Sunday, March 21, 2021

Oh, We're All Idiots

      A commenter who will not be published left a single sentence in response to my joking post-vaccine piece, to inform me that I was an idiot.

      Imagine, if you will, my surprise.  There I was, thinking I was quite clever and had All The Answers™, only to learn that a random stranger on the Internet had determined that I was an idiot.

      Just why he had decided that was unclear; he provided no details.  Was it my flippant joke about the vaccine and the foolish fears of some people?  Was it for getting vaccinated at all?  (Look, pal, next time you can be the sixtyish woman in less than ideal health, and we'll see how quickly you go for a vaccine.)  Was it for being extremely unenthusiastic about President Trump (who I was no fan of from the outset -- you can go back and check; you'll also see I was even less pleased with Secretary Clinton and I'm not exactly jumping for joy over President Biden*) and his effects on what used to be a reliable party whose worst impulses were slightly easier to curb or avoid than those of the other big party?

      I don't know.  It doesn't matter.  What I do know is we're all making our way through life by guessing.  Sometimes we make very well-informed guesses; sometimes it's a leap in the dark.  But ultimately, there's very little we know with absolute certainty -- and some of those things, we're wrong about.  Against a vast and impersonal universe, we're all idiots, nearly all the time.

      So get over it, make your own choices, and move on.
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* Five hundred and thirty-five seats in all of congress, fifty state governors, at least a dozen more really well-known politicians, and yet the candidate pool is a disappointment to me, year after year.  Okay, it's a horrible job and no matter who you are about half of the citizenry will loathe you, but still....

7 comments:

Sevesteen said...

I posted on Facebook that I got my first shot. Facebook's algorithm fact-checked my post to tell me that vaccines are safe. Too many people have similar algorithms.

Blackwing1 said...

...and then there are those of us who just want to see what's under the foil in the roasting pan on the grill.

Roberta X said...

Patience, patience.

Overload in Colorado said...

Rarely these days do I find myself enthusiastically voting for a candidate. I feel I'm either going 'meh' and checking a box, or voting against the other candidate

Anonymous said...

People are crappy - Just notice comments on the internet at any site. When given anonymity people can show their innate nastiness and dumbness.

The only question is whether many, most, or the overwhelming majority of people are dumb & crappy.

Carteach said...

As a teacher, many of us said 'School would be great, if it wasn't for all the students'.

Life is like that too, with people.

Eck! said...

Saw the post in question and appreciated its humor and
reflection on hurting.

That and I've typed a few lines that were hard to parse too.

As to idiot, ah well, that would likely never had been
said in any person to person contact. The context often
makes a difference in understanding and appreciation.

Eck!