I've got your "collection of prejudices acquired by age 18" right here

I remember being told that I didn't have much "common sense" when I was younger. Now, sure, I was smart and all, but I didn't have "common sense." I didn't really understand what that meant, but I heard it plenty of times from my family, and I had no idea what an empty, damaging insult it was until I was older. Looking back, I understand my confusion about what exactly "common sense" is, because the truth is, nobody knows what the fuck it is.

"Common sense" is bullshit. Total stinking bullshit. Ask ten people to define "common sense" and they will give you ten different answers. Seriously, do it, since that's a pretty interesting way to see my point. What happens is that the group starts out giving different answers, and then maybe they start to groupthink it, and they all feel good about agreeing, because who wants to be some dumbass without the "common sense" to know what "common sense" is? It's something people proudly claim, but would never admit they lacked. It's earned a Bill-Gates-style fortune in lip service, and exists only to prop up fucking idiots who talk about it at the expense of those whom they consider lacking.

See, we've probably all heard someone described as having no "common sense." But how often is a person described as having it in spades? The "term" is nearly always pejorative. Google "he has no common sense" and you get 2,590 results, Google "he has common sense" and you get 697 results. The point of describing someone's "common sense" is to insult them, and, specifically toward men, to suggest they are pussies. See, real men have "common sense." They don't worry about books, or school, or some such shit, 'cause they are happy just to be married and work hard and drink beer and change their own oil and kill some fuckin' animal once in a while, by God. I ain't no fag, I got "common sense." Fuck that. I have no use for "common sense," I don't say it, I don't think it, and it's way too wrapped up in all the American bullshit myths about being a "man."

Now, admittedly, all that steam I blew off above is about my experience with the Southern usage as applied to me and other men who have fucking brains. Outside of the redneck's meaning, I know people also use it when they really mean "stupid," but God knows I have heard plenty of stupid people swear they had "common sense" so fuck that too. I've heard all the shit about "common sense" consisting of the things a person needs to know to live successfully, and that's the sense of the word I see in the media, on the Internet, in books, etc. Like, my dad, who really isn't a macho kind of guy, would swear he has plenty of "common sense," but he has my mom dial the goddamn phone for him. What the fuck is that? People definitely have different strengths and weaknesses, and science has been trying to measure all kinds of aptitudes for centuries, but no way can some dumbass judge what I can and can't do on the basis of "common sense." Making those judgments is nothing but a way to masturbate off some pathetically low self-esteem, and when I hear it, I know right away that somebody's trying to offload some baggage, so go blow that load somewhere else, thanks. Still, the worst thing is sticking that label on kids, because it either makes them feel stupid or like something crucial is missing. I've seen the "you're a pussy" usage of "common sense" emasculate the hell out of guys from boyhood on, but that kind of bleeds over into a whole other discussion of macho bullshit, so, maybe another time.

In fact, "common sense" isn't the only bullshit word I see and hear constantly, but that's really for another time too. I'm not talking about plain bad English, although that sucks too, and I'm not talking about "political correctness," since that's a pretty stinking bullshit word itself. What I'm talking about are words that mean absolutely nothing. Words that don't convey meaning so much as advance intention. Words that don't communicate, words that confuse. Worst of all, words that are used as an imperceptible way of separating people. And "common sense" definitely does that.

Anyway, check out the quote. He had plenty of sense, but it sure wasn't common.