There is a difference between ignorance and stupidity. I am ignorant of the nuances of football
strategies or how the internal combustion engine in my car actually works. If I or someone taught me those things I
would no longer be ignorant of them.
Ignorance can change or be overcome.
Stupidity can be overcome only with great effort; it can only be
overcome if the individual is willing to learn (that means change). Webster’s definition of ignorance is “the
state or fact of being ignorant: lack of knowledge, education, or
awareness.” Therefore, education can
overcome ignorance. While on the other
hand, Webster’s definition of stupid is “1. A : slow of mind b : given to unintelligent
decisions or acts : acting in an unintelligent or careless manner c : lacking intelligence or
reason.” The key words are unintelligent, lacking intelligence and reason, basically indicating that an
individual does not have the capacity to learn or the willingness to change
their own thoughts, attitudes and behaviors.
Can actions be described as stupid?
Yes, although the actions may occur through ignorance, not stupidity.
A group of
people who are influenced by an ignorant leader(s) is more than likely not
acting on sound reasoning. That is the
crux. That is the key to understanding actions which we all label as
“stupid.” In this age of digital
technology there really exists no excuse for a leader or group of people to
remain ignorant on any topic. An
individual may educate themselves, although, they will have to be able to
reason. In particular, they will have to
have enough knowledge to know when a source is valid. Many people will not
research a topic to learn more, some people will research a topic and find
sources to support their own views, few people will research a topic to find
diverse views and construct their own ideas and thoughts on that topic.
People do not
like to identify themselves as being ignorant, that is because they truly are
ignorant about the definition of ignorance.
Since people do not like to admit that they are ignorant, then they will
argue and debate until they eventually get angry and throw up their hands and
call you helpless. People do not like to
admit that their reasoning is false and not logical. These people always use emotion in their
arguments and refuse to consider other perspectives or interpretations. Many
times I have seen people of this ilk make jokes about the person or people they
are debating, a sure sign of ignorance and lack of respect for their fellow
humans. Ignorance can be manipulated and
therein lays the danger. When people and
groups of people remain ignorant they can easily be manipulated to believe
or do something that is illogical, hurtful, and sometimes violent. History has a plethora of examples of folks
being manipulated due to ignorance.
Leader(s) who
act out of ignorance are faulty, and their influence many times will be based
on emotional arguments. This type of
leader will default every time to an emotional argument to influence their
followers, where the voice of logic and reason will be shouted down. That is why it is dangerous. This type of leader is afraid. They are afraid of intelligence. They are afraid of someone educating
themselves, because if the followers of this type of leader educate themselves,
they will start to question the leader.
The leader sees this as a threat to their power base and will with every
effort, attempt to deter the followers from learning, from asking, from
becoming more informed.
References: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary
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