Here we are again for the next letter in the A-Z April Blogging Challenge and the letter is D.
D stands for…
Dumbing Down
Huh?
Exactly. Although I am willing to bet there are quite a few women reading this not saying huh because it is something taught to many of us as a way to get our guy. More on that in a minute.
It isn’t just for or about women though and
Today’s Mental Moment…
is about the trend of dumbing down and how a little dumb maybe is getting away from us as a society. Really.
Not long ago it was mostly just a girl thing, the dumbing down of, with two pretty distinctly separate camps. The one believing a woman should not show her true intelligence, and the one thinking she should.
Some may not even really be aware of this. It is something that just is, due to the way society is and how women have been treated through history
Women are taught, not necessarily by words, but actions of their role models to act, well…dumb. Dumber than they are, around the menfolk and somehow we are given the idea, maybe even told outright we won’t have a man if we scare them away with our brains. Our place is in the home looking pretty and doing things that aren’t overly taxing on our intelligence.
Things of course changed with the feminist movement but we will discuss that particular movement later.
There is not much room for middle ground between the should or shouldn’t camps, but as a whole, ideologically it is two different worlds in the
way women are valued.
The dumb down camp defines women’s self-worth by their looks. They place value on beauty and physical appearance and make no mistake a woman can go a long way and get by a long time on her looks.
The be as smart as you are camp values the intelligence a woman has, defines their self-worth more about their iq and recognizes looks aren’t everything.
Great. Hey let me ask you this, what about a beautiful woman by the standards society places for beauty, who has an above average, higher than most iq?
Soooo…
Women dumb themselves down to be more attractive to men. What does that say about men?
It says they don’t value a woman’s intelligence as much as other parts, not all men of course but it must be many or else why would it even be something women do? But really what is says is that many men fear intelligent women because intelligent women are perceived as strong, independent and thereby a threat.
It says something about women too.
We believe it.
Strong intelligent, independent women threaten weak men, and when men are threatened they wont date, sleep with much less marry the perceived threat – they will avoid and bad mouth, try to belittle and punish by acting uninterested and leaving these women as spinsters. (this can go both ways so no I am not picking on guys alone …just saying )
The real bottom line is the true self vs false self and whether either of these groups of women are being guided toward a healthy false sense (the persona you show the world) which is able to be the willow and adapt to external cues and social situations while remaining true to the true self, the self of integrity and connectedness and wholeness as a person.
It is safe to say women who are intelligent and adapt the persona of dumb, do not have a healthy false self as they are denying who they really are.
The smart woman who does not deny her intelligence is more likely to have the healthy false sense yet they too can swing to the unhealthy by using only their academic intelligence and not social intelligence thereby creating situations where they refuse to bend to a certain dogma because they are told dumbing down is a sign of weakness and fragility, even if their true self is actually in a position to be weaker or fragile. For instance, petite woman opening a heavy door when there is a giant of a man right next to her… who is “weaker”?
This phenomenon is not just the way of women. It is a cultural, societal and subjective thing.
Consider This:
Dumbing down is a matter of social intelligence, common sense and pack mentality, or fitting in, thinking. Some are able to do it subtly and without even realizing it. They can gauge the intelligence level of the crowd they are in and adjust accordingly to fit in, not putting their intellect below or even equal but able to not intellectually offend the less educated. For example, you probably wouldn’t want to discuss say, existentialist theory at the vatican, more a matter of cultural dumbing down than intellect. Or… oh never mind. Moving on.
If you are at a cocktail party, or in an occupation where there is a wide scope of intelligence, this is not a bad thing to do. It prevents people being defensive, unnecessary when in these situations, where it is just better to mingle and get along, to follow orders for the good of the group, even if they are dumb.
The orders, not necessarily the group.
When done correctly, I am here to tell you, no one is the wiser for it nor feels offended by the subtle shift. Socially, for society, it is pretty clever.
The stupid don’t feel like so and so was a condescending arrogant know it all, and so and so is a person who can make peace and adapt to all types of people with a tolerant and open-minded view of the world.
They aren’t intellectually stimulated all the time (although certainly entertained) but they are smart enough to know how to fix that, as long as they are not dumbing down for everyone, spouse kids family, close friends included…then its dumb.
They key is not doing it all the time… a little is good, more is lying.
In recent years the entire human race seems to be dumbing itself down, presenting a false persona by accepting bad behavior and ignorance … Lowering its standards to avoid hurting feelings and alienating of those who really are weaker, less adapted or less educated.
