Great article. I am going to bookmark it and refer all the stupid people I encounter to save me time. I, for one, do not underestimate the number of stupid people in the world. as per Cipola's first law. I start with everyone until they prove otherwise. Given my activity in the last few years, I now know hundreds now who are not stupid. Nevertheless, some of those who passed the test (on COVID) have subsequently failed on other issues like climate, childhood vax program, etc... Is that Gell-Mann Amnesia?
Well I always say that I consider myself an expert in absolutely nothing. Except maybe drumming, which I have been doing for 43 years. And if I’m wrong about that noone gets hurt! Interesting point about Berenson. I guess the same could be said about Prasad. This article explains a whole lot. I’ve always known that people with piles of degrees could be outrageously dim. Barely able to find their way home. Even now, I’m willing to concede that all of my Covid stances are wrong. But none of these believers can ever give me a shred of evidence. I’ve never had any faith in authority. Obviously that has escalated to a new level. I’ll be explicitly doing the opposite of what the experts say from now on, until proven otherwise. I suppose that has always been my way. Now it’s a much more conscious decision.
Terrific article with strong undertones throughout of Buddhist/ Hindu philosophy.
I too have high achieving loved ones rendered stupid in the vaccine domain. My risk assessment of the Covid shot was informed by a Prof of Infectious Diseases before the world-wide Covid mRNA propaganda effort began: for people at low risk from Covid, they should wait 3-4 years before taking the mRNA shot as the safety signal won't be known before then.
Sadly, the Prof and others succumbed to the mRNA shot propaganda, abandoned the risk assessment that we once shared, took it and got their kids jabbed too while parroting 'safe and effective'.
The next generation all (100%) have autism and/or ADHD or dyslexia. I'm the only one left wondering if serial childhood vaccination has caused this dreadful state of affairs.
They are not meat robots in any way, shape or form, but I suspect the psychic distress of acknowledging that their decisions may have damaged their kids, would be so severe that they will remain stupid in the vaccine domain. The alternative is too painful. Looking at the Covid pandemic response and what that says about the World, the people who run it and where we may be headed, that too may be a truth too uncomfortable for the stupid to bear. Ignorance is bliss!
Just brought my daughter to pediatrician for annual physical to participate in sports. Pediatrician told me that they are now screening for heart issues- I said that heart issues have increased since the Covid vaccine- She said no they were always happening there hasn’t been an increase——what kind of stupid is this???
In part the stupidity is structured by trances. Yes, we all need to see where and when and how we have been hypnotised. See https://www.hughwillbourn.com/book (also on Amazon) And then, don't argue, or try to persuade ... tell stories.
This summarises what I found most frightening over the last few years - I can’t make people see how their going along with everything is making it so much worse for the rest of us ( and ultimately them).
Berenson was a great help to me initially in staying ahead of the jab propaganda. But his view on Trump led me to suspect that if he had of inadvertently gotten the jab early, he would’ve been a proponent rather than an opponent. Props to Naomi Wolf on some contrition for her Trump naïveté.
Halle-effin-lujah!! Finding this was the best thing that’s happened to me in a can’t-get-back-to-sleep-so-I-guess-I’ll-look-at-my-email moment! Everything about it...the humor, the truth, the research, the conclusions...all make me feel less alone in this lunacy. Plus you don’t just leave us hanging in futility, but offer sensible survival tactics!
I can’t wait to read more of your content...after I go within & hopefully go back to sleep before the morning alarm rings all too soon. Thank you for all the effort it took to put this excellent piece together & sharing it!
Excellent article, puts beautifully into words how I feel about the human race. The inability to find any real solution to the situation is possibly due the human condition. We are, after all, a social species, and so therefore have hardwired into us the need to be corralled and follow orders. If we didn’t have that, we would be loner animals, never forming communities. Sadly I see stupidity as a necessary evil, a trade off so to speak, of the protective mechanisms afforded our species by being social and living as a herd. These repeating cycles we see where the bandits become more active, and as a consequence the stupid and helpless more evident, are storms that must be weathered. I’m not sure there’s anything else that can be done. The upside is that it will give future historians, sociologist, anthropologists and behavioural scientists something to chew over and analyse, and obviously Hollywood some grist for its ever churning mill.
