Skip to content
Subscriber Only
Opinion
Megan McArdle

Only Stupid People Call People Stupid

We shouldn’t call people stupid. And when other people resort to name calling, we should discourage them by expressing public disapproval, because calling people stupid . . . makes people stupid.
Is anyone listening?
Is anyone listening?
By

Paul Krugman likes to call people stupid liars. Laurence Kotlikoff gets a little mad about it, but my colleague Noah Smith says he shouldn't:

It's a noble sentiment, but I have to side with Professor Kotlikoff on this one: We shouldn't call people stupid. And when other people resort to name calling, we should discourage them by expressing public disapproval, because calling people stupid . . . makes people stupid.