> You frame this as stupidity, but I think a more accurate characterization would be ignorance. Ignorance of safety precautions that are explicitly stated in t

> You frame this as stupidity, but I think a more accurate characterization would be ignorance. Ignorance of safety precautions that are explicitly stated in the user manual that comes with the generator? To me that's stupidity. > Not everybody has the education of the average HN contributor. Anyone who is reasonably literate should be able to properly understand "don't run this generator indoors". > some people have mild mental/intellectual deficiencies or simply below-average IQ In a sane society, such people would be wards of other people who were responsible for looking after them and ensuring their safety. Of course, we don't live in a sane society. But in any case, such people probably won't have portable generators because they won't be planning ahead that much. > I guess that's the people you call "stupid" Not at all. I call a person stupid who knows enough to buy a portable generator as a precaution, but can't be bothered to learn how to properly use it.