do you judge how smart or dumb a person by the way his/her look?

[Corvus of the Black Night]

Devil's advocate: Is it unreasonable if I looked at someone who doesn't make an active effort to take care of themselves/contribute in any way to be less intelligent than someone who actually does contribute and takes care of themselves physically?

I mean really if I had to choose two people to hire solely upon first glance I'd think that the one who presented himself professionally would be a hell of a lot smarter than the one who dressed like a slob. Would I be wrong? Maybe. Is the judgement wrong? That's a more interesting question.

That's less of you looking at their appearance and more judging from what they do. If they're rather unkempt, then usually people who are that way are usually people who don't care for themselves very well. I've learned from personal experience though that people who are usually unkempt are actually usually very creative people who often get so caught up in their own work that they fail to keep track of their hygiene.

 

[LavenderTownGhost]

Absolutely not. I know how it feels to have people do that, so I wouldn't want to make anyone else feel that way. Plus, when I did it when I was younger out of sheer ignorance, people have opened their mouths and proven me wrong many times. Lesson learned.

 

[acatfrommars]

. Now, obviously you're not going to learn everything about the person from that, or even a whole lot. But it can tell you something, I think.

Hm, what could you determine from my name?

I do my best not to judge a person based on the way that they look. There are of course stereotypes like all Asian people are smart, but that may not be the case. I don't think that race really has anything to do with how intelligent a person can be if they put their mind to it and study hard. The way someone dresses doesn't infect how I view him/her, some of the smartest people I've ever met dress likes slobs. haha

The way a person talks can tell something about their intellect (not like dialect, but how they use grammar). It seems like intelligent people use more correct grammar and can conduct themselves better in a conversation or when speaking to a group of people.

 

[twocows]

Hm, what could you determine from my name?

Well, for one, maybe that you like cats. And you might be generally a lighthearted sort of person.

 

[Toutebelle]

I feel like I do, and I've done it a lot in the past. When I was in middle school I used to avoid guys with long hair because I thought they were dumb. It was because Ashton Kutcher was popular at the time - and he had long hair at the time too. I've been guilty of assuming that blonde women were dumb and promiscuous and that blond men were jerks because of their hair color. I'm still guilty of things like this, unfortunately.

 

[Lotus the Cat]

First of all, I think it is very difficult for someone to not make some sort of judgement about a person when they first see them - even unconsciously.

I don't differ on this fact. I try not to let first impressions affect my interactions with people, but instincts are hard to shift. That aside, body language can tell you a lot about a person, including intelligence. Of course, once you hear someone talk then you usually know. The speed at which someone can speak is a good indicator - the slower someone speaks may indicate a slower mind - and of course, the actual choice of words and elocution. I'm not talking about a vast vocabulary here either - you can get a similar effect using common words well (i.e. proper grammar).

That's my opinion on it anyway.

 

[Celina]

I really try not to. I couldn't help myself when I was younger though.
You never know what the person is like inside before you get to know them which is why I don't judge people by looks as much nowadays..

 

[Oryx]

First of all, I think it is very difficult for someone to not make some sort of judgement about a person when they first see them - even unconsciously.

I don't differ on this fact. I try not to let first impressions affect my interactions with people, but instincts are hard to shift. That aside, body language can tell you a lot about a person, including intelligence. Of course, once you hear someone talk then you usually know. The speed at which someone can speak is a good indicator - the slower someone speaks may indicate a slower mind - and of course, the actual choice of words and elocution. I'm not talking about a vast vocabulary here either - you can get a similar effect using common words well (i.e. proper grammar).

That's my opinion on it anyway.

This is a classist way of looking at it - many people are perfectly intelligent, and were also raised in an area with an accent or a way of speaking that's different from the "norm" as defined by rich white people through history. Language is ever-changing, and judging someone based on the slang they use or their speed of speech penalizes them for using a different dialect of English than you. I have friends that are from the South, speak slowly and with a Southern accent, and actively work to keep that because it's a part of who they are. I also have friends that intentionally keep manners of speaking that you would consider dumb although they are quite intelligent, because they're aware that people will judge them as dumb and they want to prove how speaking a certain way doesn't make you dumb.

