Ace of Spades HQ

September 21, 2013

A Philsophical Inquiry Into the Nature of Stupidity
— Ace

Note: See Andy's College Football thread below for college football and hot cheerleaders.

Niedermeyer's Dead Horse sends this. This is actually by some kind of economist. The piece itself is humorous in nature, and ornamented with quasi-economic language for comedic effect, but it's a matter of Kidding on the Square -- he's being funny, but he means it. Or at least the basics of it.

Worth a read, I think, if you like this sort of mock-academic humor.

First, he looks into s, the fraction of a population which is Stupid. After first noting that the only rule of s will always be larger than your estimates of s (in other words, no matter how Stupid you think people are, you're wrong, they're more stupid than you think), he notes that this fraction s is independent of other factors (such as education, income, race, and so forth) and Stupid is maddeningly consistent among all sub-populations.

Whenever I analyzed the blue-collar workers I found that the fraction s of them were stupid. As s's value was higher that I expected (First Law), paying my tribute to fashion I thought at first that segregation, poverty, lack of education were to be blamed. But moving up the social ladder I found that the same ratio was prevalent among the white collar employees and among the students. More impressive still were the results among the professors. Whether I considered a large university or a small college, a famous institution or an obscure one, I found that the same fraction s of the professors are stupid. So bewildered was I by the results, that I made a special point to extend my research to a specially selected group, to a real elite, the Nobel laureates. The result confirmed Nature's supreme powers: s fraction of the Nobel Laureates are stupid.

Being an economist, he graphs the human population according to their propensity to fall into one of four categories: The Helpless, who will give you a benefit while experiencing a loss themselves. The Intelligent, who will bargain a benefit for themselves while also delivering a benefit to you. And the Bandit, one who benefits himself while simply stealing from you.

The fourth category are the Stupid, who cause a loss for you while deriving no benefit from it themselves:

A stupid person is a person who caused losses to another person or to a group of persons while himself deriving no gain and even possibly incurring losses.
When confronted for the first time with the Third Basic Law, rational people instinctively react with feelings of skepticism and incredulity. The fact is that reasonable people have difficulty in conceiving and understanding unreasonable behavior. But let us abandon the lofty plane of theory and let us look pragmatically at our daily life. We all recollect occasions in which a fellow took an action which resulted in his gain and our loss: we had to deal with a helpless person. We can recollect cases in which a fellow took an action by which both parties gained: he was intelligent. Such cases do indeed occur. But upon thoughtful reflection you must admit that these are not the events which punctuate most frequently our daily life. Our daily life is mostly made of cases in which we lose money and/or time and/or energy and/or appetite, cheerfulness and good health because of the improbable action of some preposterous creature who has nothing to gain and indeed gains nothing from causing us embarrassment, difficulties or harm. Nobody knows, understands or can possibly explain why that preposterous creature does what he does what he does. In fact there is no explanation- or better, there is only one explanation: the person in question is stupid.

After discussing the "super-Stupid," he turns to the role of the Stupid in society.

THE POWER OF STUPIDITY
It is not difficult to understand how social, political and institutional power enhances the damaging potential of a stupid person. But one still has to explain and understand what essentially it is that makes a stupid person dangerous to other people-in other words what constitutes the power of stupidity.
Essentially stupid people are dangerous and damaging because reasonable people find it difficult to imagine and understand unreasonable behavior. An intelligent person may understand the logic of a bandit. The bandit's actions follow a pattern of rationality:nasty rationality, if you like, but still rationality. The bandit wants a plus on his account. Since he is not intelligent enough to devise ways of obtaining the plus as well as providing you with a plus, he will produce his plus by causing a minus to appear on your account. All this is bad, but it is rational and if you are rational you can predict it. You can foresee a bandit's actions, his nasty maneuvers and ugly aspirations and often can build up your defenses.
With a stupid person all this is absolutely impossible as explained by the Third Basic Law. A stupid creature will harass you for no reason, for no advantage, without any plan or scheme and at the most improbable times and places. You have no rational way of telling if and when and how and why the stupid creature attacks. When confronted with a stupid individual you are completely at his mercy.
Because the stupid person's actions do not conform to the rules of rationality, it follows that:
1) one is generally caught by surprise by the attack;
2) even when one becomes aware of the attack, one cannot organize a rational defense, because the attack itself lacks any rational structure.
The fact that the activity and movements of a stupid creature are absolutely erratic and irrational not only makes defense problematic but it also makes any counter-attack extremely difficult-like trying to shoot at an object which is capable of the most improbable unimaginable movements. This is what both Dickens and Schiller had in mind when the former stated that "with stupidity and sound digestion man may front much" and the latter wrote that "against stupidity the very Gods fight in vain."

Now he discusses the political/economic implications of Stupid, and how the fraction of Stupid s determines a nation's fate.

THE FIFTH BASIC LAW
Instead of considering the welfare of the individual let us consider the welfare of the society, regarded in this context as the algebraic sum of the individual conditions. A full understanding of the Fifth Basic Law is essential to the analysis. It may be parenthetically added here that of the Five Basic Laws, the Fifth is certainly the best known and its corollary is quoted very frequently. The Fifth Basic Law states that
A stupid person is the most dangerous type of person.
The corollary of the Law is that
A stupid person is more dangerous than a bandit.
The result of the action of a perfect bandit (the person who falls on line OM of figure2) is purely and simply a transfer of wealth and/or welfare. After the action of a perfect bandit, the bandit has a plus on his account which plus is exactly equivalent to the minus he has caused to another person. The society as a whole is neither better nor worse off. If all members of a society were perfect bandits the society would remain stagnant but there would be no major disaster. The whole business would amount to massive transfers of wealth and welfare in favor of those who would take action. If all members of the society would take action in regular turns, not only the society as a whole but also individuals would find themselves in a perfectly steady state of no change.
When stupid people are at work, the story is totally different. Stupid people cause losses to other people with no counterpart of gains on their own account. Thus the society as a whole is impoverished.
...
All this suggests some reflection on the performance of societies. According to the Second Basic Law, the fraction of stupid people is a constant s which is not affected by time, space, race, class or any other socio-cultural or historical variable. It would be a profound mistake to believe the number of stupid people in a declining society is greater than in a developing society. Both such societies are plagued by the same percentage of stupid people. The difference between the two societies is that in the society which performs poorly:
a) the stupid members of the society are allowed by the other members to become more active and take more actions;
b) there is a change in the composition of the non-stupid section with a relative decline of populations of areas I, H1 and B1 and a proportionate increase of populations H2 and B2.
[Note: He has previously suggested that among the Helpless and the Bandit class, there are more intelligent subdivisions [H1 and B1] which do less harm and even may do some good, but also less intelligent subdivisions [H2 and B2] who tend towards Stupidity and thus subtract from societal wealth.]
This theoretical presumption is abundantly confirmed by an exhaustive analysis of historical cases. In fact the historical analysis allows us to reformulate the theoretical conclusions in a more factual way and with more realistic detail.
Whether one considers classical, or medieval, or modern or contemporary times one is impressed by the fact that any country moving uphill has its unavoidable s fraction of stupid people who manage to keep the s fraction at bay and at the same time produce enough gains for themselves and the other members of the community to make progress a certainty.
In a country which is moving downhill, the fraction of stupid people is still equal to s; however in the remaining population one notices among those in power an alarming proliferation of the bandits with overtones of stupidity (sub-area B2 of quadrant B in figure 3) and among those not in power an equally alarming growth in the number of helpless individuals (are H in basic graph, fig. 1). Such change in the composition of the non-stupid population inevitably strengthens the destructive power of the s fraction and makes decline a certainty. And the country goes to Hell.

So there you go.

You can follow NDH on twitter as @mflynny

Posted by: Ace at 08:57 AM | Comments (214)
Post contains 1703 words, total size 11 kb.

1 I thought 52 percent was stupid.

Posted by: Big Ben at September 21, 2013 09:01 AM (I5Htn)

2 Stupid is as stupid does.

Posted by: EC at September 21, 2013 09:02 AM (doBIb)

3 See: the election and reelection of Obama, Obama.

Posted by: Lauren at September 21, 2013 09:03 AM (ELdpj)

4 Seriously, I think stupid people are the ones who refuse to adjust their beliefs when confronted by evidence to the contrary. I think that speaks for a lot of libtards out there. USC students especially, but not their cheerleaders of course.

Posted by: EC at September 21, 2013 09:04 AM (doBIb)

5 Maybe?

Posted by: EC at September 21, 2013 09:04 AM (doBIb)

"With a stupid person all this is absolutely impossible as explained by the Third Basic Law. A stupid creature will harass you for no reason, for no advantage, without any plan or scheme and at the most improbable times and places. You have no rational way of telling if and when and how and why the stupid creature attacks. When confronted with a stupid individual you are completely at his mercy.

Because the stupid person's actions do not conform to the rules of rationality, it follows that:

1) one is generally caught by surprise by the attack;

2) even when one becomes aware of the attack, one cannot organize a rational defense, because the attack itself lacks any rational structure."

I wish my parents taught me THIS ^^^^^

Posted by: Michael McDonald at September 21, 2013 09:07 AM (pfVS8)

7 A stupid person is a person who caused losses to another person or to a group of persons while himself deriving no gain and even possibly incurring losses.

Looks interesting, but I don't think this is a sufficient definition of "stupid." Intelligence is not the only factor that comes into play there. What causes a person to do that are also basic aspects of his character.

Posted by: AD at September 21, 2013 09:07 AM (NmpZu)

8 Tosses sock on the pile...

Posted by: Oschisms at September 21, 2013 09:07 AM (pfVS8)

9 Saturday morning Ace?

Posted by: garrett at September 21, 2013 09:08 AM (rj18Q)

10 In all seriousness, I think if you walk around assuming everyone around you is stupid, you're either a high school student or someone with a personality disorder.

