[Ads-l] idiocracy

[Laurence Horn]

A drawback: the etymology isn’t clearly directly from “idiot”. “Idio-“ as in “idiopathy”, “idiolect”, “idiosyncratic”, etc. is a combining form for ‘one’s own’ or ‘individual’, and of course *is* the root of “idiot”, but not transparently so.  So my first guess for “idiocracy” is not < “idiot” but maybe rule by those wrapped up in themselves, whether out of narcissism (I know, not entirely irrelevant), autism, or some other reason.  

LH

> On Aug 31, 2020, at 8:50 AM, Amy West <medievalist at W-STS.COM> wrote:
> 
> WOTY candidate?
> 
> (because of new relevancy?)
> 
> ---Amy West
> 
> On 7/2/20 00:00, ADS-L automatic digest system wrote:
>> Date:    Wed, 1 Jul 2020 11:20:55 -0400
>> From:    Jonathan Lighter<wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
>> Subject: idiocracy
>> 
>> Mike Judge's crude but prophetic film satire appeared in 2006, but this may
>> be the first time I've seen it used as a common noun. (Surely not!):
>> 
>> 
>> https://www.yahoo.com/huffpost/max-boot-blame-coronavirus-column-103956270.html
>> 
>> 
>> " 'We are living — and now dying — in an idiocracy of our own creation,'
>> conservative columnist Max Boot concluded his latest column for The
>> Washington Post.
>> 
>> JL
> 
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