Into the realm of the intelligent.

Now you made me afraid to comment.

Follow you instincts and intuition as much as possible. Your better self rarely steers you wrong.

I think I'm going to give this a try as well.

It's a learning process dealing with the willfully ignorant. Now when they tell me they want to drink a glass of poisoned kool-aid I say, "Drink two!" Most of the time people are just yanking your chains anyway.

Well, since you did comment I guess you weren't that afraid. :)

The willfully ignorant can go their own way, I'm not following them. I respect your restraint. ~R~

My gut has steered me in the wrong direction too many times for me to trust my intuition lately. Or maybe I'm just not listening to it properly.

Some are Harry, and some are just that dumb. But I like the idea of encouraging them in their idiocy. When someone starts going off on how all doctors are part of a giant conspiracy with Big Pharma, I sometimes can't resist asking what they would do if someone in their family needed immediate medical intervention. It always stops them in their tracks. Docs at the ER aren't so bad after all.

Julie, I'm not 100 per cent successful, but I'm trying.

Emma, great post. I feel the same way, although I try not to say it too often.

Natalie, maybe what you want is stronger than what you need. I've been there many a time, especially when it comes to picking my battles and romantic relationships.

Yes. Thanks.

R.

First, I rated you just for the title alone, then I started reading. Last Spring I came to the same conclusion about my participation here and elsewhere. Call me a curmudgeon, but I don't have the will to listen to stupid, intentional asshats.

There are many folks here that I really, really appreciate, including you, and that is why I am still here.

Intuition is a kind of knowing that no intelligent person would ignore if they understood how it works. You and your senses are gathering information at all times and your intuition can take much of that information into account more accurately than can be explained, and often does so when you most need the help.

I try not to care what stupid people think, but I'm drawn to them anyway. I'm intrigued by the next stupid thing to come out of their mouth. That's why Sarah Palin interests me. (Rated, of course)

I guess by posting here, I don't consider myself among the willfully ignorant, although at times I am sure I qualify under that heading as well. As someone said to me in a PM yesterday (paraphrased), I came here to write and to engage with healthy, engaging people. I came here to write and found some amazing people and a few toxic folks and a smattering in between.

I am happy to talk to anyone as long as they don't attack, name call, and are respectful. As soon as this occurs, I walk away and will banish them, too. Other than that, I use the 3 strikes out rule. It works in real life, so it seems to be working here. Only had one strike out so far.

1 banishment "frustrating", 1 strike out "necessary" = all the rest of OS "life changing". Thanks Emma for your wise words.

I've said it before: I don't permit my daughters to say the word "hate." (They are 8 & 9, so I still have some influence on them.) However, I am quite fond of saying, "I hate stupid people." I have found a place somewhere inside myself where I can be amused or at the worst, irritated. But if I find something that I am TRULY passionate about, I will NOT back down and will be quite clear about how I feel. Luckily, I am not faced with that as often as you are. Alllllll that said, I appreciate your voice - always have, always will. I hope your new approach works better for your well-being.

Makes sense to me. Why waste your time on 'em?

Hard to argue with that. I know I've expended far too much energy responding to stupidity, with nothing to show for it.

I like this, especially the last part. The part where you say you feel better, like I can imagine a weight being lifted off of you. Some new space. That makes me feel good. Excellent post.

There are some people who eat STUPID for breakfast. It sustains them all day long. But it sustains *them*, not you. They are just trying to feed you and if you don't sustain yourself with what you need, it's easy to feed off them. O'Really smart thinking!

And here I figured it was the Rogers Chocolates. . .

Well I have been ignorant most of my life but even so, many times I have steered away from trouble by following my gut instinct. I am glad this has made you feel much better, the world is crappy enough lately without having to stress out over the ignorant in here or any other site.

Rated.

Having been stupid doesn't place one beyond the pale. We're all stupid from time to time; there'd be no one on the near side of the pale! What irks me is ideologues.

The questions I don't bother to answer are the ones with more than three unspoken assumptions in them. By the time a thorough answer disentangles all that surplusage, they aren't listening any more, so I save myself a lot of futile effort.

Thanks Lija and C.K.
Susanne, I couldn't agree more, and thanks for the compliment!
Roger, I know. It can be an (almost) irresistible lure.
Kate: Three strikes is a good approach. I've given some people many more chances that that.
Outside Myself: I share your passion, but I think I am burned out right now. If someone is genuinely curious or there is a glimmer of intelligence in them, I might try. Might.
marytkellOy: I do feel lighter, and I have more time to write, too.
O'Really: Wise words. It's harder for me than most to resist since I am a double fire sign and I tend to react quickly. But I am learning.
Kathy: Maybe it is the chocolates!

Torman: You're right. The world is hard enough without fighting unnecessary battles.
LuluandPhoebe: Sorry you are having a bad week. I am not sure how sane I am, but the intent is there.
Dave: Excellent comment. I saw a post about a hour ago that sparked this one where the person who wrote it did exactly what you said. Posed a question about Obama's health care plan that was based on false assumptions and tried to engage people in dialogue with the "can someone prove this to me?" ploy. This blogger does it all the time then gets all upset when people point it out to her. Ugh.

Oh, geez, the first thing I thought of was you are referring to me! If you were, I'm asking you to just lie to me–I'm too big a fan of yours and my ego would not handle it.

I don't care that you don't care. I don't care if you don't care that I don't care. Get over yourself, Ms. Peel!

Cat: Agree about the wine, and speaking of which, it's time for a glass (or two).

Bob: Give your head a shake! No one who writes cartoons as sharp and funny as yours could be considered stupid.
Nom de Plume: If you didn't care, you wouldn't have bothered to comment. You don't know me well enough to tell me to get over myself, and I doubt that you ever will.

Emma, FYI, the post you refer to, that's my one "strike out". I saw the title this time and didn't even go there. :) Yay for us!

It would be stupid to argue.

I'm just here to entertain you smart ones and I'm failing miserably.

Kate: It gets easier the more you do it.
dynomyte: You're funny. But not stupid.

Jeannette, Eva, Chuck: Thanks for stopping by.
Cap'n: Humour is essential.

Willful ignorance gets my back up as it does yours. When someone has the resources to consult and the ability to learn but they refuse to it is aggravating. Particularly if they then ask, "Well why don't you like me?" I don't like what my reply would have to be cuz it sounds elitist but if we are talking about OS then this is not church or Sunday School.

Ummm . . . I am not going to write any more since I might be starting to sound stupid ;0)

I'm glad you are feeling better. I hope this means we'll see more posts from you (seems like you've absent of late).

Hey Em,
You have to pick your battles and arguing with the contentious, knee-jerk, nay-saying, self-inflated pinheads who usually start dust-ups on OS just isn’t worth either your intellectual nor emotional energy. Thanks for the WB btw.

