The Important Difference Between Foolishness and Incompetence

Pop quiz hotshot: What’s the difference between foolishness and incompetence? 20 years in the slammer, it seems…

I came across a story today of two men trying to use stupidity as a defense for…stupidity…?

You can read the story here:
Conviction of ‘fools’ in mortgage fraud upheld

In a nutshell, two men in San Francisco were accused of mortgage fraud. For some reason they decided to represent themselves, so, of course, they got convicted.

Then, in a move that exemplifies “confidence fueled by idiocy,” they appealed the decision on the basis that, “their courtroom behavior showed they were incompetent to represent themselves.”

Yes, you read that right. They chose to defend themselves, then appealed by saying that they were too stupid to represent themselves. My goodness, the hits just keep on coming, don’t they?

I don’t think anyone would disagree that they are clearly stupid. If I’ve learned one thing from watching 87 years of Law and Order, it’s that serving as your own counsel is dumber than trying to ice skate uphill. These two did not disappoint. At one point, one of the men even told the jury, “you should enter a guilty pleas for us.” I don’t know, maybe he was brilliant – they jury did exactly what he told them to…

Were they trying to employ the “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” strategy of trying to act crazy to give them a way out in the future? Maybe, but it didn’t work for R.P. McMurphy, and it sure as heck didn’t work for them.

My favorite part is the judge’s response: “The record clearly shows that the defendants are fools, but that is not the same as being incompetent.”

Brilliant! Now, not only are they going to jail for 20 years, but they have officially been decreed “fools” by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. That will surely help them win friends and influence people in the big house…

The judges has a point there – being a fool and being incompetent are not the same thing:

Incompetence

If you have to choose between being a fool and being incompetent, incompetence is the way to go. It is easier to fix and more understandable (indeed, the two morons above may have won the appeal if they had been proven incompetence. “Victory through incompetence.” You gotta love that…)

In this case, and for the purpose of this article, incompetence is a lack of necessary knowledge and experience. Incompetence can be simply addressed:

• Learn what you need to learn
• Get help from someone who is not incompetent

Foolishness

Foolishness is what I often refer to on this site as “stupidity,” “idiocy,” or “dumbassery.” It is marked not by a lack of knowledge, but rather by the lack of judicious use of that knowledge. Simply put, foolishness is the utter lack of common sense.

Foolishness is harder to fix because it comes from an ingrained thought process (or lack thereof). Put another way: stupidity is a habit.

It may be tougher to change the habit of stupidity, but it can be done. Here are a few things a person can do to start being less of a fool:

• Pause! Before saying anything or taking any action, pause and reflect for a moment.
• Think! Take a moment to think about the big picture, as well as the consequences of your actions.
• Listen! Take the advice of those who are a lot more experienced and know a lot more than you.
• Expand! If there is one thing that fools do, it’s that they get trapped in fixed thinking. They come up with an idea they love, then, rather than questioning it or looking at alternatives, they only look for ways to reinforce their opinion. Expand your mind and consider options other than your favorite.

The Lesson

What does all this have to do with you? A lot. Understanding the difference between foolishness and incompetence may be exactly what you need to suck less and achieve more. Here’s how:

1. Pick an area of your life that you would like to improve
2. Figure out if, in this area, you are being foolish or incompetent (i.e. do you now know what you need to, or are you just not using what you do know?)
3. Be honest and answer #2 again.
4. Whichever one it is, even if it’s foolishness, start addressing it now.
5. Lather, rinse, repeat until you have achieved what you want.

Is it really that easy? Yes, I think so. I do know this: it is certainly a lot easier than looking back on your life 20 years down the road and realizing that you “plead incompetence” as an excuse…

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By Avish Parashar. As the world's only Motivational Improviser, Avish uses techniques from the world of improv comedy to engage, entertain, and educate audiences on ideas around change, creativity, and motivation. Connect with Avish on Google+

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