articles
China Elevator Stories
When dumb people think they are intelligent
There are many people who aren’t actually very intelligent, but believe they are.
29/06/2025
Ruth Silbermayr
Author
If you are constantly having to explain the simplest of things to another person—such as that their rude behavior is what makes others not want to be around them—and they constantly argue back, not understanding that what you’re saying is the truth, you may be dealing with someone who suffers from what’s called the Dunning-Kruger Effect.
Some people may have very high IQs in theory, such as the singer I’ve been writing about on my blog, but in real life, they often show that their intelligence isn’t actually that high. They may act in extremely dumb ways on a regular basis—and even demand that you dumb yourself down as well.
This particular person is pretty brainwashed—meaning he joins incel groups and adopts their sick beliefs as if they were the truth. He also tends to believe what others say about me without understanding who I truly am or realizing that the lies being spread aren’t actually true. In real life, he has shown extremely abusive and dumb behavior—repeatedly, not just once or twice. His everyday actions are usually quite foolish. Let’s hope he doesn’t try to sue me for saying this, because I honestly don’t have any money left to waste on insignificant things like court cases with narcissists—or on insignificant people like him forcing themselves into my life by trying to get attention from me in any way possible, like running to the police after I clearly told them I wanted no contact ever again. Especially after being stalked and harassed by someone who simply wouldn’t leave me alone.
Now, when a narcissist reads something like this, guess what they’ll do? Go straight to court to make sure your life is permanently destroyed. Narcissists don’t use fair means. That’s why so many people end up having to deal with authorities, courts, and other people in power much more than they ever wanted to.
A normal person usually just wants to be left alone. But a narcissist wants to talk all day long, harass you, verbally abuse you, manipulate your emotions until you start feeling things you weren’t actually feeling—like love for your abuser or stalker who’s been harassing you for years, maybe even raped you, or threatened your life horrifically. And if you don’t fit into the box they’ve decided you belong in, they’ll punish you. That box never actually fit, and no one would ever want to live in it. But in their mind, everyone should fit their idea of extroversion, narcissism, and constant communication (not respectful conversation—no, you’ll be called the most extreme names, spoken to like you’re someone else entirely, someone they don’t actually know at all).
When you point out what they’re doing, you’ll meet: denial, denial, denial. That’s all you’ll ever get from a narcissist when you try to resolve things by being honest and clarifying what’s happening.
With a normal person, if you confront them about a problem and they’re decent, they’ll change their behavior if it was hurting you. With a narcissist, the opposite happens—they’ll just escalate their out-of-bounds behavior. If you tell them you need rest and quiet, they’ll ramp up the noise to make sure you don’t get a second of peace.
If the person isn’t a narcissist, and you ask them to be quiet so you can sleep, they’ll respect that. Sleep is essential for healing, avoiding burnout, and even survival. But a narcissist? They’ll see your need to sleep as an attack on them—like you’re stealing attention from them—and they’ll retaliate. Maybe they’ll talk endlessly. Maybe they’ll demand sex and won’t accept a “no,” even when you’re sick or exhausted. You’ll explain that you need sleep, and they’ll still force their needs on you as if yours don’t matter. There’s no recognition that sleep is a human right and biological necessity. Severe narcissists will even go so far as to prevent you from sleeping, causing lasting harm.
If you finally kick them out for it—for your health, for your sanity—they’ll crawl in through the backyard window. Or they’ll call the police and lie about you just to regain control and force themselves back into your life. Narcissists do crazy things—things so extreme, most people can’t believe anyone would be so disturbed.
When an apology or behavioral change could solve everything? They won’t do it. Instead: denial, denial, denial. Their obsessive need to deny the truth is absolutely maddening. A narcissist will argue with you about facts so obvious it’s like arguing whether the moon is yellow while they insist it’s purple.
There’s no normal, direct communication possible with a narcissist. They’ll dodge questions, twist topics, bring irrelevant people into the conversation, and constantly derail the discussion until you’re left wondering how they have any functioning relationship with anyone at all.
And if you finally say: “You’re too dumb to have normal conversations,” because they clearly can’t grasp basic logic or social norms, they’ll deny that too. Even when it’s painfully obvious. Especially if they’re a narcissistic man or an incel who believes women are inherently dumb and men inherently intelligent—even when his actions prove otherwise.
When someone repeatedly shows they’re not as intelligent as they claim, but still insist they’re superior, you’re likely dealing with the Dunning-Kruger Effect. These are the people who think they’re geniuses while making the dumbest decisions, and who won’t allow you to point that out, especially if their identity depends on pretending to be smarter than everyone else.
You might find yourself arguing for years. A truly intelligent person can admit a mistake and make amends. A narcissist with Dunning-Kruger syndrome will never admit fault. Everything wrong in the world is always someone else’s fault. They never take responsibility—even when their dumb behavior clearly wrecked your life. They’ll claim you’re the one who needs to change, while they keep living destructively and hurting others.
People with the Dunning-Kruger Effect—especially when they’re narcissists—are often put on pedestals. They’re told they’re amazing and intelligent when they’re not, and they believe it. They lack humility and can’t revise their self-image to match reality.
And yes, I get very frustrated when people are dumb—or pretend to be. Many things in life could be resolved so easily if people had the intelligence to know when to fight, when something truly matters, and when to leave others alone. Dumb people, especially narcissistic ones, won’t leave you alone. They’ll push their shallow, meaningless lives on you—lives filled with status-chasing, appearance obsession, and nothing of real depth. And then you’re expected to live like them, in a life devoid of joy or meaning.
This isn’t about people who aren’t good at math or who struggled in school. This is about people who are truly dumb, but believe they are smarter than everyone else—and make life hell for those who are actually intelligent, honest, and emotionally aware.
Have you ever met someone suffering from the Dunning-Kruger Effect?