Posted by: BurtTC at September 21, 2013 09:09 AM (BeSEI)

11 So if I think that everybody but me is stupid, then according to Law 1, I would be stupid too, since I have underestimated the amount of Stupid People in circulation. Since Obama thinks everybody is stupid, except for him, this would be proof positive that Obama is stupid.

Posted by: Harry at September 21, 2013 09:10 AM (ib4tw)

12 unfortunately the S within academia, have engendered an entire generation with ingrained stupidity which those with a predilection towards normal thought are now stupid in their base assumptions. Additionally, the s students are now encouraged to pursue academia, which has ensure the level of stupidity in academia now >> s

Posted by: phreshone at September 21, 2013 09:10 AM (Pr6hk)

13 It would be interesting to determine the economic impact of stupid people. On the one hand they contribute very little in the way of productive output. On the other hand they are needy and consume more than they produce. So they represent some sort of market, albeit a difficult one to focus on. But OFA seems to have figured it out cause they offered free phones and contraceptives to them for just about nothing. I rest easy knowing that when the zombies arrive, the stupids are the first to go.

Posted by: Foghorn Leghorn at September 21, 2013 09:11 AM (mXHwt)

14 11 In all seriousness, I think if you walk around assuming everyone around you is stupid, you're either a high school student or someone with a personality disorder. Posted by: BurtTC at September 21, 2013 01:09 PM (BeSEI) Or you live in a blue state.

Posted by: Weirddave at September 21, 2013 09:12 AM (jt8G9)

15 Yeah, he's onto something but this definition of stupid isn't going to replace the standard one of unintelligence. There are good-hearted dumb people out there, and they do a lot less damage than the smart malicious ones.

Posted by: JPS at September 21, 2013 09:13 AM (9ziuC)

16 16 -

Exactly. The reason our society, and many societies before us have tended to collapse is not because of stupid people. It's because of brilliant, evil people.

Posted by: BurtTC at September 21, 2013 09:14 AM (BeSEI)

17 Just to elaborate, a person can be dumb as a stump, but if he's honest, well-meaning, and cares about the people around him, he's going to be far less likely to do to cause you problems (while hurting himself) than someone who actually is intelligent, but is arrogant and petty. That's where I think this guy is missing the mark.

Posted by: AD at September 21, 2013 09:15 AM (NmpZu)

18 In all seriousness, I think if you walk around assuming everyone around you is stupid, you're either a high school student or someone with a personality disorder. *** Not everyone, but a defined set of criteria determine one to be stupid.

Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at September 21, 2013 09:15 AM (DmNpO)

19 Speaking of stupid. As in stupid writing to get a 'ha ha' in a tense and dangerous situation. Commercial for the TV series Sleepy Hollow the modern era female lead asks Ichabod why did he drop his pistol. He talks about having only one shot. And her reaction means she gave him a modern automatic. Which begs the question did she give him a weapon without proper training.

Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at September 21, 2013 09:15 AM (pDfBu)

Individuals are brilliant.

People are stupid.

And stupid people en mass? Watch out.

Posted by: CAC at September 21, 2013 09:15 AM (wQYe2)

21 And, I probably shouldn't make typos when discussing stupidity...

Posted by: AD at September 21, 2013 09:15 AM (NmpZu)

22 I stumbled on the article, yesterday, and was laughing my ass off at the premise. Then I read the entire paper and was surprised at how much sense it made, even though it might have been a bit tongue-in-cheek. The professor was renowned for his study of stupid people.

Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at September 21, 2013 09:16 AM (DmNpO)

23 then you get into the entire political spectrum with that special subset of stupid, the evil stupid such as San Fran Nan, Bwarney Fwank and Harry Reid. Now stupidity is encoded into law, accelerating the stupidity of the society...

The Vietnam War and the protestors influence on academic and political (media included here) institutions is the inflection point of the stupidity ratio and modern democrat party has us at the tipping point where we may not be able to recover from the stupidity. (see election results of 2012 as empirical evidence of the inability to reverse teh stupid)

Posted by: phreshone at September 21, 2013 09:17 AM (Pr6hk)

24 A German army officer once noted that all officers were either smart or stupid, and that all officers were either hard-working or lazy. Smart, hard-working officers make great staff officers - they will be happy working out exactly how many gallons of gasoline you will need to move a battalion from point A to point B, and you need good people to do the detail work. Smart, lazy officers make great commanding officers - you need commanders who (generally) make good decisions, and are willing to be decisive. Overthinking things is a liability in a commanding officer. Stupid, lazy officers don't do much damage - you can have them inspect the mess hall and stuff like that - they aren't motivated to do anything more. It's stupid, hard-working officers who can do real damage to a military unit - you really need to watch out for them. Guess who staffs the Obama Administration?

Posted by: Insanity at September 21, 2013 09:18 AM (Hu/Da)

25 I see enormous potential to waste the rest of the day contemplating this person's brilliant hypothesis.

Posted by: Harry at September 21, 2013 09:18 AM (ib4tw)

26 It would be interesting to determine the economic impact of stupid people. On the one hand they contribute very little in the way of productive output. On the other hand they are needy and consume more than they produce. So they represent some sort of market, albeit a difficult one to focus on. **** Those people are 'Bandits', not 'Stupid'. They take from others.

Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at September 21, 2013 09:19 AM (DmNpO)

27 This explains a lot.

Posted by: Mindy at September 21, 2013 09:19 AM (rwVu+)

28 Yes, but does it have electrolytes? Electrolytes are what plants crave.

Posted by: Diogenes'Lamp at September 21, 2013 09:20 AM (bb5+k)

29 A stupid person is a person who caused losses to another person or to a group of persons while himself deriving no gain and even possibly incurring losses.

Barack Obama: I will raise the capital gains tax, even if the revenue from it goes down, for purposes of fairness.

Posted by: Splunge at September 21, 2013 09:21 AM (bKA83)

30 "You have no rational way of telling if and when and how and why the stupid creature attacks. When confronted with a stupid individual you are completely at his mercy."

^^^THIS, a thousand times over. They're a force of nature, like a tornado, hurricane, or earth quake.

Posted by: Purp PhD/MD/Esq/Nobel Laureate[/i][/b][/u][/s] at September 21, 2013 09:21 AM (9MLX+)

31 Just to elaborate, a person can be dumb as a stump, but if he's honest, well-meaning, and cares about the people around him, he's going to be far less likely to do to cause you problems (while hurting himself) than someone who actually is intelligent, but is arrogant and petty. That's where I think this guy is missing the mark.

Posted by: AD at September 21, 2013 01:15 PM (NmpZu)

That person would fall into the "naive" category of the original author. You do realize that the original article is satire, although there is a lot of truth in it?

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at September 21, 2013 09:21 AM (8Fl6F)

32 >>>Just to elaborate, a person can be dumb as a stump, but if he's honest, well-meaning, and cares about the people around him, he's going to be far less likely to do to cause you problems (while hurting himself) than someone who actually is intelligent, but is arrogant and petty. That's where I think this guy is missing the mark.

i think you're missing the point. He says S is consistent among both less conventionally "intelligent" populations and Nobel Prize Laureates.

He's not talking about what you'd call natural conventional IQ. He's talking about a predisposition to do stupid things.

he's talking, I think, about statists and socialists, by saying they do more harm than Bandits.

Posted by: ace at September 21, 2013 09:23 AM (/IWYB)

33 Cippola's studies into stupidity weren't really satire. Along with economics, it was his focus. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlo_Cipolla

Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at September 21, 2013 09:24 AM (DmNpO)

34 >>>That person would fall into the "naive" category of the original author. You do realize that the original article is satire, although there is a lot of truth in it?

i don't even think he'd call that person naive unless that person did a lot of transactions where he was on the wrong end of it.

He'd call anyone who strikes a bargain that benefits both parties roughly equally "intelligent."

Stupidity is what he is calling the destructive, psychologically-based impulse to just do stupid shit like pass ObamaCare.

Posted by: ace at September 21, 2013 09:24 AM (/IWYB)

35 Then there is Cynthia McKinney grade stupid. Now I am all for bombing Damascus....
http://tinyurl.com/pj9qcuv

Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at September 21, 2013 09:25 AM (pDfBu)

36 A stupid person is a person who caused losses to another person or to a group of persons while himself deriving no gain and even possibly incurring losses. Doesn't this describe the LIVs of 2008 and 2012?

Posted by: Blacque Jacques Shellacque at September 21, 2013 09:25 AM (ItfcE)

37 I am a moron, so obviously I am smarter than the average bear. I have done stupid things though.

Posted by: Nanny Hag at September 21, 2013 09:27 AM (39IHH)

38 "hat person would fall into the "naive" category of the original author. You do realize that the original article is satire, although there is a lot of truth in it?" Of course, but that's the Jon Stewart defense. I get the point based on his definition of "stupid," but that is changing "stupid" a bit from the usual definition and, if you are trying to make a legitimate point, which he is, you don't get to use the defense that it's just satire.

Posted by: AD at September 21, 2013 09:27 AM (y3j/6)

39 Doesn't this describe the LIVs of 2008 and 2012?

Posted by: Blacque Jacques Shellacque at September 21, 2013 01:25 PM (ItfcE)

They got their 'bamaphones. And they were already on welfare, or unionized government teat-sucking jobs. So doesn't that count as a gain for them?

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at September 21, 2013 09:28 AM (8Fl6F)

40 18 but if he's honest, well-meaning, and cares about the people around him, he's going to be far less likely to do to cause you problems (while hurting himself) Posted by: AD at September 21, 2013 01:15 PM (NmpZu) You just described the people responsible for tripling my health insurance premiums while reducing my earning potential by 20%. And they truly believe the "affordable" health care act will benefit people like me.

