Dumb? Smart? - September 2023
This article was published in the September 2023 issue of the Youngstown Buckeye Review, a locally owned black publication.
Quick Review: Let’s abolish the consumer and its language. We are Producers and we must use Producer language to think, talk, and make decisions about everything. [Producer language is at producerconsciousness.com.]
Name calling, labeling, and identifiers commodify people for economic, political, and social transactions and exploitation. Unfortunately, all too often we name, label, and identify children as either dumb or smart. Calling children dump, stupid, ignorant, and even special needs lead to self-perception issues and academic failure (ironically, being called smart can produce similar results).
Using Producer Language to Talk about Intelligence
Calling a child dumb is an Input for the child. The child’s brain-mind: 1) assesses this name-calling Input as a threat to survival and flourishing; 2) produces a negative FART (feeling, action, reaction, and thought); and 3) stores the threat assessment and negative FART in the ME Vector (remember, the ME Vector contains all the FARTs you’ve produced about yourself). Every time a child is called dumb, or even hears the word dumb, more negative FARTs are produced and added to her/his ME Vector. Negative FARTs in the ME Vector reduce the child’s ability and willingness to produce positive education Outputs (e.g., interest in education, studying, successful test taking, and productive in-class behaviors). Though far better to call a child smart than dumb, the smart label can result in unhealthful arrogance, anti-intellectual bullying by the children called dumb, and underachievement because of a fear of failure (or success).
Intelligence is really all about Vectors. It’s about: 1) having education Vectors (e.g., Reading Vector, Writing Vector, Math Vector, History Vector, Science Vectors, etc.); 2) having a lot of Inputs put into these Vectors; and 3) retrieving Inputs from these Vectors when needed for thinking, testing, and communication. Who puts Inputs into the child’s Vectors is crucial. If the child has negative FARTs for the people (e.g., teachers, parents, and others) responsible for putting Inputs into these Vectors, the probability of producing positive education Outputs goes way down.
So, instead of seeing a child as dumb or smart, see the child as a Producer who’s brain-mind has (or doesn’t have) education Vectors, has (or doesn’t have) lots of Inputs in these Vectors, and is (or isn’t) retrieving the Inputs in the Vectors when it’s time for thinking, testing, and communicating. Also understand the child’s household Vectors, neighborhood Vectors, and community Vectors. Negative FARTs in these Vectors interfere with the child’s production of positive education Outputs.
Furthermore, teach ALL children that the brain-mind is a phenomenal production system naturally designed to: 1) have education Vectors; 2) want lots of Inputs in these Vectors; 3) assess education Inputs as contributions (not threats) to survival and flourishing; and 4) produce positive (not negative) FARTs for education Inputs.
Oh, by the way, wisdom is knowing what intelligence is all about. Ancient Kemetian wisdom teaching starts with “know thyself” (meaning, know your ME Vector and the FARTs you produce for yourself). The ancestors knew that the ME Vector greatly affects your wellbeing and quality of life, which, in turn, affects the community and your loved ones (especially, the children).