Of course, this is all setting aside the implication that smart and educated are synonymous in your post, which is far from true. You do not become smart as you learn bigger words. You become educated.

 

[Kanzler]

What's smart? Is it just an aptitude or is it acquired skills? If we take the case that it's a natural God-given aptitude for a large range of things, does even matter that somebody's smart or not? Would it matter if we are judged on such a thing?

 

[Lotus the Cat]

This is a classist way of looking at it - many people are perfectly intelligent, and were also raised in an area with an accent or a way of speaking that's different from the "norm" as defined by rich white people through history. Language is ever-changing, and judging someone based on the slang they use or their speed of speech penalizes them for using a different dialect of English than you. I have friends that are from the South, speak slowly and with a Southern accent, and actively work to keep that because it's a part of who they are. I also have friends that intentionally keep manners of speaking that you would consider dumb although they are quite intelligent, because they're aware that people will judge them as dumb and they want to prove how speaking a certain way doesn't make you dumb.

Of course, this is all setting aside the implication that smart and educated are synonymous in your post, which is far from true. You do not become smart as you learn bigger words. You become educated.

I wouldn't call it classist, particularly considering the circumstances I grew up in. The highschool I went to was so socioeconomically disadvantaged (and hence generally poorly performing) that I could apply to get a scholarship from my state's highest ranking University just because I attended that school. Money and "class" has nothing to do with intelligence or the way that you can carry yourself. If people decide to sit into a stereotype that is their choice.

Variation in speed of speech is not location based in Australia, so I can't really relate to your statement on southerners. That being said, I have interacted with many people to which English is not their first language and outside of any barriers to their understanding of English, their rate of speech is what I would expect.

 

[Yoshikko]

No, you can never judge someone based on how they look, or even how they act. People make mistakes all the time, or do stupid things, or don't think things through, that doesn't represent their intellect at all.

[...]

Today I saw two girls that were definitely younger than me in rather revealing clothes pushing a stroller. Based on their attractive appearance, language and situation (having a child far too young) I thought they must be idiots. Bimbos with more beauty than brains. It happens a lot in my district, we are notorious for having a toxic culture with no family values, parents on the dole not giving two ♥♥♥♥s about what their kids are up to. It's pretty moronic, you can blame poor choices on lack of opportunity, social inequality, poor parenting, all of that stuff, still I think intelligence must come into play somewhere when you see something dumb.

So bad parenting or bad decisions means a person must be stupid? Bad/a lack of sexual education can't be the reason why young girls get unwanted pregnancies, no, surely they're just idiots. Judging people like that sounds more idiotic to me.

 

[Raven Valt]

Shouldn't the title for this thread be "Do you judge a person's intelligence based on their appearance?"

 

[Oryx]

This isn't Africa, even in low socio-economic areas you have to go to school until you're 17 and you WILL learn how practice safe sex. I know this because I have been through the process myself. Bad decisions indicate you have poor critical thinking skills or simply did not listen because you were too busy texting during class or would rather get drunk at a party and not worry about getting knocked up because #yolo. Stupid behaviour is the product of stupid people and actions are a very good determination of whether someone posesses any brain cells.

Someones potential IQ is not really relevant if they choose to waste it or undertake actions that aren't well thought out. You might be able to solve a rubiks cube in 30 seconds but if you decide to drive drunk and end up hitting a pedestrian you're still a dumbass. I do think that people with better cognitive skills make better decisions a lot of the time.

You must have had a lot of time on your hands to have gone to every high school in the country, especially those in low-income southern states where the school boards fight against any education other than abstinence and, oddly enough, where the rates of teen pregnancy are the highest.

 

[Kanzler]

lol americentrism makes me laugh

sorry mark australia isn't important enough to consider

 

[Livewire]

Going to exert some executive privilege here and close this before it gets out of hand.

Closed.