I thought I'd look at the public chat rooms, and... I told someone to stop criticizing until he seperates OOC from IC. And he told me to stop criticizing until I could spell separate. Then he said that obviously he was smarter than me. And I said, "No, just better educated." And he replied "Same thing. I am smarter than you." So I tried to educate the ********, who insisted that ignorance and stupidity were synonymous. I was so ****ed eloquent about the whole thing, too. But he was... horrible! Such an idiot! Denied it, got his friend to quote the dictionary and ****... And to me it continually proved my point... But he refused to see it!

(Hey, coolness, should this guy

be shot			3 vote(s)
not be shot			0 vote(s)

So, for the record:

Stupidity is an inability to learn,
Ignorance is a lack of learning
Dumbness is an inability to speak (Often implying that one doesn't know, either because they're ignorant of something, or just plain stupid.)

Don't argue with me on this, because a) I am right, and b) I'll shoot you.

i think that living in america for so long has taught the elitist among us that ignorance and willful ignorance are the same thing. crazy words and their meanings....

Wikipedia's great isn't it?
to quote:

Ignorance

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Ignorance is a lack of knowledge, or a willful lack of desire to improve the efficiency, merit, effectiveness or usefulness of one's actions.

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Therefore the fellow getting all huffy about both stupidity and ignorance was caught in his own petard as he went on being...

Stupidity manifested by the educated

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Otherwise intelligent individuals may also become stupid when their rational thought is derailed by strong opinions or rigid beliefs. In this case the victim falls into confirmation bias and begins selecting data: becoming intentionally blind and deaf to contrary evidence, while at the same time collecting evidence which supports the beliefs. Rather than being based on low intelligence or missing knowledge, this is the stupidity of closed-mindedness and willful ignorance.

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I'd just like to add that in my book, not the dictionairy...

Dumbness is not the inability to speak, otherwise stephen hawking minus his voice box, deaf people, those with confidence issues ect would automatically fall under this heading. I believe that to be wrong, and the use of the word dumb to be wrong. It's a pitiful word all around and in my veiwpoint can only be used by those in which fit the general cononotations associated with the word.

On a whole the word dumb is so generically negative in regards to a individual or a groups characteristics, that indeed it should be abolished from the english language. In the least pigeon holed.

I base this upon the concept that the word is used to deflate the aspirations and good feelings of an idea with the simple counter... "that's dumb". A person should have the good sense to look at the idea presented... see it's pro's and cons and thus instead of providing single word negative feedback that of constructive and informative feedback which educates the individual to some possible flaws.

Sure their may be differences at the end of the argument, yet the positions are then more clearly understood. There is food for thought and one's positions may change and thus their is product and gain made out of the conversation... rather then, that's dumb, (not well thought out and I'm not going to help you with it), you are dumb (you possess sub-standard ideas and indeed may be a sub-standard idea, and you are not worth my time to explain my own positions too)

Such arrogance neccessary to use this pitiful word "dumb" ought to give an individual adequate karma, I'd hope... to be sat down with a older, more experienced contemporary who will happily run the fellow thru a painfull ringer.

As it comes to stupidy, dumbness, ignorance ect., we are all guilty and the sooner you realize that and that no matter the perceived mental aptitude of an individual, whether lobotomotized, genius, willing fool or simply simpleton... everyone without exception may have information to help you grow in your own knowledge and understanding of the universe.

It may not be considered intelligent to deny that resource. Yet it is indeed true that denying that resource publicly is very much a standard in the various prescribed media cultures availble today.