I think part of the allure of the stupid (or trollish or ideologuish) is the promise of feeling smart by pointing out their stupidity (or etc.). However, dammit, it's rarely as satisfying as one expects - the stupid (or etc.) pay no attention beyond feeling somehow vindicated, and you (the general you! okay, the I) just looks equally stupid. Lying down with dogs or something. (Except I like dogs...tho it's clear that they're stupid...but they have big hearts...that's the problem with the stupid (or etc.) - their stupidity swamps their, er, heartiness...)

Dennis Knight had a good post today, as you know, about ignoring trolls. Same difference. (Emotional stupidity, intellectually stupidity, all toxic - and it's not necessary to deal with it here.)

I've had a similar realization a while back.

Stupid people, demonstrably as they may be, are sometimes relevant and as such I find myself caring about what they say, even if for now other reason then to worry about the damage their words inflict on others.

So I choose to not care about what irrelevant people say instead.

Atta girl!!! (best title ever by the way).

Not caring what certain people think is not the same as not caring about them/not having compassion for them/not wanting them to get, well, smarter and happier. But you don't have to let them run or ruin your life.

Oh my godz, a new Stupid Person has just appeared. I must ignore, I must ignore...

My gut is always wrong. Pepto Bismol helps.

Dorinda: Yes, we think alike on this subject. I'm not at OS to hold anyone's hand unless they are a friend and in need.
marcelleqb: I haven't been around much. I've been working on some of my own writing and I guess I just needed a break.
Hadrian: Sometimes it's fun to mix it up but ultimately, it's a waste of time.
Myriad: I love your comment about all kinds of toxic, and yeah, I noticed the new "stupid" too.
xor: I know what you mean. Sometimes you have to know what they're saying just so you know what you are up against. But I try not to let it get to me.
Sandra: I kind of like the title, too. I do wish some of them well, but then they're mostly ignorant, not stupid and/or toxic. I don't waste any energy on hating or being upset by them any more. Progress at last!
John: What are we gonna do with you? Always the wiseacre in the back of the class, eh? *spoken in a thick West Coast brogue*

You are a wise woman, Miss Peel. You can't teach the unteachable or those who refuse to acknowledge facts. If someone tells me the Earth is 6000 years old, I walk away. No point in trying to change that persons mind since men and dinosaurs walking together won't be far behind.
I got a PM from a guy an hour ago who joined OS just to insult me about my yesterdays post. Facts were of no importance to him. It was all about the insults. Wachagonnado.

Very well put. I figure it's like what Barney Frank said. I don't care for Frank, but he is a smart guy. And what he said about having a discussion with some people being like having a discussion with his dining room table is so accurate.

I refuse to do it.

If you have a differing viewpoint, but are willing to bring facts and rational thinking to the table, I'm willing to listen. If you bring nothing but lies and distortions, I'm not.

I'd rather try to discuss quantum mechanics with my cats. Hey, at least when they stare at me blankly when I say, so you see, you're neither dead or alive until I open the box and observe you I can look at them and say, well, you know, it doesn't make any sense to me anyway.

Michael: Those are exactly the kind of people I'm talking about. Ignoring them sometimes makes them go away.

Nom de Plume: If you didn't care, you wouldn't have bothered to comment. You don't know ME well enough to tell ME to get over MYSELF, and I doubt that you ever will.

Me, me, myself. You had to go deeper, Ms. Peel, to see the ironic humor of my comment. But I guess you're just too stupid!

Nom: You seem to have a problem with ME talking about MY feelings on MY blog. Run on home now and let the adults talk.

Tony: Well said. I take the same approach, at least when I have energy.
Nom: I am applying the "three strikes and you're out" approach to trolls/stupid people. Insult me again and I will delete your comments and keep deleting them until you find someone else to harass.

I agree--it's not worth it to get upset about idiocy! Some people waste too much energy fighting.

Great post. You're right, it is extremely tiring to care about what stupid people say or think or try to "debate" them or to even try to make sense of what is inevitably nonsensical (at least as I see it). But, invaribly I get sucked in more often than not.

Rated

Yes, just so. Rated for pure truth.

Ah, but how do you define stupid? Do you define stupid as people who just don't know any better, or do you define stupid as not caring about learning what they don't know? It's one thing to stick to your guns when you're simply uninformed, but are willing to change your tune when corrected, it's something completely different to stick to your guns and believe you're right even in the face of contradictory evidence. Then of course you have the troublemakers who just exist to cause problems for their own entertainment. So, sometimes it's hard to ignore something that is stupid until you can clearly define what you consider to BE stupid

Except when they have guns or make the laws.

I couldn't agree with this post more. By the way, one of the people you're probably referring to has shown up. Guess, I will take your advise and ignore them.

i may be stupid but i wasn't born in a barn yesterday. or something like that.

i think you're great emma. :^)

emma,
Someone sent me a link to your post with a message that read, “If the shoe fits...”

Where are the shoes!?

This is a fine post. This line especially stood out: “That doesn't mean that my emotions aren't engaged by the outrageousness of stupidity. The difference is that I rarely act on the urge to express them.”

That’s a pretty good definition of maturity if you ask me. But then what do I know. I’m still looking for the shoes.

Rated and appreciated.

You are an elite writer: great style, impeccable language and grammar. I think you are an intellectual and right most of the time. Intuition and intellect must agree. In other words, one is either right or wrong...most of the time.

At the end of one of your recent comments, you refused to comment on a Polanski issue; my respect for your intellect grew immensely.

Yet, since you are a writer, is it enough to avoid stupid people and stop watching National TV? Why can't you, for the sake of truth and civility, call the stupid stupid. Why can't you write things like, "if you think that Sarah Palin is smart, you are stupid."

Why can't you just flat out say that there are smart people, some of them learned and read books and became intellectuals; and there are also stupid people, some of them continued to watch National TV and became ridiculously stupid.

One does not have to write as well as emma peel does, but one must have the RIGHT idea/opinion/information.

Rated.

You will save yourself a lot of aggravation to avoid engaging with the stupid. It is quite simply impossible to educate the willfully ignorant or to change the mind of...well, hardly anyone.

Does this mean you wont follow Sarah Palin on Twitter?
(If ever there was a more aptly named thing, I am unaware of it)

I'm right there with you. I'm very tired of stupid people. Great post Emma. Rated

I think I get what you mean. I've gotten a bit tired of... see, I don't even want to be bothered to write out what it is that tires me. But your comments resonated and then reading some of the comments, I thought, oh yes, you are what that means... I'm a little smarter than the average bear, yes. But where I differ (I hope) is that I can shrug more off today than in my youth. That means a lot to me--and perhaps that is what you are saying as well.

