Hahah I am SO happy I found this!

March 30 2006

my speech on stupidity.(the speech we need to present in school-- not just another rant of mine)

Has there ever been a time in your life where you just felt stupid? Maybe even wondered if you ARE stupid? Well, I'm not sure about you, but I have. In fact, several times. I always ask myself that question- because I- Jennifer am fascinated with stupidity.

Good morning/afternoon, teachers, judges, and fellow students. Evidently, my speech is on stupidity. Am I stupid? How would I know? More importantly- what IS stupidity?

Of course, there are many theories on what stupidity is, and most of them are “lack of intelligence” but do good marks on a test mean you’re not stupid? Or does it just cover it up? According to Carlo Cippola, “the probability that a certain person be stupid is independent of any characteristic of that person” or in other words, just because you get amazing marks, or an amazing job- it doesn’t necessarily mean your intelligent, but in fact, you might be stupid. Why would good marks mean you’re intelligent? You’re just as likely to make a stupid decision as someone who doesn’t get good marks.

But wait- I didn’t answer my question- what IS stupidity? Cippolla, in the same article labeled people into four categories based in there actions. Because we all know not to judge by words- but judge by actions... but that’s a little off topic, but anyways, Cippolla created these four categories- society in a nutshell. The hapless person- whose actions lead to self damage, and the advantage of others- the intelligent person, whose actions lead to advantage for themselves and others, the bandit, whose actions lead to self-advantage and damage for others, and of course, the stupid person. Whose actions do no good for themselves, or anyone else. Maybe even a loss. So, I answer my question. A stupid person is someone whose decisions do nothing for anybody, including themselves.

But- now that I understand what stupidity is- is it really that bad? Of course, it does no good, but seriously. Stupid people don’t have responsibilities, they have fun, and they have no worries. There only problem is constantly being criticized by the non-stupid people. Also, stupid people are known for having extremely creative ideas, because they don’t have to think logically like a non-stupid person. They don’t have to block out the things that do not make sense. Look around this room. Think of all the things were probably labeled as stupid by a logical person, but now, there necessary in our everyday lives. I bet that logical person sure felt pretty stupid about what he said. But truly- the best part of being stupid is that you’ll always be remembered. Think back.. Ever remember that stupid saying, or that guy who told that really stupid joke?.. Exactly. I prove my point.

Now- back to the agonizing question. Am I stupid?. I don’t do terrible in school, I don’t make stupid decisions all the time, and I am aware that I have been (or might be) stupid. So- with my little hope left- I came to the conclusion that I cannot be completely stupid, because a stupid person doesn’t know there stupid. They don’t know that throwing a blow-dryer in a bathtub while it’s plugged in will kill them—well that’s a little extreme, but the truth is, they don’t know. The art of being stupid is doing things because you don’t know better. And knowing that you’re doing something stupid doesn’t make you stupid, it just makes you an idiot. That’s another topic.

Now- after saying that, I just realized. I did you all a favor. I not only taught you a bit about stupidity, I also opened your horizons on what stupidity is, and I also lead you into the direction of not being stupid because now, you know better. I’m not telling you that I came up with a cure for stupidity, but at least you won’t be completely surprised when you do something unthinkable. Because of course, were still human. In conclusion, don’t get mad at yourself when after doing something stupid, because in the end you do learn not to do something like that anymore, and that is so not stupid.