Posted by: Mindy at September 21, 2013 09:28 AM (rwVu+)

41 This melds perfectly with item on the ONT in which California college students discuss Obama's Nobel Peace Prize.

Posted by: WalrusRex at September 21, 2013 09:28 AM (PjgvN)

42 Obama is stupid, Bill Clinton was a bandit.

Posted by: Lauren at September 21, 2013 09:28 AM (ELdpj)

43 The Vietnam War and the protestors influence on academic and political (media included here) institutions is the inflection point of the stupidity ratio and modern democrat party has us at the tipping point where we may not be able to recover from the stupidity. (see election results of 2012 as empirical evidence of the inability to reverse teh stupid) Posted by: phreshone at September 21, 2013 01:17 PM (Pr6hk) It was the point of no return, but the groundwork was laid decades before and the tipping point was inevitable.

Posted by: The Political Hat at September 21, 2013 09:28 AM (Vk2pI)

44 Haven't you read my book, "I'm OK, You're All Fucking Idiots"?

Posted by: Paul Krugman, Super Genius at September 21, 2013 09:28 AM (/9IC1)

45 37 A stupid person is a person who caused losses to another person or to a group of persons while himself deriving no gain and even possibly incurring losses. Doesn't this describe the LIVs of 2008 and 2012? Posted by: Blacque Jacques Shellacque at September 21, 2013 01:25 PM (ItfcE) They receive a short term gain (Obamaphones for example) at the loss of a long term benefit. (Stable economic system.) I would suggest the operative theory would have to set some time limit constraints. A Bankrobber who latter gets caught may have possessed for a time a short term benefit. (The money, while he had it.)

Posted by: Diogenes'Lamp at September 21, 2013 09:29 AM (bb5+k)

46 35 -

Using Obamacare as an example, it wasn't stupid people who made that happen. It was very very smart people, who know how to take advantage of stupid people.

They made a calculated decision that this would benefit them. Most people objected to that decision, but the further this goes the more you have people willing to get on board.

Why?

Because they see how it will benefit THEM. That's not stupidity. At worst it's inertia, as some people give up to the inevitable consequences.

Socialism isn't caused by stupidity. It preys on it.

Posted by: BurtTC at September 21, 2013 09:30 AM (BeSEI)

"A stupid person is a person who caused losses to another person or to a group of persons while himself deriving no gain and even possibly incurring losses."

See "GOP Senate Candidate Bombs 2010 and 2012"

Posted by: CAC at September 21, 2013 09:30 AM (wQYe2)

48 Obama is stupid, Bill Clinton was a bandit.

Which is why Obama has done so much more damage than the Clintons have done.

Posted by: boulder toilet hobo at September 21, 2013 09:30 AM (d7tB2)

49 It'a starting to make sense why they call us the Stupid Party.

Posted by: GOP at September 21, 2013 09:30 AM (ELdpj)

50 They got their 'bamaphones. And they were already on welfare, or unionized government teat-sucking jobs. So doesn't that count as a gain for them? Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at September 21, 2013 01:28 PM (8Fl6F) Temporary one. Long term stupid.

Posted by: Diogenes'Lamp at September 21, 2013 09:31 AM (bb5+k)

51 40 Most of those who voted for the big O didn't get Obamaphones or welfare. But, those who didn't benefit materially did get compensated with the ultimate liberal currency, Smug Compassion Bucks.

Posted by: Jenny Hates Her Phone at September 21, 2013 09:31 AM (GmTxn)

52 'mePhone'

Posted by: Peggy Noonan at September 21, 2013 09:32 AM (rj18Q)

53 "You just described the people responsible for tripling my health insurance premiums while reducing my earning potential by 20%. And they truly believe the "affordable" health care act will benefit people like me. Posted by: Mindy at September 21, 2013 01:28 PM (rwVu+)" Yep, but I think the "arrogant" and "petty" bit also applies to them.

Posted by: AD at September 21, 2013 09:32 AM (y3j/6)

54 I'm Blubber, You're Glue

All the Stupid in the world bounces off me

Then I have a snack

Posted by: Oliver Willis, Like Snacks to Stupid at September 21, 2013 09:32 AM (/9IC1)

55 I think it was a mistake to describe it as satire. More like it's a serious exposition, but written in a tongue-in-cheek style to make it more palatable to those who might take offense.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at September 21, 2013 09:32 AM (8Fl6F)

56 5 Seriously, I think stupid people are the ones who refuse to adjust their beliefs when confronted by evidence to the contrary. I think that speaks for a lot of libtards out there. USC students especially, but not their cheerleaders of course.

I concur.

Posted by: DeFacto at September 21, 2013 09:33 AM (Q1+WW)

57 50 -

Further, calling those people who chose NOT to vote for the Stupid Party stupid, is in fact, stupid.

Posted by: BurtTC at September 21, 2013 09:33 AM (BeSEI)

58 Well, there you have it. It reads like The Onion Lite.

Posted by: artisanal 'ette at September 21, 2013 09:34 AM (IXrOn)

59 I don't know if Teresa is stupid, but she's drunk a lot

And that benefits me greatly

Posted by: John Kerry at September 21, 2013 09:34 AM (/9IC1)

60 I think it was a mistake to describe it as satire. More like it's a serious exposition, but written in a tongue-in-cheek style to make it more palatable to those who might take offense. *** yes

Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at September 21, 2013 09:34 AM (DmNpO)

61 1787: "Suppose a nation, rich and poor, high and low, ten millions in number, all assembled together; not more than one or two millions will have lands, houses, or any personal property; if we take into the account the women and children, or even if we leave them out of the question, a great majority of every nation is wholly destitute of property, except a small quantity of clothes, and a few trifles of other movables. "

Posted by: Diogenes'Lamp at September 21, 2013 09:35 AM (bb5+k)

62 Would Mr. Nedham be responsible that, if all were to be decided by a vote of the majority, the eight or nine millions who have no property, would not think of usurping over the rights of the one or two millions who have?

Posted by: Diogenes'Lamp at September 21, 2013 09:35 AM (bb5+k)

63 "Property is surely a right of mankind as really as liberty. Perhaps, at first, prejudice, habit, shame or fear, principle or religion, would restrain the poor from attacking the rich, and the idle from usurping on the industrious; but the time would not be long before courage and enterprise would come, and pretexts be invented by degrees, to countenance the majority in dividing all the property among them, or at least, in sharing it equally with its present possessors. "

Posted by: Diogenes'Lamp at September 21, 2013 09:35 AM (bb5+k)

64 "S" is for Stupid.

Posted by: Big Bird Brother at September 21, 2013 09:36 AM (MhA4j)

65 "Debts would be abolished first; taxes laid heavy on the rich, and not at all on the others; and at last a downright equal division of every thing be demanded, and voted. What would be the consequence of this? The idle, the vicious, the intemperate, would rush into the utmost extravagance of debauchery, sell and spend all their share, and then demand a new division of those who purchased from them. The moment the idea is admitted into society, that property is not as sacred as the laws of God, and that there is not a force of law and public justice to protect it, anarchy and tyranny commence. If "Thou shalt not covet," and "Thou shalt not steal," were not commandments of Heaven, they must be made inviolable precepts in every society, before it can be civilized or made free. " - - On Property: John Adams, Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States

Posted by: Diogenes'Lamp at September 21, 2013 09:36 AM (bb5+k)

66 It's because of brilliant, evil people.

Posted by: BurtTC at September 21, 2013 01:14 PM (BeSEI)

I disagree.

There are very few brilliant, evil people on earth. The vast majority of damage done is by those who are so confident of their knowledge that they do not observe the results of their actions; confident that whatever unexpected results occur are caused by others.

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at September 21, 2013 09:36 AM (gqgiP)

67 37 A stupid person is a person who caused losses to another person or to a group of persons while himself deriving no gain and even possibly incurring losses. Doesn't this describe the LIVs of 2008 and 2012? Posted by: Blacque Jacques Shellacque at September 21, 2013 01:25 PM (ItfcE) I don't think most LIVs know this (hence the name). They think they are winning.

Posted by: baldilocks at September 21, 2013 09:36 AM (Tnlh/)

68 True story. I had a liberal acquaintance named Stuart. Stu for short. We called him Mister Pid.

Posted by: Nanny Hag at September 21, 2013 09:36 AM (39IHH)

69 A very amusing read. Regarding the Fifth Law, as we all know, we are in a state where the stupid exercise disproportionate control, and are thus doomed, unless we can alter that circumstance.

Posted by: Mike Hammer at September 21, 2013 09:37 AM (aDwsi)

70 Seemed appropriate to the discussion. Stupidity has long afflicted those who would "Share the Wealth."

Posted by: Diogenes'Lamp at September 21, 2013 09:37 AM (bb5+k)

71 "S" is for Stupid. *** HA! When I saw that I immediately wanted to make a Sesame Street joke, then I saw your handle.

Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at September 21, 2013 09:38 AM (DmNpO)

72 Where's the Volcano in that article?

Posted by: ergie at September 21, 2013 09:38 AM (/9IC1)

73 There are very few brilliant, evil people on earth. The vast majority of damage done is by those who are so confident of their knowledge that they do not observe the results of their actions; confident that whatever unexpected results occur are caused by others. Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at September 21, 2013 01:36 PM (gqgiP) The "Smart" Presidents. Wilson, Roosevelt, Kennedy, Carter, Clinton and Obama.

Posted by: Diogenes'Lamp at September 21, 2013 09:38 AM (bb5+k)

74 The vast majority of damage done is by those who are so confident of their knowledge that they do not observe the results of their actions; confident that whatever unexpected results occur are caused by others.

Yeah. At least when it comes to this country, that's my take also.

Posted by: AD at September 21, 2013 09:38 AM (NmpZu)

75 67 -

Then call it limited, but deep knowledge of certain things. People who don't know much about most things, but the things they know about, they know quite a lot. Based on their limited knowledge, they are able to manipulate the world, or their corner of it, and cause great evil.

