I’ve seen this quote attributed to Mark Twain, Abe Lincoln and “unknown.” It doesn’t really matter who said it–it’s come to mind about a thousand times during this election season.
First, it completely describes Donald Trump and a bunch of other right-wing politicians who say some of the darnedest things. I mean, crazy talk.
But the BIGGEST shock has been the number of people I know who have used social media to display their complete ignorance.
Now, I can deal with ignorance. BUT. It’s sad and unfortunate that my good opinion of some people i know has been tarnished by the stupid things they say. I guess it was bound to happen.
The number of fools using social media to spout vile insults and hateful thoughts has been shocking. And that includes one of my exes, one whom (thank God) I booted out of my life just as fast as I could–and his current partner, who from all I can see, is a perfect match for him in both attitude and brain power. They say beauty’s only skin deep but ugly goes all the way to the bone. And boy, do I see that’s true.
Social media allow everyone to have a voice. Sometimes, that voice is pretty ugly. It is AMAZING how many people spout their so-called wisdom and are completely unaware of how stupid it makes them sound. Even dumber than they sounded before. And some sounded pretty dumb. They are super clueless, even though they act like they know something. Really, they know nothing. And it’s obvious from what they say that they know nothing. But, see, they don’t know how obvious it is.
The problem is that some people I thought might have half a brain maybe don’t. Maybe they don’t have any working brain at all. It’s pretty horrifying.
I’m thinking this election might have done us all a big favor by allowing us to re-evaluate some of our relationships.
Maybe you think I’m being hard on folks. I don’t think I am.
Last week I saw this eye-opening article in which a neuroscientist points out a condition I didn’t know about before but that sure resonates: that some people are too stupid to realize how stupid they are. It really is worth reading because it explains a bunch of stuff.
So what are you seeing out there in social media land this election? I would love to know.
Ive got to agree with you in that I had a few “friends” who were … um… hugely tremendously racist and I HAD NO IDEA.
Thank you Trump for showing me who I really want as my People.
The shocking thing for me is to see people I know, who’ve moved to the US about 20 years ago, at the most, from India, acting as if Trump is God! Can’t they see how ironic that is – they wouldn’t be there if he had his way. I’m not sure I want to laugh or whack them senseless (oh, but then they already are!).
I’ve been able to clean out my friends list on FB. It was surprising to see people I had thought were nice being not only hateful but clearly sexist and disrespectful. It’s as if Women’s Lib is being set back to where it was in the 50’s.
I think that quote has probably been attributed to Shakespeare too (he seems to get a mention with most quotes eventually!) I am also astounded at American politics and how long it all lasts for and how much oozes over into social media. It’s such a circus – and a scary one at that!
I am not on the “far” of anything, I have loved the notion of moderation in everything. I consider myself middle right……like most of America. So I have watched with some amusement and a lot of disdain the yin and yang of this election. I don’t believe the far right has a corner on hatred and vile speak as the left is represented well on these subjects. There does seem to be a bias toward whatever is first and foremost in your wheelhouse. We become extremely sensitive to anything written or said when it comes to what concerns us most. For me the only thing this election has uncovered is how scattered we all are. My main concern is jobs, the economy and creating a path to financial success. So when I see a focus elsewhere I find myself wondering……”why don’t you hear us?” i try and keep my opinions to myself as I have been attacked…literally attacked. But then a very, very liberal woman asked on her facebook page why would anyone in their right mind vote for Trump. I am not a Trump supporter but I answered her. And the response was phenomenal. She responded in the kindest way and asked me to write an essay as my voice was strong and clear. I do understand everything you said in your blog today and agree with all it, except the voices of hate come from everywhere…..
I so appreciate your commenting. In all honesty, I just do not see what you see. All of the anti- rhetoric comes from the right.All the isms: racism, sexism.The left does not normally spout hatred but the right routinely has for a long time, and I don’t get it. I would be very open to seeing how the left is represented well, because all I see is a politics of inclusion. The right has become a politics of fear and exclusion. I’d love to get an email from you on this. Thanks!
One additional thing: Talking about this post and your comment just now, my husband noted that Bernie supporters are the Left in this election and HIllary is Center. He notes that Bernie supporters have been ugly this election. I don’t see it because I discounted him and his position long ago. I appreciate the conversation this is generating at my house, donna.
