Is It Bad to Be Intelligent? Watership Down and Dream of the Red Chamber Shed Light on This Question

Being intelligent is a great advantage, right?

I almost never hear someone use “clever,” “smart,” or “bright” as an insult. In contrast, “dumb,” “stupid,” and “idiot” are usually criticisms or attacks.

And who wouldn’t want to be smart? People respect you, your friends value your opinions, and you can come up with creative solutions to your problems.

But what if I told you that being highly intelligent can be a bad thing?

The Smartest Rabbit in Watership Down, Blackberry

*spoilers below*

Blackberry is a bunny with black-tipped ears. The other rabbits, especially the leader, Hazel, respect and look to him for clever strategies to their problems.

A notable example was during their journey to escape their warren. Hazel’s brother Fiver, had a prophetic vision that their warren would be doomed and they had to leave. (We learn much later that land developers would destroy the warren, smoke out the remaining rabbits and kill them all.)

Before long, the fleeing rabbits had to cross a stream. Some of them were strong enough to swim over. But the smaller and weaker rabbits, Fiver and Pipkin, didn’t dare to cross.

Blackberry randomly started playing with a piece of wood on the water. Hazel was dismayed. He thought that the brightest rabbit in their group had gone bonkers!

But Blackberry surprised them by suggesting that they use this big piece of wood as a float for Pipkin and Fiver, and have their strongest rabbit, Bigwig, pull them to the other end.

Hazel was incredulous at such a crazy scheme, but it was either that or abandon his brother and friend. To their surprise, it actually worked!

Perhaps one of the most impressive feats of brilliance from this rabbit, was when Blackberry got them to use a boat. They would use this boat to escape from the villainous rabbits, Woundwort and his henchmen.

Woundwort was stupefied when he saw the rabbits, who were just within reach, zip away with the rapid current and heavy rain. It was like magic to the rabbits.

How Could Intelligence Be Bad, Then?

The first time I caught wind of this notion, was when the seagull, Keehar, expressed distrust towards fancy rabbits like Blackberry and Fiver, and preferred honest, solid rabbits like Bigwig.

So that made me realize that not everyone appreciates intelligence, and it could even be seen as untrustworthy. I didn’t think Keehar was jealous of the smart rabbits, though. He just respected the more straightforward rabbits that he could understand better and trust.

I can see a parallel in the human world, of people distrusting highly creative and ingenious people throughout the ages. Or maybe it wasn’t exactly their intelligence that was distrusted, but rather the unconventional ideas that these people had.

Nevertheless, Keehar likely never thought so deeply about these things, as he’s just a seagull, right? (Richard Adams, the author, denies having any political allegories in Watership Down, but I doubt any of his readers believe him.)

On another occasion, Hazel requested that Blackberry explain his scheme with the raft. “We’re just simple rabbits, Bigwig and I. Do you mind explaining?”

It struck me that when Hazel called Bigwig and himself simple rabbits, he wasn’t trying to be humble or self-critical. Hazel asked like he had a right to do so, as if Blackberry ought to be clearer and make his ideas more accessible to everyone.

In this instance, Blackberry is like a distinguished scientist who is removed from the masses. None of the other rabbits (except Fiver), truly comprehend Blackberry’s ideas.

Yes, Blackberry is a sociable bunny, and it’s evident that the crew do accept him. Yet, it seems that he, and possibly Fiver, are split off into a different group from everybody else.

You would think that being classed as the smartest bunny in the gang would be an honor, and in a way, it is. But I also sense a kind of loneliness there — most of his friends won’t be able to understand and connect with him above a certain level of thought.

In our human world, in the 21st century Western society, being intelligent puts you at the top of the totem pole. The students with stellar grades, the eminent scientists, leading inventors, the geniuses of our century, prodigies with insanely high IQs…

Great intelligence, regardless of how you define intelligence, is seen as this amazing, enviable thing.

But in Watership Down’s rabbit world, it sounds like being clever can be frowned upon, distrusted, or even separate you from others.

Distrust Towards Clever People in Chinese Culture

In contrast to the 21st century Western view, let me share something interesting from my cultural heritage — I’m Chinese.

As someone who has been in the Western education system for most of my life, it blows my mind that many local Chinese people are leery of creativity.

Not all, of course. Our culture still values being smart. Yet, it sounds more like the grinding, efficiency kind of smart, like doing well in school, rather than the intelligence that sparks insight and creativity.

I was amazed when I found out there was a common phrase in Chinese, that roughly translates to “don’t try to be clever or do anything new.” Seriously? I thought being smart and coming up with something new was the point.

No, not all Chinese people have this attitude, but I’m just stunned that there is such a saying in the first place. How could originality and intelligence be a bad thing?

In the 18th century Qing Dynasty, Cao Xueqin wrote the famous Chinese literary classic, Dream of the Red Chamber.

*spoilers below*

In the book, some of the most intelligent women were heavily criticised. One woman, Wang Xifeng, even had her destiny written as: (roughly translated): “You calculate everything, you’re way too smart. Sadly, your calculations and cunning lead to your death.” Yes, she does die.

You could say that it was Karma. She was manipulative and exploitative; she hurt and killed a lot of people for her own gain. But her deeds caught up to her.

There was another girl, Xue Baochai. Unlike Wang Xifeng, Xue Baochai is considered one of the good guys of the novel. But still, literary critics often slam her as too clever and inauthentic as a person.

Xue Baochai is popular, well-respected, with superior skills of diplomacy even as a teenage girl. Many critics believed that she was manipulative, too, and that she suppressed her own feelings just to get ahead in the family. (Though she never tried to harm anyone.)

Still, I think critics are too harsh. She may be very socially skilled, and her motives for helping others may not always be pure. But she was doing what she could to survive in a brutal aristocratic family.

It’s tempting to conclude that this is just China being misogynistic and trying to tear down smart women. But I get the sense that this isn’t just against women.

The protagonist, Jia Baoyu, is an exceptionally bright boy and an amazing poet. He also gets a sad ending, as does his love interest, Lin Daiyu. She is even more intelligent than him, and is the most accomplished poet in their circle.

Literary critics tend to be sympathetic towards Lin Daiyu and Jia Baoyu, though, but there’s still the sense that being smart is bad and destructive. (To be fair, almost everyone gets a tragic ending in this story.)

Final Thoughts

As someone who has spent most of my life worshipping intelligence, I am dumbfounded that some cultures and social circles would see cleverness or creativity as a bad, even harmful thing.

Sometimes, other people may just be jealous. Some other times, they may genuinely believe that it’s a sign of pathology, abnormality, or bizarreness, something hard to understand and therefore untrustworthy.

Or, some folks see high intelligence as something extreme and dangerous, that it will destroy you and the people you love.

In an ideal world, nobody should be shunned, regardless of how smart they are. Plus, there are different types of intelligence. For instance, academic ability, problem-solving skills, social aptitude, emotional intelligence, street smarts, artistic creativity, scientific inventiveness, critical thinking skills, musical acuity, and others. Moreover, you can always increase your intelligence with practice and experience.

No matter how smart we are in these different areas, we should still be treated with equal respect and dignity.

Over to You

Do you think intelligence can be bad? If so, how? Do you have any other insights about intelligence, or about Watership Down or Dream of the Red Chamber?

If you love reading stories about art, culture, psychology, and LGBTQ+ issues, consider subscribing to my Ghost newsletter!

Originally published in Counter Arts on June 8, 2023