My 11-year-old son understand this concept better than I do: He will watch something ridiculous on CNN, roll his eyes and sigh: "Well, you can't fix stupid." Me, I'm not stupid. But I am almost certain to do at least one stupid thing each day.

Strong the darkside is. Never underestimate the power of the dark side. Sooner or later, emma, your anger will lead you back...and when it does...you will call ME master.

I figure it's relative - I'm sure some people think I'm stupid. Especially people that disagree with me on any given topic. Funny how disagreeing always make the other guy seem like the idiot. For me, I just gauge by what/who feels toxic ... I figure I have plenty of my own attitude, I don't need anyone else's. ;)

It is a worthy endeavor Agent Peel, but there will always be times, when we are faced with colossal stupidity or inglorious lies. THIS is our burden to bear, we who have the brilliance of mind to recognize truth and the lies, cannot must not be silent. It is a debt that we will always owe to mankind itself, one that we can never fully repay.

So we write, and speak, and sometimes scream. But we never shut up. Truth can never be silenced. We are but an instrument.

it can be hard to restrain oneself, and even with the proper levels of medication, ITS is likely to rear it's noble head.

Ducks waddle.

Sounds like a good plan to me.

Rated

Most of the time, simple "follow the gut/auto pilot" works great.

However, the absolute best decisions I have ever made required me to rely solely on the higher functions of the brain and ignore the fear in my gut.

Especially when the fear is part of the zeit geist.

Sounds a wise decision to me. I'm also of the opinion gut instincts are usually correct and have learned that one the hard way.

I couldn't help but look up the definition of 'stupid'...I've always had a problem with this word or calling anyone stupid because my father was so fond of telling me I was stupid from the time I was a little girl - I still have a gut reaction to the word but for the first time, I wanted to make sure I was clear on the meaning after reading your blog - how powerful a common, 6 letter word can be:

1. lacking ordinary quickness and keenness of mind; dull.
2. characterized by or proceeding from mental dullness; foolish; senseless: a stupid question.
3. tediously dull, esp. due to lack of meaning or sense; inane; pointless: a stupid party.
4. annoying or irritating; troublesome: Turn off that stupid radio.
5. in a state of stupor; stupefied: stupid from fatigue.
6. Slang. excellent; terrific.

Concur. I avoid wasting time with confrontation when nothing much comes from it. That's a part of wisdom, isn't it?

Ah, such a cliquish, predicable, and hypocritical bunch you are, commenting about all the stupid people in the world as though your own shit doesn't stink. You sound like one angry, bitter lady Ms. Peel, and your threat to delete my comments not only made me laugh, it was just plain stupid!

"Critical thinking and analysis are ingrained into my thought processes..."
Likewise, but I am beginning to think this is a rarity nowadays.
I am glad you feel better though.
:-)

sometimes u can see it in the body and expressions. it can hardly be measurable but leaves an impression. the older i become and the more my experiences open me and i trust myself to go with the "feeling" with little or any reference to what my intellect may say, the more accurate I learn later I have been. it is one of the few "advantages" to aging--less time wasted on frauds.

Emma:

Congratulations. You snagged one. I took a look at his blog. It's airy-fairy with no room for comments.

I prefer the term "fraud" to "stupid," because someone can be stupid yet innocent. With a "fraud" you know you will never get the truth out of them no matter what you do or say because they don't know when they are lying or not--thus it is all lies.

I couldn't agree more. People who are willfully stupid are in need of attention, and by engaging with them, you give it to them. I found when I wrote a piece that drew the trolls out of the woodwork, many of them aggressively insulting, that deleting them not only was effective, but also a great deal of fun. They would keep writing progressively more infuriated comments and I would keep deleting them, until they realized that I could delete them faster than they could write them, especially typing with two elbows.

You are seasoned....

how entertaining that one of those frauds showed up here in the comments. it's almost like someone planted those comments to prove the futility of arguing with frauds (I agree -- it suits better than stupid, which is very subjective).

I'm always calmer when I stick to the middle of the road -- and my gut has wised up over the years -- I'm not so reactionary.

Knowing when to fight and when to walk away is a very hard thing sometimes.

On behalf of all the stupid people, first I'd like to say that I rated you twice, just so I could take the second rating away, and fourthly I liked you better when you were on the Avengers.

but i thunk you be nice ladie

It's so scary when people believe and profess illogical, impossible things. There's no changing their minds.

Thanks everyone for such interesting, insightful comments. I will respond to some of them individually shortly.

John Knight, vzn and Nom de Plume: I reserve the right to delete the comments of trolls and people who come onto my blog for the sole purpose of starting trouble and settling old scores. Nom de plume: It is obvious that you are not new to OS, and that you are hiding under another account. I have a good idea who you are. Cowardly much?

Hi Emma,
I think it's downright stupid that your posts always outrate mine!

I understand exactly where you're coming from though. It's not worth all the gastric juices generated and the Tums purchased to alleviate that problem. Please keep posting though.

Interesting how you have a problem with the only three people who criticized your post.

I saw no genuine criticisms of my post, only spurious attacks on me. There is a difference, and that is why the comments were deleted.

"I reserve the right to delete the comments of trolls and people who come onto my blog for the sole purpose of starting trouble and settling old scores." - emma

But I thought you said you no longer care? So why bother deleting comments? What are you afraid of? You've got 99.99% agreement on your post. Are you that worried about .01% disagreement?

Emma, if I may......

Fuck off Knight. Get a hobby or something. Better yet
go fucking write something.

It amazes me Emma how some find it entertaining to go from blog to blog being cretins.

heh heh. no change in my opinion. same hypocrisy as usual.
ps you might look into the symbolism of "the fool" in tarot cards. its not considered a negative card.
and also, in zen, it is said that masters sometimes disguised themselves as fools or crazy. the people couldnt tell the difference.

Thanks, Trig.

"I am fond of saying that my "gut is never wrong" and it isn't. " - emma

Wow. Your "gut" is "never" wrong? It must be tough for such an infallible gut to exist in a world full of flawed guts. You should go to Vegas a lot.

I'm late to this show - are people coming out as pro-stupid? If so, there might be hope for me yet.

You go! Good post!

Can you tell me what is not "stupid" about Trig's comment? Is the vulgarity really needed here? He tells me to F off because I had the audacity to question you?

"I no longer care what stupid people think."

Emma, I hate to take exception to this but I will. First, each person must be the arbiter of who is and is not a stupid person. And all of us are stupid in one shape form or fashion. You for example--some might consider you stupid for failing to listen to your instinct/intuition. That being the case then they would be justified in not caring what you think. Would that be right? I think not.

As my Dad always said: "Opinions are like asses; everybody has one." That was usually a precursor to my getting smacked up side the head but it's an old saying precisely because there's a great deal of truth to it.