I read way too much, and as a result, I sometimes need a break to simply breath freely. I follow most major newspapers left and right leaning to get a realistic perspective. The few social media friends I had who ended up being drumpf supporters I unfollowed. You can’t fix stupid. I agree with your husband, Carol, that many of the Bernie supporters were/are just as ridiculous in their rhetoric as the orange buffoon’s fans. Now, every day I wait for the final straw to break the back of drumpf’s campaign. We’ll see.
b
Ya know what? What I’m seeing in the current political environment is not surprising me though I shake my head often. I’ve had a sense that people’s frustrations have been building for decades and I suspect that it will get only more intense.
Old timers might recall Joe McCarthy or Eichard Hofstadter’s great book “Anti-Intellectualism in American Life”. Others might think of Paul Goodman’s “Growing Up Absurd”. Or Eric Hoffer’s “The True Believer”. This is nothing new, but there is an additional complication these days in my view. Trump supporters are hard to fathom unless you take “the original Aerican Dream” as Republicans often describe it to ‘the limit’–this is a Paradigm, rooted in “proper property-owning Anglo-Saxon males. The Democrat paradigm might be stated as “the American Dream for The Rest of Us” –hence the “inclusive” view vs the “exclusionary” sense expressed well by Carol,
The new wrinkle is the Disruptive Paradigm, not well understood by either of the long-standing Party-aligned paradigms. This is where the youth are–they supported Bernie in my view because they see that the New Ecomonics and the Digital Age is the root cause of the loss of jobs, not the trade treaties or mass immigration. And it is truly horrifying to me to any of the candidates talk about “Job Creation (or returning to the USA)” without a clue what is happening in this third Paradigm which is now being estimated to eliminate more than half of America’s jobs within 20 years. That will cause massive heartburn as each party seeks scapegoats
I got the shock of a lifetime when I discovered that two members of my family–one of them a quiet, unassuming, genteel sort of person–both are rabid Trump supporters. (Is there any other kind?) Read that article and passed it forward to Husby. Spot on! And now that I think about it, both of my Trump-supporting siblings are grossly underinformed. The one spouts all sorts of wisdom that I KNOW isn’t right, but I thought him harmless. Well, now I’m thinking again . . .
I hope we find our way back to the days when we can disagree with each other without vilainizing one another. We fight for democracy, but why don’t we respect every person’s right to express their opinions?
Sigh. I’m at the point I really can’t listen to Donald Trump anymore. Between the insults and the bragging, I’m at my breaking point. Abe Lincoln (or Mark Twain) are both rolling in their graves.
Living in Australia there is obviously much media attention given to one of our closes allies USA. The election is usually one of the main stories and I have to admit that having Donald Trump as President of the USA is a little scary as sometimes I really wonder if he is stable with some of the comments he makes. People are people and there will always be loud mouths who usually don’t even understand what they are talking about. I do think this has been one of the most controversial and colourful elections I’ve seen for quite some time. You are right it is a good time to evaluate who you associate with.
We are so on the wavelength. I showed that article to my husband a while ago and said, “See, stupid people don’t even realize how stupid they are.” This election is totally a testament to that.We need to get Hillary into the White House and start getting a new, female perspective out there.
I read that article a few days ago. Learned about a new condition that explains the Trump supporters, but I’m still incredulous. I realize it’s a variation on “you don’t know what you don’t know,” but jaysus, it’s so hard to wrap my head around the idea that people really are so stupid to buy what Trump is selling. I understand the anger, the feeling disenfranchised…but the hate, misogyny and bigotry that’s been unleashed is just beyond the pale. I think I’ve got campaign fatigue because I can’t even articulate my disgust and disbelief at this point. Thanks, Carol, as always, for encouraging a rational discussion.
Friends? How about your Mother? My mother has always been active in Republican politics and seeing/hearing her blindly sticking to the Republican nominee is not only tiring but very sad and frustrating.
I love that quote you have shared.
Sometimes silence is golden indeed!
It’s better to be silent than argue/speak with an idiot as the public won’t know who is the bigger idiot!
Elections have BIG promises.
This time’s US presidential elections are keenly watched. May the wise win 🙂
i don’t understand if it’s the case of herd mentality or they are being gullible enough to be swayed away with media that they are going crazy over Trump. This man, for all you know doesn’t even know what he is telling in his speech. Seriously, some people have either lost their brain or are being Trumped uncannily!