Without even necessarily knowing they are causing evil. Although some certainly do.

That's my definition of modern Liberalism.

Posted by: BurtTC at September 21, 2013 09:39 AM (BeSEI)

76 A very amusing read. Regarding the Fifth Law, as we all know, we are in a state where the stupid exercise disproportionate control, and are thus doomed, unless we can alter that circumstance. *** Fortunately, there are now some intelligent, non-bandity types starting to take root in Congress: Cruz, Rand, Lee, Gowdy, Graves, Jordan, Chaffetz.... they are growing in numbers and in strength.

Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at September 21, 2013 09:39 AM (DmNpO)

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at September 21, 2013 01:36 PM (gqgiP)

Eh, it may not even be that. I'd argue there's a whole host of people who observe the results, but still ignore them. (Or don't learn from experience.)

Posted by: tsrblke, actual real life PhD student at September 21, 2013 09:40 AM (GaqMa)

78 So,should we put the stupid into concentration camps or simply euthanize them?Seriously,if the left got it's way who do you think would be declared "stupid"?

Posted by: steevy at September 21, 2013 09:40 AM (9XBK2)

79 There are 7 varying degrees of Stupid;

1. Dim
2. Stupid
3. The Romney Campaign
4. Idiotic
5. Retarded
6. Brain-Dead
7. Meghan McCain

Posted by: kbdabear at September 21, 2013 09:41 AM (/9IC1)

80 25 Actually was Napoleon Bonaparte.

Posted by: steevy at September 21, 2013 09:41 AM (9XBK2)

81 >>>The vast majority of damage done is by those who are so confident of their knowledge that they do not observe the results of their actions; confident that whatever unexpected results occur are caused by others.

virtually no evil person who's ever existed (except for psychopaths who get off on the idea) self-define as Evil.

Hitler thought he was doing Good.

I take your point but in actual practice there are almost no self-defining Evil people. Everyone is the Hero of their own life-story.

Evil is chiefly defined by its effects, as a practical matter, not its intentions.

Posted by: ace at September 21, 2013 09:41 AM (/IWYB)

82 So what were the direct and indirect costs to the taxpayers for this study?

Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at September 21, 2013 09:42 AM (pDfBu)

83 Trying to tie stupidity to the 08 and 12 elections may not be correct. There is the principle that you can fool some of the people some of the time. Which is probably what occurred. But in 2012, the stupids from 2008 probably looked at Romney and said, "I'm not going to be stupid and vote for him."

Posted by: Foghorn Leghorn at September 21, 2013 09:42 AM (mXHwt)

84 Stupid people are going to get us all killed

Posted by: Jones in CO at September 21, 2013 09:42 AM (8sCoq)

85 Eh, it may not even be that. I'd argue there's a whole host of people who observe the results, but still ignore them. (Or don't learn from experience.) Posted by: tsrblke, actual real life PhD student at September 21, 2013 01:40 PM (GaqMa) One would think that the history of Communism would be enough to discourage modern proponents of it, but the reality? Not at all. It will be DIFFERENT, when *THEY* try it. They're smart, you see.

Posted by: Diogenes'Lamp at September 21, 2013 09:43 AM (bb5+k)

86 This is actually a classic essay. Surprised it's new to so many people.

Posted by: Jason at September 21, 2013 09:44 AM (6VB4r)

87 Stupid people with influence do the most damage.Great example: Jenny McCarthy.

Posted by: steevy at September 21, 2013 09:44 AM (9XBK2)

88 87 what essay? I was posting about Texas vs Oklahoma.

Posted by: Foghorn Leghorn at September 21, 2013 09:45 AM (mXHwt)

89 Speaking of stupid?Did you see the fawning Tweets of John Leguizamo after he met chocolate jesus?

Posted by: steevy at September 21, 2013 09:45 AM (9XBK2)

90 One interesting thing is that the author is really talking about a different kind of stupid, one that's hard to wrap the head around because the existing word has too much baggage. What he seems to be talking about is doing things based on poorly-chosen priorities that elevate imaginary things over real things.

That's a pretty interesting subject, partly because such things are massively present in the current "elites." Look at the decisions that successively allowed Nidal Hasan to get away with declaring his murderous intent for ages. All of the reasons that this happened were because of fantasy priorities. Same for Obamacare.

The Democratic Party as a whole is largely based on these fantasy priorities. Look at Wisconsin. A huge fight because "unions are important because unions." But now that their members can make choices, turns out the unions aren't so important to the only people whose views on the question represented a real reason to do things.

Posted by: Splunge at September 21, 2013 09:45 AM (bKA83)

91 82 -

Exactly. Except Hitler is probably a bad example. I think he was fully aware that shoving people into ovens, and killing many millions more while trying to take over the world was a rotten thing to do.

Obama would be a better example.

Posted by: BurtTC at September 21, 2013 09:45 AM (BeSEI)

92 Then there are the Islamic Mall Terrorists in Kenya. They think that they're bandits, but are in actuality, stupid beyond measure.

Posted by: Lauren at September 21, 2013 09:45 AM (ELdpj)

93 80 There are 7 varying degrees of Stupid;

1. Dim
2. Stupid
3. The Romney Campaign
4. Idiotic
5. Retarded
6. Brain-Dead
7. Meghan McCain

Posted by: kbdabear at September 21, 2013 01:41 PM (/9IC1)

And Meghan McCain is the case in point. Without the confidence, she'd merely be dim. She might not even count as stupid, but just a person of average intelligence. It's the arrogance that's been built into to her, to not realize what a gap there is between her and people who actually have a clue what they're talking about, which kicks her problem up several notches.

Posted by: AD at September 21, 2013 09:46 AM (NmpZu)

94 . I think he was fully aware that shoving people into ovens, and killing many millions more while trying to take over the world was a rotten thing to do.' You have to remember how popular eugenics was at the time.

Posted by: Lauren at September 21, 2013 09:47 AM (ELdpj)

95 virtually no evil person who's ever existed (except for psychopaths who get off on the idea) self-define as Evil.

Hitler thought he was doing Good.

I take your point but in actual practice there are almost no self-defining Evil people. Everyone is the Hero of their own life-story.

Evil is chiefly defined by its effects, as a practical matter, not its intentions.

Posted by: ace at September 21, 2013 01:41 PM

In an interview with Ricardo Montalban, he explained that his attitude towards playing Khan was that he did not see himself as evil, he saw himself as avenging wrongs done to him as most villains do

"Of all tyrannies a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good
of its victim may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live
under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies.
The robber baronÂ’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may
at some point be satiated, but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval
of their own conscience."

Posted by: kbdabear at September 21, 2013 09:47 AM (/9IC1)

96 I cannot remember the name of the German officer who said there were four types: brilliant, stupid, lazy and energetic.

Brilliant and energetic are on the General Staff because they can plan campaigns.
Brilliant and lazy are your field generals because they can execute plans and expend minimum effort to succeed.
Lazy and stupid are the bulk of your officers. They can follow simple directions and will only do that.
Stupid and energetic are the most dangerous of your officers because they will go out of their way to do something and will screw it all up royally.

Posted by: Mikey NTH - Outrage Outlet has the Embarrassing LP's of Your Youth! at September 21, 2013 09:47 AM (gmoEG)

Posted by: BurtTC at September 21, 2013 01:39 PM (BeSEI)

Eh, Egalitarianism has a few problems, especially with regards to knowledge.

It assume everyone should be able to be do everything, which is stupid.

Let's look at an example: Financial knowledge and compare it to something more mundane, like plumbing.

Now most/all people should have a basic small amount of financial knowledge, just like most/all people should have a general idea about how to clear a stuck drain.

But as you start getting into moderately complex interactions, a given person's ability to learn and understand things that they don't devote their entire life to, is going to diminish. And so it becomes more sensible to bring in experts. (Financial consultants or plumbers respectively). And more efficient.

Now, this isn't true for everyone, there will be a few polymaths out there who can do a ton of stuff (Like Purp, who's probably never hired a plumber in his life). And the level of complexity one is willing to tackle is going to vary for each person. (With a friends help for example, I've changed cartridges on my shower, my dad is less confident in his ability to do that, also he has more discretionary income, so he pays for it be done.)

But generally speaking it makes sense.

But look at what government is forcing us to do, they've regulated the crap out of the financial industry, to reduce choices down to the simplest possible and to spend extra effort to make everything "understandable" for the customer. It sounds good in theory (egalitarian!) but in practice it's inefficient and bad.

It'd be like the government saying "every house must be built with plumbing capable of being repaired by even a person of minimal skill" that'd be stupid as shit.

Posted by: tsrblke, actual real life PhD student at September 21, 2013 09:47 AM (GaqMa)

98 84 -

Exactly. What rubs me the wrong way is when people try to blame what's wrong with this country on stupid people. It isn't stupid people who devised the Republican approach to combating the left.

The left is better at getting the gullible and the ignorant to vote for them.

And that makes them stupid... how?

Posted by: BurtTC at September 21, 2013 09:48 AM (BeSEI)

99 I think Precedent 0bama proves America is stupid

majority stupid, to be clear

Posted by: Jones in CO at September 21, 2013 09:48 AM (8sCoq)

100 What about the intangibles? Obama steals from the wealthy and the middle class but in exchange, at least for a while, achieved 'hero' status. Is that a "gain"? The "perfect" bandit gains what is greater than the losses to the victim. If Obama is a bandit, he is a class-2 bandit: Causing significantly more harm to the victim than is returned in gains to the bandit.

Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at September 21, 2013 09:50 AM (DmNpO)

101 Meggie Mac is as Meggie Mac does

Posted by: Forrest Gump at September 21, 2013 09:50 AM (/9IC1)

102 And that makes them stupid... how? Posted by: BurtTC at September 21, 2013 01:48 PM (BeSEI) Because their end goal culminates with their own necks in the guillotine. Their policies undermine the foundation of their own existence and they are perpetually unaware of this.

