Ignorant...

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It's interesting a common emotional insult is: "ignorant"? If someone makes a racist comment, the backlash response is: "ignorant racist." If someone still holds to "mystical beliefs," salt in windows and door to keep out evil spirits, again they are called ignorant. Basically, we're using ignorant to mean: "if you don't believe what I do you don't know enough."

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@Muarck,

I'd say if someone uses the word "ignorant" in the context you have described
above then they're using the word wrong. If your ignorant, you lack a
certain knowledge, a lack of education and don't comprehend certain things.

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@Muarck,

the def of the word has changed, it once meant that one did not know of reality, it now means mostly that one does not hold the accepted beliefs. It is now mostly a replacement for the word heretic, which is too closely identified with Christianity to be used in our post Christian world.

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@CalamityJane,

Quote:

If your ignorant, you lack a
certain knowledge, a lack of education and don't comprehend certain things

actually, it is that you don't have the "correct" education, and don't follow the acceptable comprehension of reality. Being educated and clearly able to understand and reason are not sufficient defense against the charge of ignorance.

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@hawkeye10,

I love your take on it hawkeye10. You said that so perfectly!

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@Muarck,

thinking like that makes you a deviant, saying that makes you a criminal around these parts.

Watch your back. These are the dark ages not enlightened times, speaking truth can be very dangerous.

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@Muarck,

Muarck wrote:

It's interesting a common emotional insult is: "ignorant"?

I've never heard ignorant used as an insult. It does not mean stupid; it means not exposed to a specific knowledge. I've heard it used in sentences like "I'm ignorant of music." In the example you provided, I would expect to hear "stupid racist".

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@Muarck,

Muarck wrote:

It's interesting a common emotional insult is: "ignorant"?
If someone makes a racist comment, the backlash response
is: "ignorant racist." If someone still holds to "mystical beliefs,"
salt in windows and door to keep out evil spirits, again they
are called ignorant. Basically, we're using ignorant to mean:
"if you don't believe what I do you don't know enough."

That is accurate.
That word only means the absence of information.

Politically correct people (leftists) use it to demonize
someone whom thay dislike, implying moral culpability.

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@engineer,

Maybe, it's regional. As I've traveled about the US I've been amazed how much common speech changes regionally.

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@engineer,

engineer wrote:

Muarck wrote:

It's interesting a common emotional insult is: "ignorant"?

I've never heard ignorant used as an insult.

I have heard it used as an insult by leftists many, many times.

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@OmSigDAVID,

Quote:

I have heard it used as an insult by leftists many, many times.

That makes sense. Ignorant is the opposite of "leftist".

1 Reply

@ebrown p,

ebrown p wrote:

Quote:

I have heard it used as an insult by leftists many, many times.

That makes sense. Ignorant is the opposite of "leftist".

That means that the Founders had no information; that thay were uneducated.
I infer that u consider being well informed to be expert on the works of Marx n Engles.

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@OmSigDAVID,

OmSigDAVID wrote:

Politically correct people (leftists) use it to demonize
someone whom thay dislike, implying moral culpability.

In my experience, it is the opposite. Ignorance does not imply "moral culpability" since it is simply lack of knowledge as compared to irrationality or willful disregard of information. I have heard "willful ignorance" as a slam meaning "refusing to look at information."

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@engineer,

Quote:

In my experience, it is the opposite. Ignorance does not imply "moral culpability" since it is simply lack of knowledge as compared to irrationality or willful disregard of information. I have heard "willful ignorance" as a slam meaning "refusing to look at information."

Really? Let's use TKO for an example, he who has a habit of yelling "GET EDUCATED!" at people who disagree with him. Thing is he never does that to people whom he has previously shown a liking to.....at least so far as I remember. It certainly appears that only those of us who he feels are inferior to him warrant this treatment.

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@engineer,

OmSigDAVID wrote:

Politically correct people (leftists) use it to demonize
someone whom thay dislike, implying moral culpability.

Quote:

In my experience, it is the opposite.
Ignorance does not imply "moral culpability" since it is simply
lack of knowledge as compared to irrationality or willful disregard of information.

Of course that is TRUE.
My point is that the politically correct people
use the word ignorance in such a manner as to (illogically) imply moral culpability.

I certainly am not saying that thay r right; if thay were right,
then thay woud not be politically correct.

Quote:

I have heard "willful ignorance" as a slam meaning "refusing to look at information."

That is a different concept.

David

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@OmSigDAVID,

You are ignorant about the founding fathers (I don't mean to imply moral culpability.)

1 Reply

@ebrown p,

ebrown p wrote:

You are ignorant about the founding fathers (I don't mean to imply moral culpability.)

How so , Mr. Brown ?

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