“Don't know much about history.
“Don't know much biology.
“Don't know much about a science book.
“Don't know much about the French I took.”
Okay, I get this litany of how ignorant the singer is contrasts with the fact that s/he “loves you,” and how reciprocation of such would engender a wonderful world. But singable though it is, the conceit behind it has always annoyed me. What we don't know is perfectly acceptable as long as we have a warm, fuzzy emotion to go along with that lack of knowledge.
I'm not really sure where or when the inherent anti-intellectualism in our society originated (sure, I could google it, but if you know, post a comment). I nearly entitled this post, “Ignorance is piss.” Why is ignorance a positive trait?
In this age of instant access (which I alluded to in the previous sentence, in fact), ignorance is inexcusable. Writers in particular need to combat ignorance. It's what we do, right? Create knowledge and/or information where none existed before? Knit up diverse strands of data into a coherent whole? (Hello? Is this thing on?)
(I feel quite curmudgeonly as I type this. I must've pushed one of my own buttons.) I'm frequently annoyed by writers who protest, “Oh, I just don't know how to use Twitter.” Why not? Find out! I can think of at least three e-books off the top of my head that explain in detail what Twitter is and how an author can use it in marketing her books. Can't afford the e-books? Ask! Independent author sites abound, with lots of free help available. Saying “I don't know” without proceeding to remedy the situation is just plain lazy.
The world is such an amazing place, full of intriguing and insane and annoying and wretched and intense and blissful and spiritual and stupid people. To my mind, writers fight ignorance with every paragraph, every sentence, every word, filling in the vast emptiness of ignorance with glittering webs of information, with new discoveries, with new ways of looking at existence. The creative writer enlivens dry facts, giving birth to brand new life. One of my greatest joys in reading is not necessarily the words on the page or the pixels on the Kindle, but the ideas for my own writing that spin off in little creative whorls. Usually these ideas have nothing to do with the words on the page. Something just clicks. Because the writer took the time to write.
Writers, don't be lazy. Before you type the words “I don't know” on Facebook or complain to someone about your ignorance, stop. Remedy that lack, fill in that lacuna, google it, and instead, share the knowledge with the rest of us.
You're lifting up the entire human race when you do.
Drop a comment below and let me know what you think of the subject.