It's called RESEARCH, retard.

Please read the disclaimer below*

I am confronted daily with comments from folks (not here on THIS blog, of course) who are so painfully uninformed that I seriously wonder about their literacy and have a deep indentation in the middle of my forehead from slamming it against my laptop keyboard. Some people are not just stupid (intellectually and socially) but they are frickin lazy!

I cannot tolerate intellectual laziness. CANNOT. CANNOT. CANNOT.

First let me say:

Wikipedia is not a credible source. ANYONE can go there and edit the entries (that's why it's called a "wiki"). The webmasters cannot possibly keep up with the input of new information; it is not monitored by experts. Please, please, please, do not Wiki for your research.

Second:

Having an opinion about politics is NOT the same as having an INFORMED opinion about politics. "I think he's/she's great" is not an opinion-- it's a PREFERENCE. BIG difference. It's like saying you like sour cream on a baked potato. Not everyone does, but you PREFER to have it with than without. No argument there.

An informed opinion is where the speaker takes an ACTIVE role in gathering facts and information for THEMSELVES from various reliable sources and THEN presents a case for their position in a logical, tasteful, well-constructed manner (for those interested in true Rhetoric, [and no, it's not a four letter word as most would have you think] google the Five Canons or Aristotelian Rhetoric. One of my Ph.D. areas is in Rhetoric and I would consider myself better informed on argument than a few people I have read lately).

Third:

Research requires critical thinking skills. No, just because you read it somewhere does not make something a fact. Heck, the Bible's got lots of "facts". Serpents talk, some guy lived in the belly of a whale for three days, people turn into salt for looking at a city; you get my drift, right? Thinking is the key concept here; not believing. I know, for a fact, that there is a moon in space which orbits our planet. I have not had first hand experience being on it, touching, seeing it up close. But indeed, lots of educated people who study it for a living have published lots of stuff in well-respected places that convince me that that thing I see in the night sky is indeed a moon and without it, life on earth as we know it would likely not exist.

Fourth:

Some of the smartest people I know are also the kindest. Wonder why that is? Well, people who don't know much, who want a president or Vice-president they could "have a beer with" are intellectually retarded, yes, RETARDED. I don't want some monkey with the IQ of 75 running our country's affairs. I want an educated, well-read, well-thought person to be our president (gee, didn't we just elect one?).

Last:

I am sick to death of anti-intellectualism in our culture. As a smart kid, I was kind of ashamed that I did really well in school. Even today, I rarely talk to people outside academia about my dissertation project or the official title of my Ph.D. (the aforementioned is only part of it). I have dedicated the better part of 8 years to getting a Master's degree and completing my doctoral degree. I've earned the right to say (without hesitation: "YOU'RE WRONG, but here's why"). I don't get personal, I don't get nasty (usually) but I will not stand for retards who refuse to research their opinions.

Back 'em up; then we can debate.

*This post is not an attack on people with functional mental disability or otherwise. I am merely talking about functional, run-of-the-mill idiots, who have internet access and sh*t for brains.