There is no answer to this question. First, it would be a generalization to answer the question. Some people are more stupid than others.

Also, even if you generalize about people, there is still the question: Compared to what?

People generally aren’t stupid compared to bugs. If we are, then the bugs really have us fooled. Bugs don’t build civilizations, at least not compared to people. Then again, bugs can’t blow up the world with nuclear weapons, so they have that on us.

It is easy to blame stupid people for all of the problems in the world. If we are to believe Ettiene de la Boetie of the 16th century, then all governments and dictators rely on the consent of the governed. So if people would just stop consenting, then we wouldn’t live under tyranny.

But there are otherwise intelligent people who go along with what politicians, the media, or society in general tell them. This enables the evil people who seek power to rule over others.

The people who are supporting the tyranny may or may not be stupid, but they are suckers. They are too trusting of people who do not wish them well.

Thinking Others are Stupid

I am catching up on the last couple of seasons of Survivor. This show is over two decades old now. It is my guilty pleasure when it comes to television. I don’t watch much television, but I still enjoy the game of Survivor.

Being athletic is an aspect of the game in winning challenges. You also have to be tough enough to brave the outdoor elements. But the psychology of the game is perhaps the most important aspect.

The one area where I find some players are stupid is in thinking that other people are stupid. There was one scene where a man told a woman on his tribe that he thought everyone was going after him (to vote him out at the next tribal council). When she offered her help, he responded that she should just save herself.

He thought he did this great acting job, yet the woman knew he was completely full of it. The problem was that the guy thought the woman he was talking to was completely stupid or gullible.

I find this true in life sometimes. People are quick to underestimate the intelligence of other people. Of course, when you are into politics, it is easy to think this way. People really are stupid when it comes to politics because the media does such a good job of propagandizing.

Just don’t underestimate people by transferring this to other areas of life. Your aunt and uncle may be diehard Hillary Clinton supporters, but it doesn’t mean they don’t know how to change a lightbulb. It doesn’t mean that they can’t locate South Africa on a map. They may be quite intelligent in other areas of life.

Politics and the Brain

I find that politics really does turn people’s brains into mush. They can be perfectly rational about every other aspect of life, but as soon as it goes political in any way, all sense is out the window.

This is what happened with COVID too. It became political very quickly. Just the act of governments everywhere locking down makes it political. So by standing up for or against lockdowns, you are immediately taking a political position. This is why people lost all common sense.

It is why people were scared to go to the beach. It is why people wore a mask in a restaurant until they got to their seat. It is why there were cardboard cutouts in the football stands instead of real people cheering. So many people couldn’t think straight because it became a political issue, and it was an issue with continual propaganda coming from the establishment media.

It is even worse when the politics has to do with particular individuals. You don’t have to look any farther than Donald Trump for an example. It is hard to get anyone to take an objective look at something when it involves Trump.

While some people really are just stupid in general, I think the overall problem is more nuanced. The problem is more that people are too trusting and too naive. They don’t question things enough. They are too obedient.

Questioning Authority

As Michael Malice said, it is easier to train a smart dog. This was apparent during COVID. I saw fewer people wearing masks in Walmart than in Publix. If you went to a college campus, I’m sure they were everywhere, including outside.

My dog is quite smart compared to many other breeds. He understands a lot of words. When I tell him to sit, he sits. This is good for the dog owner. Maybe it is good for the dog because most dog owners have the dog’s best interest at heart.

It’s not good for people usually. It is typically good for children to listen to their parents when they are young because the parents are trying to protect them.

The problem, especially with politics, is that people are being obedient to others who are evil and seek to rule over them. Sometimes they even seek to do others harm.

If I had been onboard for being “vaccinated” against COVID, and I had some members of my extended family saying they weren’t going to get jabbed, I think I would have been curious enough to ask them why and to do some research to get alternative opinions.

It is amazing how many people obediently took the shots and just assumed they were “safe and effective” without doing any of their own research. They had to have known people who weren’t taking the shot or were having doubts, except for maybe some people who live in a bubble or have a very small circle of friends and family.

The whole problem is a lack of curiosity and too much obedience. So it’s not that we need smarter people. We just need people to use the brain they were given and to show a little curiosity. That would go a long way to breaking the establishment narratives.