One of Forrest Gump's favorite quotes is, "Stupid is as stupid does..." What does that actually mean? Could any or all of the Sociological Perspectives be used to understand this quote?????
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13 comments:
I think that the quote means that stupid people tend to do stupid things and deserve to be called stupid because of their actions, not their appearance or personality. Conflict perspective could be used to understand this quote because people tend to say stupid things before making any of the decision which lead to social conflict.
I believe that “Stupid is as stupid does” means that if you are stupid, you are going to make stupid decisions which are the catalyst for stupid actions. If someone is stupid, and acts stupid you cannot expect anything else from that person then overall stupidity. If they make clear and crisp decisions, then they are not stupid. Being stupid, and acting stupid is two completely different things. Anyone could act stupid and make stupid decisions by not thinking clearly or thinking too quickly, but not anyone could be stupid. Actions define who a person is, and even though Forrest may seem stupid at times, his actions shows he is actually intelligent. The Sociological Perspective used to understand this quote could be the Interactionist Perspective because they way stupid people interact with others, can show people that a stupid person is actually stupid. If you interact with someone who is truly stupid, you can see this in the person. If you observe someone who is stupid, you can also see it in this person. However, interaction truly proves who a person is. Forrest may have looked stupid to the people who did not know him on a personal level, but to the people who knew him completely such as Jenny or his Mother, they knew Forrest was anything but stupid.
The statement "stupid is as stupid does" personally means that a person who doesnt think clearly and doesnt know whats right from wrong will usually do something very stupid. For example if theres a small fire a smart person would use a fire extinguisher to stop it while a stupid person would probably try to take it out with a towel or something of that nature. Forrest Gump seems to loo a little on the stupid side but seeing him from different points of view shows that he's a very intelligent person. I believe that the conflict perspective could be best used for this quote because a person who is trully stupid would not think of the consequences of there actions which can then most likely lead to social conflict, as a well clear minded person would.
I Think that the Quote from Forredt Gump,"Stupid is as stupid does...", means many things. You can go with it meant just as a saying. but i think it goes deeper then that i think its only stupid if you do not try. If you have had the chance to do something, do it no matter whats people think about it. For me personally I want to join the millitary in some way weather thought ROTC or enlisting I want to do it. I always have people who full on support me or tell me it is not worth it and I am better then that. I may agree with them that I am maybe better then that, but its my life and i want to try. Back to the question im the question ot asks if any or all of the Sociological Perspectives be used to understand this quote? I believe that at lest one works for it and it is the functonalist perspecive. I think this because the stuff that every one does can be consittered Stupid, But we all get up in do what ever stupid task thats been handed down to us. This how i understand the quote by Forrest Gump.
“Stupid is as stupid does…” said by the famous actor, Tom Hanks who played Forrest Gump, could be interpreted many different ways. However, I think that the meaning behind the quote leans more towards the message of judge people on their actions, before you call out an opinion of them. Forrest always played the role of overlooking the obvious and leaned more towards into listening to the practical objective of the topic. Some people saw him as being a fool or stupid. But really he just had a different perspective of his life around him and that to me, made his sociological imagination very unique. When it comes to Sociological Perspectives, in some way, this quote could fall into all three categories. For the Functionalists Perspective, it is based off of society working together to function properly and smoothly. Included in this comes the ideas of dysfunction, manifest, and latent functions. If someone sees someone as being stupid, they can take that as a sign of dysfunction or a weak link of the group as a whole. Then there comes the Conflict Perspective which could tie into the last. If people see dysfunction, they are going to have conflict with that. They are not going to accept unordinary actions when they have got into their routine of “function”. With the Interactionist Perspective, the quote can stand as a symbolic interaction. If someone sees another being “stupid”, they are not going to interact themselves with that person. So if you really get technical, this quote could fall into a domino affect with all of the perspectives.
The quote "stupid is as stupid does" refers to the actions one can make. If you decide to carry out an act of stupidity it makes you a stupid person, because you should know and understand right from wrong. Our actions are part of what define us as people, we make actions all the time every single day. Forest Gump may be considered stupid to people for his slow speeking or his not all there personality, but in fact he is a very intelegent person. The difference between Forest's actions and stupid actions is that Forest is slower at learning in a school environment but smart in the real world, he is very intelectual, kind, hard working person and carries out smart decisions or what he believes as smart, he is always only looking for others best interest. Stupid people on the other hand are the ones who have the ability to learn normally in school but dont use that gift wisely, they are the ones who joke around, or get in trouble and choose a bad path for themselves hence make stupid decisions.
