| Revision as of 10:14, 22 May 2006 view sourceTravelbird (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers28,538 edits Reverted edits by 172.193.189.158 (talk) to last version by Lkjhgfdsa using VandalProof← Previous edit | Revision as of 17:58, 22 May 2006 view source 24.199.227.102 (talk)No edit summaryNext edit → | ||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| IDIOT! | |||
| '''Idiot''' is a word derived from the ] ιδιωτης, ''idiōtēs'' ("layman," "person lacking professional skill," "a private citizen," "individual"), from ιδιος, ''idios'' ("private," "one's own"). In ] the word ''idiota'' ("ordinary person, layman") preceded the ] meaning "uneducated or ignorant person." Its modern meaning and form dates back to ] around the year 1300, from the ] ''idiote'' ("uneducated or ignorant person"). The related word '''''idiocy''''' dates to 1487 and may have been analagously modeled on the words ] and ]. | |||
| The word is a ] in ], ], and ]. | |||
| ==History== | |||
| It was originally used in ] ]s to refer to people who were overly concerned with their own self-interest and ignored the needs of the community. Declining to take part in public life, such as (semi-)democratic government of the ] (city state, e.g. ]) was considered dishonorable. "Idiots" were seen as having bad judgment in public and political matters. Over time, the term "idiot" shifted away from its original connotation of selfishness and came to refer to individuals with overall bad judgment–individuals who are "]." | |||
| In ], ''idiotès'' was a term for soldier (etymologically parallel to that word which derives from sold 'pay'), derived from the ''idios logos'', the ]' royal treasury that paid them. | |||
| In modern ] usage, the terms "idiot" and "idiocy" describe an extreme folly or stupidity, its symptoms (foolish or stupid utterance or deed). In psychology, it is a historical term for the state or condition now called ]. | |||
| ==Handicap== | |||
| In 19th and early 20th-century medicine and psychology, an "idiot" was a person with a very severe ] or a very low ] level, as a sufferer of ], defining idiots as people whose IQ were below 20 (with a standard deviation of 16); '''Mongolian idiot''' was applied to sufferers of ]. | |||
| In current medical classification, these people are now said to have profound mental retardation, and the word "idiot" is no longer used as a scientific term. | |||
| ==Use as an abuse== | |||
| In modern English and other languages, idiot is also a derogatory term used to ], usually meaning "You are stupid." For example, a group of drunks ] could be referred to as "idiots." However, use of "idiot" to refer to people who are genuinely mentally retarded would generally be considered offensive. | |||
| A few authors have used "idiot" characters in novels, plays and poetry. Often these characters are used to highlight or indicate something else (]). Examples of such usage are ] '']'' and ] '']''. Idiot characters in literature are often confused with or subsumed within mad or lunatic characters. | |||
| The most common imbrication between these two categories of mental impairment occurs in the polemic surrounding Edmund from ] '']''. In ] novel '']'', the idiocy of the main character, Prince Myshkin, is attributed more to his honesty, trustfulness, kindness, and humility, than to a lack of intellectual ability. This somewhat parallels the use of the word "idiot" in colloquial ] to characterize a naive optimist and the "do-gooder." | |||
| ==Other uses== | |||
| *] is a classic in world literature, in Russian, by Dostoyevsky and the title of an album by ]. | |||
| * In June of ], New York State Assemblyman ] sent an e-mail to his constituents referring to them as 'pontificating idiots'. | |||
| * "Idiot box" is a slang term for ], or for a ] on a computer. | |||
| * "Walk Idiot Walk" is a song performed by the rock music group ] and released on the band's ] album, ''Tyrannosaurus Hives''. | |||
| * "Idiot savant" was the original term for ], used to describe people who excel in one particular thing while being below-average in other mental or behavioral areas. Many of these people are also ]s. | |||
| * In ], ] ] ] affectionately referred to his team as "The Idiots" to describe its eclectic roster and devil-may-care attitude toward "]". | |||
| * "]s" was a pejorative term used in the 1960's and 1970's referring to the low oil pressure and alternator fault lights on an automobile dashboard. The implication of the term was that knowledgeable drivers use real gauges and don't need warning lamps. The present and almost universal use of warning lamps in automobiles has caused the term to fall into disuse. | |||
| * The Idiot's Guide to Everything was released in 2003 as a methodological approach to describing literally everything imaginable. It was not a huge success. | |||
| * There are a series of books called ] | |||
| * ] is an album released by the rock band ] in 2004. | |||
| ==Quotes== | |||
| *"Reader, suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of ]. But I repeat myself." (], c.]) | |||
| ==Sources, references and External links== | |||
| * "Middle English, ignorant person, from Old French ''idiote'' (modern French idiot), from Latin ''idiota'', from Greek ''idiotès'', private person, layman, from ''idios'', own, private." | |||
| * "c.1300, "person so mentally deficient as to be incapable of ordinary reasoning," from Old French ''idiote'' "uneducated or ignorant person," from Latin ''idiota'' "ordinary person, layman," in Late Latin "uneducated or ignorant person," from Greek ''idiotes'' "layman, person lacking professional skill," literally "private person," used patronizingly for "ignorant person," from ''idios'' "one's own." | |||
| *{{1911}} on cretinism | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
Revision as of 17:58, 22 May 2006
IDIOT!