An example of this would be in the rules used to govern society as a whole.
Instead of requiring those who are able, but not willing, to rise up to the higher standards, rules are made, then cause conflict, for those capable of not having such structured lives in the workplace or financially or anywhere.
At some point we decided it was right to have the majority live by rules made according to the bad behavior of the minority. The outcome is the dumbing down, whether through denial of the true ability, integrity and intelligence of the collective whole by making rules that are PC, or by allowing the standards previously accepted on social levels fall lower in order to keep the less able to from falling behind but which also allows the lazy and thoughtless to prosper through non integrious means.
Any which way you look at it. It’s dumb.
It’s giving up on the power of the people and denying the intelligence of the whole human race by putting power in the hand of the idiots who refuse to open their eyes and are willing as sheep led to the slaughter, as they bleat loudly for their own gain.
Social intelligence and common sense to DUMB.
We aren’t that dumb.
Are we?
To Your Mental State, whatever it may be.
Related articles
- Go Make Me A Sandwich (ovarytruthful.wordpress.com)
- To be intelligent (tameshewolf.wordpress.com)
- Social Intelligence and Emotional Intelligence (vistage.com)
- Esquire Cares Not For Your Dumb Little Lady Brain (No Really, They Admit It) (thegloss.com)
- A Woman’s Worth (enviedangel.wordpress.com)
- Supportive women vs Dumb chicks (askmsdareisay.wordpress.com)
- Never in Love (solitareredhead.wordpress.com)
- Good looks may actually pay off, says study (gentsamongmen.wordpress.com)
- Only two types of people… Dumb ones and Smart ones. (lunaticoutpost.com)
- Dumb Enough (likeinbooks.wordpress.com)
Running Naked With Scissors 
Or, as Copeland said in Generation X, we can ‘Erotisize Intellegence’…
we can or we do? I have been thinking on your comment – I think we do if I am using the proper definition ..
I prefer strong, intelligent women in relationships because I need an equal, not a doormat.
Unfortunately those times are past, but most of my women friends are independent and happy in their lives, whether married or not.
Love and hugs!
Prenin.
there are only two kinds of women, goddesses and doormats.
I do not agree with that as a black and white statement but with lots of shades of grey – it is the truth.
You have said more than one mouthful with this one my friend. You have said two or three.
WP ate my reply again… I swear it’s a conspiracy…oh crap I gotta stop that – anyway.. I have a few more to go..
‘Dumbing down’ from who you really are is ‘dumb’ in most instances I think… but as you said sometimes we do so at times when the people in our presence at the time would feel uncomfortable or out of place or ‘dumb’ if we didn’t allow ourselves to see where they’re at and not seem superior by what we say or do… ie putting them down somehow..so knowing when to do so is a kindness ….and I would hope those people above me in for example ‘intellectual’ ability would do the same for me. It really is a challenge to know if or when we should ever ‘dumb down’….Diane
I don;t always think it is for the less intelligent than us we dumb down – sometimes it is for our own benefit. If we want to blend in, not be outted as different.. just enjoy the company we are in without conflict of intelligence… I don’t know why I just thought of it like that.. but sometimes it is a “survival” instinct rather than kindness toward our fellow man… I don;t consciously say oh I need to dumb down – I just do. I think the military helped expose me to people from all ranges of intelligence and to get along and not stand out from the group… which is necessary in that sort of environment.
I agree Lizzie, it is for ourselves also not always for the other person…. Diane
I am an intellect with no common sense. I do not dumb down, but there are things that have been outside my area of concentrated interest, so I accept help with those. Whether the help comes from a man or a woman, doesn’t matter to me. But you really nailed it when you talked about the intimidation of either sex over a more intelligent mate. My ex used to ask me to do his architecture work for him, and then hated me for it, Prime example. Now I am in a respectful relationship and we each have our gifts and our gaffs 🙂
LOl – oh Gail you made me laugh…an intellect with no common sense.. book smart not street smart…gullible. I am there with you. I am smarter than the average bear but also trusting in others to tell me the truth. Smart as I am it rarely occurs to me to not believe some of the really stupid things I hear although I am getting better at spotting and calling bs as i get older. intelligence in a relationship of unequal matching can be destructive but shouldn’t be and should not be used for a power position… but sadly it is and even those who are smarter who don;t use it that way can be burned by the insecurities of those who are not.
While individuals may be smart, in a large group, intelligence seems to drop exponentially.
