One of my first blog posts was called The Stupid Vaccine. (It was actually my second post. Technically speaking, I can only have one “first” post) I pondered what the world might be like if stupidity were a disease that could be eradicated by vaccination. Such wishful thinking. As much as I would love to see this kind of Utopia come into existence, my fear is that we are instead heading for the future predicted (comically and yet with frightening clarity) by the movie Idiocracy. This would refer, for those that might not know, to the concept of rule by idiots. (Some might argue convincingly that we are already there).
The premise of the film is that intelligence and knowledge is slowly being bred out of the human race. Smart, well educated couples produce fewer children than poorly educated, “stupid” people, the movie suggests. Thus, from a sheer numbers perspective, it’s only a matter of time before the dummies rule the world.
The late, great George Carlin felt that most idiots fell into one (or more) of three categories. Folks are either Stupid, Full of Shit or Fucking Nuts. By George, I think he’s on to something here.
Now, I’m no towering intellectual giant and I’m not sure if I’ve ever had a truly unique thought in my life (although after so many generations of human existence, is anything unique or original anymore?) but I’d like to believe I’m smarter than the average bear.
A Mitch Hedberg comedy bit comes to mind
I certainly would like to think my death would not merit a Darwin Award.
When you gotta go, you gotta go
To date, I have never taken a selfie with a “duckface”.
Such a “foul” face
I’ve not yet been featured on People of Walmart.
Would Patrick have been worse?
I can honestly say I have never taken a paternity test on the Maury Povich show.
I’m not the mother either
I eventually abandoned my mullet.
Hey there, Joe Dirt
I research my protest signs before making them.
Gotta watch out for Asian kids. They’re tricksy
I didn’t use my face as a pin cushion.
Don’t get a magnet anywhere near this guy
I haven’t become famous on Youtube.
I have never held public office in Alaska.
If you squint, you can see Russia from my porch
So then, can I reasonably feel safe in believing that I am not one of the “afflicted” Am I smart enough to recognize if I am stupid? Are my contributions to this world more than just entertainment for the truly intelligent? If the world really is trending towards a general dumbing down, will my offspring offset the curve? Will future generations still be able to laugh at the comedy of Monty Python? So many questions dear reader. So many questions.
While there may be little to no hope that we can cure stupidity, I sincerely hope we do not carve out a world of idiots through natural selection. I suppose I should be content with a happy medium. At least the stupid people make it easy to spot them and with luck, avoid them.
In closing, I’ll leave you in the good hands of the brilliant John Cleese and let you ponder his thoughts. Happy thinking my friends.
~V