Thanks for this article - entertaining and educational.
"It was ungraspable and highly unsettling to me to watch how certain family members and highly-regarded friends, whom I considered very decent and quite intelligent, had no defence against this propaganda and turned into stupid, heartless and scared people I did not recognise anymore."
In my case it was most of my friends and relations. Some of them are now a little diffident about their behaviour but many remain in 'let's just move on' mode. None of them seem to be concerned about how close we got to a totalitarian regime.
I subscribe to many Substack authors and always read with some amount of skepticism. You've done a fantastic job at tying several concepts and authors into a cohesive and informative piece. "Blunder: Why Smart People Make Bad Decisions" by Zachary Shore is one my favorite books. The book is a compilation of historical cases of bad decisions with some analysis and explanation. This article along with your excellent substantive reference authors is foundational information that brings Blunder into a more enlightening perspective.
When I read a Substack article, I look up references used in the articles to validate the assertions, gain insight, and hopefully expand my knowledge on any particular topic. As an engineer, I've never been too interested in biology and now know way more than I'd like to about furan cleavage joints - yuk. I am human and therefore I am stupid - I try to ameliorate that condition using self-reflective and retrospective assessment. It's a challenge that can be and is tiring. You've helped me a great deal in refining my world view and assessment of society in the context of history.
Excellent article. You want to be where I am at present. In the middle of nowhere, no matter in cars or on foot, in fields, or on water, individuals alone and wearing mask, they'll happily wear them forever. It's not only virtue signaling, I'd say the majority it is plain not thinking, and "doing the right thing" without even caring that others aren't (in their limited view). The thing is it is socially not done to correct anyone on anything or change someones "thinking" but to live and let live, in some cultures, and this may have an upside but there's the downside. In Australia where meddling in others affairs is the norm, and where the fuckwits pride themselves in being called fuckwits, you can tell a fefail meat loaf in a pharmacy that they're suffocating their baby and causing permanent brain injury. They'll thank you and rip the mask off the small kid. Or, the opposite say mind your fucking business you C. Depending on how uncivilized they are. In other cultures, it'd be held as embarassing, a loss of face, and saving face is more important than saving the child's life. It's only in those societies where there is a good balance of respect and communication, such as in most of Africa, where one can help.
You wrote this article for the most part as if it was my own, thank you. Your advice is also my own conclusion. I fear the stupid masses much more than I fear the stupid or intelligent stupid parasitic scum elite. The order followers have always been MORE guilty than the order givers. The PSE would not exist without the happy fuckwits. It is the order followers that also kill any hope of change for the better. The one thing that might shine a small ray of hope is for the Meat Robots to fall over the cliff in their millions, and one might lament that as much as one would lament a million mosquitoes dying in the rain, but the PSE have planned that the rest of us will be replaced, after being targeted by AI robots.
However, they rely on technology, and that, can go spectacularly wrong.
LOVE the appropriately placed images and captions.
In another country where I don't speak the language, let's say it is DPRK, I keep myself armed with a colour photo of the previous CCP Congress in China, where every row except the first, are wearing identical N95 masks. The front row including Teddy Bear Xi are all without exception maskless. The seating spacing is the same and the rows, the only difference is the mask / no mask of the front row. If any soldier stops me to confront me why I wasn't wearing one, I pull it out and say: I'm in the front row, you're back there. COVID doesn't touch the elite, only the stupid masses. Only, I haven't had the opportunity as they see me and look the other way, due to language barrier, pretend not to see.
I also (un)fortunately don't speak the language, so, this saves me from not only being stopped and having to show the photo and if that fails from saying: Are you wearing a condom under your pants? No? Why not? What if you rode your motorcycle and passed a woman on the other side of the road, shouldn't you wear a condom to make sure she doesn't get pregnant?
Yes, we are all stupid to greater or lesser extent some of the time. If I do something stupid and harm myself, that’s sad. If I do something stupid and harm others, that’s potentially a tragedy. The greatest power to harm others is in the hands of the government... socialism, communism, “big government” inevitably descend into the evil of self-righteous, utilitarian arrogance. Quote from U K LeGuin: “The ends justify the means. But what if there are no ends, only means?”