Posted by: Diogenes'Lamp at September 21, 2013 09:52 AM (bb5+k)

103 God blast it all! Someone beat me to it!

Posted by: Mikey NTH - Outrage Outlet has the Embarrassing LP's of Your Youth! at September 21, 2013 09:53 AM (gmoEG)

104 I think for the most part, early immigants to America were conservative, hard working individuals. As time went by, immigrants were drawn to America because the hard work of the conservatives made America a great country. Eventually, our country was over run by the lazy, stupid people on the left. The commies increased their numbers until there were more lazy stupid people than there were hard working conservatives. The left can now vote for the money they did not earn. We are screwed.

Posted by: Nanny Hag at September 21, 2013 09:53 AM (39IHH)

105 98 -

I can't find anything in what you are saying with which to disagree. So it's possible I didn't explain my point well enough.

I do like to try to be brief in my comments here. I figure most people aren't going to read it if it's too long, but that probably means there is some important point I'm TRYING to make that doesn't quite get conveyed.

Here, I think I was trying to limit my focus on my definition of liberalism to political knowledge and philosophy, not other general forms of knowledge.

Posted by: BurtTC at September 21, 2013 09:53 AM (BeSEI)

106 The difference between Stupid and Evil is that Evil knows when to stop

Posted by: kbdabear at September 21, 2013 09:53 AM (/9IC1)

107 103 -

Who is unaware? The politicians or their constituents?

Because I'm pretty sure the politicians know.

Posted by: BurtTC at September 21, 2013 09:55 AM (BeSEI)

108 Evil is chiefly defined by its effects, as a practical matter, not its intentions.

Posted by: ace at September 21, 2013 01:41 PM (/IWYB)

I wasn't referring to self-defined evil people (who, as you point out, are vanishingly rare), and your definition works nicely.

But your point about "Everyone is a Hero of their own life-story" is exactly right.

Only the most perceptive among can move beyond that, and Obama is a perfect example of someone who is obsessed by it.

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at September 21, 2013 09:55 AM (gqgiP)

109

Stupid is ham fisted.

Evil can be subtle.

Posted by: garrett at September 21, 2013 09:55 AM (rj18Q)

110 Q:

Does stupid explain stupid?

What I mean is, you can't define a thing by using that thing as the definition. You can't explain 'blue' by saying 'it's blue'. So how do we explain stupid?

Posted by: Jones in CO at September 21, 2013 09:56 AM (8sCoq)

111 The bandit party surrounded by the stupid party. This is why we're boned.

Posted by: Fritz at September 21, 2013 09:57 AM (oBz1n)

112 Stupid to me means unwilling to learn. Not unable, unwilling.

Posted by: Lincolntf at September 21, 2013 09:57 AM (ZshNr)

113 And Meghan McCain is the case in point. Without the confidence, she'd merely be dim. She might not even count as stupid, but just a person of average intelligence. It's the arrogance that's been built into to her, to not realize what a gap there is between her and people who actually have a clue what they're talking about, which kicks her problem up several notches. Posted by: AD at September 21, 2013 01:46 PM (NmpZu) Still can't get over that "'emoticon' of privacy" thing. The late Steve Allen wrote a book called Dumbth about this very topic. He died a victim of Dumbth, IIRC.

Posted by: baldilocks at September 21, 2013 09:57 AM (Tnlh/)

114 Reminds me of all my commentary on Dumb People for the last 12 months and the reason why so-called Progressivism is make Conservatism extinct is because the Left knows how to speak Dumbese.

Posted by: soothsayer at September 21, 2013 09:57 AM (x/9BF)

115 101 Well, for Obama himself, of course it's a gain, Hero Status is very profitable, like work experience (without the pesky work). He's enriched himself materially beyond most Americans' dreams, while taking from others. If you look at material gains, he's a Bandit. But I do wonder if intangible/moral/spiritual gains count. I wouldn't really call a nun "Helpless", because she gives without receiving material benefit---she values the spiritual benefit.

Posted by: Jenny Hates Her Stupid Phone at September 21, 2013 09:57 AM (GmTxn)

116 "Ah, the crushing torment...imagine someone of my intellect having to endure the stupidity of others. Am I the only one who sees how prevalent all this stupidity is?"

Please. Such thinking as you see in this article is the mark of the barely-above-average mind: smart enough to have noticed they are smarter than most people but not smart enough to realize how unexceptional they still are.

Posted by: Ben Lange at September 21, 2013 09:59 AM (oQshG)

117 The vast majority of damage done is by those who are so confident of their knowledge that they do not observe the results of their actions; confident that whatever unexpected results occur are caused by others. ---------------------------------------------------- I forget who it is that postulated the various levels of competency, but they are, by my recollection: 1. The unconsciously incompetent = they don't know that they are incompetent. 2. The consciously incompetent = they know they are incompetent. 3. The conscious competent = they know that they are competent, and work at it. 4. The unconscious competent = they are simply good, without having to think about it. By far, the first group are the most dangerous. The s factor is strong with them.

Posted by: Mike Hammer at September 21, 2013 09:59 AM (aDwsi)

118 Posted by: tsrblke, actual real life PhD student at September 21, 2013 01:47 PM (GaqMa)

And you are a perfect example of the limits of "everyone should be able to be do everything."

Seriously...we need to fix your formatting problem. Your stuff is too interesting to lose to 1995 software.

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at September 21, 2013 09:59 AM (gqgiP)

119 http://tinyurl.com/pp2rfk6 (NBC "News")

Merkel has a 70% approval rating and doesn't like Obama, so she is ruthless.

Posted by: NBC, the Third Law of Stupid at September 21, 2013 09:59 AM (6xhLc)

120 That article was a bunch of bulls**t!

Posted by: Fredo Corleone at September 21, 2013 10:00 AM (XXwdv)

121 101 -

Sure, there are no material gains that could equal the harm someone like Obama does. But the amount of gain he gets from being able to put his feet up on the Resolute desk?

All the money and riches in the world wouldn't come remotely close to the benefit he derives from that.

And I'm sure he'd like to see posterity proclaim his greatness. In his mind he probably ranks just below Jesus (or Mohammed, depending on his true beliefs), but above Gandhi, FDR, MLK, and the like.

His only concern might be whether us stupid people will recognize him as such.

Posted by: BurtTC at September 21, 2013 10:01 AM (BeSEI)

122 The main reason why politicians can get away with doing do many dumb things is because The People are Dumb. Being dumb, doing dumb things is normal. The kicker here, of course, is that the Left created these current generations of Dump People for this exact purpose.

Posted by: soothsayer at September 21, 2013 10:01 AM (x/9BF)

123 That article was a bunch of bulls**t! *** We know... you're SMAHT!

Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at September 21, 2013 10:01 AM (DmNpO)

124 All men are created equal - including the stupidity factor. Some are just more adept at hiding/suppressing/recognizing it than others.

Posted by: bicentennialguy at September 21, 2013 10:01 AM (4qdsJ)

125 Economics is really the Seinfeld of academia. They take the most trivial and banal things and try to craft something meaningful from them. But to be honest, much of the time it is funny to watch.

Posted by: AmishDude at September 21, 2013 10:01 AM (xSegX)

126 Don't call me stupid !!!!!!!

Posted by: Otto, who thinks Plato was Belgian at September 21, 2013 10:01 AM (omBWL)

127 What I mean is, you can't define a thing by using that thing as the definition. You can't explain 'blue' by saying 'it's blue'. So how do we explain stupid? Posted by: Jones --------------------------- See: Incompleteness Theorem

Posted by: Kurt Godel at September 21, 2013 10:03 AM (aDwsi)

128 virtually no evil person who's ever existed (except for psychopaths who get off on the idea) self-define as Evil.

Hitler thought he was doing Good.

I take your point but in actual practice there are almost no self-defining Evil people. Everyone is the Hero of their own life-story.

Evil is chiefly defined by its effects, as a practical matter, not its intentions.

Posted by: ace at September 21, 2013 01:41 PM

Best point about that was made by Al Pacino in this scene from "The Devil's Advocate"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGR4SFOimlk

Posted by: kbdabear at September 21, 2013 10:03 AM (/9IC1)

129 123 Yes,it's a particularly quality of uninformed dumb the left has worked to create.They've selectively destroyed common sense.

Posted by: steevy at September 21, 2013 10:03 AM (9XBK2)

130 Who is unaware? The politicians or their constituents? Because I'm pretty sure the politicians know. Posted by: BurtTC at September 21, 2013 01:55 PM (BeSEI) All of those people agitating for leftism are unaware of where it leads. Even when informed, they put little stock in it. As Isaac Asimov used to say " I understand the principles of flight, I just don't believe them. " Leftists may be aware of the mass death from previous socialist governments, but they don't think it will happen to them.

Posted by: Diogenes'Lamp at September 21, 2013 10:03 AM (bb5+k)

131 What I mean is, you can't define a thing by using that thing as the definition. You can't explain 'blue' by saying 'it's blue'. So how do we explain stupid? *** The author's definition is someone who causes harm/loss to others without any gain whatsoever for himself.

Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at September 21, 2013 10:04 AM (DmNpO)

132 If Obama is a bandit, he is a class-2 bandit: Causing significantly more harm to the victim than is returned in gains to the bandit.

If you have extreme NPD, as Obama does, then the harm to the victims is valued at exactly 0.00 in his eyes. He doesn't "feel their pain", he doesn't feel anything - its like they dropped a jar on the kitchen floor and is bothered only if its the maid's day off and THEY have to clean it up.

This is a crucial difference. An ordinary stupid person when they do something stupid that hurts you will offer some sort of halfass apology and kinda mean it.

