Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained with stupidity.
There are two things I need to add to this. Two things you need to keep in mind from this rule.
1. Not everyone is out to get you. Most of the time, people don't realize they're being rude. Political Correctness is an attempt to help steer people out of being unintentionally unkind, but it has gone a bit insane sometimes because of people who want to make sure there's no risk of insulting people.
You need to remember that there are a lot of people out there that don't want to hurt anyone (not everyone, there are some malicious people out there), and they will probably apologize if you point out that they said something hurtful.
2. Judge the action, not the person. They can be braindead in one aspect and brilliant in others. They can be cruel in one aspect and kind in others. There is more to a person than one stupid or cruel thing. Hell, there's more to a person than a week of stupidity and cruelty. I'm not saying you have to like them, but try to remember that just because they did something stupid, doesn't mean they are stupid.
I feel like this is something we don't remember often enough. One day should never define a life (aside from the day of birth defining someone as alive). You would hate for it to happen to you, so remember not to hold it against others. That applies to a stupid mistake, a stupid comment, or even a stupid crime. Don't assume the worst just because you can.
Sorry for the rant. I hope you take something from this into your life and maybe use it to be kind when you might not have otherwise.
Sources:
The Decision Lab-- Hanlon's Razor
Coffee and Junk-- Hanlon's Razor
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