for the kin of the night
the politics of stupidty
I constantly ask myself "why are people so bloody thick?" Most of the time i try not to notice it - in fact most of the time i am completely successful and manage to forget it.
Quite often, in movies we are exasperated by how dense and slow on the uptake many of the character are, and decry the TV show and movie makers for dumbing everything down.
But the truth is, we meet people every day who are far more stupid than fictional protagonists. If just a fraction od characters in a horror movie or action thriller were as dense as the average joe, then the whole movie would colapse into comedic farce.
Why is that?
I am going to suggest something that will sound stupid and far fetched - but just think about it.
it's a conspiracy.
People are generally stupid because stupidity is actively encouraged. thinking for oneself is discouraged.
with a few exceptions, i think most stupid people are quite capable of being very intelligent - but why should they be?
Look at the millions of unemployed. Many of them have ambitions and aspirations. many of them have ideas. with just a little incentive and help, most of them could be valuable contributers to society, create their own small businesses, discover new ideas.
many of them try, but find obstacle after obstacle standing in their way. instead, the state is happy to breastfeed them just enough money to keep them docile and keep them exactly where they are.
at the very least, wouldnt it make economic sense to make further education a requirement to qualify for benefits? or put them to research? but no, nothing that encourages them to use their minds and think is permitted. i know - i've been there.
Yes, we have a state education system, but does it work? does it teach young people how to think? or does it teach them just enough to decide who is useful, and teach as many as possible to obey and go with the flow?
the state system even fails on something as basic as reading and writing. many young people leave education unable to do even that, because it isnt taught in schools. As i recall, i wasnt actually taught how to read or what writing actually is - they just through the alphabet at me, chalked words onto a blackboard, gave us books, and just hoped that it would somehow sink in.
nobody bothered to explain the concept of how it works or even why. When i was taking french lessons at 11, i was introduced to the concept of phonetics. "Why wasnt i taught this at infant school?" i asked. "It's not on the curriculum" was the reply. phonetics are a basic and vital principle in being able to speak and read - yet it isnt considered relevant to education? 99% of education is nothing more than an authority figure saying "remember this". almost all of school work is about remembering something you are told.
How much state education is actually useful or practical? do they teach children how to plant seeds, tend a garden, and grow things? do they teach children how to buy ingredients, prepare them, and cook a basic meal? Do they teach children the basics of health and safety, first aid, lifting and carrying etc? and most importantly, do they teach children the art of investigation? ok - there maybe one or two schools that squeeze one or two of those things in because they have an idealistic and radical head teacher - but they are not on the general curriculum.
I admit that there have been a few projects over the past 20 years that involve putting unemployed people onto nvq courses - some of which are quite useful. but they never go far enough, are vastly underfunded, and constantly being cancelled for no good reason.
its as though the authorities have a fear of success.
Quite often, in movies we are exasperated by how dense and slow on the uptake many of the character are, and decry the TV show and movie makers for dumbing everything down.
But the truth is, we meet people every day who are far more stupid than fictional protagonists. If just a fraction od characters in a horror movie or action thriller were as dense as the average joe, then the whole movie would colapse into comedic farce.
Why is that?
I am going to suggest something that will sound stupid and far fetched - but just think about it.
it's a conspiracy.
People are generally stupid because stupidity is actively encouraged. thinking for oneself is discouraged.
with a few exceptions, i think most stupid people are quite capable of being very intelligent - but why should they be?
Look at the millions of unemployed. Many of them have ambitions and aspirations. many of them have ideas. with just a little incentive and help, most of them could be valuable contributers to society, create their own small businesses, discover new ideas.
many of them try, but find obstacle after obstacle standing in their way. instead, the state is happy to breastfeed them just enough money to keep them docile and keep them exactly where they are.
at the very least, wouldnt it make economic sense to make further education a requirement to qualify for benefits? or put them to research? but no, nothing that encourages them to use their minds and think is permitted. i know - i've been there.
Yes, we have a state education system, but does it work? does it teach young people how to think? or does it teach them just enough to decide who is useful, and teach as many as possible to obey and go with the flow?
the state system even fails on something as basic as reading and writing. many young people leave education unable to do even that, because it isnt taught in schools. As i recall, i wasnt actually taught how to read or what writing actually is - they just through the alphabet at me, chalked words onto a blackboard, gave us books, and just hoped that it would somehow sink in.
nobody bothered to explain the concept of how it works or even why. When i was taking french lessons at 11, i was introduced to the concept of phonetics. "Why wasnt i taught this at infant school?" i asked. "It's not on the curriculum" was the reply. phonetics are a basic and vital principle in being able to speak and read - yet it isnt considered relevant to education? 99% of education is nothing more than an authority figure saying "remember this". almost all of school work is about remembering something you are told.
How much state education is actually useful or practical? do they teach children how to plant seeds, tend a garden, and grow things? do they teach children how to buy ingredients, prepare them, and cook a basic meal? Do they teach children the basics of health and safety, first aid, lifting and carrying etc? and most importantly, do they teach children the art of investigation? ok - there maybe one or two schools that squeeze one or two of those things in because they have an idealistic and radical head teacher - but they are not on the general curriculum.
I admit that there have been a few projects over the past 20 years that involve putting unemployed people onto nvq courses - some of which are quite useful. but they never go far enough, are vastly underfunded, and constantly being cancelled for no good reason.
its as though the authorities have a fear of success.
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