Being stupid though, they won't learn from that lesson and will go on obliviously hurting people.

Posted by: Purp PhD/MD/Esq/Nobel Laureate[/i][/b][/u][/s] at September 21, 2013 10:04 AM (9MLX+)

133 Nature of Stupidity, not bothering to notice Identity. Notice the past century's tally. Who is the Weiner? S is for Stupid if you think the Saudi's are your friends when in fact you are the Saudi's bitch. ...Â“offensive and outrageousÂ” promotional messages on a Saudi-owned satellite television network that show infamous Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler singing the praises of the SUNNI networkÂ’s programming for September. S is for Sect S is for Sunni S is for Saudi S is for Shiia Go figure which sect it is that conducts formal military invasions and occupations of neighboring nation states; that sect routinely utilizes terrorism globally. Saudi Sunni sponsored al-Qaeda v. USA 9/11/01 USA sponsored and US Military alliance with Saudi Sunni al-Qaeda and Muslim Brotherhood invasive terrorists v. every nation's government involved in the "Arab Spring" downfall of ME civilization. Four political Human categories of thoughtful propensity: The Helpless, The Intelligent, The Bandit, The Stupid.

Posted by: Ezekiel 16 at September 21, 2013 10:05 AM (MhA4j)

134 DeToqueville wrote about how informed on political issues the American electorate was.These were by no means people we would call "smart" today but they were informed,they had common sense.

Posted by: steevy at September 21, 2013 10:05 AM (9XBK2)

135 on the off chance that no one already said this:

A stupid person is a person who caused losses to another person or to a group of persons while himself deriving no gain and even possibly incurring losses.

This definition seems to leave out most left leaning politicians, bureaucrats and scientists (for example, the global warming scientists), all of whom will (happily or seriously) ffff things up for the rest of us while enriching themselves (or at least living much better than they would have without the government.)

Perhaps I'm not understanding some nuance here. Maybe we should include gains that can't be measured (how good do you feel about having the power to issue regulations that will destroy an industry and throw thousands of people out of work because of computer models that might be correct someday but have been wrong all these years?)

Nuts. I'm going back to work. At least that I can do without taxing my brain.

Posted by: mallfly at September 21, 2013 10:06 AM (bJm7W)

136 when you take the concept of stupid, and combine it with Donald Rumsfeld's admonition about 'unknown unknowns'... boy howdy, there's a recipe for trouble

Posted by: Jones in CO at September 21, 2013 10:06 AM (8sCoq)

137 Best point about that was made by Al Pacino in this scene from "The Devil's Advocate" *** That movie sent chills down my spine.

Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at September 21, 2013 10:07 AM (DmNpO)

138 >This definition seems to leave out most left leaning politicians, bureaucrats and scientists (for example, the global warming scientists), all of whom will (happily or seriously) ffff things up for the rest of us while enriching themselves (or at least living much better than they would have without the government.)

see, to me that's evil

Posted by: Jones in CO at September 21, 2013 10:08 AM (8sCoq)

139 Pick any of the best Conservative thinker and stick him/her in a debate with, say, Sheila Jackson Lee. Then pick 100 random people off the street. Which debater would more sway your audience? If you don't think Sheila Jackson Lee would "win" the debate, you're dumber than the Dumb People in the audience. Sheila Jackson Lee knows how to reach those 100 people; she speaks Dumbese. This is the America we live in today. Dumb is normal.

Posted by: soothsayer at September 21, 2013 10:08 AM (x/9BF)

140

We are definitely in the downhill stage. The time when stupidity destroys a society.

So, is there a solution? When do you abandon the society and become a hermit?

Also, people are not static, stupid people are not always stupid, and intelligent people are not always intelligent.

There should be a way to make people be their less stupid self, and quit voting for Democrats.

Posted by: petunia at September 21, 2013 10:08 AM (DAcBA)

141 138 Nude scenes from some hot chicks in that movie too.

Posted by: steevy at September 21, 2013 10:08 AM (9XBK2)

142 I believe that you can find the epitome of Teh Stupid on your cable menu tonight, as "Raising McCain" is on Pivot tv tonight. Or you can download episodes on your iPad according to Meggie

Meghan McCain ‏@MeghanMcCain 15h

All the questions I raise on #RaisingMcCain on @pivot_tv are genuine, tomorrows episode is all about my struggle with modern feminism.

Posted by: kbdabear at September 21, 2013 10:09 AM (/9IC1)

143 So, my hyper vigilance is a survival trait after all?

Posted by: Invictus at September 21, 2013 10:09 AM (OQpzc)

144 Evil is chiefly defined by its effects, as a practical matter, not its intentions. Posted by: ace at September 21, 2013 01:41 PM (/IWYB) *Twirls Mustache*

Posted by: Snidely Whiplash at September 21, 2013 10:10 AM (Vk2pI)

145 140 Like Biden against Ryan.Biden "won" as far as all the retards were concerned.Like the monkey who hoots and beats his chest better than his competitor.

Posted by: steevy at September 21, 2013 10:10 AM (9XBK2)

146 143 LOL

Posted by: steevy at September 21, 2013 10:10 AM (9XBK2)

147 Here is my stupid story, have at least one a day, this is from yesterday. Had to call the IRS, of course I get the generic, pissed-off black women with her affirmative action job, for which she is ungrateful and she wants you to know, just how ungrateful she is.

With no restraint on her bored voice she asks if she can help me, I am wondering if she can properly scratch her big fat ass with those 3 inch nails. So I get through the process without exploding, but just once here is what I would like to say, and my apologizes to responsible black women...or "normal," human beings, this is not aimed at you and color of skin has nothing to do with it, but culture has produced this, just as it has produced our current popular culture that celebrates prison culture.

"So Jizelle, it was an extraordinary experience once again talking to someone that barely escaped being a crack-whore with 4 kids from 5 different fathers, and was offered a job that rapes regular people, in which you make more than about 80% of us out here. I am sorry that I took you away from daytime soaps and talking with your BFF, and such. What is so unusual about you is that you are exactly the same as the last pissed-off, barely escaped from grinding poverty affirmative-action asshole in my last encounter with a federal government employee.

I mean is there a factory where fat-assed bitches are manufactured with the same voice, same attitude, same grievance that you have to fucking work for a living? Maybe it is like twilight zone and YOU are just one alien thing that answers all the phones for ASSHOLE_AGENCY.gov. I don't have to profile at all, as soon as I get the answer on the phone that I waited 1 hour on hold to receive and it is the O, so bored, how I hate you female ghetto black voice I know I am in for a real treat of class A stupid. Thanks for pulling the Obama lever you goddamn nation destroying zombie."

Rant OFF.

Posted by: Jehu at September 21, 2013 10:10 AM (4CmWU)

148 136 I think what you're missing is this: the politicians themselves aren't Stupid; they're Bandits. The schlubs who vote for leftist pols are the Stupids.

Posted by: Jenny Hates Her Stupid Phone at September 21, 2013 10:11 AM (GmTxn)

149 131 -

Ah, that's the "we're going to do it betterism" of the leftist/socialist movement. The notion that there was some key component of the movement that was missing from those previous attempts.

I do believe however, there are people from the Alinsky school who figured out how to deal with some of those pesky problems.

One of which was, CARING about the overall economic effects, and being at least marginally interested in progress.

Posted by: BurtTC at September 21, 2013 10:11 AM (BeSEI)

150 Reminds me of all my commentary on Dumb People for the last 12 months and the reason why so-called Progressivism is make Conservatism extinct is because the Left knows how to speak Dumbese. Posted by: soothsayer at September 21, 2013 01:57 PM (x/9BF) The left knows how to manipulate people on an emotional level. That's not exactly dumbese. People with leftest bents tend to be good at producing music or acting, both of which derive their success from the ability to produce empathetic feelings in their audiences. There is often something suggestively hypnotic about music or even very dramatic scenes which are acted out. It is a form of ensorcellment. It bypasses the analytical portion of the brain and impacts the emotional part directly. The problem with emotional thinking is that it is NOT analytical. It is short term feeling based thinking instead of long term reason based thinking.

Posted by: Diogenes'Lamp at September 21, 2013 10:11 AM (bb5+k)

151 >>> in actual practice there are almost no self-defining Evil people<<<

This is why victim status is currently so coveted. People do recognize when they are acting out of malice. If you are a victim you have an excuse to hate and be malicious.

Posted by: Bugs Bunny at September 21, 2013 10:11 AM (d9hT/)

152 This article was written in 1987, just as Reagan was leaving office, and Bush 1 was elected. Methinks the writer was talking about Morons.

Posted by: ALH at September 21, 2013 10:12 AM (E3OJH)

153 For tonight's homework assignment;

Can you be Stupid and Yet Successful?

Watch Meggie's show for questions

Meghan McCain ‏@MeghanMcCain 7m

Am I a feminist....? Tune in to #RaisingMcCain tonight 9/21 10pm ET to find out! http://bit.ly/1eijcmd

Posted by: kbdabear at September 21, 2013 10:12 AM (/9IC1)

154 unsockening

Posted by: the guy that moves pianos for a living... at September 21, 2013 10:12 AM (d9hT/)

155 OT: Thai push-up bra commercial. http://tinyurl.com/pqn8ulj It's exactly what you'd expect.

Posted by: The Political Hat at September 21, 2013 10:13 AM (Vk2pI)

156 Using the term "stupid" for what he's trying to get at here is so rhetorically self-defeating, insofar as it is pejorative, that it causes the entire argument to collapse, independently of the merits of the case.

Also, he fails to consider clashing value systems, having reduced his moral universe to a perfectly frictionless sphere of naked utilitarianism. Who was that guy who talked about six axes of morality? Haidt. People can optimize for values along a certain axis, which results in their "gains" being perceived as "losses" by observers with a divergent set of moral priorities.

