There is an epidemic sweeping America. It is an epidemic of stupidity, naivete and short-sightedness. It has infected between 25 to 40 percent of the American people. Higher numbers can be found in some sub-groups which seem particularly vulnerable. I call this disease “Moronitus.” You may well ask where I get my numbers from. The bottom figure for this disease (25%) is the number of people who voted for Trump. The top figure is the number of Americans who in the last Pew Poll gave Trump a high approval rating. I mention some sub-groups have even more Morons. This would include the Republican Party with 73% of its members approving of Trump and certainly groups like the KKK, neo-Nazis, neo-Confederates and other Alt-Right groups which no doubt are almost 100 percent infected by Moronitus.
You may think you know what a moron is, but I doubt it. The conventional definition of a Moron has to do with intelligence. This is wrong. Intelligence is a passé and incorrect means of identifying someone suffering from Moronitus. IQ has nothing to do with being a moron. Let me clarify this.
Morons can be highly intelligent. Morons can be rich. Morons can be good people who love their family and give money to charities. Morons can be lawyers, teachers, judges, blue collar or white-collar workers. Morons can hold high and low positions in our societies. Morons can be greedy, or they can be generous. What then is a Moron?
Well, first, a Moron is a person suffering from Moronitus. Of course, that is a circular definition. More definitively, a moron is a person who believes something without thinking. The three major symptoms of Moronitus are:
- A belief in something without any substantive facts or evidence.
- A belief in something simply because someone told you it was true.
- An unwillingness to change a belief when confronted by overwhelming facts or data.
Those who suffer from the disease of Moronitus tend to fall into seven major categories. There are several other categories, but a clear majority of Morons can be found in the seven categories I am going to describe. Many of the people suffering from Moronitus will be found in more than one category. Some of the other categories I might mention that have many Morons would include:
- Those who believe that guns deter crime
- Those who believe that throwing money at social problems will improve things
- Those who believe that the more military/police we have the safer we will be
- Those who believe that all criminals or people who break the law should be thrown in jail
- Those who believe that we can stop people from taking drugs
The categories above would be interesting to explore, but I want to stick to the seven major categories of Morons. In the remainder of this blog, we will look in more depth at each of the seven categories of Morons or should I say those who suffer from Moronitus.
(A Disclaimer, if you find yourself in one of these categories and are offended — TOUGH SHIT. The truth may just set you free. If not, I don’t give a fuck. If you are my mother, father, sister, brother, aunt, uncle or best friend, a Moron is a Moron.)
The good news is you don’t have to suffer from Moronitus. It can be overcome. However, it will require you to exercise your brain. If you are like so many lazy Americans who can’t get off the couch to get some exercise, exercising your brain might prove to be a very difficult task. Help can be found to those who really want to overcome the disease.
Here then, are the Seven Categories of Morons:
- Racist:
If you believe that some people because of color or ethnicity are either superior or inferior to others, you are a Moron. If you think that people who look like you are entitled to more privileges than others, you are a Moron. If you think, that the only thing needed to overcome racism is to forget the past and move on, you are a Moron.
Racism is not a disease. It is an action of a mind that is warped by Moronitus. A group of people who either believe all the negative things they read about others or who simply accept malicious intolerance that benefits their tribe at the expense of other tribes. Racism looks at the world through the opposite of the proverbial “rose colored” glasses. Racists see everything different than they are as somehow threatening their existence. The racist wants those who are different than they are to be isolated and destroyed.
- Religious Zealot:
If you believe that your GOD is the only God, you are a Moron. If you think that those who don’t believe in your GOD will be smitten and go to hell, you are a Moron. If you think that practicing your religion makes you superior to other people, you are a moron.
God save us from the “True Believers” (To use the phrase from Eric Hoffer) because they are willing to destroy everyone and everything in the name of their beliefs. A True Believer justifies their intolerance and bigotry by the belief that their GOD would want to destroy the “unbelievers.” A religious zealot or True Believer can belong to any religion. Catholics, Protestants, Muslims, Jews, Hindus can all be religious zealots. Look at the world around you and you can see the mayhem caused by these religious zealots. All in the name of promoting “THEIR GOD.”
