What makes an idiot an idiot?

If you don't want to be an idiot, be considerate of others. It's a good rule.

Roommates, coworkers, friends, people in Wal-Mart and even your relatives can be idiots. But I've learned that the first person you don't want to be an idiot is you. Many things can make you an idiot. Being American might make you an idiot- depending on the perception. From every point of view, we're all idiots.

Here is a list of things that might make you look like an idiot to me:

DISCLAIMER: At one time or another, I have been guilty of almost every one of the following.

1. You stop and talk right in the middle of a busy walkway - anywhere. Period.

2. You let your dishes pile up because you "don't feel like doing them right away." When does anybody ever feel like doing dishes?

3. You write all of your emails without subjects or comprehensible sentence structure. Example: (This is an actual direct quote from an email I received from a manager at work.) "thinking about doing article for newsletter for to get service employees into line for the new system structure in the next week." And then the author of this massacre expects you to completely understand. This one makes me fume.

4. You compulsively show up late to every meeting. Social or work-related.

5. You don't read books because you "don't have time."

6. You condescend people not because they aren't correct, but because you have nothing better to do.

7. You complain about the cold weather in South Dakota.

8. You complain about the hot weather in South Dakota.

9. You take video games more seriously than girls.

10. You say "Wow, you're tall!" to a tall guy and expect him to think it's the funniest thing he's ever heard.

11. You think you are always right.

12. You drink 22 beers and complain about being hung over the next day.

13. You like to hear yourself talk about insanely irrelevant and boring things.

14. You don't care about things that don't affect you.

15. You regularly react negatively to new ideas.

16. You play music very loudly and think everybody else likes it.

17. You drive a huge truck not because you haul bags of seed corn or chase cows, but because you think you do those things, and because you think it impresses everybody.

18. You contribute nothing to things that contribute to you.

19. You never ask anybody how they feel.

20. You never give a sincere response when somebody asks you how you feel.

21. You blog about idiocy.

22. You think you aren't affected by the economy.

23. You think global warming is hype.

24. You don't subscribe to or read any periodical or publication of any sort.

25. You think careers in journalism are easy.


Maybe I'm feeling just a bit cynical today, but I do feel very strongly that simple consideration is the cure for idiocy. If you're an idiot, you should know that although you probably have irritated the crap out of me at one time or another, I don't hate you. Nobody should hate. Ever.

Thanks for letting me rant. I feel better now.

-John