I care what "stupid people" think. Because it is those thought processes which are indicators of a need for education or compassion or empathy or for good old fashioned Christian love.

I have come to the view that I am not going to be able to change the way most people think--unfortunately because if everyone thought the same way as I think then the world would be perfect, wouldn't it? So I can't change the way they think, but it doesn't mean that I shouldn't try and it doesn't mean that I shouldn't respect their thoughts--no matter how convoluted, hateful, misdirected or just plain wrong. And then I move on.

" suppose some will say that makes me "elitist."" - emma

Nooo. Why would someone say that? Just because you've declared that your "gut" is never wrong and that you are oh-so-tired of stupid people, that doesn't mean you are elitist or a snob or anything like that. Of course not.

And the fact that you cherry-pick comments out of your blog and send them to Never-Never Land, well, that's just your way of making sure no one can ever question your "gut". I mean, really, who would dare question the "gut" that is never wrong? The nerve of some people!

We'll have to agree to disagree Walter. Or perhaps we simply have a different understanding of what constitutes "stupid." The dictionary says it can mean "unintelligent" or "unwise." I am speaking of the former. I have been unwise many times in my life, but I still have the ability to reason, to think critically and to acknowledge reasoned viewpoints other than my own.

vzn, it's true that a master or wise man can play a fool, but the reverse is not true.

John, I don't gamble in Vegas or anywhere else because that would be stupid. The odds are not in my favour.

Well said, Walter. It seems a bit odd for someone to join a public blog and declare that they will not tolerate those she deems too stupid; not very tolerant.

It seems very judgemental to declare someone "stupid" based on a few comments on a blog. I've always been one for arguing things point by point. If someone says something stupid, I quote it, respond to it with the truth, and see what happens.

It's different on newspaper blogs. There is usually a broad mix of people posting there. The one word you hardly ever hear on newspaper blogs is the word "troll". The reason for this is because they know shouting "troll" is meaningless on a newspaper blog. You cannot swarm-censor someone by declaring him a troll as you can on the Daily Kos or Huffington Post.

I think a lot of the posters here are DKos and HP members as well. Those sites have a mechanism whereby users can down rate another member until his comments are deleted and his ability to comment is revoked.

I think most members on OS would love to have that system in place here. Which is why they spend so much time writing about how stupid some people are and who is just a "troll". Leftists truly hate that "stupid people" have the ability to speak their minds too.

One of the best parts of aging is that your gut speaks to you more and more, and it's always right. It'll tell you what the right answer is, as well as what not to ingest late at night.

Please do me the courtesy of reading my post John if you insist on attacking me for it. That would answer several of the "questions" you pose. I do not think that all "rightists" are stupid, but thanks for the assumption. You make a lot of them.

You seem to have taken this post personally. Since you are not stupid, I wonder why? Could it be that I correctly identified you as a troll? If I choose not to waste my time on people who think the earth is flat or that men and dinosaurs walked together, how does that make me elitist? And furthermore, why is it so important to you what someone whom you clearly disdain, thinks at all?

I will be deleting any further of your comments since you have not deigned to read my post carefully, and clearly are here only to harass me. And why on earth should I or anyone choose to tolerate that?

Thanks for posting this, Emma. Lots of weirdness here. Better just to shake your head and move along.

Gotta say I agree with this, and have found myself, when faced with a tantalizing post from someone I know to be low-slung, resisting the urge to even click in the first place. It leads to more peace.

Yep, shaking my head as well...as they say, don't let the doofii get you down...

- ds

Karin: Thanks for reading.

Thoth: Good question. The reason why I can't call a stupid person a stupid person is because stupid people then get upset that I have called someone else stupid. The old PC construct rears its ugly head. And thank you for your compliments. *blushes*
Placebostudman: I mention my definition further down but I generally refer to people who are stupid because they refuse to learn or to acknowledge another point of view based on fact and reason instead of opinion. I have encountered a lot more people lately who believe that their opinion is their opinion and that they have no need to support it with facts, data, reason etc.

I try to do this all the time. Not always successful, but a lot less agita. Just don't give up your wonderful, edgy writing style... if they're too stupid to get it, fuck em.

No Emma,
You're calling people "stupid" or as you put it "unintelligent" because they have different beliefs or attitudes or opinions.
There's another word that comes into play--arrogant.

Respectfully, Walter, I'm calling them stupid because they are either willfully ignorant and anti-knowledge, which to my mind is just as elitist as the reverse, and they often as not refuse to acknowledge established facts and scientific data.

I certainly do not consider people stupid who have no access to to certain kinds of information, or who live in a primitive culture, the few that are left. There are different kinds of wisdom.

I would never think someone was stupid because they believe in the Bible. I would, however, think someone was stupid if they insisted that it was a literal interpretation of historical events which many fundamentalist Christians in fact do think.

If it is "arrogant" to believe that the world is not flat -- which has been scientifically proven -- and "arrogant" to believe that man did not walk with the dinosaurs, which has also been scientifically established, then I am guilty as charged. I do not wish to spend my time trying to persaude people who show no interest in logic or rational thought. If you do, that is your choice and more power to you.

::sighs:: Emma, a glass of wine on the patio and some quiet night air?

mypsyche: Yes to the wine, but as to the patio and night air, it's pouring rain here and cold!

emma--no worries, here we have a nice balmy 68 and a beautiful moon... ::clink glasses::

Emma. I wish I could double rate this. I also want to say YOU ROCK!

Emma,
I hear and applaud you. I must admit, though, people can still hurt my feelings. It's the one thing in blogistan that bothers me--that some asshole behind a keyboard, who doesn't know the first thing about me, can get to me.
But I've also learned, as you have, that trying to argue with some people is like trying to teach a pig to sing: it frustrates you and annoys the pig.
Keep on keepin' on.

I have not been here much, emma, and since it's all about me, me, me, I demand a summary of all dusting up going on up in here. Plus, it's been all science articles today and I lust for stupid.

This is one of many reasons I enjoy your work so much, emma. Insightful, incisive, impressive. Rock on.

Stupid people make me laugh! I look at them as if they are a creature from another planet. The radio show "Coast-to-Coast" constantly makes me laugh...and they are so serious about 2012 and the N1H1 government conspiracy. But like you, with what precious time I have I don't waste it on stupid people. I'm just trying to get my own act together...which has been an on going thing since birth!

I feel a little silly reading this while watching "Making the Squad - Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders" ... but, oh well ...

Why have you been thinking about intuition and instinct so much lately? Work related or introspective?

