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Underestimating Intelligence
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Manipulating and tricking people isn't easy; one reason why is that there is no guarantee that the target of manipulation or trickery will fall for it. Even if the target of manipulation is stupid, naïve, or gullible, and the manipulator is intelligent, there is always the possibility that the target of manipulation will see through it and catch the would-be manipulator off-guard. The reason why someone might underestimate another's intelligence can vary; perhaps the manipulator looks down on the manipulated party for one reason or another and assumes them to be easily tricked; for example, an old person might assume that a younger person is easily manipulated because of their lack of experience. Someone who's skilled at manipulating others might get cocky and assume that no one can see through them, and end up being caught off guard when someone they tried to dupe does just that. In some cases, the target is genuinely stupid, but not as stupid as the would-be manipulator thinks; perhaps the manipulator puts so little effort into their manipulation that their target easily sees through them. If the target used to be stupid but became wiser, then the manipulator might assume that their target is the same idiot they always were, and will become blindsided when someone they could once trick now sees right through them. There are some rare cases where the manipulator knows the person they are trying to outwit is intelligent, but underestimates just how smart they are; if a person tries to outthink a smart person's plan, they might fail to take into account that said smart person could have contingency plans. Someone who's arrogant might acknowledge someone's intelligence but also overestimate their own intelligence so greatly that they underestimate their intelligent foe. When said foe exploits this for a scam of their own, you are looking at a Kansas City Shuffle. Intellectual counterpart to Underestimating Badassery. Compare Out-Gambitted. This is a common blunder by people who are either Too Clever by Half, an Insufferable Genius, or a Know-Nothing Know-It-All. Overlaps with It Can Think if a person assumes the being they are trying to trick is only a mindless beast. Nobody's That Dumb is a common reason why stupid characters don't fall for the deception. Can sometimes overlap with Smarter Than You Look. Contrast Seemingly Profound Fool and Mistaken for Profound, which involve people's intelligence being overestimated. Also contrast Too Dumb to Fool, where it is because someone is dumb that the manipulation fails. Note: If the "underestimated" guy actually attempts to hide their knowledge/intelligence by pretending to be stupid, then the trope is Obfuscating Stupidity. This trope only requires another person to underestimate someone's intelligence, without considering whether the latter actively hides it or not. Examples: |
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