What is the difference between...
Suchitra Krishnamoorthi - April 13, 2007
being STUPID & being a FOOL?
Things are getting too heavy around me. Everybody is getting too serious and summer in Mumbai is seriously hot.
I need to chill
You know ...just be stupid sometimes ,play the fool a little bit... that kind of thing.
But the minute i think that , I'm all confused....
What is stupid and what is a fool? Oh my God! Am i getting my definitions all muddled up...?? What will the intelligentia think of me... no no....cant get it wrong....
So I look it up
The Oxford dictionary defines stupid and fool as
STUPID:- 1.lacking intelligence or common sense
2.dazed and unable to think clearly
3.(informal) used to express exasperation or boredom-eg your stupid paintings!!
FOOL: 1.a person who acts unwisely
2. trick or deceive
3. act in a joking or silly way
So I gather
Stupidity is just ignorance
Foolishness is the unwise act of letting your ignorance show
Stupid is plain dumb as in… duh! As in inability of the brain to comprehend
Foolish is not giving a damn and doing it anyway, unmindful of the consequenses
Why did kings and emperors employ and pay fools a lot of money to keep them entertained and happy?
So is it better to be foolish rather than stupid?
if stupidity is ignorance why the expression -ignorance is bliss? or the term Fools paradise?
Do you know any instance of people being paid and employed for being plain dumb …read stupid? -forget arranged marriages and the sex trade-that is not in discussion here
But then they earn a lot of money so is being stupid better than being foolish?
Is it better to be clever and rich ?or ? dumb honest and poor?
Who is deceiving whom? is it the stupid deceiving the foolish or vice versa?
Questions questions questions… Phew! Here’s one more
Do stupidity and foolishness go hand in hand?
Am I stupid for being so confused (read dumb)
or foolish for showing the world my confusion ?(read reckless)
Or is it the other way around?
Consider the following image…..
So...big shsh....mixed media on paper 18x 24
So is this foolish or is this stupid? But is it ok to be both stupid and foolish??
could stupid + foolish = clever?
like in maths two negatives make a positive...
Ha! I’m having so much fun…
Ohmygaaawd! Somebody help me! :-)
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Posted by Suchitra Krishnamoorthi at April 13, 2007 12:19 AM
Comments
1. Posted by
yogi-one
![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.intentblog.com/nav-commenters.gif)
on
April 13, 2007 12:48 AM
Hey there Suchitra, interesting one yet again, got me thinking on that one...:)
Although, I have to admit, at the end of it all, the phrases Ignorance is bliss and Fools Paradise caught my attention....
I guess, I would perceive a Fool as someone who misuses the knowledge he has.. as in act unwisely... and live in a make believe world, an illusion, hence the world possibly , paradise associated in teh phrase..?? A paradise, an illusion a fool builds for himself...
Stupid on the other hand, seems to me , as being unaware and hence unable to even react or act unwisely.. as you mentioned in your post, dosent display his ignorance, but jus is ignorant...
Jus my thoughts..:)
Enjoyed your post !
2. Posted by
Sareeta
on
April 13, 2007 01:27 AM
wise men say ..only fools rush in..
good post suchitra ..good for time pass in Bomaby lingo
A person can be intelligent and do something silly or stupid but fools are born.Have a good day! love dipti
PS : I didn't like the painting tho..hmm stupid painting..lol
3. Posted by
deepsadv
on
April 13, 2007 02:43 AM
Stupid = one who makes a bad decision obvious to common sense.
Fool = Repeating a bad decision a second time around.
4. Posted by
Saira Mohan
on
April 13, 2007 03:02 AM
Saira .. Crystal clear definitions..
5. Posted by
deepsadv
on
April 13, 2007 03:17 AM
Dear Suchitra,
When everything seems to fail - words, reasons, seasons summer heat, melting paint ...
stick with math
(two negatives make a positive)
and you will have so much
Fun!
damn ;)
~ Kate
That is me! A stupid fool! Yep! Or perhaps even a damned stupid fool!