- Anti-Environmentalist or Climate Denier:
If you think that short-term economic gains are more important than long-term environmental planning, you are a Moron. If you think that humans are not wreaking havoc on the environment with a result of global climatic change, you are a Moron. If your think that Capitalism will do what’s best for the world if left unregulated, you are a Moron.
I could present all manner of scientific data in the hope of convincing a Moron that climate change and global warming are real and are impacts caused by human mismanagement. However, if you are a Moron it would not have one iota of impact on your belief system. Facts, science, evidence and data have absolutely no impact on the thinking of a Moron. Immediate benefits, opportunism, greed, personal advantage and short-term thinking are the only factors that matter to a Moron.
- Sexist:
If you think that men are superior to women, you are a Moron. If you think that women exist for the purpose of taking care of and pleasing men, you are a Moron. If you think that women are too emotional and cannot make good decisions, you are a Moron.
America is not the first, last or only nation to be infected by sexism. However, to this date, America has not had a woman president. According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), which, as part of its annual Global Gender Gap Report (2017), ranked almost 150 countries on gender equality, the USA ranked 49th out of 144 countries in terms of gender equality.
We have too many Morons in this country who think women have come far enough or even who feel that women have gone too far. How many people have rejected the right of women to marry other women or who make jokes about women in non-traditional positions? The #MeToo Movement has shown the low regard that many men in positions of power have towards women. Male icons are falling faster than the one can count as women keep coming forward with accusations of abuse and sexual harassment by men in power. This includes men in high positions in politics, high positions in religious organizations and high positions in corporations. The adage that “power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely” would certainly seem to apply to the use of power to take advantage of women, children and other men.
- Trickle Down Economist:
If you think that poor people are poor because of bad choices, you are a Moron. If you think that the best way to help the poor is by helping the rich, you are a Moron. If you think that a society is better with no rules or regulations to manage income inequality, you are a Moron.
The famous historian and philosopher Henry David Thoreau said that “That government is best which governs least.” Too many so called “free market supporters” think that this means “No government rules or regulations are needed.” They seem to conveniently or ignorantly overlook the last word in Thoreau’s quote which is “least.” Least does not men “none” or not at all.
Adam Smith, known to most students of economics as the Father of Free Market Economics or the invisible hand of the market place (Laissez Faire Theory is beloved by conservatives and those who support the idea of little or no government interference in the market place). However, a reading of his most important work (The Wealth of Nations) would show that Smith was far from adverse to the role of government in the market. The following is a list of government activities which Smith noted in his book as appropriate for government. Keep in mind that when Smith wrote his book, society and the world was a much simpler place than it is now. One can only wonder how long Smith’s list would be today.
Here is a list of appropriate Government activities taken from Smith’s book “The Wealth of Nations”:
- The Navigation Acts, blessed by Smith under the assertion that ‘defense, however, is of much more importance than opulence’ (WN464);
- Sterling marks on plate and stamps on linen and woolen cloth (WN138–9);
- Enforcement of contracts by a system of justice (WN720);
- Wages to be paid in money, not goods;
- Regulations of paper money in banking (WN437);
- Obligations to build party walls to prevent the spread of fire (WN324);
- Rights of farmers to send farm produce to the best market (except ‘only in the most urgent necessity’) (WN539);
- ‘Premiums and other encouragements to advance the linen and woolen industries’ (TMS185);
- ‘Police’, or preservation of the ‘cleanliness of roads, streets, and to prevent the bad effects of corruption and putrefying substances’;
- Ensuring the ‘cheapness or plenty [of provisions]’ (LJ6; 331);
- Patrols by town guards and fire fighters to watch for hazardous accidents (LJ331–2);
- Erecting and maintaining certain public works and public institutions intended to facilitate commerce (roads, bridges, canals and harbors) (WN723);
- Coinage and the mint (WN478; 1724);
- Post office (WN724);
- Regulation of institutions, such as company structures (joint- stock companies, co-partners, regulated companies and so on) (WN731–58);
- Temporary monopolies, including copyright and patents, of fixed duration (WN754);
- Education of youth (‘village schools’, curriculum design and so on) (WN758–89);
- Education of people of all ages (tythes or land tax) (WN788);
- Encouragement of ‘the frequency and gaiety of publick diversions’(WN796);
- The prevention of ‘leprosy or any other loathsome and offensive disease’ from spreading among the population (WN787–88);
- Encouragement of martial exercises (WN786);
- Registration of mortgages for land, houses and boats over two tons (WN861, 863);
- Government restrictions on interest for borrowing (usury laws) to overcome investor ‘stupidity’ (WN356–7);
- Laws against banks issuing low-denomination promissory notes (WN324);
- Natural liberty may be breached if individuals ‘endanger the security of the whole society’ (WN324);
- Limiting ‘free exportation of corn’ only ‘in cases of the most urgent necessity’ (‘dearth’ turning into ‘famine’) (WN539); and
- Moderate export taxes on wool exports for government revenue (WN879).
