Dumbing Down?

1

I am curious as to why it seems that pretty much every story has Dumbing as a major theme. Why is the idea of taking someone intelligent and permanently making them dumb so attractive. I mean I get the sexiness of making a smart jock or whatnot dumb in trance, but permanently, like in their day to day life as well, I just don’t get. So I am curious as to the thoughts on this of others.

(I guess, thinking about it, I don’t like the ruining of one’s life aspect of many hypno stories. I prefer ‘happy endings’ where the lives of those controlled are say ‘better’ at the end then at the beginning, even if its not what they would have chosen before.)

10 Likes
2

Generally, dumbing down seems to be of a piece with making someone more hedonistic and less inhibited, all part of the fantasy of escaping the everyday grind of adult responsibilities and giving in to more basic impulses. If you’re going to the effort of creating a himbo boytoy, intellectual discussions probably aren’t a big priority. (“I don’t want clever conversations/I never want to work that hard/mm-mm-hmm-mm-mm.”) I’d have to check but I think in most of my stories with a dumbing-down element, it’s actually an active choice on the part of the person being changed wanting a less complicated life rather than something that’s externally imposed.

7 Likes
3

I’m not a fan of dumbing down either. The only instance of dumbing down that I liked is Pine dumbing down Mikey in Nacho’s series, but that started off as Pine unintentionally making Mikey out of spite and then undoing it when Mikey was about to be kicked off the football team. Then it evolved to be part of Mikey’s roleplaying with Pine. It is often about control and I like to explore the person engaging and willingly accepting the control, so I often find myself as odds with the dumbing down motif. So know, Heru, you got someone sympatico with you on this issue.

3 Likes
4

Funny! I just opened the forum to post this exact same question! I don’t get the attraction of it, find it often a turn off, and too often it reflects lazy writing. I don’t find the idea of turning a guy into a warm fleshlight stimulating (in some stories it’s almost necrophilia!), and in the real world having sex with someone intellectually disabled is akin to rape of a minor - consent can’t morally or legally be given. Changing how a character thinks or what he thinks about, changing what or if something is remembered are cornerstones of this genre, but intelligence reflects ability to learn and adapt to stimuli which is frankly vital to good sex.

Related to this is the zombie trope. Yes, the mindless, plodding, hungry masses of the dead is scary to a point. But think of it this way - Which gives the worst nightmares and potentially richer storytelling - a jellyfish or a shark? The intelligent hunter or the mindless trap?

5 Likes
5

As a sub, I find that dumbing down underscores being submissive. Personal choice is all.

7 Likes
6

I’m thinking of the film Lawnmower Man where the title character started off as intellectually disabled and through drugs became intelligent (in the film the wrong drug made him a highly-aggressive egomaniac). Seems like one could construct a story where the dumbed down individual could turn the tables - and get some sexual satisfaction out of it. :slight_smile:

7

Fascinating conversation! I want to weigh in on this because dumbing down has always been among my favorite erotic tropes…but in thinking about it, “dumbing down” isn’t really the right phrase for what turns me on. Someone being reduced to a genuine imbecile who can’t take care of himself? That’s not sexy at all. That’s just sad. In fact that’s a big reason why I struggle with the ABDL trope, because grown men acting like helpless babies makes me depressed. For me personally, the erotic form of dumbing down isn’t necessarily a reduction in overall intelligence; rather, it’s a simplifying of the mind, a reduction in higher-level thought like philosophy/geopolitics/economics. It’s the type of guy who, when he meets someone crying, says “That’s a bummer. You know what always helps me when I’m down? Lifting! Come to the gym with me!” A Pleasant dullness, I guess? For me the phrase “surfer bro” comes to mind—perpetually chilled out and relaxed, totally unconcerned, just here for a good time, but never cruel about it. Hypnothrill has always been the top dog for me regarding that trope (“Musclehead: Tyler’s Journal” is my favorite-ever story on the site because it so perfectly captures the gradual mental slowness and apathy).

4 Likes
8

Dumbing Down often finds its way into my stories as an element, but only once have I actually used it as a centerpiece (ADDICTED TO STUDD) – and that was only to see if I could challenge myself to tell a complete story in 1st person as the narrator became less and less intelligent.

For my stuff, Dumbing Down usually means simplify – and for the most part, my “dumbed” characters are usually cheerful and childlike in their enthusiasm, not helpless morons.

2 Likes
9

I am loving this discussion.

I’ve tried several approaches in my writing as well, and finally came across a solution that works for several of my stories. I refer to it as the ‘little green pill’. I got the idea after reading stories about the ‘cunting’ pill.

Take a step back and ask why you would want to dumb someone down. Or, why someone would want to be dumbed down. Most likely it’s to control them… like a slave. What would you want from your slave? Would you want him/her to be a mindless slave where you have to give them instructions for every little step? Maybe having to remind them every five minutes that you’re their master.

The solution isn’t taking away their intelligence, but their destiny. Everyday, we look around and see what life offers us. Hopes, dreams, love, family, and desires. Come to think of it, certain forms of autism strips a person of some or all of them. Take a way a person’s destiny, then they have none of them. For some autistic people, shutting out the distractions around them, allows them to focus on on thing and… play the piano or solve tough mathematical problems.

We see our destiny all around us. It’s our free-will that allows us to change our destiny. What if you could only see your destiny through the peephole of a door. Suddenly, your limited with your hopes and dreams. There is no love through a peephole, but… there is through a gloryhole.

Come on guys… You didn’t see that one coming? No pun intended. Through a gloryhole, you have one thing to focus on. You don’t have to worry about the rest of the world around you. No distractions. No worrying about what the person on the other side of the wall is thinking or their facial expressions. For a brief moment, your love is focused on one task. Nothing else matters.

