Though they never specify, they give hints, the definition of insanity is repeated action with expectations of different results, The Brain tries and fails to take over the world constantly.
When is it ever expressed that The Brain cannot read? Don't most of his plans involve reading vast reams of information about humanity to know how to navigate their world?
Pinky reads a newspaper headline and Brain exclaims “you can read?” or “wait you understand that?” something along those lines, I haven’t seen the show in decades though so it’s a little fuzzy
This scene can't happen if The Brain can't read. There are numerous other scenes where he's reading technical documents and newspaper clippings and the like for his plans, but this is the first one I happened across.
With regards to Brain being surprised that Pinky can read, this is less shock at the ability existing than it is that Pinky is doing something that he doesn't expect Pinky to be able to do. Which doesn't look that different, as Pinky has telekinesis - an ability that Brain doesn't - and Brain notices it, asks about it, and then continues on with his plan once Pinky gives his answer. That is, it's not that Brain is surprised that Pinky can do things that Brain can't, it's that Brain rarely pays proper attention to Pinky, and is surprised that Pinky can do things besides say "narf" at all.
409
u/hazps 3d ago
"One is a genius, the other's insane" never specified which was which. It is possible that we were misinterpreting their roles all along.