ways that I think people are smart
– the concept of a social safety net. This was a good idea
– all of the effort that has gone into researching and creating vaccines. Very smart.
– inventing chocolate
– nuclear power plants
– Eli Whitney and the cotton gin
– stretch jeans
– Black Friday (bad for us, but oh so smart)
– whoever decided first to milk a cow, try drinking that milk, and then also the subsequent person who thought of mixing chocolate into that milk
ways that I think people are stupid*
*less-than-peak. Sorry I know it’s an ableist slur.
– unregulated social media. I know it’s a work in progress etc etc but it’s really, really, really stupid how we’ve left ourselves vulnerable to misinformation (*cough Trumpism*), anti-vaccine talk, and now, any rando in their basement who decides to upload a piece of artistic yet salient AI
– I think that certain religions have taught people to disengage their minds, in the name of faith, and I can’t say it does anyone any favors exactly
– we have compassion for pets and animals, in general (a very good thing), but somehow don’t have compassion for humans who are suffering in similar or worse ways, because we’d like to think it’s their fault, that they deserve it, and it isn’t anyone else’s job to take care of them. Not only is this cruel and bad, but it’s also stupid. Because the same people who refuse to help, will also complain about having to witness the suffering of said people. It’s almost like they want them to disapp- wait…
– we stopped teaching cursive in schools. I know it isn’t a big thing in the big picture but… it’s also stupid because we have lots of old documents that will soon become illegible to most young people and that’s just sad!!! Also love letters will never go away as an art form, I’m certain, and they’re better in cursive, so. *Shakes head* We’re doing our young ones no favors.
– I think it’s simultaneously smart and stupid to have dissection in public schools. Smart, because anatomy is good to know, but stupid, because… I dunno. I think it’s a much more sensitive topic than the way it’s typically treated. I think it can teach kids to disrespect animal life, depending on how it’s done, and contributes to the idea that animals are “here for us to use.” There needs to be respect, as part of the conversation, and I don’t think kids are old enough.
– factory farming isn’t stupid on the surface, but it’s stupid under the surface, because it removes the dignity of animals, which hurts both animals and humans
– not regulating dangerous chemicals in foods, and our collective shrugging about microplastics. I’m sure our kids and our kids’ kids will look back on us and say, “they ate what?? voluntarily?? ??!?!” about a whole lot of ingredients, especially the ones that we know are dangerous, and keep eating anyway, because we can’t pass legislation to remove them from our foods because people are greedy and don’t want to lose power.
– the way we treat the elderly in our (US) society, I feel like is just sad. It doesn’t treat people with the respect they deserve, and it also de-values aging and experience. Rather than people being held up and lauded for knowing what has come from a lifetime of learning (and being well-taken care of), few people like that receive broad attention. It’s sad, but it’s also pretty darned stupid. Why are we not taking the time, as a society, to learn from people who are with us, who can help us? Why are the elderly often treated as if their life is over? We’ve lost a part of our soul, I think, here.
Ok that’s enough for now.
