February 2nd, 2009
Idiots
If you haven’t read it already, I recommend Unskilled and Unaware of It: How Difficulties in Recognizing One’s Own Incompetence Lead to Inflated Self-Assessments by Justin Kruger and David Dunning from Cornell University. Best. Scientific paper. Ever.
February 2nd, 2009 at 7:09 pm
I’ve been saying this for years. 90% was my initial number, but I’ve revised it continuously and I believe the correct number is nearer to 96%.
February 2nd, 2009 at 8:43 pm
Actually, it depends on the size of the community you are dealing with. (n-1)/n if I’m involved, otherwise 100%. Oh, sorry, forgot the last slide. I AM AN IDIOT.
February 2nd, 2009 at 10:17 pm
What about this one:
Everyone is an idiot at some point in time. The more you know about a topic, the more likely you are to point out an idiot. The less you know about something, the more likely you are an idiot. The more likely you are to be an idiot, the less likely you are to realise it.
February 3rd, 2009 at 7:53 am
Congratulations! You have jus eliminated the meaning of the word “Idiot”.
Apart from that – totally love your blog
February 4th, 2009 at 12:09 am
Can we get a shirt for this? 90%/10% on the front, 100% on the back?
February 4th, 2009 at 11:00 am
There’s a problem with your three slide presentation on idiots: you present the idea that non-idiots also don’t think they’re idiots. Some of the smartest most non-idiotic people I know acknowledge that they don’t know everything and that they’re an idiot any number of subjects.
February 5th, 2009 at 1:59 pm
Through careful analysis I have discovered both the above rule of thumb and the following guide for spotting an idiot/non-idiot. Call them an idiot in a neutral non-provocative way, if they deny it they are an idiot, if they react violently they are an idiot, if they argue with you they are an idiot, if they are not sure or admit to idiocy in a lot/most things then they are not an idiot, if they say they are an idiot then that are an idiot unless they are a philosopher, in which case they are almost certainly not an idiot. Beware though that Philosophers are not all philosophers and philosophers are not all Philosophers and _all_ those who are not philosophers are idiots (Philosophers included).
February 15th, 2009 at 6:25 am
I am an idiot and I know it! Wait…infinite loop! Yes!
February 27th, 2009 at 8:28 pm
lol- it is supposed to be a bluetooth device. Cute comic.
February 27th, 2009 at 8:30 pm
lol! Commented on the wrong comic through a funky series of back-button mishaps. I am definitely an idiot and well aware.
April 29th, 2009 at 3:26 pm
at some point we are all idiots we dont know all in the world we dont know is there another worlds nobody can be perfect.
May 9th, 2009 at 11:09 pm
Idiots!
May 30th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
Please stop that “Everybody is an idiot at some point”-shit!
I think there are idiots, and non-idiots who are just sometimes a bit idiotic.
There is some general knowledge every human on the earth should know (as long as he has the ability to look it up or learn it). For example: I know that Africa is in the south of europe, and east of europe is asia, and suth-east of it is Australia and east of it, up to the cold north is america (north & south). There are people thinking Australia is North-Corea! They are shown a faked map with the word “North-Corea” printed on the Australian continent and they fuckin believe it! They do not see it is a fake. Those people ARE idiots. And if some dumb American does not know in what wars they have been (e.g. the all-known Vietnam war), then this American is stupid and an idiot! And if a German (I am German) thinks we won the 2 world wars, then this guy is an idiot, too!
June 8th, 2009 at 4:24 am
Idiots-90% of the population
People who think they’re idiots 10% of the population (85% of non-idiots, 5% of idiots)
If you believe the statistics above, you are an idiot, 85% of 10% and 5% of 90% comes out to 13% of the population.
November 8th, 2009 at 5:12 pm
Lee, I think you mean North Korea, not “North-Corea”
Once again, “Everybody is an idiot at some point”