The saying "Stupid is as stupid does..." was used a few different times throughout the movie Forrest Gump. I think the quote is saying that stupid is an action, it's not an adjective. Over the course of Forrest's life he was repeatily called stupid based on the way he thought and spoke. Forrest didn't always see the clear answer right infront of him, he tended to over think things and took everything very literally. This made Forrest appear "stupid" to some people however in reality, he just does what people tell him to do...literally and without even thinking. When Forrest was called stupid, he would use his favorite quote, "Stupid is as stupid does." Forrest was always calm and never really ACTED stupid, Forrest put thought into his actions and when he wanted to do something, he did it. For example, when Forrest wanted to run across country, he ran. I think all of the Sociological Perspectives could be used to understand the quote. For the functionalist perspective, if one person makes a stupid decision maybe not showing up to their baseball game or something...a whole society could be effected because it's made up of interrelated parts. Not showing up for the game means someone has to fill your position, they may not know how to play, they get a ball to the face and end up in the hospital with a concussion and can't play for the rest of the season all because you didn't show up. For the conflict perspective, it may take someone doing something stupid or saying something stupid to bring about change. Maybe you're at a town hall meeting and give your opinion however it contradicts with everyone else's, some think your idea is stupid however you stick with it, fight it, and win your argument...therefore you have put a change in place. As for the interactionist perspective, sometimes people do stupid things for other people that they care about. For example, when Forrest punched Jenny's boyfriend in the face for slapping Jenny, it may have seemed like a stupid decision because they got kicked out of the party...but to Forrest it wasn't stupid because he was protecting Jenny.
The quote "Stupid is as stupid does" is used to describe numerous scenarios that happened throughout the movie. I believe that the quote is a representation on how Forrest thinks and acts in his every day life. Many people thought Forrest was stupid because he talked a little slower than usual and didn't really take into consideration the actions he was doing but rather just did it without thinking and listened to other people. The quote to me is if you aren't thinking for yourself and making your own choices and being "stupid" then you are going to carry out those stupid thoughts into stupid actions. The quote to me definitely shows how Forrest thinks because he assumes that how you think is how you are going to act. This is true for Forrest's character because he always does what people literally tell him to do. I think for the perspectives it could fall under the interactionist perspective. This perspective says that there are symbols for human interaction. I think that the symbol here is Forrest saying that how you think is how you act with people, which could also fall under the interactionist perspective.
i believe that the quote "stupid is as stupid does" meaning is when you judge someone based off of their actions as opposed to superficial appearance. If you're stupid then you're going to make stupid decisions as well. I think Forest says this comment because since he knows he's not the smartest man, you can't expect too much out of him because he does what he can. I think this quote best describes the conflict theory because someone who is stupid wouldn't think of the consequences to their actions.For example, another phrase could be "ugly is as ugly does" which means that actions are more important then physical appearances.—Jenn Pachocki
I think that the quote "Stupid is as stupid does" actually means that you can only know a person by their actions. In Forrest Gump, he was called stupid a lot by people who didn't really know him. Calling people stupid doesn't mean they're stupid or make them stupid. So it is saying that you are only labeled something by your actions. This quote could be understood through the interactionist perspective because the way people interact with others shows how their personality is.
I believe that the quote "stupid is as stupid does" directly states the reasons why someone may be considered stupid. The things that a person "does" are considered that person's actions and are usually verbs. Thereby, I believe that Forrest is implying that a person's actions and interactions with society should determine their label as being or not being stupid. However, a person being mentally challenged or having health problems that affect their intelligence should not make that person stupid as those are not the actions of that person but the life that person must deal with and the hardships that person may endure. As seen with Forrest, he may not have had the highest IQ, but he was smarter than most people in so many other ways especially when it came to thinking in an abstract manner. In the case of Forrest, his actions really show that he is definitely not stupid. In other words, what determines a person are their actions in society. The interactionist perspective can be used to view how those who may do stupid things in society are perceived by others as well as how they interact with the world around them. In addition, the conflict perspective may be applied by focusing on how people who do things labeled as "stupid" may cause conflict that may lead to social change or threaten those with more power in our society.
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