# Dealing with stupid people



## firefighter72 (Apr 18, 2014)

Ok so at my second camp(firefighter camp) I realized very fast that 90% of the returning campers were beyond stupid, so I couldn't reason with them using brains:-?. First problem I ran into was not being liked(didn't care I wasn't there to make friends)or accepted. Now the reason I'm posting about this is there are people like this everywhere. They are very hard to get along with and talk to/communicate with. I quickly found my self at the top of the $h!t list with these people. Most of whom didn't pay attention and didn't know how to do the task at hand when given to us. I found it very hard to get anything done with these people in my group. Not only do to the fact that they were stupid and didn't pay attention, but also not being liked by them. Now in a real life setting being liked and accepted is a part of effective team work. My question for you guys is how do you get along with stupid people? How do you leader them, and how do you be lead by them? I found myself in all of these situations and found it to be very hard and I couldn't come up with answer at camp. Now I'm still young and dumb here I sure you guys out there have ran into the same problem, so anything thing will be more then helpful.


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## redhawk (May 7, 2014)

Maybe, just maybe they are thinking the same way about you...just saying.


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## firefighter72 (Apr 18, 2014)

redhawk said:


> Maybe, just maybe they are thinking the same way about you...just saying.


This is very true, but when a kid says a girl has a sinkhole on her head and gets pissed when he's told its an indention and not a sinkhole and what the difference is... well he's stupid.


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## alterego (Jan 27, 2013)

Good Luck.The Best You Can Hope For Is The Opportunity To Avoid Stupid People.


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## Guest (Jun 27, 2014)

You don't have to educate them. you are their peer. you may have come across as a know it all to that 90% you speak of. instead of correcting them give them an alternative. if there is a good thing in what they say make a fusion of all your ideas. by subtly directing in this way you show your leaders that you can lead...impress your superiors and try to help your peers, but do so in a humble, friendly way...joke with them and be serious with your own learning..if someone asks you help explain/show them the proper way.


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## Lucky Jim (Sep 2, 2012)

firefighter72 said:


> ..My question for you guys is how do you get along with stupid people?..


If we let stupid people into our group we'd be as stupid as they are!
And by stupid I don't mean IQ level, I mean sloppy, disorganised, argumentative, disruptive pain in asses who are a threat to the survival of the group. Heck, Forrest Gump proved anybody can be a great soldier, he can be in my group anytime..

_"If you hang around with losers you become a loser"- Donald Trump 
"The first method of estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him"- Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527)
"Bad company corrupts good character" (Bible:1 Corinthians 15:33)
"The main thing in life is to be surrounded by good men" -Fieldmarshal Friedrich von Paulus
"He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm" (Bible: Proverbs 13:20)
"Associate yourself with men of good quality,for 'tis better to be alone than in bad company"- George Washington _


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## redhawk (May 7, 2014)

I was not saying anything negative about you, believe me when I say I have heard a lot of "uneducated" things as a medic and ER Tech. I just try to think of them as uninformed or uneducated in some things and I always tried to help them to learn and understand. I am always learning new things each and every day and I hope that I never stop learning...JM2C


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## firefighter72 (Apr 18, 2014)

What about in everyday life though? For me it'd be school but for most of you guys it'd be work how do you get along with them there?


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## Lucky Jim (Sep 2, 2012)

Just be polite to them in a neutral way, being neither friendly nor unfriendly towards them. 
But if you work alongside them in construction or handling heavy machinery watch your back or they'll kill you..

PS- even worse are the psychos who'll deliberately try to kill or maim you, we had a kid like that at school, he "accidentally" jammed a red-hot poker in my face in metalwork class, and another time he swung on the soccer goalposts and "accidentally" dislodged the crossbar on my head..


