Comments on: Idiot vs. Moron: What’s the Difference?

By: James

James — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 15:28:00 +0000

I feel sorry for people whose IQ is 25 – they fall in the nomans land between idiot and imbecile – and thats no place to be !

By: Nella

Nella — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 17:07:37 +0000

I’m not so sure about the completely objective character of those terms. I’m too lazy to wiki up any figures for proof but I remember to have read the term “Idiot” in classic literature – in the condescending way we are using it today. Admittedly in German.

Oh – just remembered “The Idiot” by Dostojewskij, too, written in the 19th century, alluding both to a “medical term” (epilepsy, actually), but also on the protagonist’s naive character causing social inhibitions – he’s perceived as being stupid by society.

You English native speakers do some research on the history of the terms “moron” and “imbecile” – I’m going to have a bank holiday now! ;o)

By: Bush is Profoundly Retarded

Bush is Profoundly Retarded — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 23:15:23 +0000

I use the term “profoundly retarded” to insult people all the time.

By: Steven

Steven — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 16:19:50 +0000

I am passing through because I want to identify my own mental capacity, I am not, and believe I cannot attempt to identify someone else’s problem if I cannot assess my own. And there is more than one sense to a common word’s definition, so before we commonly talk and let lose our regurgitated opinions let’s work and find answers. Also, that seems very strong minded of me, which in one sense is the opposite of feeble- minded or moronic.

By: Bill

Bill — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 17:33:17 +0000

Neem, I guess you should tell the “National Down Syndrome Society” that they made a typo on their website/letterhead/etc.

By: Neem

Neem — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 09:00:14 +0000

By the by, it’s Down’s Syndrome, not Down Syndrome

By: Brad Greenwood

Brad Greenwood — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 05:21:54 +0000

Thanks! Now I have “Mongoloid” by Devo stuck in my head. Oh-oh… now it’s “you eeediot” from Ren and Stimpy.

By: Alexz

Alexz — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 03:49:31 +0000

My question is, usuing the above heirarchy, where does “dumbass” fall?

By: Chris

Chris — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 13:00:27 +0000

I can’t agree more than with what Jim wrote here.

It would appear that the mental floss author would indeed need a mental flossing for drawing foregone conclusions.

Frankly, this modern political correctness is an abomination. If someone is a Moron, Idiot or Imbecile in the clinical sense of the word, why not call ‘m that?

Let’s also continue calling waiters waiters and cleaning ladies cleaning ladies. Besides, I have a vague feeling an “Interior Hygiene Specialist” would cost me three times more than a cleaning lady.

By: Miss Cellania

Miss Cellania — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 21:23:10 +0000

I always took George Carlin’s word for it: Everyone who drives faster than you do is a maniac, and everyone who drives slower than you do is an idiot.