That share button is so destructive. people share without thinking if what there sharing is true and what impact it could have. Thanks for linking up to #FridayFrolics
Kids in the playground behave better than these so called political role models. It’s shocking. So much for grown up opinions. A very readable post, thanks for sharing. #fridayfrolics
Yes, social media is eye opening when it comes to revealing how many idiots you know! I definitely agree that people can be too stupid to know they’re stupid – never get in a debate with those people!
Thanks so much for joining us on #Fridayfrolics. Hope to see you next time
Here you’ll find my blog, some of my essays, published writing, and my solo performances. There’s also a link to my Etsy shop for healing and grief tools offered through A Healing Spirit.
I love comments, so if something resonates with you in any way, don’t hesitate to leave a comment on my blog. Thank you for stopping by–oh, and why not subscribe so you don’t miss a single post?
Ive got to agree with you in that I had a few “friends” who were … um… hugely tremendously racist and I HAD NO IDEA.
Thank you Trump for showing me who I really want as my People.
I know …a favor, right?
The shocking thing for me is to see people I know, who’ve moved to the US about 20 years ago, at the most, from India, acting as if Trump is God! Can’t they see how ironic that is – they wouldn’t be there if he had his way. I’m not sure I want to laugh or whack them senseless (oh, but then they already are!).
It really really opened my eyes.
Much of what I’m seeing is the anti-woman stuff. I’m trying very hard to stay away from Social Media and network news…. too much for me.
I was just talking to a friend about that yesterday. So much sexism.
I’ve been able to clean out my friends list on FB. It was surprising to see people I had thought were nice being not only hateful but clearly sexist and disrespectful. It’s as if Women’s Lib is being set back to where it was in the 50’s.
Shocking, isn’t it?
I think that quote has probably been attributed to Shakespeare too (he seems to get a mention with most quotes eventually!) I am also astounded at American politics and how long it all lasts for and how much oozes over into social media. It’s such a circus – and a scary one at that!
Scary, indeed!
I am not on the “far” of anything, I have loved the notion of moderation in everything. I consider myself middle right……like most of America. So I have watched with some amusement and a lot of disdain the yin and yang of this election. I don’t believe the far right has a corner on hatred and vile speak as the left is represented well on these subjects. There does seem to be a bias toward whatever is first and foremost in your wheelhouse. We become extremely sensitive to anything written or said when it comes to what concerns us most. For me the only thing this election has uncovered is how scattered we all are. My main concern is jobs, the economy and creating a path to financial success. So when I see a focus elsewhere I find myself wondering……”why don’t you hear us?” i try and keep my opinions to myself as I have been attacked…literally attacked. But then a very, very liberal woman asked on her facebook page why would anyone in their right mind vote for Trump. I am not a Trump supporter but I answered her. And the response was phenomenal. She responded in the kindest way and asked me to write an essay as my voice was strong and clear. I do understand everything you said in your blog today and agree with all it, except the voices of hate come from everywhere…..
I so appreciate your commenting. In all honesty, I just do not see what you see. All of the anti- rhetoric comes from the right.All the isms: racism, sexism.The left does not normally spout hatred but the right routinely has for a long time, and I don’t get it. I would be very open to seeing how the left is represented well, because all I see is a politics of inclusion. The right has become a politics of fear and exclusion. I’d love to get an email from you on this. Thanks!
One additional thing: Talking about this post and your comment just now, my husband noted that Bernie supporters are the Left in this election and HIllary is Center. He notes that Bernie supporters have been ugly this election. I don’t see it because I discounted him and his position long ago. I appreciate the conversation this is generating at my house, donna.
I read way too much, and as a result, I sometimes need a break to simply breath freely. I follow most major newspapers left and right leaning to get a realistic perspective. The few social media friends I had who ended up being drumpf supporters I unfollowed. You can’t fix stupid. I agree with your husband, Carol, that many of the Bernie supporters were/are just as ridiculous in their rhetoric as the orange buffoon’s fans. Now, every day I wait for the final straw to break the back of drumpf’s campaign. We’ll see.
b
Ya know what? What I’m seeing in the current political environment is not surprising me though I shake my head often. I’ve had a sense that people’s frustrations have been building for decades and I suspect that it will get only more intense.
It would be funny if it was not real.Thanks for that article. It is amazing.It explains a lot!
