How to be a Complete Idiot

Not sure how you think that means losing a leg is fine and you don't need it but apparently you think it does so go with that.

I'll probably regret this, but...

Like doing it successfully several times, perhaps? Or being with others who have done it without incident? Frankly, I can see the appeal. The 4th of July is my favorite holiday because of the fireworks.

Wasn't really trying to get anyone to "confess" their dumbest moves. Just hoped to give a different perspective to consider to anyone who hadn't done so yet.

There's no need to interpret anything if we don't make those assumptions in the first place. "Most likely" means you don't know, you're drawing conclusions by guessing.

I could guess that video was posted online before the dude was out of the hospital and before he'd seen it. Maybe it wasn't, but it's a possibility. And if that happened, once it's posted, it's there. Too late to remove it in a timely fashion once others start reposting it. He may not even be out of the hospital yet.

Which is another way of saying you don't know.

And "friends" do all sorts of things to each other you and I might not do. We can't judge all friendships by our own standards of friendship. Well, we can, but it will often lead to mistaken conclusions. If being wrong is an acceptable outcome for guesses at reality for you, I have no more to say on that point.

You may well be right. That doesn't necessarily make him a complete idiot, just someone who did something idiotic. We all have. And, he could well be an idiot. No one is arguing he's not, just that it's not a certainty. Cherry-picking one misfortunate event out of an entire lifetime and drawing a sweeping conclusion from it usually isn't any more accurate than cherry-picking the best event and saying his whole life is like that. Each points to one of the farthest edges of experience, while reality is usually somewhere closer to the middle.

I didn't judge you, that's another assumption you've made. Actually, if I told you what my perceptions of you were prior to this thread, I would have mentioned things I'm sure you'd appreciate. That hasn't really changed. Disagreement doesn't necessarily equate to personal judgment. There's a difference between judging a person and disagreeing with an idea.

Also, you don't know how bad I think the problem is - I haven't said. That's yet another assumption on your part.

Seriously, I don't expect to my post to change anyone's thinking or behavior. I joined the conversation late, and did so because the differences of opinion seemed more semantic than substantial, and I thought I might be able to provide a bridge between the two takes.

It's also possible someone reading this, or who may read it in the future, will benefit by seeing different ways of thinking. One can always hope our words will somehow have a positive impact on someone. So while I don't expect my posts to change anyone's thinking or behavior, it is a possibility, and one could argue that I'd be remiss in my participation here if I didn't offer a valid alternative perspective when I think I have one. All I can do is put it out there for consideration, it's not up to me how it's received.

Of course we do. We also filter those judgments and choose not to make many of them public knowledge. When we do make them public, they are subject to scrutiny by those exposed to them. Making judgments doesn't mean they are right. They often aren't. That's why we need to think about what we're saying instead of just releasing unfiltered thoughts.


Having said all that, if you want to think him a complete idiot, that's fine with me. I've said all I've got to say about it. I was just trying to create a bridge, no one has to walk across it.

Totally agree with that.

I was trying for a bit, not much showed up to support my assumption.

The guy seems like kind of a ghost, I couldn't really find anything.

And we're really digging deep into the granularity of what's required for "true complete idiocy." Even if I found a long track record of it, it really does come down to individual opinion.

I mean what do you think it takes for somebody to be considered a "complete idiot."

I won't argue, but I really do want to know.

I personally don't think IQ scores or personal wealth have anything to do with it, but rather major events. I've heard this term used before, that guy comes across to me as a "Gasoline Drinker" at the very least.

But what's the threshold here? When are you not a complete idiot and what is the requirement to become a complete idiot? Your opinion.