Albert Einstein once said, “Only two things are infinite; the universe and human stupidity.”
Sadly, both are expanding very quickly.
Dr. Carlo Cipolla is a professor of economics at U.C. Berkeley. He notes that crazy folks seem to be gaining traction, while stupidity is completely optional and preventable. He calls them “abundant, irrational, and fiercely unyielding. Despite their lack of intelligence, they have delusions of grandeur. They over-estimate their ability and truly believe they make better decisions.”
According to Dr. Cipolla, there are Five Laws of Human Stupidity:
Law 1: Don’t underestimate the number of stupid people. No matter how many dummies you encounter, you’re lowballing the total.
Law 2: Stupid people come in all sizes and colors. Fools exist in every gender, race and continent. They can be found in high society and living among cannibals.
Law 3. A stupid person causes problems, often for no personal gain. They are suckers for fake news, often harming themselves and others, without any benefit.
Law 4: Dealing with stupid people will be a costly mistake. Don’t assume that certain people are intelligent based on their job, education, or wealth. They aren’t.
Law 5: A stupid person is the most dangerous type. They yell the loudest and claim the moral high ground. So, we’re at their mercy.
Here’s my take. Look around, stupid folks are lurking in our bowling alleys, Wal-marts, and government offices. They’re why we need warning labels on peanut packages that caution, ‘Contains Nuts.’ They’re the trucker convoys who burned gas to protest the high price of gas. Or the geniuses who drank sheep de-wormer and believe French fries are ethnic food.
But the guy pictured above takes stupidity to a new level. Suspended over a ravine without a net, he’s just begging to win a Darwin Award.
C’mon people. You’re better than that.