Humbleness & humility - in understanding we don’t know everything & can be wrong (& willingly accept that) seem like good markers of intelligence. Curiosity that leads to a desire to learn more (without relying on “experts” & other dopes) is another.
Similar to Crichton's Gell-Mann Amnesia effect (i.e., compartmentalization), there is the indoctrination effect of mass education and media, explained by Jeff Thomas in "Why the Covid Delusion Continues":
‘A primary principle of “normal” education was that all that mattered was that we could parrot back whatever we had been fed most recently. No surprise, then, that, in adulthood, we do the same. Of course, adults tend to study less than when they were in school. They rely instead on the evening news to keep them informed. We hear the latest urgent breaking news, and we pay careful attention. We then follow the instructions we receive from the “experts” doing the speaking and wait until the following evening to receive further indoctrination and instructions.
‘Along the way, we also hear “non-authoritative” information and are careful to classify such information as “conspiracy theory”… In most cases, the human brain has been trained to delete such information… as though it had never been received. And, here, we have a basic function of the human brain that affects the great majority of people… Respond to controlled input and ignore peripheral input.’ (https://www.zerohedge.com/covid-19/why-covid-delusion-continues)
How challenging it is, then, to apply the antidote you suggest: "Question anything as untrue until proven otherwise. No matter what, no matter who said it." The advice, like the meditation/witness approach, faces the steep odds of mass education/media "trusted authority," 24/7, cradle to grave. Plus, all of that is compounded by the majority reinforcing it all with ongoing social pressure.
Your other advice, for stealth to avoid the outrage of the stupid, does solve the martyr problem of Bonhoeffer, but falls short of Desmet's conclusion that speaking out, while dangerous to the individual dissident, IS required by courageous dissidents in number (like yourself, thank you) to break the false consensus/compliance required by the totalitarians.
Great article. I am going to bookmark it and refer all the stupid people I encounter to save me time. I, for one, do not underestimate the number of stupid people in the world. as per Cipola's first law. I start with everyone until they prove otherwise. Given my activity in the last few years, I now know hundreds now who are not stupid. Nevertheless, some of those who passed the test (on COVID) have subsequently failed on other issues like climate, childhood vax program, etc... Is that Gell-Mann Amnesia?
Well I always say that I consider myself an expert in absolutely nothing. Except maybe drumming, which I have been doing for 43 years. And if I’m wrong about that noone gets hurt! Interesting point about Berenson. I guess the same could be said about Prasad. This article explains a whole lot. I’ve always known that people with piles of degrees could be outrageously dim. Barely able to find their way home. Even now, I’m willing to concede that all of my Covid stances are wrong. But none of these believers can ever give me a shred of evidence. I’ve never had any faith in authority. Obviously that has escalated to a new level. I’ll be explicitly doing the opposite of what the experts say from now on, until proven otherwise. I suppose that has always been my way. Now it’s a much more conscious decision.
Terrific article with strong undertones throughout of Buddhist/ Hindu philosophy.
I too have high achieving loved ones rendered stupid in the vaccine domain. My risk assessment of the Covid shot was informed by a Prof of Infectious Diseases before the world-wide Covid mRNA propaganda effort began: for people at low risk from Covid, they should wait 3-4 years before taking the mRNA shot as the safety signal won't be known before then.
Sadly, the Prof and others succumbed to the mRNA shot propaganda, abandoned the risk assessment that we once shared, took it and got their kids jabbed too while parroting 'safe and effective'.
The next generation all (100%) have autism and/or ADHD or dyslexia. I'm the only one left wondering if serial childhood vaccination has caused this dreadful state of affairs.
They are not meat robots in any way, shape or form, but I suspect the psychic distress of acknowledging that their decisions may have damaged their kids, would be so severe that they will remain stupid in the vaccine domain. The alternative is too painful. Looking at the Covid pandemic response and what that says about the World, the people who run it and where we may be headed, that too may be a truth too uncomfortable for the stupid to bear. Ignorance is bliss!
