| rdfs:comment
| - Here's how it plays out: Smart People are mean, Dumb People are nice. Geniuses are psychotic and high-strung, idiots are nice and sweet, because Ignorance Is Bliss. In comedy pairs the genius will smack around the idiot. This is a pretty common trope in many films, especially Oscar Bait. Intelligent and rational people are portrayed as emotionally unfulfilled, neglectful of their family and friends, mean, or corrupt, and contrasted with a simple-minded, often mentally-delayed character with a heart of gold. Examples of Dumb Is Good include:
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| abstract
| - Here's how it plays out: Smart People are mean, Dumb People are nice. Geniuses are psychotic and high-strung, idiots are nice and sweet, because Ignorance Is Bliss. In comedy pairs the genius will smack around the idiot. The smart character will be mean because he is arrogant and literally doesn't suffer fools gladly. In more sympathetic portrayals, the smart character is good underneath, but made cynical and bitter by his keen intellect, which allows him to see that the world sucks. Inversely, the dumb character has no reason to be continuously happy, other than to provide a Foil for the smart character, to show that being all smart all the time makes you unlikeable, miserable, or both, and why would you choose to be that way if ignorance is bliss? This trope can also be applied to intelligence itself, with the Book Dumb hero's street smarts and practical experience being shown as superior to academics whose knowledge is dusty, dry and doesn't work in the real world, another tenet of anti-intellectualism. Indeed, it is always risky to assume that an uneducated character (or an uneducated person in Real Life, for that matter) will always be dumb. A character may become smart purely through private study, life experience, or just plain Awesomeness By Analysis. Simply hanging around intelligent or cultured people can help, too. This is a pretty common trope in many films, especially Oscar Bait. Intelligent and rational people are portrayed as emotionally unfulfilled, neglectful of their family and friends, mean, or corrupt, and contrasted with a simple-minded, often mentally-delayed character with a heart of gold. May be caused by the This Loser Is You effect, since Viewers are Morons; also closely related to Book Dumb. Not to be confused with Good Is Dumb. This can extend to intellectual pursuits, leading to Straw Vulcan, Science Is Bad, or even Science Is Wrong. Can also lead to an Idiot Hero, and/or Brains Evil Brawn Good. Often found with a Minion with an F In Evil. A direct inversion of Good Is Not Dumb. Contrast with Gentleman and a Scholar, in which an intelligent character is one of the most pleasant, thoughtful, and well-adjusted people around. Try not to get this and Silent Protagonist mixed up. Examples of Dumb Is Good include:
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