Discussion»Questions»Life and Society» Dumbing down insults people. You're assuming they're way too dumb to understand you. Well they aren't. I don't dumb down ever. Do you? Why?
Some people are dumb. If you cannot reach them by not "dumbing down" as you say, what is the point of swelling with pride over how superior you are mentally? I don't see the point. I see someone all puffed up with pride and importance thinking they know better.
I don't see any knowledge being imparted. I don't see any insight at all in this attitude. I see a know-it-all pounding his head against a brick wall over and over saying to himself that he is so superior and disgusted with the stupider people.
How clever.
I think it is far more intelligent to grasp where your audience is as far as knowledge and smarts and talk to them at a level they can grasp. That takes far more intelligence than trying to pound ideas in their heads they are not able to comprehend.
When someone is not understanding me and it's important to me that they do so, I will modify the way I am speaking or writing. In my opinion, to do anything else would be arrogant in the extreme. What is insulting is to walk away from people that you consider too stupid to understand you.
It's only insulting if you assume the person you are talking with is too dumb to understand what you are saying, so you 'dumb it down' from the jump. If they are struggling with what you are trying to say, putting it in simpler terms is called for and totally acceptable.
The fault then would be with that person's inability to clearly articulate a point. That requires a change on the part of the person whose fault it is Karen..not the receiver. We may think we are being very clear about something with which we are familiar when in fact we are not being clear at all. That is the not the fault of the person to whom you are speaking. It is your fault. So you try again using different words. You are not dumbing down at all. You are smartening up and seeking better ways to explain what you mean. Thank you for your reply! :)
This post was edited by RosieG at November 19, 2016 6:30 AM MST
If you're talking about the general electorate, Rosie, the standard of politicians is to treat people as though they have the intelligence of a twelve-year-old - and yes, I think that insults the majority of adults. If you're talking about here on aM - the majority are very smart so there's no need to dumb down anything. Every group and every individual is different.
If you're talking about individuals, I think it's better to feel one's way with as much sensitivity as possible and respond in kind.
It's not always easy to tell. I have a woman friend who's incredibly smart in maths and science, but absolutely hopeless in language and emotional and social matters. I find communicating with her extremely difficult. I have to match her language and her style exactly, or she can't understand what I say.
If the adjustment is not according to evident necessity, then the motive for dumbing down can only be a con.
Finding better ways to articulate what you are saying so that someone else will understand you is not dumbing down at all hartfire. It is always the responsibility of the person doing the talking to be clear, concise, direct,comprehensible. It is not the fault of the listener if he/she does not understand. It is your fault for not being able to communicate clearly. When we are talking about things with which we are familiar I think we often assume that others are familiar with it too. On Answermug the assumption is that English is the first language of all our members. That is not the case. If you use slang or colloquialisms then you have to rethink, retrench, restart. You don't dumb down. You smarten up. At least that's my view. I mean we're all average here and everywhere. We're all great at some things..mediocre sometimes and really lousy at doing some things. They are just different things. So while you may excel at something someone else does not, be assured that person excels at something you do not. I think too many people forget that. If they are operating in an environment that reflects their strength they can get cocky. Put them in an environment where they aren't and they will soon see how foolish thinking they are "better than" is. Just my opinion. Thank you for your reply! :)
So perhaps I am not clear exactly what you mean by "dumbing down." Could you give me a couple of examples? -- dumbing down when speaking to someone, and then saying the same thing in a not dumb way.
WM BARR . =ABSOLUTE TRASH 