People you like can be wrong. People you dislike can be right. Calling someone "smart" is code for "I like him/her, I hope s/he right"
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..less often, calling someone dumb is code for "I dislike him/her, hope he/she is wrong." Harder to pretend smart is dumb than dumb is smart
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...so the pragmatic-honest course is to listen broadly, decide for yourself, and then cite the least dislikable proponent of your view
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. it is really hard to qualify "smart" in a way that does not sound like damning with faint praise.
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also used in the second person to say things like "your exceptional experience is not shared by others".
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