The word "fool" holds so much weight, and yet we can't quite agree on its meaning. In the Shakespearean sense, the Fool is a commoner who uses their wit to outsmart and get the better of those with a higher social standing. And thus we get the brilliantly enigmatic Isaac Asimov quote, "That, of course, is the great secret of the successful fool – that he is no fool at all." The good fool willingly dons the mask of ignorance to hide their high-level wheelings and dealings.
But the way we use "fool" today is purely pejorative. We call something doomed from the start a "fool's errand." We call thoughtless choices "foolish." We use the phrase "don't suffer fools" to praise someone who doesn't put up with dimwits. Where did the love of the fool go? I propose we embrace foolishness. And we can start doing that in the only way we here at Memebase know how, through memes.
But the way we use "fool" today is purely pejorative. We call something doomed from the start a "fool's errand." We call thoughtless choices "foolish." We use the phrase "don't suffer fools" to praise someone who doesn't put up with dimwits. Where did the love of the fool go? I propose we embrace foolishness. And we can start doing that in the only way we here at Memebase know how, through memes.
![[DK]](/data/avatars/s/57/57999.jpg?1720990206){kind=avatar}
