I See Dumb People
Please restrain your indignation for a moment.
What else should we call folks whose behavior appears to be self-destructive or self-sabotaging?
According to the Oxford Languages website, a stupid person lacks intelligence or common sense. Although we use the word "dumb" and "stupid" interchangeably, the original meaning of "dumb" is the inability to speak. However, at some point, the two words became synonymous in the vernacular.
Consequently, using either of the two words means folks so identified lack common sense. Lacking common sense is not necessarily a sign someone lacks intelligence. It is not the sole domain of the low IQd among us. Even smart people make stupid decisions.
As you probably know, the imp on this lady's shoulder nudges her to shock or tweak people who tend to be too uptight. But she is not alone in the universe. Countless like-minded folks enjoy pushing the envelope to see who has a healthy sense of humor or is an easily-offended club member.
If you did not notice, work and happy faces are a rarity. Perhaps not everyone hates their job, but the idea of whistling while you work is part of fiction and not real life.?
Consequently, in her determination to lighten the stress load, she often displayed cartoons or sarcastic sayings around her desk. Her intention was to make co-workers laugh or smile.
But there was one sign, the same as the title of this column, that she hesitated to display. Why? Because folks with low self-esteem might think she referred to them.
It was an exercise in self-restraint, but in the end, her decision was for the greater good.
Whether folks admit it or not, we all make stupid decisions. Some of which have life-altering consequences. When you enter relationships or marriage before you get to know each other are some examples.
There are countless blatant red flags in most cases before we make some of our ridiculously dumb decisions. But, when it comes to greed, lust, or even loneliness, we turn off our common sense switch and jump into the murky swamp of bad decisions with a sliver of hope.
Author, Tom Phillips, seems to have humanity's number in the book "Humans: A Brief History of How We F*cked It All Up." This lady highly recommends reading the book. It highlights some of human's glaring past mistakes, especially our leaders.
In a recent column, this lady mentioned a self-styled Nigerian Prince’s scam emails. She recently received an email from a South African lawyer. Grammatical errors are his.
"Hello Elizabeth,
Permit me to introduce myself. I'm Franklyn Kargbo, Legal adviser and consultant to (Mr. Russell) a client?Who died during the Pandemic? I'm contacting you concerning a fixed deposit he made with a Security Trustee valued at $7.5 Million.
Assessing the circumstances with my client's death, I fear a likely winding up of the fund by the Security?Trustee. I carried out a search for a similar last name bearer of my late client for the retrieval of this Fund since my client does not have a next of kin to engage the claim.
领英推荐
As the Legal adviser and consultant, I seek your consent to present you to the Security Trustee as the next of kin to the deceased for the recovery of these funds because you have the same last name as my client.
You will be entitled to 50% share of these funds and I will be entitled to 50%; any costs made during the process of this transaction will be settled by the both of us.
I have the necessary documents to complete this claim legitimately, and handling this information very?confidential will be essential to the successful retrieval of the fund.
Kindly, let me have your view and we can sign a memorandum of understanding before we proceed with the recovery protocol.
Best Regards,
Franklyn Kargbo Esq.
Legal practitioner,
Consultancy & Co Solicitors,
CYRIL ZIMAN & ASSOCIATE INC
+27 623938136
CYRIL ZIMAN & ASSOCIATE INC., Domestic and International Business Practice civil legislation international law firm. 43 Keyes Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa."
Did he take lessons from the Nigerian Prince?
?