WSJ: "You Are Living in the Golden Age of Stupidity"

Dear readers, please don't fail to read "You Are Living in the Golden Age of Stupidity", by Lance Morrow, in the Wall Street Journal, 29/8/21... even if you have to subscribe! (The WSJ is one of the few American news outlets that provides reasonably fair and balanced coverage of American politics.) 

This is the subhead: The convergence of many seemingly unrelated elements has produced an explosion of brainlessness. And here's the beginning.

"Stupidity," Jean Cocteau remarked, "is always amazing, no matter how used to it you become." 

We live in a golden age of stupidity. It is everywhere. President Biden’s conduct of the withdrawal from Afghanistan will be remembered as a defining stupidity of our time -- one of many. The refusal of tens of millions of people to be vaccinated against the novel coronavirus will be analyzed as a textbook case of stupidity en masse. Stupid is as stupid does, or, in the case of vaccination, as it doesn’t do. Stupidity and irresponsibility are evil twins.

The slow-motion zombies' assault on the Capitol on Jan. 6 was a fittingly stupid finale to the Trump years, which offered dueling stupidities: Buy one, get one free. The political parties became locked in a four-year drama of hysteria and mutually demeaning abuse. Every buffoonery of the president and his people was answered by an idiocy from the other side, which in its own style was just as sinister and just as clownish.

Cable news provided the Greek chorus. American government and politics became cartoons. The Democrats, all unknowing, played Wile E. Coyote to Mr. Trump’s Road Runner. Twice, the Democrats’ Acme Impeachment Committee rigged up the big bomb (heh heh), lit the fuse and held its ears. 

"Trump is crazy!"

"Trump is Hitler!"

"Trump is a Russian agent!"

"Bob Mueller has the goods!"

Both times, the Road Runner sped away. Beep beep!

Of course there's more. The message I take from it is this.

Yes, President Trump told you so! Walt told you so! 1000s of other people, amazed and distressed by the prevailing stupidity, told you so! It's time to put an end to the stupidity. Mid-terms are coming up in just 15 months. You know what to do... don't you?!