We are (mostly) not writing for stupid people, at least in my field. We might be writing for ignorant people, busy people, hurried people-but not stupid people
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A good example of the art is ASD STE-100 Simplified Technical English, used in the aerospace industry.
They don't let stupid people fly or maintain equipment worth a third of a billion dollars. That's the problem. Smart people may find new and innovative ways to interpret instructions.
I think this applies to most writing, including fiction, including small children's books. The books I love most are never written with a dumbed-down tone or message. And just because the words are simple (Goodnight Moon?) doesn't make them dumb unless you've intended them to be, or have used no craft. It's an interesting point.
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They don't let stupid people fly or maintain equipment worth a third of a billion dollars. That's the problem. Smart people may find new and innovative ways to interpret instructions.
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