The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity

This is a long read but kind of worth it.

http://www.ecotopia.com/webpress/stupidity/

A brillant explanation of what's wrong with the world (and the forums) with hilarious "Crumb-esque" graphs.

It is bigotry to make fun of a stupid person. It's not their fault that they're stupid.

That's a stupid remark.

Wonderful link!

I didn't understand it. LMAO

I. Golden Rule of Thwarting

Think like a ninja.

If stupid people are more dangerous than bandits and can strike in the most improbable situations, then it follows that the only way to be prepared is to train the body in skills that manifest themselves automatically. This may require some martial arts training. However, if you do not have access to training, a partner with padded gloves can perform repeated offensive maneuvers until your body learns to manifest its own counters. If you do this without padding, then you are not following rule I and are stupid.

Rudimentary and necessary skills are as follows:

(a.) Parry
(b.) Dodge
(c.) Roll with Fall

(c.) is the most crucial, not only to save you unnecessary damage caused from stupid people but also to save yourself from becoming stupid.

II. Assistance Rule
Would you take on a bandit by yourself? No. Neither should you take on a stupid person by yourself since they are even more dangerous.

However, since you can only trust yourself (provided you have learned rule I(c.)) to not be stupid, this assistance must come in the way of weapons.

Therefore, the Assistance Rule is:

Be armed at all times.

This does not mean carry around nunchuka, wakazashi, or AK-47. That would just be stupid. Remember Rule I? In reference to rule I, rule II teaches us that we must be aware of our surroundings and consider at all times what items can effectively be used as weapons.

(a)- you must keep at least one of these weapons within reach at all times so that you can buy time to collect the rest of your makeshift arsenal if the need arises.

We had an old monitor go out at work a couple of years ago, but instead of throwing it away, I kept it within reach in my cubicle. Why? Think about it. If an aggressive stupid person came into the office wielding a nunchuka, wakazashi, or AK-47, I would be well armed with my monitor MACE. The nunchuka and wakazashi do not have the power or reach to block an attack by a monitor mace, and an AK-47 cannot shoot well around corners -unlike the swinging arc of unused office equipment. THAT's thinking like a ninja.

III. Distance is your friend
Stupid people, having not learned rule I(c) have a very difficult time traversing distance. Therefore, you should strive to put as much space between yourself and them as possible once they have made themselves known.

There is only one way to do this, and you can figure it out if you have mastered rule I:

Be an expert at Shuriken skill.

Practicing your shuriken skills at home will ensure that you can turn any mundane object into a fearsome long range weapon. Stupid people are always losing things- pens, calculators, spare change- and they will no doubt accuse you of taking them. Turn these lost items into missiles and keep stupid people at bay!

I hope these rules will serve you well. Remember, ninjas are good at fighting many people at once precisely because they only rely on themselves and their training. If they relied on others, then they would be underestimating the true number of stupid people and would then also be stupid and not a ninja.

Yes it is. Unless you're cursed with some medical condition, the brain is just like a muscle, you can develop it as much as you want, be as smart as you want to, but some people content themselves with shrugging things off as "too hard" or "not the way I think" etc.
Yes, sitting in front of a TV all day long will not only turn your muscles into fat, it will turn your brain into mush as well. Throw away your television, if you haven't already. Even the supposedly cultural and educational shows are far beneath the level of a good book on the subject. Or even a basic encyclopedia article. I recommend starting with wikipedia and gradually going from there on to more specialized websites, articles and publications.
Soon you will find that scientists are just normal human beings who dared to make an effort.
(please read "you" as "one", of course, it is definitely not my intention to attack a person I don't even know)

That's a stupider remark.

You think stupid people think stupid things because they want to? They don't have the ability to stop being stupid. Your IQ doesn't really change, no matter how much you study. Making fun of stupid people is bigotry.

Thank you mucho for a wonderful link!

I've always surmised that defining "stupidity" is as difficult as defining "intelligence." The author is spot on. I was very impressed with the Schiller quote: Amen.

Again, thanks for a great link.

Here's some fun reading as a counterpoint.

The more verbose, clinical description of Fundamental Attribution Error courtesy of Wikipedia...

... And a more tongue-in-cheek, not as serious look at it, courtesy of The Monkeysphere. Mind you, that isn't as good as the Wikipedia entry, but it's pretty much the same concept with out the decent references backing it.

I know you are, but what am I?

Eh, if your comment wasn't so lame I would have had more to say to you.

The sad thing is that to be really, really stupid requires a high level of intelligence and awareness, a spotty education and a mistaken notion that being good at something allows a person to speak well about all things, mistaking personal charm with personal value, and a certain righteous smugness.

Ergo, these forums.

That's only the second time in my life I've heard someone use that word in a sentence.
The first was in "The Matrix".

See what shock i'd be in if I hadn't been watching T.V. to hear it the first time

Stupidity has nothing to do with what one knows or doesn't know.

Stupid is thinking one is smarter than someone else. Stupidity is acting superior to others with whom one disagrees.

Many students graduate thinking they know it all, anyone who disagrees with the information they were told is true must be stupid.

So with that I say, if you think someone is stupid, look in the mirror and see the true idiot.

Listen to those who seem stupid, you may learn something.


This is in no way directed at anyone other than myself.

I agree with your first statement but completely disagree with your second and third.

Intelligence is defined not by how much one can parrot or how much information they are ignorant of, but by how facilely someone can use information.

Thinking or acting like you are smarter than someone else is filling an emotional need... as is making excuses for it.

I've never understood this sort of logic. There are many people that are stupid about things. Just because someone tells them the truth about their situation, it doesn't mean the person telling them has some sort of ego issues. Some people are just stupid.

I would say that the person informing the ignorant person (not necessarily "stupid," as I defined it as someone who cannot handle information well, but ignorant) is doing so because, if nothing else, it makes them feel good. It feels good to help people, but that desire to do so comes from something. Desire indicates a need and the desire to help a person isn't removed from that need.

Does that clarify my view?

Nothing that anyone ever does is removed from that need. Everything anyone ever does is done for selfish reasons in the end.

It's wrong to not tell a stupid person that they're stupid. It is the only way that they have a chance of seeing that they aren't smart about things.

Excellent. I agree with the first paragraph.

As for the second, why is it wrong if not for selfish reasons?

You just denied all credibility for all of your stances and posts.Welcome to the Monkey House.