To think prejudice against low intelligence is a big problem.

[Bluebirdsflyover]

I just read a thread on here about the tour de France crash and that woman who caused it.

Now, the woman was culpable for sure, regardless of what you think is a proportionate punishment.
But some of the comments (in fact the vast majority of the comments) were along the lines of:

“She deserves what’s coming to her, stupid woman”

“Nobody is THAT thick”

“I’m glad she will be made an example of, bloody idiot”

And so on.

Like it never crossed anybody’s MIND that some people are actually not as quick witted as others? Some people just aren’t that bright. That they don’t deserve to be punished for that?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not making any assumptions about the woman’s cognitive ability, hell we ALL make mistakes, even those who have been to flipping Harvard, and often big ones. Mostly we are lucky and they are not broadcast to the whole world.

If was the way people on that post used perceived intelligence (or lack thereof) as a justification for vindictive retribution that really bothered me.

Cruel people and actions - punish them.
Malicious people and actions- punish them.
Spiteful, sadistic, abusive, coercive, etc etc - punish them all!
‘Stupidness’ (for lack of a better word... it’s quite telling we haven’t really got a world for low intelligence or poor judgement that isn’t derogatory)... should it be punished?
I don’t think so.

Our absolute distain for people who are deemed to act in a ‘stupid’ way is testament, I think, to deeply prejudicial attitudes about intelligence.

@CrunchyCarrot

Her actions at the time were stupid and reckless, even if she herself isn't stupid most of the time. As a result, many were injured, so her stupid actions have consequences, and yes, she should have to pay the price for that, if they can find her, that is. Otherwise, where do you draw the line as to what is excusably stupid and what isn't?

If there is no rule or barrier in place then we can't really expect everyone to behave in a certain way.

The problem here is with the people who organised this event not putting in appropriate crowd measures.

What op isn't saying is that half of the riders were affected by this, and there were many injuries. Here's a list.

@GiantWingedWaspMoth, she only caused one of the injuries on that list. There was another more serious crash later.

I think "ignorance is no defence" should apply here. She wouldn't be considered to have an intellectual disability in the eyes of the law, and at some point people have to take the consequences for their decisions. Agree it's not nice to call people names, but if the language is carefully used occasions like these are a good opportunity to have a look at yourself and make sure you're a bit more self aware in future.

@Terhou

What op isn't saying is that half of the riders were affected by this, and there were many injuries. Here's a list.

@GiantWingedWaspMoth, she only caused one of the injuries on that list. There was another more serious crash later.

If that's the case, I apologise for posting something misleading. I am under the impression that 21 people were injured by her, 9 of which needed medical attention. I'm not sure why one one of those would make the list.

Stupidity is a punishable offence, after all

An offence or a criminal act is (and should rightly be) punishable, not stupidity

@Bluebirdsflyover
I was going to question your use of the word distain in your original post, I thought it should be disdain.
But now I'm not sure, which shows up my tenuous pedantry.

I think people use the comments stupid, ignorant etc in a throw away manner, as with all language.

What did she do? Can you post a link?

Oh wow!

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sportsnews/article-9729833/amp/Police-hunt-Tour-France-spectator-faces-year-prison-causing-crash.html

It’s not really your fault @GiantWingedWaspMoth the reporting of the race has been dire.

This is one of the rare accurate articles that lists the carnage from each crash separately.

It’s no wonder we have this woman in the modern-day equivalent of the stocks if people believe she was responsible for the blood bath of a second crash too.

She does need to face justice, a large fine and possibly a short prison sentence from the courts. She probably doesn’t deserve to be the most hated person in Europe at the moment.

What you are proposing OP is a legal system where the rights and well being of offenders is prioritised over the rights and well being of victims. It's wrong

@Barbie222

I think "ignorance is no defence" should apply here. She wouldn't be considered to have an intellectual disability in the eyes of the law, and at some point people have to take the consequences for their decisions. Agree it's not nice to call people names, but if the language is carefully used occasions like these are a good opportunity to have a look at yourself and make sure you're a bit more self aware in future.

Thing is, the reason this sort of thing doesn't happen all of the time isn't because people are less stupid/ unaware/ irresponsible or whatever.