The above list is taken from the paper: What Adam Smith Actually Identified as the Appropriate Roles for 18-century Governments, by Gavin Kennedy
Kennedy has said that
“Smith’s ideas are still not faithfully represented in modern economics….I am skeptical of classical economists claiming to be his ‘intellectual heirs.’ Even today the ‘neo-classical’ perpetuate the myth of the ‘invisible hand’ and ascribe it to the market. All markets work using visible prices (and cannot work without them!). What then is the role of an invisible hand? That even Nobel Prize winners repeat the canard of the ‘invisible hand’ is disappointing, to say the least. The Austrian School likewise promotes the myth of the ‘’invisible hand’ which is also disappointing.” — Grasping Reality with Both Hands.
- The Patriot:
If you think that Americans are somehow superior to other people or that other nations are inferior to the United States, you are a Moron. If you think that the United States has a right to coerce, interfere with or preach our way of living to other nations, you are a Moron. If you think that God prefers America to other nations, you are a Moron.
It has been said that “Patriotism is the Last Refuge of a Scoundrel” (Samuel Johnson). When all thinking fails whether in diplomacy or politics, fall back upon a belief that your country is exceptional or superior to other countries. You can use this belief as a justification for war, preemptive attacks, embargos, tariffs or undermining the duly elected government of another nation.
Patriotic Zealots have a great deal in common with Religious Zealots. In the name of their country rather than their God, they believe that they have the right to impose their will and ideas on other people. My Country is synonymous with MY GOD. God Bless America and screw the other countries of the world. God prays for victory for America and defeat for its enemies. We are justified in whatever we do in the world because we are superior. In the name of patriotism, religious leaders line up to say victory prayers for Americans because we are the “Chosen People.”
- Trumpists:
If you voted for Trump and still support him, you are a Moron. If you think that because Trump is rich that he is smarter than other people, you are a Moron. If you think that Trump cares about the poor, lower classes or common person, you are a Moron.
Trump has according to the Southern Poverty Law Center (America the Trumped) been able to achieve the following in only his first 2 years of holding office:
- Promoted White Nationalism
- Slashed Civil Rights Enforcement
- Created a Deportation Machine
- Banned Muslims
- Attacked Voting Rights
- Shredded LGBT Protections
- Encouraged Police Abuses
- Revived Debtor’s Prisons
- Undermined Public Education
- Eroded the Rights of Students with Disabilities
I would add to this list:
- Sanctioned Sexism towards Women
- Dismantled Environmental Protections
- Created Greater Income Inequality
- Placed the USA in a Position of Lower Esteem with other Nations
There are those supporters who believe that Trump has managed to improve the economy (A myth fostered by those with little or no economic education) and those who believe that Trump has helped restore America’s Stature with the rest of the world, another myth. In fact, the economic recovery started under President Obama and Trump has merely jumped on its tail end. As for American stature with the rest of the world, we now have the lowest approval rating in recent American history.
“The survey of opinion in 134 countries showed a record collapse in approval for the US role in the world, from 48% under Obama to 30% after one year of Donald Trump – the lowest level Gallup has recorded since beginning its global leadership poll over a decade ago.”
Trump is an unrepentant liar. The sad part is that his Moronic Supporters believe everything he says. Anything he does is viewed by his supporters as being great and wonderful. Most of his supporters are about as simplistic in their thinking as Trump is in his. No amount of evidence or facts will change the mind of a Trump supporter. They are the Penultimate Morons. There has never been a category of Morons in history who are more simplistic and myopic in their thinking than a Trump Supporter.
