Angry at stupid people all the time

I have a habit of getting angry at anyone I see as stupid or simple minded.

This doesn't mean angry at everyone who doesn't see things the way I see them, or agree with my views on religion or politics, but anger at anyone who seems to spread their opinions which seemed to take no real thought into them.

For example, I'm an Atheist and I'm gay. I have many friends who disagree with my religious views, but I can see they put some thought and research into their opinions. I get infuriated at people who try to convince me of their opinion based on stupid reasoning though, and have made attacks at those people and even gone as far as using foul language and derogatory insults at inappropriate moments such as in front of children or innocent family members.

These range from someone trying to tell me evolution is wrong because we still have monkeys. We should teach god in schools just because it's what they believe. Gay people are just out to have sex but don't really love other people. People who don't believe in god just want an excuse to do things like murder and rape people.

I usually will ask them where they get this from, and they will give me some lame source or won't say anything.

This is actually just one example of my anger issues. Just about any issue where someone appears to be stupid or unintelligent to me makes me want to viciously shred them to pieces, even when it has nothing to do with politics or religion.

My take on it is, sometimes on certain topics, people arguing against me are coming onto my turf, as I have my facts and have experience with these discussions, and when I give them an alternative view or refute their logic, instead of coming up with an answer to my question or claim, they feel they have to be right instead of backing off when someone is better than them, and act even more stupid.


Now, friends I know who agree with me on controversial matters, usually can laugh at people and not let it ruin their day, but it sometimes bugs me to the max of how people can be such idiots sometimes.

I have been guilty of the know it all attitude before. Hell, I may even still have it now, but I at least feel I've thought things through and don't always have to be right.

My cousin even said to me recently, "Your problem is I seriously think your intelligence is so superior to so many people's, that you allow it to take you over sometimes."

I was actually surprised at that and didn't know if it was a compliment or a critique. I didn't actually claim to be smarter than most other people, or think that I'm so smart that everyone is below me, I just can't stand the absolute stupid ones, not the ones who just lack some book smarts.

Does anyone else have trouble managing anger in a way similar to this?

I do not know, if it will make you feel better but this is a very common problem with lots of people. If you visit social media, you will find people abusing each other just because they differ in views. I think, solution lies in being truly democratic, accept the fact that there are lots of people who would disagree with you based on solid knowledge or just plain prejudice. Agree to disagree is the golden rule, one should always follow.

There is one more, which would help you, Never argue with an idiot, he will bring you down to his level and then beat you with experience.

So chill do not burden yourself with differing views of others, give other complete right to be stupid at times.

"Agree to disagree" - such a decent and sensible suggestion!

Also, it can be utterly helpful to pace yourself by carefully selecting which discussions you would like to occupy yourself with and which not. In my experience it is possible to figure out who is really interested in broadening their horizon and who is not and just wants to win the argument. Occupying yourself with the latter does, as you report, absorb a lot of energy. You won't be able to change those people and therefore should move on to more fun and interesting things. Are you interested in the yoga traditions? Or in the buddhist philosophy? I find some of the practices very helpful to be more mindful and non-judgemental and eventually more balanced and content.

But still, I can relate to your anger. Nowadays, that kind of anger is directed towards my parents. And I know that sounds horrible, but I find it especially frustrating when my own parents cannot keep up in a sophisticated discussion. I actually feel they have become kind of dull over the years.
I try not to have too much to do with them, but that doesn't really feel like a solution...

According to Dalai Lama about anger, compassion is its exact opposite and antidote.

That is why I am trying in every inch of my being not to someday hurt someone. It's so ironic how we do stupid things to stupid people hahaha.

Yeah, I'm athiest and I support equal rights, but I also Lived in the worst Australian country town - the epitome of a place you DON'T want to go if avoiding idiotic people is your deal. Sometimes it's all about being lucky enough to eventually find some people - like, amazing people who will be your salvation.

Arguing with dummies is rough, I got hurt by psych meds and write in the anti psychiatry forum alot.

When I tell people in real life face to face about the serotonin chemical imbalance lie used to push drugs they argue that I am wrong and there only supporting evidence is "everybody knows" mental illness depression is low serotonin.

"Everybody knows" is not supporting evidence for anything but describing how myths and marketing work.