Old timers might recall Joe McCarthy or Eichard Hofstadter’s great book “Anti-Intellectualism in American Life”. Others might think of Paul Goodman’s “Growing Up Absurd”. Or Eric Hoffer’s “The True Believer”. This is nothing new, but there is an additional complication these days in my view. Trump supporters are hard to fathom unless you take “the original Aerican Dream” as Republicans often describe it to ‘the limit’–this is a Paradigm, rooted in “proper property-owning Anglo-Saxon males. The Democrat paradigm might be stated as “the American Dream for The Rest of Us” –hence the “inclusive” view vs the “exclusionary” sense expressed well by Carol,
The new wrinkle is the Disruptive Paradigm, not well understood by either of the long-standing Party-aligned paradigms. This is where the youth are–they supported Bernie in my view because they see that the New Ecomonics and the Digital Age is the root cause of the loss of jobs, not the trade treaties or mass immigration. And it is truly horrifying to me to any of the candidates talk about “Job Creation (or returning to the USA)” without a clue what is happening in this third Paradigm which is now being estimated to eliminate more than half of America’s jobs within 20 years. That will cause massive heartburn as each party seeks scapegoats
I find that anything I say positive about Hillary unleashes really ugly rhetoric, mostly from men, of course.
I can not take even one more comment from a clueless man. I just can’t.
Boy, did I come across that badly?
I got the shock of a lifetime when I discovered that two members of my family–one of them a quiet, unassuming, genteel sort of person–both are rabid Trump supporters. (Is there any other kind?) Read that article and passed it forward to Husby. Spot on! And now that I think about it, both of my Trump-supporting siblings are grossly underinformed. The one spouts all sorts of wisdom that I KNOW isn’t right, but I thought him harmless. Well, now I’m thinking again . . .
I hope we find our way back to the days when we can disagree with each other without vilainizing one another. We fight for democracy, but why don’t we respect every person’s right to express their opinions?
Yes and if that’s not bad enough, this pandering to fear and exclusion that results is just horrifying.
Sigh. I’m at the point I really can’t listen to Donald Trump anymore. Between the insults and the bragging, I’m at my breaking point. Abe Lincoln (or Mark Twain) are both rolling in their graves.
I hear you loud and clear.
Living in Australia there is obviously much media attention given to one of our closes allies USA. The election is usually one of the main stories and I have to admit that having Donald Trump as President of the USA is a little scary as sometimes I really wonder if he is stable with some of the comments he makes. People are people and there will always be loud mouths who usually don’t even understand what they are talking about. I do think this has been one of the most controversial and colourful elections I’ve seen for quite some time. You are right it is a good time to evaluate who you associate with.
We are so on the wavelength. I showed that article to my husband a while ago and said, “See, stupid people don’t even realize how stupid they are.” This election is totally a testament to that.We need to get Hillary into the White House and start getting a new, female perspective out there.
I read that article a few days ago. Learned about a new condition that explains the Trump supporters, but I’m still incredulous. I realize it’s a variation on “you don’t know what you don’t know,” but jaysus, it’s so hard to wrap my head around the idea that people really are so stupid to buy what Trump is selling. I understand the anger, the feeling disenfranchised…but the hate, misogyny and bigotry that’s been unleashed is just beyond the pale. I think I’ve got campaign fatigue because I can’t even articulate my disgust and disbelief at this point. Thanks, Carol, as always, for encouraging a rational discussion.
Friends? How about your Mother? My mother has always been active in Republican politics and seeing/hearing her blindly sticking to the Republican nominee is not only tiring but very sad and frustrating.
I love that quote you have shared.
Sometimes silence is golden indeed!
It’s better to be silent than argue/speak with an idiot as the public won’t know who is the bigger idiot!
Elections have BIG promises.
This time’s US presidential elections are keenly watched. May the wise win 🙂
i don’t understand if it’s the case of herd mentality or they are being gullible enough to be swayed away with media that they are going crazy over Trump. This man, for all you know doesn’t even know what he is telling in his speech. Seriously, some people have either lost their brain or are being Trumped uncannily!
That share button is so destructive. people share without thinking if what there sharing is true and what impact it could have. Thanks for linking up to #FridayFrolics
I too have been shocked by people posting awful stuff on social media. I barely look at FB anymore.
#FridayFrolics
Kids in the playground behave better than these so called political role models. It’s shocking. So much for grown up opinions. A very readable post, thanks for sharing. #fridayfrolics
Yes, social media is eye opening when it comes to revealing how many idiots you know! I definitely agree that people can be too stupid to know they’re stupid – never get in a debate with those people!
Thanks so much for joining us on #Fridayfrolics. Hope to see you next time