Saying Something Stupid

I always give people a break for saying something stupid. Speech is a temporal thing. You can't "unsay" something, especially on the radio or in front of a camera. There is no "backspace" key in a speech. Written stupidy however... you had as long as you wanted to get it right, so I don't show mercy there.

So... when somebody says something stupid, I have a process I go through.

First, I find out — if I can — what was said before and after the stupidity... so that I can get the stupidity in context. If the context completely changes the meaning of the actual stupidity, then I forgive all.

Second, I determine if the stupidity was unintentional... if the speaker meant to convey one idea, but accidentally conveyed another. If that happens, I forgive all... like Trent Lott's booboo at Strom Thurmond's birthday party.

Third, and most importantly, after I take one and two above into consideration, I ask myself whether I believe that when the person said what he or she said, that he or she knew that some people might think that what was said was stupid (or offensive, or just plain old rude), but the speaker said it anyway.

So, Bill Bennett: He said that aborting all African American babies would reduce the crime rate.

Step one: Any before-and-after context? Yes. He said before, "It's crazy to think so but..." and something like "... even though it's true, nobody would ever think of doing it" afterwards. Did that change the actual gist of what he was trying to say? No. He believed what he said was true... just that he wouldn't support anyone doing it.

Step two: Unintentional? No. He really meant to say... he really believed that aborting every black fetus in America would reduce the crime rate.

Step three: Given one and two, did he know that what he was saying would offend people? Well, that depends on how unintelligent you would expect a former Eductation Secretary of the United States to be? Did the fact that Mr. Bennet said things like "I don't support doing it" and "it's a crazy idea" make talking about it any less offensive? Only if you are an off-the-map right winger.

So, salud, Mr. Bennett: You get to ride the top of today's Idiot Wave at Jil's Blog.