Posted by: Mitch H. at September 21, 2013 10:14 AM (vqSWI)

157 Stupid cannot be stopped when it is encouraged and enabled by fellow substandard IQ's

See Twitter hashtag #RaisingMcCain for examples

Posted by: kbdabear at September 21, 2013 10:14 AM (/9IC1)

158 Top. Men.

Posted by: alexthechick - Team No Seriously Fuck All Of This Shit So Hard at September 21, 2013 10:14 AM (Gk3SS)

159 136 -

I'm pretty sure I said that. Or tried to say that. And if I didn't, it's because I am teh stoopit.

Posted by: BurtTC at September 21, 2013 10:14 AM (BeSEI)

160 The main reason why politicians can get away with doing do many dumb things is because The People are Dumb. Being dumb, doing dumb things is normal. The kicker here, of course, is that the Left created these current generations of Dump People for this exact purpose. Posted by: soothsayer at September 21, 2013 02:01 PM (x/9BF) When people's survival depended on not doing dumb things, we had a lot fewer people doing dumb things. Now that doing dumb things has no impact on their survivability, people doing dumb things have become ubiquitous.

Posted by: Diogenes'Lamp at September 21, 2013 10:14 AM (bb5+k)

161 157 -

Kohlberg, I believe.

Posted by: BurtTC at September 21, 2013 10:16 AM (BeSEI)

162 Case in point...

Evan Shapiro ‏@eshap 13h

"I like to wear push up bras - so do I still get to be a feminist?" @MeghanMcCain on #RaisingMcCain http://bit.ly/1b0Nl8l tomw at 10p E/P.

Posted by: kbdabear at September 21, 2013 10:16 AM (/9IC1)

163 92 82 - Exactly. Except Hitler is probably a bad example. I think he was fully aware that shoving people into ovens, and killing many millions more while trying to take over the world was a rotten thing to do. Obama would be a better example. Posted by: BurtTC at September 21, 2013 01:45 PM (BeSEI) ------------------------- Obama is fully aware that deceit, voter fraud, graft, whipping up race hatred, and siccing the IRS on opponents are all "wrong." They do it "for the children." You have to break a few eggs......

Posted by: Margarita DeVille at September 21, 2013 10:16 AM (dfYL9)

164 This is why I'm reflexively hostile to people who go on hate-rants about "stupid people". Individuals have their own gain/loss valuations, which is not readily observable or comprehensible by necessarily subjective observers such as, say, a well-intentioned regulator or social worker.

Posted by: Mitch H. at September 21, 2013 10:16 AM (vqSWI)

165 163 Did she include a picture?

Posted by: steevy at September 21, 2013 10:16 AM (9XBK2)

166 Ill give you a great example why Dumb 'Progressivism is such an easy sell and Conservatism is a tough sell. You've all seen those little square bumper stickers with the "equal" sign. It's simple and it sounds right and nice. To counter that simplistic and idiotic notion of "equality," the conservative needs at least 150 words AND the presumption that your audience has basic knowledge of history and common sense. In other words, there is no practical way today to counter that friggin equal sign bumper sticker! We lose to a bumper sticker.

Posted by: soothsayer at September 21, 2013 10:18 AM (x/9BF)

167 Stupid people are populating our political class now more than ever. Rare is the smart politician. A sea change from as little as 20 years ago, and frankly I think that it is the death knell for our country.

Posted by: Truck Monkey, Gruntled New Business Owner at September 21, 2013 10:18 AM (jucos)

168 I think what you're missing is this: the politicians themselves aren't Stupid; they're Bandits. The schlubs who vote for leftist pols are the Stupids. *** Right. I think I said earlier that the folks who take from others to gain Obamaphones are a form of Bandit, but they aren't. The minute gains they achieve are not significant to begin to offset the damage they inflict upon others. Further, they seem incapable of calculating that damage. Stupid.

Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at September 21, 2013 10:18 AM (DmNpO)

169 Idiocracy nailed it. For real stupid, not the Game Theory stupid that the article talks about, the real giveaway is saying to people who think: "you talk like a fag and your shit's all retarded." Just like that Democratic Party communications guy who got fired yesterday.

I've talked to some of these Obamabots, and they think you're weird for thinking things through.

Posted by: Splunge at September 21, 2013 10:18 AM (bKA83)

170 156 -

Yup, I would have been sorely disappointed if it hadn't.

Posted by: BurtTC at September 21, 2013 10:19 AM (BeSEI)

171 People are way too complicated for base categories. By the time you qualify all the statements and make exceptions, you are no longer close to the original category.

Posted by: Big Ben at September 21, 2013 10:19 AM (I5Htn)

172 When people's survival depended on not doing dumb things, we had a lot fewer people doing dumb things. Now that doing dumb things has no impact on their survivability, people doing dumb things have become ubiquitous. *** I'm going to guess that the percentage of stupid people was significantly lower in caveman times.

Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at September 21, 2013 10:20 AM (DmNpO)

173 Mitch H.

This is why I'm reflexively hostile to people who go on hate-rants about "stupid people". Individuals have their own gain/loss valuations, which is not readily observable or comprehensible by necessarily subjective observers such as, say, a well-intentioned regulator or social worker.

Hey I get it you went to college, I can tell because what you are saying is incomprehensible to people living in this particular Galaxy. You must have side-slipped while traveling between dimensions.

Posted by: Jehu at September 21, 2013 10:20 AM (4CmWU)

174 When polling elected representatives of any body you have four groups...listed in order of hierarchy C: Criminal bosses c: criminal stooges s : just plain fuckin' stupid N: Noble Souls

Posted by: Beto at September 21, 2013 10:21 AM (MhA4j)

175 164 -

Deceit et al, in the pursuit of breaking us. We're the eggs. And that makes them good.

Posted by: BurtTC at September 21, 2013 10:21 AM (BeSEI)

176 Later peeps. It's been fun, but responsibility calls once more.

Posted by: Diogenes'Lamp at September 21, 2013 10:22 AM (bb5+k)

177 >>We are definitely in the downhill stage. The time when stupidity destroys a society. So, is there a solution? When do you abandon the society and become a hermit? Also, people are not static, stupid people are not always stupid, and intelligent people are not always intelligent. There should be a way to make people be their less stupid self, and quit voting for Democrats. Pain. People weren't more intelligent in years past, they were just less stupid. Because they had to be. People vote for Dems because they give them stuff, our stuff mostly. And when they don't have to work for it, when they don't know where stuff comes from by earning it instead of having the government or someone else give it to them, they start to learn and become less stupid. The Dems know this. They count on it.

Posted by: JackStraw at September 21, 2013 10:23 AM (g1DWB)

178 > Individuals have their own gain/loss valuations,

doesn't mean they're not stupid

Say a person votes for Obama because Obama is non-white like them, and it will be historic, and they will feel empowered by the election of a non-white President. This is their gain.

But it's a stupid way to decide who to vote for for President.

Posted by: Jones in CO at September 21, 2013 10:23 AM (8sCoq)

179 Al Pacino's interpretation of the devil doesn't hold a candle to Elizabeth Hurley's outstanding portrayal.

Posted by: Fritz at September 21, 2013 10:23 AM (oBz1n)

180 new post up

Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at September 21, 2013 10:24 AM (DmNpO)

181 People can optimize for values along a certain axis, which results in their "gains" being perceived as "losses" by observers with a divergent set of moral priorities. ----------------- That is certainly true, but it is possible, within rational bounds, to apply objective measures to 'gains' and 'losses', i.e., mortality rates, economic well-being, crime rates, etc. etc. AGW believers undoubtedly feel 'good' about solar power subsidies, but if an objective measure is used, such subsidies reduce the quality of life. If a rational person points that out, and the receiver of that knowledge rejects it, then their s factor is strong. Their 'perception' of a 'gain' matters not a whit.

Posted by: Mike Hammer at September 21, 2013 10:24 AM (aDwsi)

182 I thought the 5th law was no sex with robots. Unless they were hot.

Posted by: Dr Spank at September 21, 2013 10:24 AM (qRasw)

183 Al Pacino's interpretation of the devil doesn't hold a candle to Elizabeth Hurley's outstanding portrayal. *** Funny movie which makes the point about the nature of evil in an unexpected way.

Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at September 21, 2013 10:25 AM (DmNpO)

184 "92 82 -

Exactly. Except Hitler is probably a bad example. I think he was fully aware that shoving people into ovens, and killing many millions more while trying to take over the world was a rotten thing to do.

Obama would be a better example.

Posted by: BurtTC at September 21, 2013 01:45 PM (BeSEI)"

But Hitler wasn't trying to take over the world to gratify his own ego. He was doing it as a service to humanity, at least the new Aryan species of humanity which was going to come into existence and create a golden age of utopia on earth.

While the details vary a bit, the quest to build an earthly utopia is a recurring theme. Kind of like Lenin. Or Stalin. Or Mao. Or Pol Pot. Or Bill Ayres. Or Jim Jones. Or Plutarcho Elias Calles.

Posted by: Obnoxious A-hole at September 21, 2013 10:25 AM (31Nrp)

185 Thats a good point and I can give you a modern illustration: Single Moms. The Left really really worked hard to glorify unwed mothers and turn them into a third rail issue. Why? Because having kid after kid wothout any means to raise is a Dumb Thing To Do. Today there are no consequences to doing Dumb Stuff like that; the govt will support all the children! Dumb is normal today.

Posted by: soothsayer at September 21, 2013 10:26 AM (x/9BF)

186 152 >>> in actual practice there are almost no self-defining Evil people<<< This is why victim status is currently so coveted. People do recognize when they are acting out of malice. If you are a victim you have an excuse to hate and be malicious. Posted by: Bugs Bunny at September 21, 2013 02:11 PM (d9hT/) ---------------------- THIS! An excellent point. In a culture in which feeeeelings and (presumably) holy intentions are all that matter, victimhood gives you a pass.

