The Acceptance of Stupidity
I recently listened to some excerpts from Sam Harris’ podcasts where he addresses Donald Trump from the standpoint of the danger of his intellect, more specifically the lack thereof, and totally separating this aspect of the man from the apparent misogyny, racism, and general hatred he seems to not only exude, but foster in his followers. While listening to Dr. Harris (I don’t personally know the man so I don’t feel right referring to him as “Sam”, and given his PhD I think Dr. is more appropriate than Mr.) speak on this topic, he makes some incredibly well reasoned and emotionally detached arguments that I feel anyone would be hard pressed to refute with any argument of substance.
I recently listened to some excerpts from Sam Harris’ podcasts where he addresses Donald Trump from the standpoint of the danger of his intellect, more specifically the lack thereof, and totally separating this aspect of the man from the apparent misogyny, racism, and general hatred he seems to not only exude, but foster in his followers. While listening to Dr. Harris (I don’t personally know the man so I don’t feel right referring to him as “Sam”, and given his PhD I think Dr. is more appropriate than Mr.) speak on this topic, he makes some incredibly well reasoned and emotionally detached arguments that I feel anyone would be hard pressed to refute with any argument of substance.
In spite of that, I still found myself wondering how so many people can see past the obvious ignorance and stupidity of Donald Trump. Then I heard, and read what Trump said to a crowd in New Hampshire this past Saturday and the overwhelming stupidity of his language was something I just could not get out of my mind. So I sat down to start writing something about what I was thinking. Somewhat because I just really wanted to get this out of my thoughts, but also, if I could figure out why I think people are so willing to overlook this blatant stupidity, it would help me to better understand those that support him as a legitimate contender for the Presidency.
So with that introduction, below is the actual transcript of Trump's statements on Saturday, 15 October about wanting to take a drug test before the next Presidential debate on the 19th. No matter who you support, try to read this text with impartiality and really consider your thoughts on the person saying it:
“I think she’s actually getting pumped up. She’s getting pumped up, you understand. In fact we’re going to be talking about that in a few minutes. She’s getting pumped up for Wednesday night. Let’s see. You know. I don’t know. We’re like athletes. I beat 17 senators, governors, all these people. Hillary beat Bernie, although it looks like Bernie got a little bit of a bad deal, based on WikiLeaks, right? But we’re like athletes, right? Athletes, they make them take a drug test, right? I think we should take a drug test prior to the debate. I think we should. Why don’t we do that? We should take a drug test. Because I don’t know what’s going on with her, but at the beginning of her last debate she was all pumped up at the beginning and at the end it was like, uh, take me down. She could barely reach her car. So I think we should take a drug test. Anyway, I’m willing to do it."
My first thought with this was how can anyone hear/read the ramblings of this man and not see his utter stupidity? As I started writing this blog post, I was still struggling with that thought. Then it occurred to me. I hate most of what is on television these days; shows, commercials, even most films. If the aim of the media in question is popularity with the general public, I almost assuredly cannot bare to subject myself to the pathetic pandering and stupidity of it. That however, is the answer to my question. Most people do not feel that way. Most people are at least able to be entertained by the very things I find to be mind numbingly incoherent. I attribute this to the acceptance of stupidity.
Stupidity has become the new standard for the vast majority of media to which the public is subjected, or craves, I’m not sure which came first yet. As a result, most people have taken to the practice of not really listening to what is being said as long as the emotion being conveyed is relatable in some way to what they as an individual are feeling. It seems most people will take emotional validation over intellectual stimulation and challenge regardless of the topic or the consequence of that action. Why is this? Why are people so willing to forego intellectually stimulating situations? I’m working on another post to address this very phenomenon.
For now though, I’ll leave you with this. The next time you watch or hear Donald Trump speak, compare the string of consciousness coming out of his mouth with the next time you watch or hear Hillary Clinton speak. Whether or not you agree with what either has to say, think they are both lying, or any other subjective thoughts, try to compare the actual speech (like I said, stream of consciousness) and really consider the intellect of the two people. I’m not saying emotion, personal validation or any of the other things I’ve written here are always irrelevant, but I am saying, when it comes to the President of the United States, intellectual and cognitive faculties are of far greater importance.
Stupidity has become the new standard for the vast majority of media to which the public is subjected, or craves, I’m not sure which came first yet. As a result, most people have taken to the practice of not really listening to what is being said as long as the emotion being conveyed is relatable in some way to what they as an individual are feeling. It seems most people will take emotional validation over intellectual stimulation and challenge regardless of the topic or the consequence of that action. Why is this? Why are people so willing to forego intellectually stimulating situations? I’m working on another post to address this very phenomenon.
For now though, I’ll leave you with this. The next time you watch or hear Donald Trump speak, compare the string of consciousness coming out of his mouth with the next time you watch or hear Hillary Clinton speak. Whether or not you agree with what either has to say, think they are both lying, or any other subjective thoughts, try to compare the actual speech (like I said, stream of consciousness) and really consider the intellect of the two people. I’m not saying emotion, personal validation or any of the other things I’ve written here are always irrelevant, but I am saying, when it comes to the President of the United States, intellectual and cognitive faculties are of far greater importance.
Tags: #stupidity #donaldtrump #trump #whynevertrump #hillary #clinton #hillaryclinton #politics #America #2016 #president #intellect #donald #maga #makeamericagreatagain #samharris
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