Just brought my daughter to pediatrician for annual physical to participate in sports. Pediatrician told me that they are now screening for heart issues- I said that heart issues have increased since the Covid vaccine- She said no they were always happening there hasn’t been an increase——what kind of stupid is this???
In part the stupidity is structured by trances. Yes, we all need to see where and when and how we have been hypnotised. See https://www.hughwillbourn.com/book (also on Amazon) And then, don't argue, or try to persuade ... tell stories.
This summarises what I found most frightening over the last few years - I can’t make people see how their going along with everything is making it so much worse for the rest of us ( and ultimately them).
Berenson was a great help to me initially in staying ahead of the jab propaganda. But his view on Trump led me to suspect that if he had of inadvertently gotten the jab early, he would’ve been a proponent rather than an opponent. Props to Naomi Wolf on some contrition for her Trump naïveté.
Law 6. Stupidity is contagious but some people have immunity.
Halle-effin-lujah!! Finding this was the best thing that’s happened to me in a can’t-get-back-to-sleep-so-I-guess-I’ll-look-at-my-email moment! Everything about it...the humor, the truth, the research, the conclusions...all make me feel less alone in this lunacy. Plus you don’t just leave us hanging in futility, but offer sensible survival tactics!
I can’t wait to read more of your content...after I go within & hopefully go back to sleep before the morning alarm rings all too soon. Thank you for all the effort it took to put this excellent piece together & sharing it!
Excellent article, puts beautifully into words how I feel about the human race. The inability to find any real solution to the situation is possibly due the human condition. We are, after all, a social species, and so therefore have hardwired into us the need to be corralled and follow orders. If we didn’t have that, we would be loner animals, never forming communities. Sadly I see stupidity as a necessary evil, a trade off so to speak, of the protective mechanisms afforded our species by being social and living as a herd. These repeating cycles we see where the bandits become more active, and as a consequence the stupid and helpless more evident, are storms that must be weathered. I’m not sure there’s anything else that can be done. The upside is that it will give future historians, sociologist, anthropologists and behavioural scientists something to chew over and analyse, and obviously Hollywood some grist for its ever churning mill.
Thanks for this article - entertaining and educational.
"It was ungraspable and highly unsettling to me to watch how certain family members and highly-regarded friends, whom I considered very decent and quite intelligent, had no defence against this propaganda and turned into stupid, heartless and scared people I did not recognise anymore."
In my case it was most of my friends and relations. Some of them are now a little diffident about their behaviour but many remain in 'let's just move on' mode. None of them seem to be concerned about how close we got to a totalitarian regime.
Wow, amazing article - Thank you!!!
I subscribe to many Substack authors and always read with some amount of skepticism. You've done a fantastic job at tying several concepts and authors into a cohesive and informative piece. "Blunder: Why Smart People Make Bad Decisions" by Zachary Shore is one my favorite books. The book is a compilation of historical cases of bad decisions with some analysis and explanation. This article along with your excellent substantive reference authors is foundational information that brings Blunder into a more enlightening perspective.
When I read a Substack article, I look up references used in the articles to validate the assertions, gain insight, and hopefully expand my knowledge on any particular topic. As an engineer, I've never been too interested in biology and now know way more than I'd like to about furan cleavage joints - yuk. I am human and therefore I am stupid - I try to ameliorate that condition using self-reflective and retrospective assessment. It's a challenge that can be and is tiring. You've helped me a great deal in refining my world view and assessment of society in the context of history.
Excellent article. You want to be where I am at present. In the middle of nowhere, no matter in cars or on foot, in fields, or on water, individuals alone and wearing mask, they'll happily wear them forever. It's not only virtue signaling, I'd say the majority it is plain not thinking, and "doing the right thing" without even caring that others aren't (in their limited view). The thing is it is socially not done to correct anyone on anything or change someones "thinking" but to live and let live, in some cultures, and this may have an upside but there's the downside. In Australia where meddling in others affairs is the norm, and where the fuckwits pride themselves in being called fuckwits, you can tell a fefail meat loaf in a pharmacy that they're suffocating their baby and causing permanent brain injury. They'll thank you and rip the mask off the small kid. Or, the opposite say mind your fucking business you C. Depending on how uncivilized they are. In other cultures, it'd be held as embarassing, a loss of face, and saving face is more important than saving the child's life. It's only in those societies where there is a good balance of respect and communication, such as in most of Africa, where one can help.