Hey Kyle - before you assume that I "wrote you off" why don't you ask me first. Second, since you put in print, it had nothing to do with your post. The reason I said anything here was to commiserate with someone about how hard it is to not want to keep going back to the same place and get the same results. So, don't call me out - I'm getting pretty sick of people doing that and twisting my words and shit for their own fucking purposes. It's getting old really quick. (sorry to hijack your post Emma).

It's OK guys, do whatever you want. I'm just a conduit at this point. It's all good. :)

Kyle, no problem. Thanks for the apology. I'm already irritated and its not all with you, so excuse my strong reaction. Please quit looking for reasons that people don't like you or your posts, it isn't that simple. Please see my PM.

Great post.

"Trust your feelings" isn't just a line from a George Lucas film!

No, Kyle, you don't seem to know my frustration. It has nothing to do with you being a conservative. It is your lack of accountability for posting baiting rhetoric about liberals and then not understanding why that would be offensive to people, as if it is separate from who they are. You are talking about them, not their politics, whether you mean to or not. So, you may think you know, but you don't know it all, as I said earlier, it's not that simple.

You are not the only one who tries to see the middle ground, many people here do, in fact I think I gave you a bit of advice about this when you first came here.

I'm not sure why you came back to defend who you are here...it was a simple comment because you seem to always be looking for what isn't there, like me "writing you off".

I think you two bitches should just drop all the pretensions and tell each other what you really think. C'mon, you know you want to.

Let it rip ladies!

ITS

Yes, Kyle, your right, as you just stated, you assumed. And as I clearly stated, I do use the strike out rule, and this is about keeping my sanity in which I was trying to commiserate with someone. I am now repeating myself. So, you did have to look for it...I was speaking about my own sanity, it wasn't about YOU. I'm done here.

And, Ablonde, not everyone has to call one another a "bitch" and ridicule when disagreeing. Some of us can actually talk things out - sorry if it wasn't entertaining enough for you. But, thanks for your support.

You are brilliant.

Oh dear. Please let's not quarrel ladies. It's late.

Sorry Emma - just frustrated. Tired of having my comments and words hijacked. It's over, just needed to vent. Sorry to have hijacked your blog to do this. It was dumb. I had a moment.

Wow. 79 rates. Congratulation.
I read that what we know deep within:`
words we cherish are not able to be articulated.
Logos- words. It's to aim to transform wordless.
What is absolutely silent into a song, unmoving,
and moving into dance. The Teaching of Guatama.
`
Beautiful metaphors have to be understood with great sympathy, with great intuitiveness, with love, poetry, Not with logic:`
Otherwise you will destroy them. People teach that here?
`
I love his thought to practice when we are dealing with those who thrive on arguments, and those demeanors we meet within people who have to get in the Last Word. Pow. It's a boxer? hat's this mean?
`
... " You cannot make me angry
unless I accept your humiliation,
your insults." No use ugly words,
obscene words, and exploit others.
`
This isthe problem with high school in-crowds,
Religions, politicians, and all organized groups.
I just heard a bird chirp. Happy day, chase cloud.
Sunshine will scatter dark night away. Beautiful.
I am serious. I've never heard that bird. Beauty.
A Bird seems to sing the word:`Beauty Beauty.

Good post. I totally agree. Arguing with idiots is exhausting ... the bad analogies alone can put you into a coma. Obama is to America as Hitler is to --- whaa??? Stupid people compare things to Hitler. When a Hitler comparison comes up, leave the area immediately.

Emma...pardon me for butting into your post more than once, I normally don't do that, but after reading Ms J Lee Davis's comment I felt I had to say something. This is directed solely at her and no one else.
Ms. Davis, what measuring rod do you use to come to the conclusion that Walter is a troll? After making my own comment, I have been following this discussion and what I saw was Walter Blevins very politely disagreeing with Emma, nothing more. Does the mere act of disagreement win one the dubious title of "Troll" in your somewhat narrow mind?

If that is the case then you have given a perfect example of what is rotten with this sort of group feeding frenzy. People who have the gall/audacity/courage to disagree with a given statement is automatically labeled BY SOME as Stupid/ignorant/troll and ostracized from the herd as it were.
Ms Davis what you have done is shown your own ignorance by painting Walter Belvins with the same cruel paint brush that is normally saved for assholes such as myself. Walter is one of the kindest gentlemen I have come across on this site or any other that I have been on. He bends over backward to be polite to everyone and inclusive in his comments and his posts. You could learn some lessons from the man. Are you so desperate to be seen as part of any certain group that you would slander a man you don't know? Well that is sad and sick.
Again Emma, pardon me for interrupting your blog to adress Ms. Davis but I felt she had to be reputed. Now if this puts me in the Troll camp well so be it. God knows I've been called a lot worse in my life and have usually earned the distinction.

What about the "Unknown Unknowns" or the "Known Unknowns"? I am using Rumsfeldian language to incite you. With regards to knowing things, what is more important is that scientific method requires that even confidently held positions need to be tested from time to time lest we fall into an arrogant rut of potential ignorance. It is tiring.

Airboy

"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music..." -Nietzsche.

"You think your opinion is always right". I am always amazed when someone aims that charge at me. Duh -- would it make sense if I thought my opinion was wrong?

One should think their opinion is always right -- else not have one at all. BUT one should always be willing to change that opinion in the face of substantial evidence to the contrary.

As for following your gut, I am not sure that's always such a good idea. Too often people attribute impulses to their gut when they are actually emanating from a slightly lower portion of their anatomy.

Flushing the "intellectual toilet" is a beautifully gratifying and cathartic process that should be practiced by everyone....unless, of course, the person in question is too stupid to do it.

One should avoid allowing one's mind to become overcrowded with the petty arguments of the stupid.

Want to come down here and help with our health care policy?

Everyone has the right to be stupid. Some folks just abuse the priviledge. Rated. Enjoyed the post and ensuing discussion.

One benefit of being otherkin and not having to pretend that I'm exactly the same as all you humans is that I don't might the elitism charge. :-D No matter how hard I try, my understanding of other people will always be limited, and idiots simply have to go down the chute first. I hear ya.

Well, well, what a revelation this is!
Oh yes, the apocalypse can come right NOW!

87 Rates.
TOP!

The wilfully ignorants? The critical-skilled thinkers.?

Thumbing up is one thing.
Is it a fair question to ask OS to consider a posibility to thumb down?

I love you, girl. I could have written this. There is, after all, only so much time in our life: we need to pick and choose what to do with it. And yes, my gut, too, tells me stuff I don't always pay attention to.

What Roger, Bob, John and Parrot said...I'd write my own comment but I'm afraid of sounding stupid...

Do me a favour please?

Put me in the "stupid pile"?

Thanks :D

Emma: I tend to avoid the word stupid, so I looked it up (apparently in a different dicionary from Leonde) and discovered this: "marked by or resulting from unreasoned thinking or acting."
This, to me, matches your use. I sit corrected.

