The Stupidity of Some People
Introduction
The latest crisis is just another example of how stupid some people can be. Obviously, it is not everyone or the majority. There is a small number of our population that are just clueless. It surfaces every so often and this is no exception. This coronavirus is another example.
- April 2020
Background
I was reminded of a story that happened a few years ago during the Virginia statue controversy. It was a protest over the removal of a statue of General Robert E. Lee in a local park. It made headlines and even President Trump was pulled in and created additional controversy with his comments. What was mind boggling was an ESPN executive that made the decision to remove a sports anchor of covering a game with the name of "Robert Lee." He felt some people may be confused by the name and associate this with the statue controversy. What?
It was during the passing of the ACA healthcare reform bill, that the name Jonathan Gruber surfaced. He testified that essentially, they designed the bill to fool the American voter. If they told the truth, the people would never go for it.
In 2020, The Coronavirus Quarantine
"A rose by any other name would smells just as sweet." What is a name anyway?
When Trump suggested the latest pandemic originated from China and called it a "Chinese Virus", it actually lead to a rise in hate crimes against Asians in NYC.
A boy with a name of "Corona" was bullied by his classmates.
Two examples of stupidity that exists in humans. We cannot avoid it. No matter how we tried, and provided free education to the masses, there will always be a few that are intellectually challenged. Not that they are disabled or mentally deficient.
There are just some people who by their existence demonstrate the bell curve.
What Are We To Do?
The logical question is - as a free and open society, what do we do or what can we do to address this. It is the old adage, can we prevent people from acting stupid? This appears in many forms.
In finance, if someone makes a bad investment, or fell for a scam, who is at fault? If no laws were broken, can the government step in and fix a problem?
In science, we have people who still believe the earth is flat. It is called the flat earth society. Can a government shut this down because they are promoting a false belief that can be easily proven with science?
In religion, some people hold to their faith and beliefs even contrary to current best knowledge.
In medicine, some people will try alternative medicine over traditional treatment even though they have no basis of being effective in clinical trials.
In politics, some people will believe anything their party leaders tells them, in spite of clear evidence to the contrary.
In the media, we have a whole community who use their influence with the public to spread miss information. Yet, some people just refuse to see it.
Summary
The plain truth is, we cannot do much of anything. We cannot legislate out stupidity. People will do what they are going to do. As long as they act within the law, there is no recourse. That is one downside of a free society. With freedom, comes choices. With choices, comes good or bad. An educated public is the best we can hope for.
We can educate our citizens, with common sense and basic life skills. After that, they are on their own.
Some Related Info
- Tom Hanks writes to boy called Corona who said he was bullied - BBC News
The Australian boy sent a letter to the Hollywood star when he heard Hanks had caught the virus.
This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.
© 2020 Jack Lee
