Only Two Things are Infinite…

…the Universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the former.

Thanks Einstein, you couldn’t be more right. There are a lot of stupid people I know. In fact, most days I feel like I’m surrounded. By dumbasses. Shoot me now…

Some people just never learn, do they? Is it that they physically lack an adequate amount of brain cells to function in the real world, or is it a problem that can be corrected? In today’s post, I’ll explore some of the issues of sheer human stupidity that I see in everyday life, and maybe we’ll find some answers.

In my experience, the main problem is that people don’t listen. This is referred to as “selective hearing,” as dubbed by my mother in reference to my father. Of course, he’s usually listening at the moment of conversation, but if the information isn’t directly related to him then it’s quickly forgotten. I thought that because of my father’s selective hearing problem, and my mother’s seemingly flawless memory, that the phenomenon was confined to the male sex. This was a possibility, but without more examples my case was not solidly proven. So I decided to quietly start testing those around me to see what they remembered of my ramblings. I really shouldn’t have been surprised that the majority of people failed my tests. Turns out that the miniscule details of my life aren’t all that interesting to most people (which is actually reassuring when it comes to potential stalkers). In reality, We all engage in selective hearing, not because we’re stupid, but because deep down, we’re all self-absorbed jerks and are more concerned with our own lives that the lives of others.

Another major problem that is leads to stupidity is sheer stubbornness. We all know that it was an infallible sense of self-confidence combined with a good dose of desperation (which in this case can be viewed as just plain stupidity) that led Hitler to invade Russia in a very similar manner to Napolean Bonaparte. Obviously the results were the same; Germany: 0, Russian winter: 1. Seriously, just because you have more armed troops and more technology does not mean that you can overcome the basic force of Nature. Russia is fucking cold, and fucking big. Don’t mess with it, because you’ll lose every time. On a much smaller scale, stubbornness often produces the same results. Just because it’s today, and not yesterday, does not mean that the results are going to be any different. I’m talking to you, boys who don’t take “no” for an answer. If she’s said “no” in the past, and nothing has really changed, then chances are she’s going to keep saying “no!” Confidence can only get you so far, and your continual selective hearing isn’t going to get you the girl in the end, it’s just going to make you look like a desperate fool.

The young, and the old; opposite ends of the age spectrum, yet identical in their lack of thought process! Both parties feel that their opinions are infallible, and their mutual mantra is an ever-repeating “I’m RIGHT, so listen to me!” Yet, in both cases, they are rarely actually right in the true sense of the word. The young feel that their ideas are so fresh, so new, that there’s just no way that they could possibly be wrong. The confidence of youth will be their downfall. Jumping off that bridge isn’t really the best idea. The aged feel that their experience has earned them the right to be in power. The unchanging façade of the elderly will lead to their demise. The young refuse to look to the past, and the old refuse to look at the future, so neither party realizes that true wisdom comes from carefully combining experience and ingenuity. And after all, an opinion is an opinion, not a fact, and it should not be treated as such.

Some people really are just stupid though. I won’t name any real-people names, but it is obvious in some cases that we only utilize a small portion of our available grey matter at any given time. New scientific research has shown that we can access 100% of our brain (though not all at once, since different parts of the brain are used for different functions), so really what’s the excuse for not using it? Do people just not care to exercise our their vital muscle, or are some people real life Michael Kelsos? I’m pretty sure that some people just can’t be taught, so don’t waste your time trying. Do as I do, and just walk away, possibly muttering “dumbass” under your breath.