I continue to respond to such behavior not to convince the writer, but to talk to anyone who might be prone to take unsubstantiated bullshit to heart, or who doesn't catch that something isn't being proven but merely asserted.

I could care less about the troll, but a troll can have influence.

I've had a whole lot of people come out of the woodwork publicly and privately to take me task about this post and that is their right. But, I don't have to agree with them.

To clarify: I didn't write this post to prove that I am never stupid or wrong. In fact, there are two definitions of stupid as I point out in a comment. One is unintelligent, the other is unwise. We've all fallen into the latter category from time to time. I certainly do not think that I have complete control over "stupid" in my life, internally or externally. I admit freely to not following my instincts on occasion.

I am quite specific as to what I think stupid means -- the inability to reason, think critically or even consider another point of view, in the face of evidence to the contrary and "teachable" moments. And there are also people who have sub-par intelligence through no fault of their own.

I wrote about MY feelings about dealing with stupid people based on a specific definition. If some people at OS want to personalize what I wrote, your thoughts do not represent my thoughts about you. They represent YOUR thoughts. Please leave me out of it. I am only responsible for my thoughts.

And Kyle, your post did spark something I've been thinking about for a long time, not because you are stupid, but because of the way it was constructed.

I think that I have been wrestling with the role of intuition/instinct in my life because more and more I want to live my life based on what feels right to me, as opposed to what someone else wants me to do, what I think I should do, or any other rationalization I might come up with to take me away from my true path.

The problem is that there are way too many stupid people. They vote. They eat in the same restaurants as you do. Sometimes they even go to the same movies. They certainly are out there shopping and driving. Especially driving.....

I'm all for dialog with people with whom you disagree, but many times there is no real use. Especially with stupid people.

George Carlin said it best: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QG5Xs0s55eU

Full Carlin remarks here: http://www.lyricsbox.com/george-carlin-lyrics-some-people-are-stupid-xt1c6cg.html

Of course, Socrates was the real wise guy. He knew (being wise) that he knew nothing (sort of unintelligent). No fault of his own.

Now what kind of distinctive feature do we have here?
“
… your post did spark something I've been thinking about …
not because you are stupid …
[no, it was not because of THAT that you sparked something]
… no, because of the way it was constructed
“

And there starts the thinking about
“
the role of intuition … what feels right … what someone else wants … any other rationalization … my true path
“

As an other wise man used to say: leave the thinking to a horse - a bigger head and more time.

possibly the hardest lesson I have learned is that i can hold my own and win an arguement but when is it worth my time.

just quietly walking away keeps me free from a lot of stupidity that would keep me from my goals and happyness. listening to the saying about picking your battles wisely means to me picking ones i can win and avoiding the one i can't or won't learn from.

Excellent observation, Eljekar!

Intelligence is not a bench mark for being right. Intelligence isn't earned or gained; we either are or are not. Critical thinking is a skill not a gift of genes. Looking at what is really going on around us in the context of the past and discerning how far we have come from being intellectuals compared to decades ago is required. Discourse, real arguing and real listening without dismissal is called for when facts and a learned opinion is offered. Animus, insult and hurt feelings about differences in opinion is not the activity of an intellectual. Craving the interaction is the true test. One can never come to the crux of a situation or event in the context of a 24 hour or even a 365 day non-news cycle. We have been reduced to hearing sound bytes and platitudes, never offered critical analysis. Getting frustrated and walking away is a disservice to the (lost) art of discourse. Please rethink your stand and enter the fray as a true intellectual.

Well this went south rather quickly.

Against my better judgment I'm going to weigh in on this and say that I think some of the dissenters here (though by no means all) are people who you may have argued with in the past and who are using your post to have a go at you, which seems a little petty.

You and I haven't always agreed, but I never got the feeling that you think I'm stupid for that. It's my personal experience that you respect opinions different than yours, and that's all I can go on.

Thanks, Natalie, you are right about what you said. I did not write this post to cause trouble but if people want to think that, I can't stop them. And most of the people who are taking this personally when it was clearly not intended that way have gone after me many times in the past so nothing new there.

rainee174: I have spent most of my life arguing with people about things and have decided that my time can be spent better elsewhere. That doesn't mean that I won't engage in discourse; just that I reserve the right to choose the discourse.

Wow. I don't know most of the people here who are attacking you Emma, here or at Walter's, but what's going on resembles a feeding frenzy of people with chips on their shoulders more than any rational refutation of your post. Keep on being you, as I know you will, and illegitimus non carborundum:)

It's not that easy to avoid stupid these days but I also try not to engage with people who are wilfully ignorant. One thought that gives me comfort is that one of the few things we truly own is our attention. I try not to waste it on stupid. So, thanks for this post. It's bracing me for the next week of debate over whether all Americans should have affordable health care. Duh?

What Skeptic Turtle said :
I'm all for dialog with people with whom you disagree, but many times there is no real use, especially with stupid people.

replace the word stupid with closed minded, that's all I believe Emma means.

And also you have a right to your opinion!!! There are a lot of us who agree with you and that's why you have so many ratings

Confession: I use the "willfully ignorant" to work harder in the gym. I have lost 13 pounds, and developed a 4 punch combination that combines two uppercuts under the ribs, a left jab, and a right hook. The combination is quickening, and I laugh maniacally with headphones, and onlookers wanting to run out of the room. Try it.

And definitely dont stop being you.

Makes sense to me on a lot of levels. The only one it does not really does not apply to what you are saying.

And that is simply that there are a lot of really nice "stupid," or "critical thinking-skills challenged" people around and they mean no harm and really can't help the fact that the "smarts" just are not part of their makeup. For those folks we need to cut a little slack and accept them as they are. If they are mean and stupid I have no patience with them. So I am not talking about them.

Good post.

Monte

The two most important words in the English language: "critical thinking". The elimination of which is the goal of the Right Wingnuts, since that is the *one* thing which makes their lies and subterfuge impossible. Dumb down the kids, and you get dumb adults, who buy the crap the eco/political elites promote. All with the veil of "common man"-ism, aka Rush, Glen, etc.

Thanks everyone for your comments. I want to make it clear that I do not believe that Walter is a troll. I was going to delete that comment but since several people have addressed it in comments, I will let it stand. But it emphatically does not reflect my opinion, and I am sorry that Walter was hurt by it.

John, you are not welcome on my blog. I can't put it any more plainly than that. And that is why I am deleting you again, since you cannot quite seem to understand that I have the right to control comments on my blog whether or not you like it. If you continue to harass me with your repetitive comments, I will close comments as others at OS have had to do to get rid of you. Believe me, they have contacted me to tell me that this is part of your modus operandi.

