My uncle was big on talking about stupidity. He would always tell me two things: “The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits,” and “The wise understand themselves, and fools go on the reports of others.”
I cannot tell you if these old sayings were passed down by the family or if he picked them up reading. He did read a lot, and I wonder if he would have used these and a few more to describe the actions of Floyd Mayweather Jr. Now, for the record, I suspect many of us know that he is not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he can fight and has managed to amass a fortune from his skill set.
However, his decisions continue to show a person that either lacks common sense or is completely out of touch with reality as the selfish often are. Recently, the boxer was caught on film setting a $100 bill on fire, while partying with Lil Kim and Gucci Mane at the Velvet Room. I guess Mayweather has never read that it is a felony to burn money and comes with a penalty of up to six months behind bars and, ironically, a fine of $100.
Just last month, Mayweather was ordered by a federal magistrate to give sworn testimony under oath concerning a defamation suit filed against him by Philippines congressman and boxer Manny Pacquiao based on Mayweather’s defamatory statements accusing Pacquiao of taking performance-enhancing drugs.
In addition, the 33-year-old Mayweather has amassed eight misdemeanor and felony charges stemming from a Sept. 9, 2010, dispute with his former girlfriend, Josie Harris.
Mayweather burning cash is one of the dumbest things I have seen in recent days, except for possibly the scandal in Atlanta where teachers, instead of the students, were caught cheating. This is another example of how many in the limelight are not in tune with the general public which includes the more than 20 percent of black males who are not employed and millions of others who are struggling to keep a roof over their families’ heads.
If my uncle had known about William Gaddis, I think he would have agreed with him when he stated, “Stupidity is the deliberate cultivation of ignorance.” –torrance t. stephens, ph.d.
