(So this is my first serious go at a blog post. There are probably some redundancies and contradictions, but I think I made my point valid and clear. I'm not a writer. I'm just a guy who's very good at spotting problems and easily pissed off)
The sad thing about the western world is that the bar has been set so low by reality TV and celebrity scandals that the people who lack the cognition necessary to make important decisions are put into positions of power and are horribly inept at what they do. They're deluded into thinking they're smart and because they're usually the loudest in the room, similarly limited people flock to them. Then you get moronic groups like the Tea Party pushing political agendas and winning.
The problem, I think, is the stigma surrounding being "dumb". A hundred years ago it was the opposite. Manual workmen and blue collars commanded more respect than your average pencil-pusher because manual labour was more necessary than innovation. I'm not trying to downplay all of the scientific progress made throughout the twentieth century but the truth is that at the time, sheer manpower could survive without scientific progress but the opposite was untrue. Now that the tables have turned, I feel that it's the responsibility of smarter people to be a bit more respectful towards those who aren't, since according to ourselves, we're smart enough and aware enough to realise this is a problem and to do something about it....right? Go figure.
Now let's define intelligence! Actually, let's not. I could go on about semantics on the different types of intelligence and how each one is special and how we're all beautiful, perfect little snowflakes who should follow our dreams, but here's the truth. Some people are good at certain things and some people are bloody terrible at those exact same things. I won't ask a lumberjack to perform heart surgery, nor will I ask a poet to act as my defense attorney. Both people, with the proper time, training and dedication, are probably capable of doing those jobs. But, they'd never be as good as someone who's in their comfort zone. These examples pretty bad, but the idea is the same. Leave the carpentry to the carpenters.
The social pressure to be "sciency" however (at least where I live), is so crushing that people feel compelled to strive for scientific careers even if they suck at them. We even come up with names for the bluecollar jobs to make it sound like they've achieved something on par with getting a fancy university degree. Those who work manual jobs often do so reluctantly as a result and are ridiculed by the "educated" elite. The thing is, a good portion of the educated elite are just lumberjacks wearing lab coats. They work 5 times harder than those who are born scientists and achieve much less. They grow frustrated with their stagnant careers and take it out on those classed lower than them by our arbitrary bullshit system. And the cycle of idiocy continues.
The existence of the internet makes this much worse. For instance, I'm sure you're all familiar with the I fucking love science page on facebook that absolutely everyone seems to love. The intentions behind it are good, but it propagates this ridiculous pseudo-intellectualism on a massive scale. People who aren't scientifically inclined read a tidbit about some radioactive bird or how we cured something we didn't think was curable. Then they share it, put some sort of witty one liner in there and pat themselves on the back. "Hey guys there's this frog in South America that shits out it's own intestines to ward off predators. Wow, look at me guys. Look at how scientifically literate I am. Am I cool yet?" If you think I'm making this up, go read some of the comments there. It'll give you an idea of the caliber of people I'm talking about. But be prepared for the months of chemotherapy that you'll have to undergo after that. Then there's the nerd memes. OH GOD THE NERD MEMES!!! I don't know when or how this deluded sense of superiority came from being a nerd. What the fuck is this shit? Or this? I'll tell you what it is. It's blatant pandering to a degenerate sub-culture and a detriment to scientific progress. Liking a fucking facebook page doesn't make you a nerd. It doesn't make you smart either. Being a socially awkward beta with good math skills and a serious case of anthrophobia makes you a nerd. But, I digress, the whole point of this is that some people are stupid and stay stupid. No matter how many science pages you like or how many syllables your job title has, you will stay stupid. Like Georges Brassens said: "Quand on est con, on est con."
And you know what? That's ok.
At the end of the day, every one of us is just a series of electrical switches that meet up in the frontal lobes of our respective brains and give us our experience of consciousness and the illusion of our mind. What does it matter if one individual's synapses are very good at breaking apart complex math equations and solving them while another person is more adept at muscle memory and crafts? We're all cut from the same cloth. The reason why North America is falling behind in terms of innovation is because everyone is trying to be smarter than everyone else without actually being smarter. People aren't content with being what we deem as stupid and therefore, we don't have enough people willing to do the physical jobs to sustain and encourage our economy. Those who do, we treat like shit. Too many people are either at desk job careers they hate or just depressed and indecisive with no career and on welfare. Our idea of intelligence and how we value it is toxic, completely arbitrary and unfair to everyone in our society.
So before I leave, I have a message for all you pseudo-intellectuals out there who take part in this convoluted and ignorant "intelligence" culture. Thinking you're smarter than Honey Boo Boo's mom (who is a character, not a person) doesn't mean you're intelligent. Frankly, she's making tons of money off of the retards who watch her show and laugh at her. She's getting her daughters through college and securing her financial future. Who's the idiot now?