Dude, John - chill. What are you hoping to accomplish exactly? You're arguing for the sake of arguing. You're just being disruptive.

Wow.

There is some serious work to do on reading comprehension skills around here.

Jumping-to-conclusions, though, seems to be a well honed skill.

You seem to have taken alot of abuse for simply expressing your opinion. You didn't name names, you didn't even suggest that you were posting in reference to anyone or any group.

I don't get the vehemence but I do get your point.

Rated.

I chose to respond to Unbreakable's post dissing me and the subsequent pile on by quoting something she wrote a few short days ago. I could not agree with her sentiments more, but consider them ironic in the context in which I quoted them:

@Unbreakable: From your Oct. 30 blog post:

QUOTE Since when did it become cute and/or funny to incite your online friends to a gang mentality to harrass someone you don't know from Adam? Oh, what's that you say? What they wrote offended your delicate sensibilities? Awww. How about you grow the hell up and remember this is an online community in the USA, for God's sake, and last I checked, freedom of speech was still not only allowed here, but actually encouraged. QUOTE

i will only say, i really worry about the stupid people someday outnumbering us. that's why i take the effort to try to talk to them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8zNsUTWsOc

A most entertaining read, Mrs. Peel. I do of course agree with you. Life is too short to spend it wasting time on stupidity. You've quite eloquently proved that here.

Why is there so much anger and hostility in OS? This started out as an observation and sharing of an idea, and look at it now!
I've been on line for a few weeks, and the one thing that I would take away with me if I left tomorrow was that there are a lot of angry, hurt, sad people in the world, and many of them can be found on OS.
Sorry, I just had to ask.

I don't know the answer to that lovinfeelin. I think some people project themselves and their problems and insecurities onto other people, but apart from that, I haven't got a clue.

Emma,
if all of us spent our time and energy writing wonderful posts and beautiful lines here, instead of line after line of such sad infighting, this site would simply be the best there is.
I just know it!!! I have read some amazing things from many of the writers above that commented, including you.
There is so much talent here that is being wasted on tearing each other down.
It really is sad to me.
Thanks for letting me speak up here and answering me. : )

@ lovinfeelin: It's not my blog, but with Emma's permission, I am unofficially calling you the SMARTEST person I have read in quite some time.
Great comments above!!! We all should read and really hear you.

My initial impulse is to agree with the sentiments expressed by Ms. Peel but then I realize that it's the stupid ones that need to be engaged. It's kind of like traveling to Britain and being identified as one of those "bloody Yanks" by someone who opposes our stupid foreign policy. They don't stop to realize that we're one of the enlightened ones, one of the people who came to Britain because we like you. Not like those rubes back home who hate foreigners and deny the existence of evolution and gravity. Does this make any sense?

Emma, I posted this on Walter's blog and wanted to share it with you:

After reading each post numerous times, I was reminded of a dear colleague of mine who made the mistake of letting off steam in a faculty lounge setting. My colleague was frustrated with a student, and was venting...saying things as a means of release from the utter frustration we all face in working with others. She was taken seriously by several of her fellow professors, but the majority of her colleagues understood her need to merely vent.

Like Cathy, I believe we all have to pause and consider the motivations behind the words expressed in the contex of this Open Forum. I can't believe either party in this case holds contempt for another human being because of their beliefs, rather hold the misguided ideas at arms length, and trust that those ideas, like clay, becomes maliable, subject to other more forceful truths.

I see many open minds on this forum, and sensing the power in this, I continually see a balancing...through creative thought...

Biting your tongue can hurt but sometimes it is the wisest response.
Rated

Well, it all depends on who's defining "stupid," doesn't it?

To be clear, I'm not aware of the details of any specific situation that any of you are talking about.

I thought this through and I believe you're right. I think you can engage where engagement is encouraged or welcome. It has nothing to do with point of view but the intelligence to agree that there is more than one point of view, more than one solution to any problem.

I find when I come across an impossible situation, one that is determined to be as negative and rude as possible, I will say my piece (because I have to say what I have to say) and then walk away, leaving the last word to the other party or parties if that's what they want, whatever the cost.

I believe passionately in discussion, from all sides, nomatter how far apart one's views, but if I read you correctly what you're saying is you refuse to engage with those who will not engage civilly or intelligently (meaning to have a reasoned response, not simply a kneejerk reaction). And in that I agree.

One of the loveliest, most decent people I've met here was because I put out an open call to discuss the healthcare issue, and he responded. Whether or not he and I agree is besides the point. We agree that it's more complicated than one side winning over the other. But I know he and I can talk and push it around. And I am confident we can and will do this with other issues. Maybe not all, maybe we're not saints and maybe there will be something that will get our bloods boiling. It happens. But I know we will always endeavor to be intelligent, respectful and willing to see another point of view. And that's all I can ask for in a discussion.

@Emma - a quote from your own comment (see above) to rainee174 "I have spent most of my life arguing with people about things"
Methinks a sense of humor would serve you nicely.

God, Emma.

I think I totally disagree with you. On the other hand, you seem like a fine person, etc.

BUT

You you accomplished one thing.

People may not be thinking.

BUT THEY ARE WRITING LIKE THIS IS THE LAST BLOG COMMENT SECTION THEY WILL SEE IN THEIR LIVES.

Seriously.

Congrats for getting some energy going around here. I am tired of everyone loving everyone else. Especially when some of it doesn't seem that sincere.

I would take sides, but don't have time.

Cheers.

In fact, if I didn't know better, I would suspect that you put some of these people up to ginning up some controversy.

YOU HAVE 108 RATINGS!!!!!!!!!

Lets see. You are against stupid people. As much as I would love to debate, I'm against stupid also. Except for Aimee Mann (I'm With Stupid).

Not really big on stupid. They used to have labels tied to IQ (moron, idiot, etc.). I suppose it left the official mental health vocabulary long enough ago to not be politically incorrect to use those words.

So, don't like morons either. Nor idiots.

We can disagree to agree on that, at least. Stupid sucks.

Emma, I took your post to heart. My father used to tell me the same thing starting about 58 years ago and I am still learning the lesson. In one comment, you mention you are now just a conduit. So many comments seem unrelated to your post.

In fairness to my daddy--he did say "not as smart as you are," not stupid. When people say "crazy," I suspect they mean me, but it doesn't occur to me that I am stupid:)

Just read the whole comment thread. Good gawd.

If you find yourself disagreeing with someone who chooses to stop engaging stupid people...maybe you should take that as an indicator of where you fall on the "intelligent / stupid" spectrum.

Why should her choice bother you at all?

And Emma: good post, and rated. But no one's instinct is any more infallible than any other part of them. Sometimes your gut can be wrong, too.

I should know. Mine's wrong on a regular basis, and yes, I know how to listen to it. I also have learned how NOT to listen to it, too.

