"Oh, I'll just throw something together and it'll be good enough!"
It's a phrase most of us have probably heard lots of times-- I know I certainly have. For me, phrases like that are just grating and irritating... because I value doing my best.
Although I generally tend to consider myself a very tolerant and compassionate person, I sometimes find what I consider deliberate ignorance and slovenliness to be really, really annoying!
Whatcha Talkin' 'bout, Willis?
Red Autumn Leaves
OK, so let me clarify.
In the broadest sense, I have no issue with someone who genuinely doesn't know something, and perhaps they have no particular need to know that something-- maybe it's not interesting to them, or whatever. That's not what I am talking about, here.
When I say "Cultivated Ignorance" I'm referring to those who almost seem to actively keep themselves in their state of ignorance, almost as a "lifestyle" or "personal image statement."
My former brother-in-law was somewhat like that. He was a super intelligent guy with a super sharp mind, but he actively projected an image of being "lazy, ignorant and dumb" to the world. This was someone who could easily have gotten a doctorate in something, but decided to end his education after (barely) finishing high school... and then pretty much (by choice) became a "day laborer."
What's the Point, Exactly?
A quiet bend in the river
Now, while I'm being critical on one level, perhaps I should be giving him props for "knowing who he was," on some level. His basic idea of what he wanted in life was "to sit under a tree, drink beer and smoke weed."
And sometimes it seemed like he very deliberately "manufactured" a life through a series of choices (or "non-choices") that set up a reality in which nobody ever expected anything more of him than... "to sit under a tree, drink beer and smoke weed."
So why does it annoy me so much?
After all, it seemed (at least) that he was doing what he wanted. And one should respect that, right?
But Things are not Always as They Seem...
A wild rose... with a "passenger"
I think what bugged me was the "lowest common denominator" issue. The fact that he actively pursued projecting an image of being "dumb and ignorant" when-- in fact-- he was anything but. From where I am sitting-- and I may be missing something-- he could have been smart and informed, and STILL "sat under a tree, drinking beer and smoking weed."
His ultimate motivation was fine with me... it was the idea that "you have to be a dumb hick" in order to do such a thing that bothered me.
"Cultivated Ignorance" also annoys me when people use it as a manipulative tool.
Like the person at work who-- even after having been taught about 200 times-- still "doesn't understand how to use spreadsheets." Why? Because "not knowing"-- and KEEPING themselves in a state of "not knowing"-- allows them to "farm out" their work to others who "DO know" how to do the work.
It's an integrity issue...
What do YOU think? Have you ever known someone (typically smart) who actively "cultivates" being ignorant as a way of avoiding life and responsibility? How did that make you feel? Do you see it as a problem, or do you think it's just a coping mechanism? Have you seen such an approach used to manipulate people? Leave a comment-- share your experiences and feedback-- be part of the conversation!
(As usual, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for Steemit)
Published 20170930 15:58 PDT