“You” is the generic noun, it has not got any target on its back. By coincidence, exactly in the period in which I am reading “The Idiot”, Mike Prince, the character from “Billions”, had a great speech, about “how many degrees from the idiot are you?” He gave an example with the quarter back from American Football, but since it is not relevant for everybody, and since there are infinite possibilities, I will switch the exemplification to… running.
The idiot on the trail
Then, if, let’s say, somebody goes on a mountain trail race, starts in the back, cannot run very fast when the surface is flat, makes it to the middle of the race behind me, and then, on a complicated narrow climb, forces to pass, just to be overtaken in the next kilometer when the maneuver trail becomes wider and faster. So, this can be, very easily, “the idiot”. You cannot be like this, but actually there are people in this posture. People who, on top of everything, have tracking poles, but which they almost 100% of the cases have no clue to use them.
What would you do when you live pay check by pay check?
One other example, this time from the day to day life, is maybe the person next you. A neighbor, or even more sad, a relative. That person who lives pay check to pay check but has at least three credit lines, to pay the latest iPhone, a car that he doesn’t need and, of course, the giant flat screen newest generation TV. That is an idiot, of course. But maybe you are living pay check to pay check and forget about all the fancy stuff, but buy a house, with a mortgage / credit line, that swallows more than half of your monthly income. The equivalent of the same idiot..
What can be a third degree from the idiot
In case you limit yourself only to buy an expensive car, even if you have a low wadge, without paying for a fancy phone and TV, makes you, maybe, one degree from the idiot. It is an improvement! How can we evaluate this always? Well, it takes only a bit of brain and to asses what is around you. Two degrees from the idiot can be those persons that live pay check to pay check, don’t spend the money they don’t have, but they are always complaining and blaming others for their poor condition. How can a third degrees from the idiot look like? Well… just think at a person who approves to take a constructive feedback serious, and then, when it comes to correct their obvious mistakes, ignores everything, and keeps doing as they please, not as they say.
Let’s get back to running and perception
The examples and possibilities go on and on and on. But the fact I have linked the introduction and my first idea with running, is not by accident. Because one thing is to asses how many degrees is somebody from the idiot, and another is to think how many degrees from the idiot he believes you are from. Seems complicated, but it is really not. Let me give you another example, one very relevant from previous years. Let’s say you are participating in a 10k in a city race. You don’t run very fast, but you make some room in the starting pack, direct in the middle and only a couple of moments from the start you knee to tie your laces. In the middle of the road and race.
What if…?
Of course, in this situation you are the idiot, but you might think that those hundreds behind you, will not bump you because either they will stop, maybe one degree from the idiot, in your opinion, or they will just go around – two degrees from the idiot, in your opinion. I won’t say what is the correct approach in this situation. Of course, our hero, shoe-lacer, doesn’t think like this, but he should. Because if you need to take in consideration that at least one person behind you is a complete idiot, like you, and doesn’t take any precaution, doesn’t asses anything around, will collide with you without any worry. Then, of course, it would be a pure interaction of two idiots.
33 degree idiot, from Mark Twain – the antithesis
Getting back to the initial source of the article, I have searched the internet if there is any legitimate background, but the only thing I found was the letter of Mark Twain, where an “idiot of the 33 degree” is invoked. November 1905! Could that be the source? I am not sure, but it is likely. Or, at least, I can have the limit. Is 33 enough? Living and seeing the world around us, I would say no, but for a first impression, I think 33 works just fine. Even if the 33 degree here is actually an antithesis. Maybe some other time we will write about “The Seven Degrees of Stupid”. Even if we don’t have too… Mark my word, click the link, and conclude: it is painful…
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