What the hell?

Thank you all for your comments, especially to those who took my post at face value and did not personalize it. I appreciate your curiosity and willingness to explore the topic at hand, even if you did not agree. It would be a boring world if everyone agreed all the time.

To those who insisted on taking what I wrote as though I directed it at them personally when it was very clear that this post was about me, my thought processes and my reaction to them and NO ONE else's, there's not much I can say. Maybe I should be flattered that what I wrote struck such a nerve, but I am not. Just disappointed that people chose to use my post to settle old scores, call me names, direct nasty blog posts at me, accuse me of sundry "crimes" such as being an alcoholic and everything else pejorative under the sun.

Several "new" people have joined OS in recent days simply to attack me. Others have been doing it for a long time. Your attempts to silence me, intimidate me, slander me, and run me off OS will not be successful. I am not going anywhere.

I will continue to write what I want because there is still freedom of expression at OS. You cannot, and will not, control me. If you insist on making whatever I write about you, that is your right, but I will not allow you to hijack my blog to do it. As for me not being able to "take the heat," if that were the case I would have been out of here 11 months ago and I'm coming up on a year of OS membership. It's been quite a ride and while I can't say that I've enjoyed every minute of it, I have learned a lot, and made many more friends than enemies. That is why I am convinced that it is still a worthwhile place.

A word about deleting comments: I rarely do this, but when certain bloggers leave numerous comments, many of them exactly the same, I see no reason why I should let them stand and clog the feed, particularly when they do not address the topic but merely attack me, often on completely unrelated issues. I let some of those comments stand regardless in the interest of fairness, but I am under no obligation to let anyone hijack my blog.

And to think I missed the whole thing. Ah, well. Rating belatedly, because I also don't care what stupid people think.

So that gets you up to 110.

Is that a record of some kind? :-)

Stupidity makes itself only too evident without asking for it. Rarely do the stupid realize they are. Goad 'em or poke 'em with a stick and they will happily spit venom on top of their stupidity; which only proves that provoking them is really stupid too.

You asked for it, Val. 108 ratings... This post and the resulting comments is proof of where OS is at now; and it's sadly evident that you didn't get very far into the realm of the intelligent; if at all. The lowest common denominator was quickly achieved, and it all went downhill from there. If this is what it takes to find success on OS, then there's damned little sense in posting here at all.

I'm not sure Verbal. I didn't expect it, but what the heck? Stranger things have happened. :)

dyomyte, I didn't post this looking for "success" or ratings or whatever. Frankly, I am mystified by the results. I posted it because it was what I was thinking about at the time. If I posted here strictly for ratings, trust me, I would not be posting this sort of highly personal, and apparently, inflammatory material.

;-) It is an interesting lesson, however, wouldn't you say...? Look again at your tags. As your friend, I merely wish you didn't put yourself in a position to be such a target for idiocy.

I guess the trick is recognizing the willfully stupid, stubborn people versus the uneducated. I agree that walking away is usually right.

Out of fear that you may be referring to me....

I still appreciate your post. I find it exhausting trying to educate rednecks and the determined ignorant. Freedom of Speech does not mean we are forced to read or hear things which we feel would lower our intelligence, nor does it mean we have the right to publish in another's space.

Do whatever you need to do to keep you sane. You need not apologize for that.

RenLady: I keep saying it over and over like a broken record but this post wasn't directed at anyone at OS. I guess I should put a disclosure to that effect on what I write from now on.

A couple of people are convinced that it is about them and they are raising holy hell demanding that I take it down, blaming me for causing trouble, and anything else they can think of in an effort to shut me down. They've tried to lynch me publicly and called me all kinds of names before this too, but really...why would anyone think this was about them is a mystery to me. Like you said, my post was about something I decided to do to make my life better. It had nothing to do with anyone in particular. Still doesn't. :)

I've been so out of the loop and busy with my own me me me-ness, but I'm not sorry I missed all the kerfluffle...

I love you too emma. And I love and respect Walter, I think he has had many good things to say. The John though is worthy of being deleted and then ignored, which I will do forthwith--I'm stretched too thin to bother giving him the slightest click from what I've read of his comments.

happy to have you as a friend and sorry to be bringing up the rear

This is the first time I've read you and your post grabbed me. Critical thinking skills? If you're lucky you start to learn them in Great Books in elementary school. But you don't see them used on TV or newscasts or during elections or in supermarket magazines. There seems to be no thinking in mass media, much less the critical kind. Just gossip about gossip disguised as opinions on "breaking news." Oddly, like you state, trusting your gut is often the ignition to connect ideas and make decisions. Anyway, I need to stop. This is your post and I'm impressed. Thanks.

With all due respect, Emma: I think a renewed emphasis on "listening to your gut" is misguided. It reminds me of Colbert's satire re George W. Bush. In fact, I think the two major players featured in your post, intuition and reason (lack of stupidity), are often at odds with each other, assuming you are defining "listening to your gut" the way that most people do--by their emotional response to something.

I guess I do a little of each--listening to my gut and analyzing stuff logically. I can't say I'm any better off than anyone else out there, but it works for me. Sort of.

In the meantime, I think flexibility is key. If that's your point--that ideologues (who cling to a belief system in spite of evidence to the contrary) should be more open-minded--then I agree with you whole-heartedly! As a matter of fact, I think most experts on IQ agree that flexibility is a necessary component to anyone's measure of intelligence.

I agree, Karin. It is beyond sad but I am no longer willing to be a sitting duck. I must protect myself legally, and I will.

Jane Smithie saw your title to this post and, quite naturally, assumed it was about her. She probably didn't even read it. What did Forest Gump say? Stupid is as stupid does.

I got an email to flag ablonde's post, but not this one. I liked this post and still don't understand the firestorm that it caused.

wow. this really took on a life of its own, didn't it? i hope it makes a little money for you. does google pay in us$ or cdn$?

US, Lonnie, although it's not worth as much as it used to be!

I'm feeling a little angry now that the shock and hurt have worn off.

Are flaggers a virus in OS? Like Swine?

Apparently according to one blogger at OS, even the word "stupid" is no longer acceptable, at least not for a mature adult. WTF? The language police have arrived. I wondered what took them so long.

Joan, someone "flags" a post as a way of complaining that it is inappropriate, but first they delete all of their own posts that call me out and accuse me of things. Fortunately, history has taught me to copy everything as fast as I can.

It is ok not to care what stupid people think. It's ok to be stupid. It is ok to write stupid comments. It is ok to delete comments. I don't think it is ok to be mean or to get personal.

If Emma's blog did not him home with so many people, it would have not received so many comments on either side.

I don't quite understand how violent some people feel about all this. Seems to me it is like going crazy over the politics in your bowling league.