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I've been on a post-posting kick lately. This one comes from George Tannenbaum's blog, Ad Aged.

A Bit More Feynman

I might have read the article wrong, but I thought it showed the value of being dumb.

Not dumb as in stupid, doing stupid things, or acting unintelligently. Those are really dumb.

This is being dumb by not buying into the status quo. Being dumb by trusting your own instincts over the instincts of "experts" and "gurus".

I've seen example of this in my life time and time again. Times that I didn't know I 'can't' talk to someone because they're too established. Times that I didn't know I shouldn't speak up during a meeting. Times that I found a folding chair and made my own floor seat at a Maya Angelou speech.

This style is abrasive and it's not right for everyone but it has been tremendously valuable for me. So be dumb, comment, get into conversations but keep two things in mind.

You better be able to back up your opinions really really well.
You better get ready to eat crow more often than you would like.

Don't be abrasive, don't be an attention whore; just listen and talk to people. That's the smartest kind of dumb there is.

EXTRA: Evan Stark (DDB copywriter, not Ironman's brother) also mirrored these sentiments on a recent post from Vinny Warren. It's called "SCHMUCK, SPEAK LOUDER!", you should read the whole thing.