It’s a pity to be guilty of what I condemn, but just a few weeks after criticizing the “ignorance is bliss” stance of some people, particularly politicians, I find myself having done the same thing.

Let me explain.

I refer to the admiration Herman Cain received a few weeks ago by professing his ignorance of world affairs, matters that a prospective U.S. president ought to know something about. You may recall that Cain prided himself on his dearth of knowledge on geography, politics and history. And I quoted passages from Sam Cooke’s song, “Don’t Know Much About History,” trying to make the point that to many people, lack of knowledge is admirable.

Well, ignorance is not bliss. Really. Sure, it’s true that “what you don’t know won’t hurt you,” but the ignorance/bliss saying goes beyond that. Thomas Gray, an 18th-century English poet, wrote, “Where ignorance is bliss, / ‘Tis folly to be wise.” And that’s not quite the same as saying that being in the dark makes people happy.

Alexander Pope (1688-1744) wrote something similar when he penned: “A little learning is a dangerous thing.”

So, circumlocutiously, as is usually the case in these columns, I’m trying to make a point. That point is simply that for several months, the name Kardasian has arisen. I read Argus Hamilton’s humor column in the daily press and come across that surname, sometimes including the given name Kim.

What is a Kardasian? Seriously, with the dawning of a new year, I have resolved not to try to learn anything about it/them. Late-night talk shows invoke the name Kardasian, usually as a prelude to giggles. Is he/she/it some rock star? A no-talent zillionaire like Paris Hilton? What exactly is a Kardasian? A mega-bucks athlete, an heir or heiress?

I seriously don’t know, but in swearing I don’t care to know, I’m practically inviting readers to fill in the blanks. If you see me on the street, please don’t try to enlighten me. Rather, please shake your head and say to yourself, “There goes that unenlightened man who doesn’t even know who the Kardasians are.”

Because it’s impossible to read a newspaper or watch TV without coming across the name, that tells me that he/she/it is/are famous. But how did the fame happen? So this is one case in which I’m blissfully ignorant.

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The new year will be fraught with resolutions: In my case, the wish to shed pounds, something I’ve attempted for years, with varying degrees of success. Quite to my surprise, I was one of the winners (third place) in weight-loss competition at the Abe Montoya Recreation Center. The latest overall winners are Johnny Martinez and Alex Aragon, who has won previously.

The eight-weeks competition, named after the late Mayor Tony Marquez, invites members to weigh in and have measurements taken before and after. When fitness tech Albert Tafoya informed me I had placed in my age group, I was pleased. I believe Albert said I’d lost three pounds. It’s a start.

And it’s encouraging to hear him and rec center director Loretta Martin say that “muscle is heavier than fat.” ‘Tis true, but in my case, can anyone tell the difference?

I hope the competition, sponsored by Alta Vista Regional Hospital, the City of Las Vegas and Subway, continues several times a year. There’s a camaraderie in our striving for the same goal.

But I wonder: Is total weight loss the main criterion? Isn’t it likely, for example, for a heavyweight to lose more pounds than, say, a small-boned person who’s carrying 10 extra pounds? I suggest a competition based on percentages.

• • •

Remember the hordes who camped out overnight in anticipation of the opening of Krispy Kreme Doughnut shops? Clearly all the first-to-get-served customers live in their parents’ basements. And didn’t some of these health-food stores close down?

The Krispy customers are closely related to those who last week practically created a riot, wanting to be the first to buy their new Air Jordan athletic shoes at about $180 a pair. In some locations, police needed to use pepper spray to break up the fights.

Pepper spray? Well that recalls the case of the woman who used that potent people repellent to post her place in line during a Black Friday promotion in November. Don’t these businesses know that there’s trouble brewing when they entice customers by offering certain items at a hugely discounted price and have just a few such models in stock?

My wife and I once became part of the mob, several years ago, when we bought a discounted TV and VCR at Walmart. I recall the sale began at midnight, and as we got there a few minutes later, we saw a procession of customers leaving the store after having loaded those exact same items into their carts.

People talk sneeringly about others, the supposed “privileged,” who own flat-screen TVs. But do TVs come in any other configuration? Nowadays, they’re all flat-screens.

A Christmas visit with our sons and their families made me recall the evolution of entertainment electronics in just a few short years. Remember when we’d rent movies in a bulky cassette called VHS and need to rent an even bulkier machine on which to play them?

Soon enough came DVD, and a machine that eventually became affordable. Now the rage is Blue-Ray, which delivers an amazingly sharp image on one’s flat-screen TV (is there any other configuration?). It would be nice is the creators of this high-tech stuff would allow us to enjoy their products for a year or so, before all the electronics become obsolete or “so yesterday.”

• • •

Happy new year. See you in a sennight.