But smart women are always hot.
I know right? 😉
and it amazes me how a crowd of relatively bright people can be whipped into a frenzy of stupidity in such a short amount of time.
I think Norma Jean/Marilyn was smarter than anyone knew. Also, the most beautiful famous woman ever. Intelligence is sexier than any body part/style.
She was and had a desire to learn things and better herself which sometimes makes me wonder what she would have done today, or if she had lived, if she would have dropped the dumb blonde act eventually. I think she was well on her way to it. I have never been told outright to dumb down, but I do to avoid conflict in social situations. As I grow older, I am less likely to hide my intelligence and less likely to give a monkey’s left ball if it threatens anyone and… look good doing it too 😉 ( I could not resist…lol)
It is why I will always tip my hat to Hedy Lamarr. Brains and beauty and told the world to step off as she invented what would become the channels on which we now surf.
I can attest to the threatened men, even if none of them are going to stand up and say anything. I have seen men shrink like withered vines (pun entirely intended) when a conversation turns to one where they would normally beat their chests in testosterone-laden, assumed superiority to have diminutive me tower over them intellectually.
I am not a snob about it. I will teach anyone anything; however, I have standards. The minimum of which is do not drool whilst I speak.
Okay, so this one pressed a button. I shall refrain from hijacking your post any further.
♥ xxx
highjack to your heart’s content. I am not one to cut off commentary, especially when I know I have done my fair share of hijacking, if only in length not necessarily importance of point. Intellectual excellence comes from sharing of ideas and opinions amongst peers who will consider rather than reject with no thought another’s point of view. I am interested in what this post stirred up in people. ❤
The book you have up there is a prime example of how we all are expected to be touchy feely and never once actually assert the fact one person is smarter than another. It is about how schools are geared to back down to the lowest common intellect in the class so everyone can be on par, even if the par is substandard.
We are raising generation after generation who should be better than those before, based solely on the surplus of information accumulated over the course of time; yet, the average IQ is dropping as we celebrate mediocrity in all its varied and sundry appearances. We have the audacity to tell smart children not to embarrass the less exposed, less educated, less smart. Why the [expletive] should a child be embarrassed for not knowing? Because Mommy and Daddy Mediocrity had their feelings hurt in the fifth grade when the teacher pointed out (insert any misquoted fact) was incorrect?
Parents should be embarrassed for not turning off the boob-tube and teaching children something besides how to operate a smart phone or game console. What little passes for education these days is insufficient to raise a child to open pop-top tuna cans for a living.
Ugh. Makes me want to Neanderthal them all with a large club to where their crania would like cave based on no support.
I think I need some chocolate.
xxx
you know what I noticed? Magpie is scary smart. Smarter than I am – was at her age, she is in an advanced class in math – and reads not only well, but her comprehension – well lets just go with the tests they give to measure where they sit in relation to the national average …Magpie far surpasses the national average in all areas. There is this little bar with red yellow and green with a little dude put where the child falls – I can only assume it is so us duh huh parents can understand what we are looking at – anyways Magpie is leading the whole lot of them in the 90 +% range. You know what the highest grade she can get is??? Meets standards…MS The only reason from what I can gather, there is an advanced math class is because the teachers see the need to challenge kids like Magpie – they understand we are just as much in danger of losing them as we are the kids who are behind. To lose the brilliant ones is in effect, dumbing down the potential of the future. The “No Child left behind” is admirable in its goal to make sure we all are at a certain standard but what about “No child held back” ? and I don’t mean repeating a grade I mean held back from excelling.
NCLB is yet another resource to provide mediocrity for all generations. There is no way to excel if everyone gets a trophy for showing up.
Mr Incredible said it so well 😉 it’s just another way to recognize mediocrity…when we are rewarded for doing things within the realm of average, or things we are expected to do without promise of recognition…we begin to accept the average as acceptable, then to tacognize it as exceptional.. kindergarten graduation comes to mind..after just graduating preschool the year before..should we have a ceremony every year? like it’s a feat of great intelligence to pass from one grade to the next? ug
wow we accept the average as acceptable… huh .. we begin to see the average as achievement in the realm of exceptional… whereever is my mind today? 😉
*likely. See? I am so bent I cannot type.
understandable 😉
Hey, thanks for using my post as a resource :). Awesome article!
thank you! yours as well..especially the part about where the dumbass who tells you to go make a sandwich will find said sandwich in short order 🙂 Rock on!