Stupid People
Among stupid people, the first thing to go is their recognition that they are stupid.
Discuss.
UPDATE: Reader Nels Nelson links to some empirical evidence to support my hypothesis. Here’s a brief snippet:
Why, then, do the incompetent overestimate themselves and what, short of promoting them to management, can be done about it?
“Very rarely do we receive accurate social feedback from others,” [researcher Justin] Kruger said. “Little kids and drunks are really the only ones who violate this. We are taught that if we don’t have something nice to say about someone, don’t say anything.”
In other words, politeness is a curse in disguise. It’s OK to be politely nice to a non-idiot who does something idiotic once in a while and will eventually discover his temporary and fleeting idiocy on his own. But when dealing with a genuine idiot, such politeness does nothing except to reinforce his idiotic view that he isn’t an idiot. Contrary to popular saying that was almost certainly coined by an idiot who didn’t know he was an idiot, it doesn’t “take one to know one.” Non-idiots can identify idiots easily. It’s only the idiots themselves who can’t.
The researchers further concluded, as I’ve long suspected, that while idiots cannot be cured of their idiocy, many of them can be cured of their perception that they are not idiots:
In fact, someone needs to say something, the researchers found. When informed of their errors and shown how to get it right, the previously incompetent test subjects suddenly handed up more realistic assessments of their performance.
In short, they got a clue.
Of course, some hard-core idiots (scroll down to comments 4, 7, 9, 11, 13) are too dumb even to respond to corrections.
August 21st, 2004 at 8:26 am
Been reading “That Idiot” (who shall not be named) too, eh?
Off topic…these smilies look weird in the row together…
:roll::whip:
August 21st, 2004 at 11:37 am
“Examinations are formidable even to the best prepared, for the greatest fool may ask more than the wisest man can answer.”
-Charles Caleb Colton
August 21st, 2004 at 1:16 pm
“A firm grasp of the obvious is the cornerstone of sanity.”
August 22nd, 2004 at 7:46 am
Stupid is as stupid does- Forrest Gump.
August 22nd, 2004 at 12:16 pm
http://www.post-gazette.com/magazine/20000223competent1.asp
August 22nd, 2004 at 2:06 pm
Hmm. I’m not sure about that.
I think one has to be called an idiot in the right way, or the other person just hardens his position. People don’t generally admit they’re wrong when attacked.
August 22nd, 2004 at 7:26 pm
What you fail to realize in your LA observer exchange is Addie (short for Addled?) has progressed beyond your simple “reason”-based debating style and is immune to your powers or persuasion.
Specifically, Addie appears to be an early adherent of the “Shouting points memo” school of debating. (link)
August 23rd, 2004 at 8:54 am
One of the keys to politeness working properly is to have people around you who will tell you when you’re being unreasonable or just plain dumb. It’s most important though that when these people do let you know…You at least strongly consider the admonition of your friends. In any event, If I ever do any blog dumb thing feel free to call me on it Xrlq.
August 23rd, 2004 at 10:18 am
Xrlq, is Mark York sending you uncoherent emails threatening legal action of some sort?
I’d hate to think I was the only one.
August 23rd, 2004 at 11:02 am
No, but as recently as yesterday he was posting incoherent threats in public fora, instead. If the guy were not so incredibly nasty, I’d almost feel sorry for him. Almost.
August 23rd, 2004 at 7:00 pm
I concur. Thanks for the link, that explains much. I somehow find it appropriate that hotmail marked his message as ‘junk mail’. Heh.:mrgreen:
September 2nd, 2004 at 8:18 pm
Dowd’s Whining
In a few days, this blog will be a year old. I would like it if I got a larger readership, just as any blogger who doesn’t have to spend a significant amount of money on his bandwidth does. I…