The Age of Stupid?

I spent much of my evening talking of, thinking about or researching the subject of stupidity. I'm not entirely sure what brought that on, but somehow I was struck by the levels of it one encounters in every day life. I'm not going to go into a giant rant about stupidity at this point, but I do feel a strong urge to briefly state just how much I dislike stupid people:

Lots and lots and lots!

Something that I did find and consider to be worth mentioning here was a Rumsfeldesque paradox when it comes to stupidity. Just like the former defense minister found known unknowns (for anyone who was fortunate enough to be in a coma during the Bush years, there is a Wikipedia entry about this issue), I found some upliftingly smart stupid people, but also some incredibly depressing stupid smart ones. However, unlike most unknowns, stupidity rarely goes away. On the contrary, it tends to be contagious: Put an idiot in among average people and very soon you have a group of seeming simpletons. Even more strikingly, given half a chance they will attract other stupid people and slowly crowd out all others. This, I fear, is largely due to our society's view that it is better to back down than get into a stupid argument, which in my way makes it pretty dumb to back down in the face of a bully.
Oops, didn't I say I wasn't going to rant? I guess I'm more frustrated than I thought. In any case, if you want to find out where you stand on the stupididy scale, check out The Stupidity Tester, a little test that I initially thought was quite stupid, but actually found quite clever and amusing. -- No, not only because it proved to myself that I'm not hopelessly stupid myself.
But I think I best get going for now. Just one last thing that I have to say to answer a question that came up today: No, Google is not evil, Google is actually quite good. Why? Because by not tolerating stupid people, they are actually contributing to making the world a better place. Good night.

A Letter to Myself

Dear Me,
I've noticed that lately you've not been as satisfied with your life as you could be. You seem stressed and a bit frustrated, I'm assuming that is due to your not quite satisfactory work situation. You've also not been looking after yourself enough and you health is suffering. Do you think getting a cold in the summer is a coincidence? And you didn't even have had a fun day in the rain to get it. It just simply appeared.
Anyway, initially I was going to ask you what was up and give you some encouraging words of support. But the more I think about it all, the more I feel like just shaking you and yelling: "Snap out of it!" Don't you realise that you live in one of the most exciting cities in the world, your private life is nothing short of perfect, you have a lovely home, some great friends and a job that, albeit boring, is not without its advantages. Your desk nearly overlooks Trafalgar Square, for crying out loud! So, why don't you stop blaming the recession, life, the gods, your mother, my mother, everybody else's mother and their dog for your current frame of mind, get off your lazy back side and start doing the things you enjoy? I'll tell you what - why don't you take advantage of the break in the rain and head off to Roman Road market? Or Broadway Market? Or do a tour of the charity shops? I'm sure you can mind some clothes to destroy in your ambition to step in your grandfather's tayloring shoes. Go on, get out of here...!
I'll see you later. Have a great day.
Love,
Me