Some Qs people asked me on general issues and my replies to them - 18

Q: Why do people just argue endlessly with experts even if they don't have any knowledge on some things? How can we avoid these stupid people?

Krishna: I thought about this several times. I  observed these things ...

One reason could be  Dunning Kruger effect

In the field of psychology, the Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which people with low ability at a task overestimate their ability. It is related to the cognitive bias of illusory superiority and comes from the inability of people to recognize their lack of ability.

Then we have people who hate some things. This hate can come from fear, illusion, lack of knowledge, inferiority complex and the like. Like religious people fearing science and its dominance. 

Another aspect is when a woman is talking with authority, some men can't tolerate it. They just want to 'frighten' and make her withdraw. 

Some people create walls in their minds.  People who they keep outside of it are considered as enemies and  are attacked mercilessly. 

There is a difference between ignorance, which is curable, and brash, irreparable stupidity

Whatever the reason maybe, it is not worth arguing with these people and waste our time and energy. 

One scientist recently said, 'It is highly embarrassing  to deal with extreme stupidity. I just withdraw and keep quiet'. 

But other experts say, "Just stay the hell away from Stupid, but realistically, that’s not feasible. One would have to completely sever oneself from all human interaction with them."

But the stupid keep chasing you - stalk you, bully you, follow you, attack you  at every possible chance, and harass you like hell. But how many people can you avoid? And honestly, no matter how much isolation you practice, there will still be remnants of Stupid all around you.

Like one person put it, Stupid’s like a virus: while you may have some immunity to it, you’re still surrounded by those infected and they keep wet coughing in your face.

He also adds that Stupid is what happens when ignorance is rewarded. Repeatedly. This reward could come in the form of some tangible compensation ( like likes, upvotes, claps, appreciation- yes, I have seen this happening several times on social media) or it could simply be the absence of negative consequence. Or even, neglect. When nobody opposes them, stupid people think they are right, always! This makes them very bold, loud and very aggressive. 

Everyone has their strengths. At the same time, everyone has their weakness too. And when we find ourselves to be significantly more intelligent in something than another person, it can sometimes be difficult to deal with that person because our differences are so great.

Agreed all people behave stupidly at one point or the other in their lives. But 'being stupid' is different from 'behaving stupidly' for various reasons occasionally. You have to see this difference first.  We are going to occasionally come across people who we find stubborn, irrational, or just plain annoying. How do you deal with them? 

Different people deal differently with stupidity. Some use humour to tease stupid people. Some argue with stupid people but fail miserably. Some try to sympathise. 

But it’s possible that you will cross paths with people in your life who are absolutely unbearable. It happens. We are a very diverse species – with different knowledge, values, interests, and goals – so it makes sense that there will be some people who you just won’t mesh with no matter how hard you try.

When the difference between levels of knowledge is great, there will never be harmony unless the person with less knowledge  acknowledges this. Otherwise there will be unwelcome arguments.  

The important thing to remember is that it’s perfectly alright not to get along with everyone. The smartest thing you can do sometimes is just ignore the other person, break any contact with them, and avoid conflict as much as possible. When it comes down to it, sometimes “walking away” is the best solution for both people.

Need I add, I always walk away from extremely stupid people? That, I feel, is the best way to deal with them.