Good topic here, I am smart as ###$ too and have this problem with dumb asses.

Copy_Cat wrote:Arguing with dummies is rough, I got hurt by psych meds and write in the anti psychiatry forum alot.

When I tell people in real life face to face about the serotonin chemical imbalance lie used to push drugs they argue that I am wrong and there only supporting evidence is "everybody knows" mental illness depression is low serotonin.

"Everybody knows" is not supporting evidence for anything but describing how myths and marketing work.

Good topic here, I am smart as ###$ too and have this problem with dumb asses.

You can simply reference them to the bandwagon fallacy there.

I used to get angry at stupid people, until I realized that everyone's "stupid" is different. What I was really saying was, "anyone who I think it stupid is worth scorn".

I was stewing mostly inside. Luckily I never got to the point, as some do, expressing my anger at so-called "stupid people" in the real world. Of course it didn't help my own sense of self that I would smile at them to their face, and deride them when I walked away.

More often than not I have seen these angry people express themselves and eventually marginalize themselves because it's clear to anyone watching that is is more about the anger than the point that is being made.

Even so-called intelligent people who can't control their anger towards people they perceive as stupid, end up losing their credibility.

The only place where angry people seem to thrive is on TV/Radio talk shows, especially concerning politics, because like the person who is stricken with chronic anger, the world becomes an array of categories and stereotypes that are used to create and feed off of anger.

Anger used to punctuate a point is a useful tool. Chronic anger is a mode of self destruction.

That's the way it was for me.

Otter.

JackM678 wrote:I have a habit of getting angry at anyone I see as stupid or simple minded.

This doesn't mean angry at everyone who doesn't see things the way I see them, or agree with my views on religion or politics, but anger at anyone who seems to spread their opinions which seemed to take no real thought into them.

For example, I'm an Atheist and I'm gay. I have many friends who disagree with my religious views, but I can see they put some thought and research into their opinions. I get infuriated at people who try to convince me of their opinion based on stupid reasoning though, and have made attacks at those people and even gone as far as using foul language and derogatory insults at inappropriate moments such as in front of children or innocent family members.

These range from someone trying to tell me evolution is wrong because we still have monkeys. We should teach god in schools just because it's what they believe. Gay people are just out to have sex but don't really love other people. People who don't believe in god just want an excuse to do things like murder and rape people.

I usually will ask them where they get this from, and they will give me some lame source or won't say anything.

This is actually just one example of my anger issues. Just about any issue where someone appears to be stupid or unintelligent to me makes me want to viciously shred them to pieces, even when it has nothing to do with politics or religion.

My take on it is, sometimes on certain topics, people arguing against me are coming onto my turf, as I have my facts and have experience with these discussions, and when I give them an alternative view or refute their logic, instead of coming up with an answer to my question or claim, they feel they have to be right instead of backing off when someone is better than them, and act even more stupid.


Now, friends I know who agree with me on controversial matters, usually can laugh at people and not let it ruin their day, but it sometimes bugs me to the max of how people can be such idiots sometimes.

I have been guilty of the know it all attitude before. Hell, I may even still have it now, but I at least feel I've thought things through and don't always have to be right.

My cousin even said to me recently, "Your problem is I seriously think your intelligence is so superior to so many people's, that you allow it to take you over sometimes."

I was actually surprised at that and didn't know if it was a compliment or a critique. I didn't actually claim to be smarter than most other people, or think that I'm so smart that everyone is below me, I just can't stand the absolute stupid ones, not the ones who just lack some book smarts.

Does anyone else have trouble managing anger in a way similar to this?

You say you are angry at stupid people, yet you can't see it is stupid to be angry.
it is anger that makes us ill.
Give up your anger and stop judging others. That is how you manage anger. Problem solved.

Your title made me go: "me too!"
However, after I read your post I realized 2 main things.
1) you're not only angry with others just because they can't support their views (from YOUR standpoint), but because your lifestyle is fairly different and you're angry because you're not accepted. Do you accept yourself? Like really?
2) you refuse to accept their opinions, views and their supportive "research", because you don't consider their sources worthy.
There is a difference in calling someone stupid just because they are followers of a different religion, which can't be disproved and someone who argues against a universal truth.