I tried to post me epic poem a few times yesterday, but the thought police denied my way; so just click on the blue empyrius if one has the time for a not so well rhymed sign of the times.
Peace
Being stupid is not understanding this question. Being a fool is answering it anyway.
"I'm not stupid, just ignorant", Sissy Spacek as Loretta Linne.
8. Posted by
bobby
on
April 13, 2007 09:06 AM
The fool dances in the dark and Loves every moment of it!
V
9. Posted by
Tammy
on
April 13, 2007 09:38 AM
The fool is blinded By Love Yet sees all!
V
10. Posted by
Tammy
on
April 13, 2007 09:40 AM
"Being stupid is not understanding THE question. Being a fool is answering it anyway."
That seals it, I am guilty of being a damned stupid fool!
Damn . . .
Being fool, thinking the unthinkable
The chains of habit, gravity cut
The window available, the sky found
Happy enough to call my own creations
Names, bad names, real bad names
A new language in symphony.
Softly, occupying the surrounding
A sound, a new sound
Strange ancient culture breathing back
Energetic, no civilized manners
So fully soft of good
I thought, yelling the cubic-shadow.
12. Posted by
Chopra Alter-Ego
on
April 13, 2007 11:37 AM
Being objective. But who is going to judge? Both are the state of of they way we look at them. May be we think too much or not that much
13. Posted by
SKS
on
April 13, 2007 11:46 AM
The fool is intelligent, wise and infinite minded. The fool is not stupid, he is smart, it is those that take him as a fool that are stupid.
It is the most powerful card in the Tarot Deck. Zero / Infinity
The fool ditches his own ego, he knows no shame and embarrassment therefore he cannot be controlled using these devices.
The fool does not require acceptance of others.
People do not feel threatened by him so they do not put up a guard and often find friendship.
He talks with many and gathers information understanding the big picture that no one else does which put him in a position of power.
He can then make suggestions and put ideas into peoples minds and control and effect what unfolds in reality. He knows what is going to happen or take place and has foreknowledge.
The fool is not attached to outcome or things.
The fool lives in the present is not hindered by the past or impaired by worry for the future.
Suchitra it would be foolish to stay where you are with it being so hot and serious, you should come visit me in Detroit for some cool fun. :)
14. Posted by
Richard Thomas
on
April 13, 2007 02:52 PM
ha ha
I'm so happy to know I am clever :-)
15. Posted by
swag
on
April 14, 2007 02:17 AM
what i mean was I'm so happy to know that I'm clever as per your suggestion of
stupid + foolish =clever :-)
16. Posted by
swag
on
April 14, 2007 07:10 AM
I had to read this article 3 times...nothing to do with your writing skills but something to do with either my attention span or my inability to understand at one go... Wondering if the latter is true then that makes me stupid = slow brain responses...If i was a fool and i was fooling myself then i would have just read it once and claimed to understand it and also made some foolish comment on it without understanding it, Ok i'm confused!!!
17. Posted by
tanuravi
on
April 15, 2007 10:29 PM
hi suchitra
have you noticed that one always says "stupid fool " together, for a person, while the action may be stupid by itself or even foolish.
so moving on from there stupid becomes an adjective , ie , it tells us more about the noun ( fool) .
this is getting better even as i type..
one never ever says .." you fool stupid"Right ?
so, i guess its an adjective -noun relationship...
Huh?
18. Posted by
laughlingly_yours
on
November 12, 2007 10:10 PM
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Recent Comments
-
laughlingly_yours commented on What is the difference between...
hi suchitra
have you noticed that one alw -
tanuravi commented on What is the difference between...
I had to read this article 3 times...nothing to
-
swag commented on What is the difference between...
what i mean was I'm so happy to know that I'm c
-
swag commented on What is the difference between...
ha ha
I'm so happy to know I am clever :- -
Richard Thomas commented on What is the difference between...
The fool is intelligent, wise and infinite mind
Huh?