02/14(Tue.) Why Do People Make Stupid Mistakes? (Host: Sherry)

[Sherry Liao]

Dear YOYOs,

A few days ago, a Japanese teenager filmed himself licking communal items at a branch of “Sushiro (壽司郎)”, the largest sushi restaurants in Japan, and uploaded the video to social media. The video, along with other similar ones, have caused disaster for Japan’s ¥740 billion ($8.1 billion) sushi industry. Although the teenager and his parents apologized, the company said it still planned to pursue legal action.

After reading the news, the first thought that popped into my mind was:
“Damn, that’s scary! Will my son do something stupid too and bankrupt his mom!?”

But then a second thought arose:
“Is it possible that it was the other way around, that I'd make a stupid mistake and make the rest of my children’s lives miserable?”

After careful deliberation, I decided to put the first thought in the first session, and the second thought in the second session of the coming Tuesday’s meeting. Please join me to discuss whether these two thoughts may become a reality (How terrible it is… )

Session I: Should parents be responsible for children's mistakes?

Reading materials for your reference:
Should Parents Be Legally Responsible For Children's Serious Crimes?
民法18歲成年2023上路！民法成年年齡為何下修？民法18歲可以做哪些事？須負哪些責任？

Questions for discussion:
Q1. Why do teenagers do stupid things? Why do adults think teenagers are stupid? Do you believe the brains of young people are different from those of adults, making them more likely to make stupid mistakes than adults?

Q2. According to Taiwanese law, the minimum driving age, legal drinking age, marriageable age, and criminal responsibility age are 18 years old. The legal age of majority (legal threshold of adulthood) was lowered from 20 to 18 as of January 1, 2023. The voting age is 20.
- 2a: Do you think the above age restrictions are reasonable? Should any of them be lowered or raised? Why?
- 2b: In your opinion, what other age restrictions should be placed on teenagers?

Q3. Should parents be legally responsible for their children’s mistakes? If so, to what extent should they be responsible for them?

Q4. Is stupidity hereditary? Should the less intelligent be persuaded to have fewer children? Should parents take parenting classes and pass exams before having children?

Session II: Why do people make stupid mistakes?

Reading materials for your reference:
The Psychology of the Breathtakingly Stupid Mistake
https://www.scientificamerican.com/arti ... d-mistake/
Clever people make more stupid mistakes than most
https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20 ... ryone-else
The five universal laws of human stupidity (I read this article from one of David Jr.’s hosting topics. Thanks to David!)
https://qz.com/967554/the-five-universa ... -stupidity

Questions for discussion:
Q1. What do you consider to be a "stupid mistake"? What are some examples of "stupid mistakes" that people often make? Can you think of a time when you made a mistake that you now consider to be "stupid"?

Q2. Are some people more prone to making stupid mistakes than others? If so, why? Why do people sometimes repeat stupid mistakes even after realizing their mistake?

Q3. How does our culture and society view making mistakes, and how does this impact people's behavior? Are some stupid mistakes forgivable while others are not? If so, why?

Q4. Are stupid mistakes always avoidable, or is it a normal part of being human? How can people learn from their stupid mistakes and prevent making similar mistakes in the future?

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Agenda:
7:00 ~ 7:10 pm Opening Remarks / Newcomer’s Self-introduction / Grouping
(Session I)
7:10 ~ 7:50 pm Discussion Session (40 mins)
7:50 ~ 8:10 pm Summarization (20 mins)
8:10 ~ 8:15 pm Regrouping / Taking a 5 Minutes Break (Intermission)
(Session II)
8:15 ~ 8:45 pm Discussion Session (30 mins)
8:45 ~ 8:55 pm Summarization (10 mins)
8:55 ~ 9:00 pm Concluding Remarks / Announcements

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Meeting Date: As shown on the Subject Line
Meeting Time: 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Meeting Venue: 丹堤咖啡 Dante Coffee (Minimum Order $80)
Address: 台北市濟南路三段25號[MAP]-捷運忠孝新生站3號出口步行3分鐘

Important Notes:
1. We advise participants to print out the discussion questions and bring them to the meeting for reference. As for the supporting articles, feel free to print them out, as well, according to your preference.
2. We suggest that participants read the articles and think about the questions in advance.
3. Newcomers should prepare a two-to-three minute self-introduction in English to deliver when called upon by the host before the start of the discussion. The host may also ask you to give brief feedback about the meeting at the conclusion of the meeting.
4. We conduct the entire meeting in English. All participants should have at least moderate English-conversation skills and be able to articulate your ideas for each discussion question.
5. We welcome newcomers and other guests to attend the meetings and join the discussion freely for three times. After that, we hope you will consider becoming a YoYo English Club member. We charge a NT$1000 lifetime membership fee.

[Rock]

Wow! Good job, Sherry. This is a very smart topic and the questions are all smartly designed, too. Not stupid at all.

[Rock]

[Sherry Liao]

[Sherry Liao]

Wow! Good job, Sherry. This is a very smart topic and the questions are all smartly designed, too. Not stupid at all.

I put half the burden of designing discussion questions on AI. In fact, the questions in one of the two sessions were AI-generated. Is this a smart or stupid move?

[wenhan1122]

I am also trying to feed the question to AI for answers

Q4. Is stupidity hereditary? Should the less intelligent be persuaded to have fewer children? Should parents take parenting classes and pass exams before having children?

AI's replies**************************************

These are complex and controversial questions, and there is no easy answer.

First, it is important to note that intelligence is not a simple trait, and that it is difficult to measure. There are many different ways to define intelligence, and different tests measure different aspects of intelligence. It is also important to note that intelligence is not fixed, and that it can change over time.

There is some evidence that intelligence is hereditary. Studies have shown that intelligence is more similar in people who are related, such as siblings and parents, than in people who are not related. However, it is important to note that these studies do not show that intelligence is entirely hereditary. There is also evidence that environmental factors, such as nutrition and education, can affect intelligence.

There are many different opinions on whether or not the less intelligent should be persuaded to have fewer children. Some people believe that it is unfair to bring children into the world if they are not going to be able to have a good quality of life. Others believe that everyone has the right to have children, regardless of their intelligence. There is no easy answer to this question, and it is a matter of personal opinion.

There are also many different opinions on whether or not parents should take parenting classes and pass exams before having children. Some people believe that this would help to ensure that all children are raised in a safe and healthy environment. Others believe that it is an infringement on the rights of parents to raise their children as they see fit. There is no easy answer to this question, and it is a matter of personal opinion.

Ultimately, these are complex and controversial questions, and there is no easy answer. It is important to consider all of the evidence before forming an opinion.