Well, there you have it. My Seven Categories of Morons. I sincerely hope that you did not fall into one of my categories above. But if you did, there is still hope. You can overcome the Disease of Moronitus by doing the following:
- Question everything
- Look for evidence to confirm or disconfirm your opinions
- Look for opposing viewpoints
- Question authorities
- Read
I fear that I may be preaching to the choir here. If so, please feel free to share this blog with anyone you know who may be suffering from Moronitus. Good Luck.
Time for Questions:
Why should we challenge our thinking? What are the limitations of facts and data? How do we know who or even what to believe? How can we change our world for the better? What difference can we make? Can we make a difference?
Life is just beginning.
“We are in danger of destroying ourselves by our greed and stupidity. We cannot remain looking inwards at ourselves on a small and increasingly polluted and overcrowded planet.” — Stephen Hawking
This week, you will hear from one Jesus of Nazareth. He has been called by many names including: Messiah, Emmanuel, Christ, Lord, Master, Logos (the Word), Son of God and by himself more often The Son of Man. He is often credited with being the founder or perhaps foundation for a popular religion called Christianity. Today, it is difficult to see the link between the teachings of Jesus and many of these so-called Christian religions. I have it on good authority that Jesus never ever preached killing anyone and yet many of these so-called Christian religions are continually waving a banner of mayhem and destruction at those who think differently than they do. Anyway, it is time to let Jesus speak for himself.
I am talking about greed here. I am talking about wanting more and more regardless of the effects it has on the earth. I am telling you that happiness does not come from having more of things. The only true happiness comes from helping others. It is better to share with others who are needy than to amass a fortune that you cannot take with you. Those who berate the tax collector and call him a sinner and cheat are no better than the tax collector. Indeed, those who refuse to pay their fair share for the life they are given are worse than the tax collector. 
I am talking about sin here. I am talking about grieving your mistakes and injustices towards others. No one can walk in this world without hurting others either deliberately or by mistake. But the people who will be comforted in the next world are those who regret their mistakes and injustices and ask for forgiveness. They are the people who acknowledge their sins and mistakes and try to make amends. I was not perfect, and no one born of this world is perfect. The good and just man admits his vices and tries to overcome them. The good and just man tries to make amends to the people he has hurt or abused.
The narcissist and the man full of hubris will do injustice to all they meet. The narcissist thinks that the world revolves around his needs, wants and desires, and is content to ignore the needs and wants and desires of others. The man of hubris is overly prideful and arrogant and thinks that he has earned the right to have more than others. Both feel that everyone else is there to serve their needs and that their needs come before the needs of anyone else. The injustice done by these beliefs amounts to a mountain of intolerance and discrimination towards anyone who is perceived as inferior or beneath their consideration. For this reason, I say “Do not look upon yourself as being better than others. Remember that there but for the grace of God, would you go.”
world. No one who is not seeking righteousness and justice can expect to find peace. I say that your task is to look for justice where there is injustice. To look for goodness where there is wickedness. You can never complete your search. Your hunger will never be sated. Your thirst will never be quenched. Each generation must take up the search because evil is in our own hearts. Only by looking to replace evil with justice and righteousness can the evil that is within us be banished. We are all born with original sin, but the righteous man is the one who overcomes their sinfulness by replacing it with a goodness that transcends earthly needs and desires.
Those who show mercy towards others will have mercy shown towards them. I lived in a time when lepers, Samaritans, non-Jews and many others were thought to be unworthy of mercy. Mercy was always for those in our own tribe. This meant mercy for Jews if you were a Jew. Mercy for Romans if you were a Roman. No mercy was to be shown to the poor for they were lazy. No mercy was to be shown to the sick because they were sinners. No mercy was to be shown to those of other religions because they were “non-believers.”
I say to you that the pure of heart are those with integrity and character. They are without selfishness and seek primarily to do good for others regardless of the cost to themselves. They are not opportunists who try to squeeze the most for themselves at every turn of events. Neither are they sycophants who yield their ideas and actions to others so they can creat more profit for themselves. The pure of heart are not greedy. They are not profit driven. They are not out for fame and fortune. The pure of heart care only about the good they can do for others. Others include the entire human race and not simply those who belong to their tribe or religion or country. Those who put humanity above patriotism, humanity above family, humanity above friendships and humanity above self will surely see God.
