Dear Friends,
It seems to me, if not for unaccountable positions, the stupid (ie. Bonhoeffer’s definition) would have zero job opportunities. A stupid janitor would be fired on his or her first day for some stupid act. Like knocking over a server rack to mop behind it. A janitor is held accountable and there are consequences for their actions. It’s only where a person is unaccountable and faces no consequences that the stupid can have career opportunities. That’s why wherever there is a position insulated from reality you will find a concentration of stupid people in it. Jobs that are above the law are ideal in this respect. Careers like bureaucrat, politician, and political commissar (a modern NGO). This is because these are ideal career opportunities for the stupid. Insulation selects for stupidity.
People are attracted to jobs that suit their skills. Those without skill then seek positions of power. These are jobs where skill is irrelevant. This is why there is a Pareto Distribution of managers that create negative value for the companies they work for. A lack of skill is one thing, but outright stupidity is another. There is an old saying, those who can, do; and those who can’t, teach. So those who can’t, we can presume also become regulation inspectors. A politician need have no skills whatsoever other than charisma. Then again, charisma is a quality or attribute not a skill. The thing about skill is that it comes with a presumed level of accountability and consequences in the event of failure. A plumber who breaks something is obligated to fix it for free. A bureaucrat, not so much.
The stupid are ill suited for any position that requires accountability or consequences, because their actions would get them fired. In government, where there are no consequences or accountability even for killing millions of people in a blunder (as Fauci did), stupidity can rise to the greatest elevation. This is because there is no ceiling to it. Moreover, in an echo chamber, only the stupid are allowed to speak. The wise are threatened with violence, and so, as Confucius said, a fool takes a dangerous path when a safe one is available. So the wise eschew the echo chambers of stupidity. This leaves them to the stupid. What material is better suited to make an echo chamber than ivory? An ivory tower is not only made of the ideal stuff it is the ideal shape to amplify the stupidity.
If stupid people face accountability or consequences they would learn not to be stupid. That means that for a person to remain stupid they must be insulated from the results of their actions. Upon leaving the ivory tower, George McGovern lamented, “I wish someone had explained the real meaning of the payroll tax…” Something may sound great in an ivory tower but absurd in reality. This means that when someone continually contacts reality they must lose the sharp edges of stupidity. Those edges are worn down. A stupid person gets in accidents teaching him or her not to act stupidly. They create problems for themselves and everyone around them so they learn not to act that way. Moreover, ridicule of stupidity is a strong motivator not to be stupid.
You have to feel sorry for the stupid. We were all stupid once, and we are all stupid on occasion, but the deeply stupid are a sorry lot. John Wayne once said, “Life is hard. It’s harder when your stupid.” So we shouldn’t be surprised that bureaucrats, politicians, and commissars are largely made up of stupid people. There is no reason for them not to be… and strong incentive for them to be. The thing is, government isn’t a jobs program for the stupid. It has become that, but government has a real purpose, that being a jobs program undermines. So while I feel sorry for the stupid, I believe we need to put consequences and accountability into government careers, just like any other career. That alone would disqualify 80% of those in government today. The dole can support the stupid.
Sincerely,
John Pepin
