A person is smart, people are dumb

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I read about the USA’s Black Friday, and the worldwide embarrassment caused by it. Spraying pepper spray at a line of people top get a video game. Fist fighting females for $1.88 towels. You may not be embarrassed, USA, but the world sure is laughing at you, and you behave like an idiot.In the movie, Men In Black, Tommy Lee Jones said “A person is smart, but people are dumb”. I believe this is true. People are idiots.

I remember the first Pay Per View event, a Mike Tyson fight. I was telling everyone I know, “If nobody signs up, Pay Per View will not exist, and TV will remain free”. Everyone agreed, but nobody could miss one Mike Tyson fight. I have never seen any pay per view program.

Here in Cayman, after Hurricane Ivan, when the theater finally opened, they were charging almost $20 US for a movie. Everyone was outraged. I said, “If nobody goes, not one single person, they will lower the price.” Everyone was pissed, but nobody could miss that new movie. I never went, and that theater went out of business, but the new theater charges about the same, because they know they can get away with it.

Cable TV, there are no moving parts, and once they’re hooked up, there is virtually no cost to the vendor, yet it is a hundred dollars a month. Money out the window and into someone elses pocket. I haven’t had cable TV in 20 years, and I remember when I got it turned off, the fear about how much I’d miss it. You know what? I never missed it for a second.

You know that feeling you get at Christmas? The one where you feel “What if the present I got them is not as nice as the present they got me?” “What if this person gets me a gift, and I don’t get them a gift?” “What if my wife gives me 6 presents, and I only give her 5?” – “I can’t afford it, but I’d better get it anyway.”
Those feelings are what fucks everything up this time of year. Those feelings are what makes us idiots. I’m Jewish, I don’t even celebrate Christmas, but I’m sucked up into it like everyone else around here.

I don’t know the difference between left wing and right wing, conservative and liberal, republican or democrat. I don’t know what a Tea Partier is or WTF is Occupy Wall Street. I’ve seen the pictures of poor ‘ol son’s a bitches holding signs with a sob story and ending in “I am the 99%”

I don’t give a rats ass, 99% of us are idiots, the 1% left over is the ones collecting the money we throw away. I’m tired of hearing people whine about the 1% collecting the money. I’d do more if I could, but I can’t by myself.

I know better, I can see it. But you make me stupid: What if you get me a nicer gift than I get you? I don’t have any money, but I better get out there with the other idiots and get you something, or I might feel bad.

A person is smart, we make each other stupid. We have the power to control, but we don’t use it.

9 thoughts on “A person is smart, people are dumb”

  2. Yup, we are the architects of our own financial misery, alright. Doesn't seem to matter how much money we do or don't have, it's never enough, shameful, but true.That arsehole with the pepper spray does rather put it glaringly into perspective. If we had a similar sale-type day over here, I'm sad to say I'm sure there'd be a Brit version of her acting out just as equally as repulsively as the one over there. Greed is universal.At least hubby and I have solved the Christmas present fiasco – we work out what we both would like together, and see if our budget can run to it. At our age we're happily done with surprises!

  4. I agree with all you said. People are nuts. Who in the world, I'm talking regular people, would go shopping on Black Friday? You can get killed! All us regulars stay home. I'd rather pay more and be alive. $20 for a movie is nuts. I got my new computer for Christmas. Bob bought himself an 05 GTO – don't need anything else. The kids are getting quilts made by me. Grandkids are getting clothes. No toys. That'll be about it here…Three cheers for us regular people!! …debbie

  7. *Never went to a Black Friday shopping spree myself. Always hated it.*People act like idiots due to human nature since fallen man…a sad thing *Funny how people will pay premium prices for junk and complain and balk about prices for neccesities.*We had the great pleasure of kicking cable tv last year out of our lives and haven't missed it at all, including the tv.*We don't celebrate christmas, either because it's a pagan holiday with a "Christian" name. It feels good not to be following the herd into shopping frenzy. Boy! I hate that. I don't even care to get gifts and don't even have to buy any. Buh-Humbug! :)*Politics is all the same to me whatever side it is. I don't even vote.*As for the 1% with all the monies. Trust me, their day is coming at judgement. Nothing wrong with having money, just the way it's gotten.*Personally, we lost our smartness when man turned from God. Therefore, our stupidity comes as second nature.Mark, I feel and completely understand your frustration.

  9. Well I didn't know you were Jewish either! I'm learning all kinds of things today.There's this book I've been meaning to read called, "The Wisdom of Crowds" by Surowiecki. It says that groups of people CAN be smart if four criteria are met – (1) diversity of opinion; (2) independence of members from one another; (3) decentralization; and (4) a good method for aggregating opinions.My brother read it awhile back & I read the first couple chapters. It seemed pretty convincing at the time. I need to see if our library has it. It's kind of confusing, bec. sometimes people seem so dumb (especially in groups). But then sometimes they don't.

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