Comments on: Today Must Be Idiot Day

By: Kittymama

Kittymama — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 18:47:58 +0000

I’m with Elaine. It’s unfortunate, definitely, that words we use to describe behavior (or, okay, if we’re being frank, people) that’s basically inconsiderate have that spillover into defining people who are less intelligent, which is no big deal most of the time. For me, I don’t think there’s any shame in being uninformed, developmentally delayed, or cognitively impaired. When I call somebody “stupid” or “idiot” (behind their backs), I think it comes from desperately wishing they simply didn’t know better, when I know they do. In fact, I never use those words to describe people who don’t know or don’t understand something. Hmm.

By: Amysilverman

Amysilverman — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 20:29:39 +0000

noan: i want to talk to you about that movie!

By: Amysilverman

Amysilverman — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 20:29:21 +0000

door-opening intelligence. i love that. thank you, elaine (and ben).

By: Elaine

Elaine — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 04:27:26 +0000

I think, when we say “idiot,” we don’t just mean dumb but also selfish, ungenerous, in love with hearing one’s own voice, careless of others, hypocritical, and a host of other things.

It’s not so much school intelligence as it is emotional intelligence, and maybe also what my husband calls door-opening intelligence. You know the way some people always know whether to push a door or pull it, and others just stand there, grunting in furstration, pulling when they should be pushing? I don’t know if Sophie has door-opening intelligence, but I know she does have emotional intelligence.

Sophie may sometimes be uninformed, but I don’t think she is ever ungenerous.

She is not an idiot.

By: Noan

Noan — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 05:16:19 +0000

I do not appreciate being greeted when I enter a store either. And when you hand me my receipt, please do not address me by name. We are not friends. I am not even making eye contact with you. My favorite thing at a grocery store: self check-out.

I absolutely love Sophie’s shopping list.

I really, really disliked that movie, Mr. Holand’s Opus. Since I work with deaf kids my friends kept telling me about the movie and that they thought of me when they saw it. Which just made it worse.

I hope it felt as cathartic to write this post as it did to read it.