Justifying the Ditz Character

I was just wondering, since this is my favorite character type and I may possibly use it in the future, but how the heck do you justify the ditz being so dumb?

I know they're suppossed to be stupid all around, and it makes sense if a 5 year old says something, because they don't have much experience with things, but what about the teenage ditzes on TV?

How can a character who has grown up in a reasonably normal household, with a normal education, with all sorts of influences from TV and books grow up to be so clueless?

I'm not complaining, I just really want to know how its possible.

You've clearly never been to highschool. I am currently tutoring a male who didn't know what the revo war was, could not locate hawaii on a map, and said "The world is flat! I mean, I know it's round, but it's like...flat"

He's 15.

edited 30th Jan '11 12:37:03 PM by MrAHR

So, is it just people doing and saying things before actually thinking about it?

You need to shut up, and start stalking people in a highschool. Sorry, that's really the only way you're going to understand this. People are unbelievably ditzy sometimes, no justification.

edited 30th Jan '11 1:04:59 PM by MrAHR

You could just have the character lack street smarts.

Or a little absent-minded, or clumsy.

Dude, the whole point of a Ditz is that they're not justified. If they were justified, they wouldn't be a Ditz.

edited 30th Jan '11 2:53:35 PM by MoeDantes

Well if you want to justify it I suppose you could have them lead a very sheltered life that doesn't really require them to learn anything most of the time.

Or if you want to deconstruct the ditz, show that their ditziness is caused by memory problems. They might know something and be unable to remember it, or they might never have been able to commit it to memory in the first place.

Or perhaps they have a chemical imbalanced, or a damaged section of their brain...

...Or, as the OP suggested, that all their learning comes from "books and TV," which will make someone a ditz (for extra fun, make them a Wikipedia addict too!)

Oh god no. Then it would just be a chance to yammer on about stuff you find cool regardless of if it does anything to further the story.

I think it is best left unjustified. If the person was mentally handicapped, on drugs, or incredibly sheltered they could come off as pitiful instead of funny. If there just absentminded, impulsive, and none too observant for no good reason it’s funnier.

Or you can leave it ambiguous as to why such a person is ditzy. Play it for laugh half the time and for drama the other, is what I am trying to say here.

That might just end up looking hypocritical though.