I'm not sure being ignorant of your own ignorance is enough to promote yourself out of 'idiot' status.
I don't think these people are dumb, just frustrated. But your phrasing was curious to me.
Re:“Subject: Urgent Warning”
by disillusioned on Tuesday January 19, 2016 @12:05PM
(#10932026)
A mark of intelligence is the ability to be objective about what you do and don't know. If I don't understand something, I don't jump down someone's throat based on the limited information I have and try to extrapolate from there. I try to learn more about the issue, listen to experts, evaluate the merits of their argument to the best of my ability, and form an opinion.
Re:“Subject: Urgent Warning”
by brenschluss on Tuesday January 19, 2016 @01:08PM
(#10932539)
I agree. But I'd also say that it requires a bit of domain knowledge to know what you don't know.
That is to say: I know what I don't know in the fields that I study/practice in. I don't know what I don't know about the fields I don't.
"But the thing is, does the bellower know they don't understand something?"
No, they don't, that's what makes them an idiot.
A non-idiot doesn't have to know everything, but they do need to be aware of what they don't know.
But the thing is, does the bellower know they don't understand something? Few people are mature enough (especially when angry) to admit they really don't understand something (and this is probably prevalent in software development circles / communities, too)