It's because event organisers put up barriers and have stewards to stop people doing this.

In the video I saw there was nothing at all to stop people wandering into the road, so it's actually not the fault of the crowd, but the event organisers. This was an accident waiting to happen because of poor event management.

OK op, so you tried to move away from your original ill-chosen example - although many are holding you to it - and tried to make it about learning disabilities instead.

How far are you going with that word 'prejudice'? Do you mean they should have the right to a 'decent' standard of living like others? In which case we need to define 'decent', and talk about the growth in population and associated increase in living costs, and both personal and social economic choices that lead to those. I have worked with youngsters with learning difficulties too - my aim is to increase independence and improve their life standards as far as possible.

If you mean that people with learning disabilities need to be fully supported to become world-leading doctors while people of actual intelligence, but with much lower levels of 'support', take a back seat and should be given fewer opportunities, well, I hope you can see where the ridiculous paths that might lead us to now that it's written down!

@mustlovegin

What you are proposing OP is a legal system where the rights and well being of offenders is prioritised over the rights and well being of victims. It's wrong

gin that's probably the best way to explain what op is suggesting (to me!)

Where does stupidity starts and negligence ends?

The people who stupidly answer their phone whilst driving and cause a deadly accident? Should they not be prosecuted because they had a moment of stupidity?

Unless suffering from significant learning disabilities, we are all responsible for our actions. 'stupid actions are usually not so much the outcome of a lack of intelligence and incapacity to process information, but a lack of thinking things through because of laziness or distraction. Yes, these should be punished when they lead to catastrophic outcomes.

actually not the fault of the crowd, but the event organisers
Oh did they suggest she walks into the path of.the cyclists? Are we not back on the, 'well it's not my fault officer l was going at 90 miles an hour, the car shouldn't let me do that, blame Audi for making it' (other manufacturers do exist)

In the video I saw there was nothing at all to stop people wandering into the road, so it's actually not the fault of the crowd, but the event organisers
Ha, the usual let's blame others for our lack of responsibility in taking the time to think about our actions and consequences. Modern life!

She did a stupid thing regardless of her IQ.

Is it not you, OP, who is equating people of low intelligence with people that cause harm to others?

ps you might also want to define learning disabilities, as there are various forms of greater or lesser cognitive impairments and then there is inability to perform within a British school environment, which are two entirely different things.

I used to work with people with learning difficulties and most of them were much more aware of their behaviour and it's appropriateness in different situations then those I've known with average and above intelligence.
Impulse control can be an issue for all of us, whatever our intelligence level.
If it wasn't we would all be slim, as athletic as our physiques allowed and well educated.
The sign holder didn't have an impulse control issue, a sign and getting to the front of a crowd like that is planned behaviour.
I don't necessarily think stupid though, as stupid implies she didn't understand the possible results of her actions.
Probably just self absorbed and unconcerned with others.
They are not intelligence related traits.

YABU - low intelligence with arrogance is the dominant discourse in this country - any kind of intelligence is increasingly devalued

No-one has any idea about the IQ of the placard woman, but it’s clear to see what she did was very stupid and showed an extreme lack of thought for others - particularly the cyclists who endure huge risks and suffer great pain, broken bones etc due to one person’s thoughtless actions.

What I mean to say is, I think her IQ is not the issue here. People can be fairly bright and still do pretty stupid things.
And the loons on SM will focus anger and hate at most people for most things! Very little intelligence in that.

You cant put up barriers every step of the way on the tour. Each stage can be 200km long. The race takes place on the road, we dont demand there be barriers on all roads to stop people stepping in front of traffic.

What she did was arrogant, self centred. In the moment she didnt think. It was more important for her to get herself and her sign on television than to pay attention to what was coming along that road.

In the video I saw there was nothing at all to stop people wandering into the road, so it's actually not the fault of the crowd, but the event organisers. This was an accident waiting to happen because of poor event management
The stage was 200km long. Are you really suggesting all that should be barriered off?! How? There's two sides of the road so you need 400km of barriers. And you couldn't remove those and have them ready for the next stage overnight, so that's 800km of barriers needed. Do that many even exist in France? Where do you store them for the 11 months of the year they are not needed? It's not practical.