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## pheniox17 (Dec 12, 2013)

from one fire fighter to another, we are not known for being the smartest bunch, even look at pump controls, they are so simple I have seen people still not get it


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## Old SF Guy (Dec 15, 2013)

firefighter72 said:


> Ok so at my second camp(firefighter camp) I realized very fast that 90% of the returning campers were beyond stupid, so I couldn't reason with them using brains:-?. First problem I ran into was not being liked(didn't care I wasn't there to make friends)or accepted. Now the reason I'm posting about this is there are people like this everywhere. They are very hard to get along with and talk to/communicate with. I quickly found my self at the top of the $h!t list with these people. Most of whom didn't pay attention and didn't know how to do the task at hand when given to us. I found it very hard to get anything done with these people in my group. Not only do to the fact that they were stupid and didn't pay attention, but also not being liked by them. Now in a real life setting being liked and accepted is a part of effective team work. My question for you guys is how do you get along with stupid people? How do you leader them, and how do you be lead by them? I found myself in all of these situations and found it to be very hard and I couldn't come up with answer at camp. Now I'm still young and dumb here I sure you guys out there have ran into the same problem, so anything thing will be more then helpful.


Firefighter...In an earlier post from you I got the same sentiment about fellow firefighters...they are dumb and you are not.... I begin to wonder if your IQ is so high or is it your hubris....I do not know...but if you are so smart and the world so dumb....and folks contend against you so.....who is wrong? fire fighter....think long about this...maybe you are not being social..maybe people dislike you because you are arrogant...young man...unless you are an einstein maybe you are an asshole.


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## pheniox17 (Dec 12, 2013)

Old SF Guy said:


> unless you are an einstein maybe you are an asshole.


how did you know?? oh wait you're talking about firefighter


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## Lucky Jim (Sep 2, 2012)

Here in Britain most of our firefighters are dumb and gutless.
Every so often there's a story in the news about how they just stood idly by and let people die of drowning or stuck down a sinkhole etc because they wouldn't go in and rescue them "because of the risk on health and safety grounds".
Hell, if they don't want to take risks they should resign and be supermarket shelf fillers!


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## James m (Mar 11, 2014)

Maybe they act dumb to get your goat. If I got fed up with it I'd ask if they got past third grade or something similar.


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## LunaticFringeInc (Nov 20, 2012)

I have found that you have to step back and let them fail miserably and do so repeatededly until they arrive at the conclusion that perhaps they don't know everything and perhaps someone else is more knowledgable and can better lead the way. Question is can you afford to hang in there long enough for them to figure that out?


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## TxBorderCop (Nov 19, 2012)

LunaticFringeInc said:


> I have found that you have to step back and let them fail miserably and do so repeatededly until they arrive at the conclusion that perhaps they don't know everything and perhaps someone else is more knowledgable and can better lead the way. Question is can you afford to hang in there long enough for them to figure that out?


What he said.


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## Denton (Sep 18, 2012)

This is going to be a real test for you.

How to Win Friends & Influence People: Dale Carnegie: 9780671027032: Amazon.com: Books

The book has been around for decades, but the human condition hasn't changed one bit. Having the ability to interact with people is a skill you are going to need for the rest of your life. Read it, and practice what you learn.

A couple of facts you might also want to consider. You aren't as smart as you think you are, and people aren't always as dumb as you think they are. Nobody likes pushy, know-it-alls, and they will instinctively work against them.
There is more to being a team member than being technically and tactically proficient at the job.

Good luck!


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## Lucky Jim (Sep 2, 2012)

Incidentally I read a Tom Clancy (?) fictional book some years ago, can't remember the title but it centred on a US tank unit set in the cold war period in Germany.
The unit commander didn't like one of his tank commanders who he regarded as a "stupid clown" who'd be shaky if war ever broke out, so he decides to transfer him out to get rid of him.
But before he can do it World War Three starts as Russki tank columns begin pouring into Germany, and his unit finds itself outnumbered in the front line and begins taking heavy losses, so he's forced to order a withdrawal.
As he pulls out, he glances back and sees the last tank standing it's ground to the last second, calmly pouring shot after shot into the Russian armoured spearhead with devastating effect.
It's the "stupid clowns" tank.. 
The moral?- today's "clown" might be tomorrow's hero when it hits the fan..


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## firefighter72 (Apr 18, 2014)

Old SF Guy said:


> Firefighter...In an earlier post from you I got the same sentiment about fellow firefighters...they are dumb and you are not.... I begin to wonder if your IQ is so high or is it your hubris....I do not know...but if you are so smart and the world so dumb....and folks contend against you so.....who is wrong? fire fighter....think long about this...maybe you are not being social..maybe people dislike you because you are arrogant...young man...unless you are an einstein maybe you are an asshole.


