Intellect that is exercised merely for harrassment or speaking ill of others should not be called intellect at all. It is nothing more than low cunning. While such “street smarts” may unfortunately be necessary in certain situations, they have become far too prevalent and excessive in modern society. It has reached a level that can almost be described as a social pathology.
In the past year or two, I have noticed a significant increase in what could be called “low-intelligence posts” on social media. However, upon closer inspection, many of these are intended to steer people toward political extremism through crude reasoning. It seems that the more legitimate and influential a post is, the more of these “toxic replies” (kuso-ripu) it attracts.
These toxic replies employ various tactics, such as ad hominem attacks, logical fallacies, and intentional misdirection. While the best course of action is to ignore them, the manner in which one ignores them is crucial. While simple silence is an option, it is also important to remain indifferent to these replies and continue asserting one’s own opinions.
These toxic replies severely obstruct debate in the public sphere. Engaging in discussion at the citizen level is a fundamental tenet of democracy. One could say that toxic replies—which aim to obstruct and manipulate these discussions—are an intervention in the very roots of democracy, attempting to control the public opinion that forms the basis of politics.
Intellect is one of the indicators of our humanity. For this very reason, intellect must be bound to ethics; using it for low cunning should be avoided. While defensive cunning may sometimes be necessary, the true essence of intellect lies in ensuring one does not fall into situations where such cunning is required.
Should we simply dismiss toxic replies as “stupid posts,” or should we mobilize our full intellectual and mental stamina to show the spirit not to be defeated by them? Rather than mocking the intellect of others as toxic repliers do, we should place more importance on exercising our own intellect to its fullest.
Reading this series of posts, some may doubt whether I possess intellect myself. This is because there are things that remain unseen. Intellect is an attitude toward change. It is divided into the conservative and the progressive, and the common ground between the two is observation and analysis. The key to this is visualization and verbalization; however, language is incredibly diverse, and many things remain invisible.
Regarding that which cannot be spoken, we must strive to speak of it in a way that makes it speakable. While an attitude of respect is necessary, excessive reverence is a source of danger.
