To think that "common sense" isn't as common as people believe?

[SorcererGaheris]

This is inspired by the thread about the restaurant offered a free (birthday) meal as long as five people were dining - which turned out only applied to five ADULTS, but according to the OP it wasn't specified that it only applied to adults.

Many people are saying that it's "common sense" that such an offer would apply only to adults and some are questioning the intelligence of anyone who wouldn't realise that.

I commented that it would not have occurred to me that such an offer only applied to adults dining and a couple of people have been a little critical of me for that. Because apparently it's "common sense."

Well, maybe I lack common sense. My mother has often told me that I have none.

So my point is - surely so-called "common sense" isn't actually as common as many people believe it is?

People's minds work differently, people understand things differently. People who are neurodiverse sometimes take wording very, very literally and can sometimes need things spelled out to them that would seem obvious to others (I am autistic myself.)

I do find it unfair when people insult/mock or imply that someone is lacking in intelligence for not having "common sense". That doesn't make them stupid, it just means that their minds aren't connecting the dots in the same way that other people do.

I'm not sure that "common sense" should be as much of an expectation as it seems to be.

I absolutely agree with this^
Common sense is based on environment, basic experiences and knowledge about life. So the more we mix and the quicker our environment changes the more “common sense” is affected.

I absolutely disagree with it! The post you quoted is about specialised skills - knowing how to knit, crochet, type and use Excel are skills learned for a specific purpose. They may be commonly acquired skills, like driving, but everyone knows the acquisition takes targeted learning with guidance and practice.

If, on the other hand, you can't work out that your bus will be travelling in the direction of the traffic, you ... lack common sense. (OK, contraflow bus lanes exist - and are marked with big fucking signs & arrows.)

Agree with this. “Common sense” is also often a license for a piece of inverted snobbery. Eg: “He’s read loads of books but lacks common sense.”

There’s a slightly jealous and jubilant edge to it. “You think you’re clever/different but you walked into the side of the door so you can’t be”. Etc.

My dad was born before WWII and his brothers after so there is a bit of an age gap.

One or other of his brothers would sometimes visit. My mum used to say brother A lacked common sense but was highly intelligent (went to uni in the 1970s when not many working class kids did) brother B had more common sense.

She could ask each brother to put the kettle on, and brother A would put the kettle on. Brother B would put the kettle on, get the tea bags and pot out of the cupboard and arrive at my mum's side with a mug of tea.

I was also told I lack common sense, often daydreaming etc. I now know I'm dyslexic and think I have other neurodiversity. I can't think of an example where I don't have common sense but if things are ambiguous I'll often interpret it different to the majority.

I don't know what common sense is, there's no test for it, but I think it's majority assumptions, which is different on different groups of people, different cultures etc...

'People lack common sense' invariably means 'I don't know why everyone doesn't think like me'.

It's a completely useless expression.

not really

Give a slice of chocolate cake to a 2 year old sitting on a white sofa.

Common sense is what tells you what is going to happen to the sofa within the next minute or so 😂

I guess it is natural that someone without common sense sees the term as a judgement

See, I'd say that common sense would suggest that a white sofa is never a practical idea, regardless of two-year-olds and chocolate cake. So when whatever was going to happen happened, I'd be saying, "Shouldn't have a white sofa. It's only common sense."

....which you wouldn't say because you think differently to me.

Which is my point, really.

Why not?

I have white fabric sofas, for more than 10 years, they are as practical as anything in my own house. They are still white and clean!

Common sense is that I would not put them in the spare room where all the kids and teens now gather.

Just because it wouldn't work for you, doesn't mean it doesn't work for me - so nothing to with common sense here.

...er....I think that that's precisely my point....

except it's not at all

In my "toddler with a chocolate example", it might be an issue for YOU
but there's no such a person in my house. So it really doesn't apply.

If you prefer, completely different scenario, if you have a disabled family member, you buy a bungalow and common sense dictates that stairs are a problem.
It doesn't mean we should ALL buy a property on single level without stairs in the off-chance (or risk) that someone is suddenly injured and starts using a wheelchair.

Back to my first example, ANY house with toddler and chocolate cake sitting on white furniture will have the same result, common sense. But when there's no toddler or cake involved, it's irrelevant what could happen if 😂