Your right about that I have had alot of people call me and asshole know it all, and I don't like to be social because I feel like most the people are stupid/don't like me(my age that is). I need to work hard at being social with more people my age. I always forget that I can learn something from everyone, but I forget that some people know more then me in other subjects. Your probably right about my pride getting in the way too. I try real hard to impress peers and adults every chance I get, but forget big of a know it all asshole I can make my self look.


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## Lucky Jim (Sep 2, 2012)

In the online PC wargame "Iron Front", an inexperienced newcomer joined in and called in an artillery strike on an enemy village.
"What the hell did you do that for you stupid idiot?" asked some other players.
"I saw artillery was available so I used it" he replied.

So I said to him "Good for you mate, you don't pussyfoot around, you can be my squad leader anytime you like!"

The reason the other players didn't like it was because they were f****** around like ballerinas trying to fight the battle with just rifles.
They could have called in arty themselves but they must have forgotten a basic doctrine of war- _Never fear to use overwhelming devastating firepower, let the fear be your enemies! _..


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## just mike (Jun 25, 2014)

My father told me something about 50 years ago that made sense then and makes even more now. "Either accept people as they are or get the hell away from them, they are not going to change and neither are you."


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## pastornator (Apr 5, 2013)

The best way that I have found is to lead them to believe that they are controlling you. Influence is key... Influence the influencer, even if he or she is a stupid person. That can happen by any number of means, skillset that is admired, wise words at appropriate times, power of suggestion, "I was just thinking...", or "what do you think about this... Wow, great idea!" or, carefully planted concepts that later come back into play.

As a senior pastor, I get to deal with a lot of people whom I really have little control over, and yet I am their appointed leader. I'm not saying that they are "stupid people" but most people who simply think differently than us come off that way. I LEAD but often in the most subtle of ways that appears that I am not leading at all. Like racing motocross, as long as the bike is going in the right direction, I don't care how it is bouncing or twisting under my control.


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## pheniox17 (Dec 12, 2013)

Denton said:


> This is going to be a real test for you.
> 
> How to Win Friends & Influence People: Dale Carnegie: 9780671027032: Amazon.com: Books
> 
> ...


its a good book, there are tonnes of similar books based on this one

but from one highly intelligent person to another I will give you some much needed advice

1. don't show it, people are threatened by intellectual people

2. don't be Mr know it all

3. as you have found out here, treat others how you want to be treated

4. focus your intelligence on problems, not people

5. ditch the arse hole nature and the arrogance you clearly show you're a shit kicker, act like it

6. surrounded yourself with respectful, morally sound people

7. there is always someone bigger and better than you

8. get a hobby

9. get some life experience

and 10. prove your intelligence buy understanding the human behavior....

you may have noticed on other threads how people behave, there are some here that focus on one problem, there are others that are not the sharpest tool in the shed but if shtf I would prefer them covering my back than close friends, and there are some really intellectual people here that hide it, and hide it well, spend some time learning about human behavior.... not just online, I can pick a Vietnam vet a mile off, I can pick retired soldiers 75% of the time, I can also pick crims, its not hard to grasp, but takes time, I can even do threat assessments due to my aikido days...

I'm only giving examples, one fun game I use to do when I was on yahoo chat was phyc profiles, and if you sit back and really get with it, you can to a basic profile on most people here without being a in your face arsehole 

but if your as smart as your saying, use that for other things than been a c..t


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## BlackDog (Nov 23, 2013)

Read this. http://www.cs.columbia.edu/~gongsu/desiderata_textonly.html
It's the Desiderata. Study it. Emulate it. You will be a better man for it.


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## Badcompany (Jun 28, 2014)

I spent a decade leading marines, and as you probably can figure out not all of them were scholars. haha If you don't have total authority over a group you have to present a solution to the situation before immediately dismissing the rest of the groups way of completing a task. And if necessary explain in great detail why there idea wont work. I hope this helps.