You wrote this article for the most part as if it was my own, thank you. Your advice is also my own conclusion. I fear the stupid masses much more than I fear the stupid or intelligent stupid parasitic scum elite. The order followers have always been MORE guilty than the order givers. The PSE would not exist without the happy fuckwits. It is the order followers that also kill any hope of change for the better. The one thing that might shine a small ray of hope is for the Meat Robots to fall over the cliff in their millions, and one might lament that as much as one would lament a million mosquitoes dying in the rain, but the PSE have planned that the rest of us will be replaced, after being targeted by AI robots.
However, they rely on technology, and that, can go spectacularly wrong.
LOVE the appropriately placed images and captions.
In another country where I don't speak the language, let's say it is DPRK, I keep myself armed with a colour photo of the previous CCP Congress in China, where every row except the first, are wearing identical N95 masks. The front row including Teddy Bear Xi are all without exception maskless. The seating spacing is the same and the rows, the only difference is the mask / no mask of the front row. If any soldier stops me to confront me why I wasn't wearing one, I pull it out and say: I'm in the front row, you're back there. COVID doesn't touch the elite, only the stupid masses. Only, I haven't had the opportunity as they see me and look the other way, due to language barrier, pretend not to see.
I also (un)fortunately don't speak the language, so, this saves me from not only being stopped and having to show the photo and if that fails from saying: Are you wearing a condom under your pants? No? Why not? What if you rode your motorcycle and passed a woman on the other side of the road, shouldn't you wear a condom to make sure she doesn't get pregnant?
Yes, we are all stupid to greater or lesser extent some of the time. If I do something stupid and harm myself, that’s sad. If I do something stupid and harm others, that’s potentially a tragedy. The greatest power to harm others is in the hands of the government... socialism, communism, “big government” inevitably descend into the evil of self-righteous, utilitarian arrogance. Quote from U K LeGuin: “The ends justify the means. But what if there are no ends, only means?”
Humbleness & humility - in understanding we don’t know everything & can be wrong (& willingly accept that) seem like good markers of intelligence. Curiosity that leads to a desire to learn more (without relying on “experts” & other dopes) is another.
Great article with passion and research.
Similar to Crichton's Gell-Mann Amnesia effect (i.e., compartmentalization), there is the indoctrination effect of mass education and media, explained by Jeff Thomas in "Why the Covid Delusion Continues":
‘A primary principle of “normal” education was that all that mattered was that we could parrot back whatever we had been fed most recently. No surprise, then, that, in adulthood, we do the same. Of course, adults tend to study less than when they were in school. They rely instead on the evening news to keep them informed. We hear the latest urgent breaking news, and we pay careful attention. We then follow the instructions we receive from the “experts” doing the speaking and wait until the following evening to receive further indoctrination and instructions.
‘Along the way, we also hear “non-authoritative” information and are careful to classify such information as “conspiracy theory”… In most cases, the human brain has been trained to delete such information… as though it had never been received. And, here, we have a basic function of the human brain that affects the great majority of people… Respond to controlled input and ignore peripheral input.’ (https://www.zerohedge.com/covid-19/why-covid-delusion-continues)
How challenging it is, then, to apply the antidote you suggest: "Question anything as untrue until proven otherwise. No matter what, no matter who said it." The advice, like the meditation/witness approach, faces the steep odds of mass education/media "trusted authority," 24/7, cradle to grave. Plus, all of that is compounded by the majority reinforcing it all with ongoing social pressure.
Your other advice, for stealth to avoid the outrage of the stupid, does solve the martyr problem of Bonhoeffer, but falls short of Desmet's conclusion that speaking out, while dangerous to the individual dissident, IS required by courageous dissidents in number (like yourself, thank you) to break the false consensus/compliance required by the totalitarians.