You can spin this endlessly. You look stulid and are stupid. You look stupid but aren't. You look smart but aren't. You look smart and are smart, but people

You can spin this endlessly. You look stulid and are stupid. You look stupid but aren't. You look smart but aren't. You look smart and are smart, but people think you're just virtue signaling. But you know that virture signaling actually saves you time discussing why your aren't stupid while still looking so. etc. pp. In my opinion, real gain in looking stupid is when you actually are and then know how to accept valid critique, or at least try to understand where it comes from before you know it's valid. Because then you actually learn something that could improve your situation.