Rage, jealousy, ingratitude, intolerance, bigotry and fear are the enemies of peace. Those who want peace must be willing to beat their swords into plowshares. If you follow my Beatitude, you will disarm yourself. You will throw down your guns. You will deactivate your nuclear weapons. You will turn your armies for war into armies for education. There is no peace possible in aggression. There is no peace possible in hatred. There is no peace possible in defensiveness. The only path to peace is to turn the other cheek. How many times have I said you must do this to find peace?
Actions speak louder than words. All those who cry out “Lord, lord” will not enter into the kingdom of heaven. What good is the salt if it has lost its taste? Those who speak beautiful words will not enter my kingdom without beautiful deeds to match their words. I spoke out my ideas and thoughts. I challenged the powers that were corrupt. I was taken up to the mountain and promised fame and fortune and power by Satan if I renounced my beliefs, but I remained steadfast. I was persecuted and crucified, but I never renounced my beliefs. How then do you think you will be saved by being nice to others and by silencing your thoughts in the face of evil? No one who speaks my name should expect to escape persecution. There is no change without struggle and oppression.
Today we have an elite system of schooling whereby the children of the wealthy get to go to charter schools, private schools and high-priced universities that are beyond the incomes of the average person. These schools may still provide a decent education, but they are “not open to the public.” This morphing of schools from democratic institutions to elite institutions did not happen by accident. It became all too clear to many people that the public-school system was collapsing. Anyone who has taught in a public school today knows the chaos and bedlam that is called education in these schools. Discipline has gone out the door and students terrorize each other and even the teachers. The results of the decay of the public-school system has seen the wealthy shift their funding to private schools while those who cannot afford private schools often opt for home schooling. The rise in home schooling parallels the decline of the public-school system.
Teachers sit helplessly by as the school system they belong to sinks slowly but inevitably beneath the waves of societal change. Like the proverbial fish, teachers are the last ones to see the water. Asking a teacher how to fix the system is like asking a fish how to fix the ocean. Adding to the general ignorance are pundits in both the business arena and the political arena who propose solutions based on what worked in the past or worse what they think has worked in the business arena. Thus, we see proposed solutions such as:
Many young people who are now either lost in the present system of schooling or who are ill-served by it would be rejuvenated and excited again. Classrooms would no longer be places where the concept of discipline permeated every minute of instruction. There would be no such thing as failures or dropouts. No such thing as staying back or not passing. No detention or hall monitors. Vocational education, music, art, and drama would be as important as reading and math and science. Poor kids would get the same education as 
rich kids. All kids would find joy and fun in their education since it would be designed to meet their needs and interests and unique abilities. People from two to ninety-two would be able to receive the education and knowledge they need to be effective members of society regardless of whether they had yet begun to work or had retired. Education would be for life. Public funding would be provided throughout a person’s lifetime.
Once upon a time I had more friends on Facebook. I had both Democratic friends, Republican Friends and friends who cared not one whit about politics. Many of all political persuasions were friends who simply wanted to ignore politics. During the run-up to Trump’s election, I discussed, debated, argued, reasoned and fought with many friends who wanted to support Trump. The results were not pretty. Zero changed their minds. I was angry and frustrated.
My first real hero was Ming the Merciless. He had all the primary characteristics of an evil genius. He was a megalomaniac who wanted to rule the world. He was always smarter than Flash Gordon. He had dozens of minions who followed his every order. He obeyed no rules except his own. And finally, he lusted after Dale Arden who was a pretty hot babe for the time. Dale had wonderful blond curls, a great figure and was into bare midriff before it became popular in the 90’s. Flash was a wimp when it came to Dale but Ming the Merciless knew what he wanted and really went after it. I suppose tying women up today would not be proper but if you are an evil genius it is simply part of the expectations.
My second Hero was Dr. Fu Manchu. A character created by the writer Sax Rohmer. Fu was as evil as they came. He was a brilliant megalomaniac. He obeyed no rules or laws except his own. He was alleged to hold doctorates from four Western universities. Unlike the wimpy college professors who one associates with a Ph.D. degree, there was nothing wimpy about Dr. Fu Manchu. He would not hesitate to murder anyone who got in his way. In the 1932 film, The Mask of Fu Manchu, Fu tells an assembled group of his minions that they must “kill the white men and take their women.” Evil geniuses have a knack for thinking big and ignoring the normal bonds of propriety and civility.
