Saturday, October 15, 2011

The higher idiocy

I’ve often thought that there are some forms of stupidity that are available only to the very intelligent. Sometimes you read or hear a really brainy person saying something colossally dumb that wouldn’t occur to a lesser mortal. There is no word for this concept in English but possibly the Germans have a very long one.

Martin Amis – you guessed! – says in this transcript of his session at last week’s Hay Festival in Mexico: 
I always used to think that there’s only one flaw with Pride and Prejudice, and that is the absence of a 30-page sex scene between Elizabeth and Darcy.
As Bertrand Russell said, “This is one of those views which are so absolutely absurd that only very learned men could possibly adopt them.”
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5 comments:

  1. UnknownOctober 16, 2011 at 8:58 AM

    What a silly comment from Amis.

    I can think of heaps of other flaws.

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  2. AnonymousOctober 16, 2011 at 5:16 PM

    Didn't they add one in for the film?

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  3. Dave HillierOctober 17, 2011 at 9:50 PM

    Getting back to the higher idiocy of smart people saying dumb things, try this: http://oppthumb.blogspot.com/2011/10/into-their-own-hands.html

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  4. AnonymousOctober 18, 2011 at 9:26 AM

    Perhaps Martin was essaying a joke...

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  5. Stephen StratfordOctober 18, 2011 at 9:32 AM

    One would hope so, Anonymous, but if you read the whole transcript he seems to mean it.

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