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## pheniox17 (Dec 12, 2013)

oh one other thing (sorry for been crude)

when I was a teen I was more interested in pussy and fast cars than who's the smartest, in your case I commend your thinking but your missing out on a lot of fun.... worry about more important things, there will always be the smart and the dumb like there will be rich and poor....


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## Innkeeper (Jun 18, 2014)

Lucky Jim said:


> Incidentally I read a Tom Clancy (?) fictional book some years ago, can't remember the title but it centred on a US tank unit set in the cold war period in Germany.
> The unit commander didn't like one of his tank commanders who he regarded as a "stupid clown" who'd be shaky if war ever broke out, so he decides to transfer him out to get rid of him.
> But before he can do it World War Three starts as Russki tank columns begin pouring into Germany, and his unit finds itself outnumbered in the front line and begins taking heavy losses, so he's forced to order a withdrawal.
> As he pulls out, he glances back and sees the last tank standing it's ground to the last second, calmly pouring shot after shot into the Russian armoured spearhead with devastating effect.
> ...


 I think I know the book your talking about, I can see the cover in my head, it was not Tom Clancy , but I can not think of the Authors name it will come to me later and I will post it then. But yes was a good story, and yes that about sums up that lesson.


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## Arizona Infidel (Oct 5, 2013)

Lucky Jim said:


> Here in Britain most of our firefighters are dumb and gutless.
> Every so often there's a story in the news about how they just stood idly by and let people die of drowning or stuck down a sinkhole etc because they wouldn't go in and rescue them "because of the risk on health and safety grounds".
> Hell, if they don't want to take risks they should resign and be supermarket shelf fillers!


. We aren't that far down the bowl yet, but we are working on it.
9-11 changed a lot of things here. That was one of them.


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## ApexPredator (Aug 17, 2013)

If you can master yourself enough to control your expressions and speech you can just learn to treat them like dogs. Dont get me wrong I love my dogs but once you understand how to train a dog youll understand how to deal with stupid people its all about negative and positive reinforcement. Id guess thats the reason your not well liked is because you don't go in for the meaningless mutually destructive self/group reinforcement. 
Check out the Dunning-Krugar effect it might help.


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## Lucky Jim (Sep 2, 2012)

Innkeeper said:


> I think I know the book your talking about, I can see the cover in my head, it was not Tom Clancy , but I can not think of the Authors name it will come to me later and I will post it then. But yes was a good story, and yes that about sums up that lesson.


Wait! I just remembered it was called 'Team Yankee' by US Army officer Harold Coyle..
I bought it because it was about what it'd be like if the Russkis invaded West Germany in the Cold War and had neat tactical diagrams and stuff.
And like i said, the platoon "clown" stood his ground and kept pouring tank fire into the enemy spearheads.

Rudyard Kipling touched on the same "todays clown, tomorrows hero" theme in his poem 'Tommy' which is a dig at all the pinko-libs who badmouth fighting men everywhere. Here's one verse-

_"Yes, makin' mock o' uniforms that guard you while you sleep
Is cheaper than them uniforms, an' they're starvation cheap. 
An' hustlin' drunken soldiers when they're goin' large a bit
Is five times better business than paradin' in full kit. 
Then it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an` Tommy, 'ow's yer soul? "
But it's " Thin red line of 'eroes " when the drums begin to roll."_


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## Lucky Jim (Sep 2, 2012)

An episode of the fictional '*Survivors*' showed that even brainy highly-qualified people can be stoopid if they don't know how to get along with people.
Agricultural college graduate Mark (circled) knows all there is to know about growing crops, but he's a pain-in-ass because of his rude manner. 
They don't actually kick him out, but he senses he's not wanted so he saddles up and rides out..















PS- one member of the group (not shown in this episode) is a young retarded guy but they all like him and are glad to have him around.
The moral?- If we make a group feel good, they'll want us regardless of whether we've got any paper qualifications


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

Please bow your heads. Dear Lord, I know in your infinite wisdom there is a purpose for all the stupid people in the world. I humbly ask that you consider that they are beginning to out number us due to all the warning labels now required by this government. If you can't cut back on their reproduction, could you at least make them dumb enough to not be able to read? Your humble servant, Paraquack


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