Posted by: Margarita DeVille at September 21, 2013 10:26 AM (dfYL9)

187 174 This is why I'm reflexively hostile to people who go on hate-rants about "stupid people".

But there are so many kinds of stupid. You seem to be talking about You Must Be Stupid Because You Don't Do What I Think You Should Do. I'd be hostile to anyone ranting about that too.

Then there's Stupid As A Disability. Some people are just stupid, and all you can do is pity them.

But there's also Stupid Because You Refuse To Use Your Brain, Which Could Think If Only You Would Let It. See: Occupy Wall Street. They seem rantworthy.

Posted by: Splunge at September 21, 2013 10:26 AM (bKA83)

188 Al Pacino's interpretation of the devil doesn't hold a candle to Elizabeth Hurley's outstanding portrayal. *** Funny movie which makes the point about the nature of evil in an unexpected way. Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at September 21, 2013 02:25 PM (DmNpO) Hillary's portrayal is far more realisticÂ…

Posted by: The Political Hat at September 21, 2013 10:27 AM (Vk2pI)

189 Pick any of the best Conservative thinker and stick him/her in a debate with, say, Sheila Jackson Lee. Then pick 100 random people off the street. Which debater would more sway your audience? If you don't think Sheila Jackson Lee would "win" the debate, you're dumber than the Dumb People in the audience. Bill Whittle would eat her lunch.

Posted by: Weirddave at September 21, 2013 10:27 AM (jt8G9)

190 184 The original has a young Raquel Welch in that role,I believe.

Posted by: steevy at September 21, 2013 10:27 AM (9XBK2)

191 The original has a young Raquel Welch in that role,I believe. *** Yep. I remember the lingerie scene. Even a moronette can remember that.

Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at September 21, 2013 10:29 AM (DmNpO)

192 There's a nude still of Raquel Welch that was almost certainly shot during the filming of "Bedazzled".Seems the director got her to shoot a whole nightclub scene nude.Hopefully that footage was kept by someone and will come out some day.

Posted by: steevy at September 21, 2013 10:31 AM (9XBK2)

193 "People vote for Dems because they give them stuff, our stuff mostly. And when they don't have to work for it, when they don't know where stuff comes from by earning it instead of having the government or someone else give it to them, they start to learn and become less stupid.

The Dems know this. They count on it.

Posted by: JackStraw at September 21, 2013 02:23 PM (g1DWB)"

The physical stuff that the Democrats give away does not explain all of their appeal, especially to people who could get that stuff on their own. A large part of what the Dems give is the psychic rewards of being a good person. The demonization of Republicans and the warm and fuzzies that Dems provide is probably responsible for most of the white Democrat vote.

Posted by: Obnoxious A-hole at September 21, 2013 10:32 AM (31Nrp)

194 Just saw the ad for the Julian Assange movie.

Posted by: steevy at September 21, 2013 10:32 AM (9XBK2)

195 192 See my 193.The still can be found online,many think it's a fake but it matches the set from the movie quite well,and it really seems to be her.She's spectacular.

Posted by: steevy at September 21, 2013 10:33 AM (9XBK2)

196 These were by no means people we would call "smart" today but they were informed,they had common sense. Much less likely to be the case nowadays...

Posted by: Blacque Jacques Shellacque at September 21, 2013 10:34 AM (ItfcE)

197 Stupid to nekkid Raquel Welch. It's all too existential for me.

Posted by: Mike Hammer at September 21, 2013 10:36 AM (aDwsi)

198 Everybody left to find the Raquel Welch picture.

Posted by: steevy at September 21, 2013 10:41 AM (9XBK2)

199 >>The physical stuff that the Democrats give away does not explain all of their appeal, especially to people who could get that stuff on their own. A large part of what the Dems give is the psychic rewards of being a good person. The demonization of Republicans and the warm and fuzzies that Dems provide is probably responsible for most of the white Democrat vote. Global warming comes to mind. Stupid science for stupid people that reinforces they are good and we are evil.

Posted by: JackStraw at September 21, 2013 10:45 AM (g1DWB)

200 Here is my stupid story, have at least one a day, this is from yesterday. Had to call the IRS, of course I get the generic, pissed-off black women with her affirmative action job, for which she is ungrateful and she wants you to know, just how ungrateful she is. How do you know that about someone you haven't met? Maybe she was a having a bad day and unfortunately took it out on you. You don't know if she had five different children by four different fathers because she had a "Female ghetto black voice" It is frustrating to wait on the line for calls, yes, but that doesn't justify your racist screed about somebody you don't you. What is probably accurate is that if she's AA it's 98 %certain she voted for Obama.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at September 21, 2013 10:46 AM (a4Omg)

201 As far as Ricardo Montabalm playing Khan or any other actor playing an evil person you cannot play "generic" evil. It's true that almost every evil person doesn't think they're evil. They think they're just and righteous, making up for wrongs or they other people deserved what they get because they're too stupid to avoid it. Either thator they think they have a compulsion they can't resist So, Richardo Montalbam. and other actors playing those roles ought to be able to relate-at least in part-because we all have evil inside of us. They are just degrees different

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at September 21, 2013 10:52 AM (a4Omg)

202 When you are dead, everyone knows you are dead except you.
It is the same if you are stupid.

Posted by: navybrat at September 21, 2013 11:01 AM (UtidU)

203 AGW believers undoubtedly feel 'good' about solar power subsidies, but if an objective measure is used, such subsidies reduce the quality of life. If a rational person points that out, and the receiver of that knowledge rejects it, then their s factor is strong. Their 'perception' of a 'gain' matters not a whit.

Posted by: Mike Hammer at September 21, 2013 02:24 PM (aDwsi)

Your objective measure matters not a whit to them. They are bandits, not stupid.

Posted by: schizoid at September 21, 2013 11:02 AM (ED4Ig)

204 I'm going to guess that the percentage of stupid people was significantly lower in caveman times.

Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at September 21, 2013 02:20 PM (DmNpO)

Short form: in olden times life-span was pretty much proportional to intelligence (or inversely proportional to stupidity).

Posted by: Facist Bureaucrat at September 21, 2013 11:08 AM (XdnQT)

205 See also 67% of the individuals exiting from Family Court.

Posted by: Count de Monet at September 21, 2013 11:11 AM (BAS5M)

206 They are bandits, not stupid.

Posted by: schizoid at September 21, 2013 03:02 PM (ED4Ig)

The ones that start the companies and get the profits (gummint subsidized profits) are the bandits.

Unfortunately, there is a large cadre of stupid people that have accepted AGW as an existential threat, but will not reap anything good for themselves and worse, will contribute to decreasing the quality of life for the rest of us by their support for AGW solutions.

Posted by: Facist Bureaucrat at September 21, 2013 11:12 AM (XdnQT)

207 Unfortunately, there is a large cadre of stupid people that have accepted AGW as an existential threat, but will not reap anything good for themselves and worse, will contribute to decreasing the quality of life for the rest of us by their support for AGW solutions.

Posted by: Facist Bureaucrat at September 21, 2013 03:12 PM (XdnQT)

If it makes them feel good, that is a benefit to them. They have decided that their own good feelings are more important than anything else. Their actions are selfish but perfectly rational.

Posted by: schizoid at September 21, 2013 11:23 AM (ED4Ig)

208 winnin da Kultur!

Posted by: a million LIV monkeys with a C++ compiler at September 21, 2013 11:37 AM (0k7Xm)

209 So, most of the country's problems can be solved by giving very dangerous toys to everyone. The s value should drop rather rapidly. It may be worth a try.

Posted by: eman at September 21, 2013 12:48 PM (AO9UG)

210 Fenlon Spoke

How do you know that about someone you haven't met? Maybe she was a having a bad day and unfortunately took it out on you. You don't know if she had five different children by four different fathers because she had a "Female ghetto black voice" It is frustrating to wait on the line for calls, yes, but that doesn't justify your racist screed about somebody you don't you. What is probably accurate is that if she's AA it's 98 %certain she voted for Obama.

Maybe since I actually live in the real world and have been subjected to this since maybe the sixties when black kids in my middle school threatened to beat up anyone that said Kennedy was not a good President. And was she AA? You cannot tell by voice, inflection and speech patterns? Unless she was Wolf Man Jack's daughter, she was a spoiled, bored asshole black chick. As far as calling my racist, back to you "liberal." And unless we confront this behavior and call it for what it is we then become "silent" racists, and cowards to boot. Standup for yourself you pussy. O, I might have misjudged, maybe you are just having a bad day.

Posted by: Jehu at September 21, 2013 02:30 PM (4CmWU)

211 If it makes them feel good, that is a benefit to them. They have decided that their own good feelings are more important than anything else. Their actions are selfish but perfectly rational. Posted by: schizoid ------------------------------- A diet of warm sugar water makes people feel good, but if it is demonstrated to them that warm sugar water first rots the teeth, then rots the entire system, and they persist in that diet, then they are stupid. This is the first failing of conservatives, their inability to demonstrate to the LIVs that the system is rotting as a consequence of their addiction to warm sugar water. It must be acknowledged that the media are the biggest players here, as they are in large part the purveyors, if not the suppliers of the sugar water.

Posted by: Mike Hammer at September 21, 2013 03:18 PM (aDwsi)

212 Shaddup, Uncle Ace: yer outta yer depth here!

Posted by: Rex the Wonder God at September 21, 2013 04:09 PM (w45V0)

213 Quite possibly the most brilliant and practical analysis of human behavior.....ever.

Posted by: Salty Alaskan at September 22, 2013 09:53 AM (DTDFB)

214 That writer needs to hook up with an editor. Urgently.

Posted by: MidasRex at September 28, 2013 02:57 PM (pA1Xo)

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