not only realize there are smarter people around, I can remember when _I_ was smarter than I am now. I seem to have lost the edge with age (or maybe with illness). Especially when it comes to focus.

[CountDeMoney]

Hey look, yet another attention whore thread by Marty attempting to validate why he prances through life like an asshole to others!  Imagine that!

[Neil]

Because you're so fucking stupid.

[mongers]

I think you are pretty close to the truth there Siege 

It kind of blows your cover though, better have a few Coors lites and post some gibberish if you want us to think you are thick 

I'm drinking Miller Lite and vodka with orange juice.
And the baby is crying upstairs, but my wife gave me off today.
I haven't drank since Baby Siege was born on 3rd July.

Congratulations.



Why no thread about the happy occasion ?

[Martim Silva]

I have seen this many times before (and not talking about using offensive words like "cretin" or "retard") - someone whose intellectual capacities are questioned treats this as a huge insult/libel, whereas talking (using polite, non-offensive words) about someone else being emotional, or ugly, or not fit, or having a lot of other deficiencies is usually not treated as that offensive.

Is this because we are unable to separate our intellect from the sense of self?

A general answer, not directed at any personal case:

Some extreme cases exempted, most people have equivalent IQs. Ones (percieved and erroneous) idea regarding "intelligence" often does not come from an higher IQ, but rather from higher knowledge - often general knowledge - achieved through better education.

That education was often achieved because one's parents were able to afford a better school/teachers than the guy one thinks is dumber (in fact, just more ignorant).

So, when one usually points out that the other might be less intelligent, what he is REALLY saying is:

"You come from a poorer background than me, and my daddy paid me a higher education; Therefore, I am of higher birth than you and thus know more general stuff than you do. Bow to me, peasant!".

Which makes them a douche.

[Camerus]

Many people have no problem in admitting they aren't that smart, or only average.  Such people are less likely to make their living off their brain, however, and thus probably have less of their self-worth tied up in their perceived intelligence.

Also, many of us (as evidenced in this thread) tend to value others on the basis of their intelligence - so if your peers/society holds that your worth as a human being is linked to your intellect, someone denigrating that intellect is rather damaging. 

I imagine in warrior-societies, calling another person a "coward" would be a far more grievous insult than saying he wasn't bright, but that is just speculation on my part.

[Tamas]

Marty is hillarious 

In Polish society, is it okay to call someone unfit/ugly/whatever? And it puzzles him that people are offended by being called less intelligent than himself?

God damn.

[sbr]

I have some house plants that would be offended to be called less intelligent than Marti.

[Martinus]

Marty is hillarious 

In Polish society, is it okay to call someone unfit/ugly/whatever? And it puzzles him that people are offended by being called less intelligent than himself?

God damn.

I guess you are not very smart.

Of course any unwarranted or out of context criticism of another person can be offensive, but when done in the appropriate context and in a way that does not use insulting words, it's acceptable. It is quite acceptable, for example, for my personal trainer to tell me that I am not very fit and need to train more; or for a stylist or a plastic surgeon to tell a client that his or her looks are not perfect and what he or she needs to change about it - on the other hand, telling someone their intellect is lacking would be almost always perceived as an insult.

[Martinus]

I have seen this many times before (and not talking about using offensive words like "cretin" or "retard") - someone whose intellectual capacities are questioned treats this as a huge insult/libel, whereas talking (using polite, non-offensive words) about someone else being emotional, or ugly, or not fit, or having a lot of other deficiencies is usually not treated as that offensive.

Is this because we are unable to separate our intellect from the sense of self?

A general answer, not directed at any personal case:

Some extreme cases exempted, most people have equivalent IQs. Ones (percieved and erroneous) idea regarding "intelligence" often does not come from an higher IQ, but rather from higher knowledge - often general knowledge - achieved through better education.

That education was often achieved because one's parents were able to afford a better school/teachers than the guy one thinks is dumber (in fact, just more ignorant).

So, when one usually points out that the other might be less intelligent, what he is REALLY saying is:

"You come from a poorer background than me, and my daddy paid me a higher education; Therefore, I am of higher birth than you and thus know more general stuff than you do. Bow to me, peasant!".

Which makes them a douche.

I disagree. I have met plenty of rather unintelligent people coming from privileged backgrounds and vice versa.

[Tamas]

Marty is hillarious 

In Polish society, is it okay to call someone unfit/ugly/whatever? And it puzzles him that people are offended by being called less intelligent than himself?

God damn.

I guess you are not very smart.

Of course any unwarranted or out of context criticism of another person can be offensive, but when done in the appropriate context and in a way that does not use insulting words, it's acceptable. It is quite acceptable, for example, for my personal trainer to tell me that I am not very fit and need to train more; or for a stylist or a plastic surgeon to tell a client that his or her looks are not perfect and what he or she needs to change about it - on the other hand, telling someone their intellect is lacking would be almost always perceived as an insult.

yeah great. Those are two very specific situations, which only exist for the specific reason of telling the god-honest truth about someone. It is not the "people in general" scenario you described.

[Tonitrus]

I agree with Martim.

There are plenty of guys that us Languish-tards might think of as dumb rednecks, but they might know a car engine inside-out, or be able to disassemble/reassemble a transmission...while we'd hold a monkey wrench with a stupid look on our face.