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The thing is, the definition of smart and stupid will vary, sometimes greatly, between different people. If we could come close to a consensus on the definition of a smart or stupid person, I do think there are some very general characteristics that could define these people, but even then it's very complex. I don't think there is one or two main differences between smart and stupid people, it's way more complicated than that.
Memory. I have had no chance in life on being smart because my memory just sucks. I know people who have great memories and I envy them, they can become brain surgeons. I barely remember what I had for breakfast. I can read the same book every year and it is new to me Thank you, dear thyroid immune disease that keeps me stupid
I used to have an excellent memory. Several years ago, I baked marijuana brownies. I loved eating them, but it affected my short term memory. I don't bake brownies anymore, but my memory has not returned. Fortunately my spouse has a great memory. My long term memory is fine.
I think the main differences are that some people employ common sense and others believe "ignorance is bliss".
"Common Sense" I think is key. I know a computer engineer who can't bake a cake or cook anything. My Dad (93) says after my Mom passed in 2007, anyone that can read, can cook.....but it takes common sense!
I think it's a combo of street and book smart and common sense. It's ok to say "I don't know" People who act smart never say that, they just BS their way through it.
I do not consider people with learning disabilities 'stupid'.
Having more experiences in life makes you smarter in my opinion.
I think Smart/Stupid isn't a large gap, it depends on ones life. I'm smart in some things and stupid in others.
I don't think people truly know what makes a person 'smart' or 'stupid'. Also, as someone has already stated, it is very situational. A classically smart person can do "stupid" acts and vice versa.
My teen daughter has ADD. She is also very introverted. Just because she doesn't ask questions or gets easily flustered at certain things doesn't make her stupid. However, when she is engaged in things that really interest her, her deductive reasoning is second to none. So I disagree with your analysis.
The brain (and cognitive ability) is very complex, and there are many folks out there who aren't "typical". That doesn't make them dumb. It just means that their brains function differently and their abilities are unlocked in different ways.
It's painful to talk about this when I think of "real" people. But treating it as a humorous subject I'd say dumb people usually have a lot of dumb kids AND the smartest kid they have is the one the whole family thinks is a genius.
The way the world is speeding up in the knowledge department I'd say from experience if you think you are smart now, just wait a couple of decades and everything you thought you knew will have been changed.
A definition that I think works regardless of the specific topic: Smart people realize how dumb they are and proceed to learn. Stupid people think they are the smartest person in the room and don't need to learn.
For example on this forum if you go to the House section or the Work and Employment section you will find that most posters there are beyond stupid. Not only do they have no idea what they are talking about they are giving that beyond stupid advice to others. I am a former owner of a construction company so I have a lot of real life experience in both sections. I have to completely avoid those sections because I just can't handle reading the posts and not calling most posters complete morons.
Another huge tell someone is stupid is they make the same exact mistakes over and over.
I would also never consider people with learning disabilities 'stupid'.
I’ll apologize up front for labeling some people as stupid. Normally that’s not a word I deploy in my every day vocabulary. But it fits for this conversation.
The main difference between smart people and stupid people that I see boils down to temperament and curiosity. I’ve noticed the people in my life who know the least are the ones who do and learn the bare minimum to get by. They hate asking questions, they get flustered and upset easily when something goes wrong or doesn’t work, and they’re fairly stubborn and stuck in their ways. Generally the most open-minded and open-hearted people I know tend to be the smartest and wisest.
Anybody else feel this way?
Well, I consider myself pretty smart... but there's precious little I'm curious about. I know what I think I need to know for day-to-day life, and when there's something I figure I ought to know, I look it up.
What I have found is really stupid people usually think they are smart. Smart people realize how little in the scheme of life they really know.
This is really domain dependent. Smart people in a completely new field often overestimate their abilities just like everyone else. In fields in which they specialize, and tangential fields, they are much more aware of what they do and don’t know.
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Thank you, dear thyroid immune disease that keeps me stupid 