Free-will is controlled by a person’s inner voice. Take away it, and you take away their choices. Weed. It messes with your inner voice. Some like that inner voice more than their everyday voice. I know I do. When Stupid Cupid shows up, he makes me smile. He also comes up with some of the greatest ideas for snacks.

The little green pill is designed to narrow a person’s view of their own destiny and give them a happy inner voice (stoned inner voice). It makes them highly susceptible to your suggestions. They’re highly motivated and focused on the task in front of them. They can love and allowed to be loved. Even if it’s in it front of a glory hole.

I have on story where a straight boy fell in love with his best friend who is gay. After he hears about the green pill, he struggles with what the green pill will do to him… or for him.

Much love, Cupid. :cupid:

2 Likes
10

I think it’s interesting a lot of the views on this are coming from people who don’t share dumbing down as an interest. I am a sub and I actively engage in hypnosis as much as I can and I can tell you why it appeals to me. I overthink everything. And it gets really difficult during sex because I can’t get out of my own head to be in the present to just enjoy what’s going on. And in every social situation my mind is going a hundred miles a minute trying to navigate my surroundings. The idea of being in a BDSM relationship with someone where I can let him do the thinking is my ultimate dream. Not to be a zombie or a burden but rather just be a happy submissive who just does what I’m told and doesn’t have to think about it. An extension of that, and something that fuels my deepest fantasies, is the Himbo idea (or, since I’m a fat hairy guy, a Bimbear). To have a hypnotist put me in trance and make me dumb and horny so I can just be a dim, happy, horned up companion is a total fantasy.

I also think it’s interesting how people’s dislike of something can affect their perception. While the OP asked why “every” story has dumbing down in it, I’m always frustrated that not enough stories have it in them. It may be a high percentage, but I’d be willing to bet not even half of the stories on this site involve dumbing down. And some stories have the key word if even one minor character says or does something dumb even when it’s not Hypno related, or the mere act of making someone mindless during a trance is enough to use dumbing down as a keyword, when it’s not really what that fetish is about.

Anyway, just wanted to give my two cents on what the attraction of this trope is from the point of view of someone who actually gets off on all these wonderful dumbing down stories.

5 Likes
11

As a fan of humiliation, I find dumbing down interesting because I believe it takes the humiliation aspects to a whole new level, under certain circumstances. The stupidified character can do or say things to embarrass himself, or be unable to stop the humiliation inflicted on him due his mental state.

That of course when the character is able to realise what he’s doing or he’s able to remember at some extent how he used to be. Just to make the character dumb without going in a proper description is not very interesting, or just to say he’s dumb without seen examples or situations where that’s explored is not very appealing.

2 Likes
12

I agree. Having someone become dumb and then never get to see them exhibit any changes in their personality kind of defeats the purpose of making them dumb.

1 Like
13

So here is an interesting question I have. In the series of stories under the Jock Pussy Syndrome label there is Dumber. But the thing is he gets horny and can’t think when aroused but generally speaking his intelligence is the same. So is this really Dumber? I personally don’t think so. But I am curious on what others think.

14

You 're right in chapter 1, I felt a bit dissapointed, but in chapter 2, the character sounds a bit more like a dumb jock stereotype, with many ‘bros’ on the dialogue, and he seem to be a bit slow. So I guess the writer plan to make the dumbing down slowly, and the first tags were just to indicate that there will be more in future instalments. Maybe! Let’s wait to see where it goes.

15

I feel attacked.

3 Likes
16

huh? How is this an attack?

My point is that when I see Dumbing I think of something more permanent then simply becoming sex crazed and wanton while in a form of heat.

I mean let us take the tag Straight to Gay. If the event related to the tag is like a few pages long but in the end he goes back to straight then I don’t see the tag as fitting.

I gotta say, and I guess I wasn’t clear on this, but the story is fantastic. The whole idea of JPS is very hot and sexy.

I was just curious on the thought of the tag ‘Dumbing’.

17

That was a joke. A lot of men don’t think very clearly when they become aroused.

5 Likes
18

Oh. Ha. Sorry, lol, my bad for not seeing it. hehe

Honestly, though, I gotta say when I saw the comment my eyebrow raised in confusion. Like 'wait, what? What did I miss?" and then I mentally began going through your stories to see if I missed a theme or something. hehe

That said, and not to be too serious, but honestly, yeah, this is my point. Being dumb while horny is not really a super negative trait. hehe (its too common to be super negative)

1 Like
19

I actually love good dumbing down stories (for example Desmond Brothers or Escape Room). And it’s exactly because of what some of you already said - it lowers inhibitions of the character, he becomes more focused on his arousal and sexual part of his being.

Both the stories I mentioned are exactly like that - the characters’ intelligence is lowering, while their arousal is rapidly increasing. For me, these kind of stories are the hottest stories here.

I don’t like hypno stories much, it’s all about domination and enslaving.
But the stories in which someone’s inhibitions (and/or intelligence) are lowered are really hot and exciting. And it can be in by drugs, reality change, whatever. :slight_smile:

2 Likes
20

This post really has me thinking back on my distaste for dumbing down. It’s hot, sure, and I love slow burn personality changes. Even though it’s just fantasy, I just can’t help but feel guilty for fantasizing it. I guess I love the confidence boost included alongside the reduced inhibitions when a nerd gets his personality changed into a jock. But him dropping his interests, friends, or even starting to hurt them… that just kills me inside. I prefer a more balanced approach of both and adding up to a better whole. Solidarity of the Self, I dislike identity death… Just gives me guilt after the pleasure.

3 Likes