As is usual with evil geniuses, Moriarty was always one step ahead of Sherlock. Perhaps because it was still the Victorian age, Moriarty did not have much to do with lusting after women. There was no kidnapping, tying women up or forced kissing in any of the Moriarty tales. However, Sherlock was not much better in the womanizing category and seemed to be a confirmed bachelor. His main relationship with a woman was with his housekeeper Mrs. Hudson which always stayed platonic.
Von Doom. You must love someone with a name like that. Dr. Doom was evil and ruthless and a certified genius. He had many gadgets and inventions that enabled him to defeat an entire pantheon of superheroes. When it came to bad, he took a back seat to no one. Imagine, someone who would let his childhood sweetheart be savagely sacrificed so that he could gain the power to rule the world. Yes, like most other evil geniuses, Dr. Doom was also a megalomaniac who wanted to rule the world.
I have not had time to describe all the evil geniuses whom I have loved and admired. I have given you only a few of the ones who have punctuated my life. I do not have the space to do justice (sic) to some of my other heroes such as Lex Luther, the Kingpin, The Joker, Green Goblin and of course Sauron. By the way, recently we had a female megalomaniac out to destroy the world. It was quite refreshing to see how Hela kicked Thor’s butt from one end of Asgard to the other. But to bring you up to the present, I have now found perhaps the most evil genius in history. He has all the truly great characteristics of evilness. He is also a genius.
publish their lists of the most beautiful people in the world. Beautiful people marry other beautiful people and are constantly in the news. The Kardashians would seem to have few talents except their almost incredible beauty. Rich men marry beautiful women. Beautiful actresses marry NFL football players. Beautiful heiresses marry rock stars while beautiful rock stars marry record producers.
I once asked my MBA students whether they would rather be smart or beautiful. They almost unanimously selected beautiful. I was very surprised but the more I have observed about life, the more it would seem that beauty will get you further than brains. Brains can get you some things but being nerdy is not one of the things that most people aspire to. Anti-intellectualism is a fact of American life as noted by Richard Hofstadter in his famous book: “Anti-intellectualism in American Life, 1963.”
As we both have aged, the process of deterioration taking place in our bodies is clear in the more wrinkled, wizened and paunchy body shapes we now exhibit. While neither of us was ever beautiful by societies standards, we never had any chance of making any top ten beautiful lists before and certainly not today. Nevertheless, when I see my spouse in her pajamas or in the shower or when she cuddles up in bed with me, I can’t help but think how beautiful she is and how much I love her. While I still see the shades of societies standards of beauty in the many young models punctuating my daily life, the beauty I see in my wife is something I cannot describe. It is a beauty that comes from who she is and not how she looks. I only know she is more beautiful to me today than she was 35 years ago when we first started dating.
You can claim as you grow older that you either have regrets or you have no regrets. I have had at least one friend who on his deathbed made the claim that he had no regrets. I admired his attitude very much. I wanted to emulate this attitude as I grew older, but try as I might it has escaped me. I can tell you I have no regrets, but it would be a big lie. I have enough regrets to write a book about. One of my regrets is that I am shorter than my father was. He was six feet four inches 
tall and I barely make five feet eight inches. Mostly though, I wonder what it would have been like to have been born handsome. To have had the looks of Paul Newman, Sean Connery, Brad Pitt or Robert Redford. Would I have used my looks to achieve fame and fortune or would I have simply squandered it away on wine, women and song? How much different would my life have been if I had been a “beautiful” person?
I understand and fully believe that like ingratitude, (Please read my blog on
As Americans, we pride ourselves on being the exact opposite of Communists. In America, we have a democracy. To live in a democracy, means that you are “free” to think for yourself. No one living in a democracy can possibly be brainwashed. In America, “the land of the free and the home of the brave” you will only find people who believe in the truth. The truth is that democracy is the holy grail of political systems. It supports everything that is good about life. In a democracy, all men and women are created equal. In a democracy, everyone can succeed if they only have the right desire. Americans will fight and die for this dream.
UNITED STATES
John: I prefer voluptuous.
Alexa: Mary has some questions for you John.
John: Alexa!
John: Alexa! Where is the best place to get a pizza in Casa Grande for Saturday night?
Aging Capriciously 