No good defense against stupidity

“Against stupidity we have no defense. Neither protests nor force can touch it. Reasoning is of no use. Facts that contradict personal prejudices can simply be disbelieved — indeed, the fool can counter by criticizing them, and if they are undeniable, they can just be pushed aside as trivial exceptions. So the fool, as distinct from the scoundrel, is completely self-satisfied. In fact, they can easily become dangerous, as it does not take much to make them aggressive. For that reason, greater caution is called for than with a malicious one. Never again will we try to persuade the stupid person with reasons, for it is senseless and dangerous.”

― Dietrich Bonhoeffer

A bit of history about Dietrich

Bonhoeffer’s promising academic and ecclesiastical career was dramatically knocked off course by the Nazi ascent to power on 30 January 1933. He was a determined opponent of the regime from its first days. Two days after Hitler was installed as chancellor, Bonhoeffer delivered a radio address in which he attacked Hitler and warned Germany against slipping into an idolatrous cult of the führer (leader), who could very well turn out to be verführer (misleader, seducer). His broadcast was abruptly cut off, though it is unclear whether the newly elected Nazi regime was responsible.  Close to the end of the war in April 9, 1945 out of Revenge, he was executed.

About the Authoritarian playbook

No person has an exact copy of this playbook.  What we do have are the scholars and scientist who documented the actions of Authoritarian leaders in the past.  Each bad leader’s behavior is a bit different.  Accordingly, to understand these behaviors requires us to read, study and learn about history and human behaviors. Lastly, we need to observe and understand what we see happening around us.

Of late…..

We have seen stupidity in action since November 5th, 2024.  So is there a defense against stupidity?  Many have pondered this question.  Stupid people, Carlo M. Cipolla explained, share several identifying traits: they are abundant, they are irrational, and they cause problems for others without apparent benefit to themselves, thereby lowering society’s total well-being. The only way a society can avoid being crushed by the burden of its idiots is if the non-stupid work even harder to offset the losses of their stupid brethren.

But here is the problem (and I don’t use the word issue)

The non-stupid are a flawed and inconsistent bunch. Sometimes we act intelligently, sometimes we are selfish bandits, sometimes we act helplessly and are taken advantage of by others, and sometimes we’re a bit of both. The stupid, in comparison, are paragons of consistency, acting at all times with unyielding idiocy.

However, consistent stupidity is the only consistent thing about the stupid. This is what makes stupid people so dangerous.

But wait, we have tips to understand our opponents

So how do we as a group counter mass stupidity?  Evidently, the first clue is understanding the five laws of stupidity.

• Law 1: Always and inevitably everyone underestimates the number of stupid individuals in circulation.
  
• Law 2: The probability that a certain person be stupid is independent of any other characteristic of that person.
• Law 3: A stupid person is a person who causes losses to another person or to a group of persons while himself deriving no gain and even possibly incurring losses.
• Law 4: Non-stupid people always underestimate the damaging power of stupid individuals. In particular non-stupid people constantly forget that at all times and places and under any circumstances to deal and/or associate with stupid people always turns out to be a costly mistake.
• Law 5: A stupid person is the most dangerous type of person. And its corollary: A stupid person is more dangerous than a bandit.

and there you have it – thank you Carlo M. Cipolla!  Here is a YouTube talking about a very stupid person.  This got me writing and researching this morning. Thank you Lawrence O’Donnell we are proud of you!

Therefore, We can do nothing about the stupid. The difference between societies that collapse under the weight of their stupid citizens and those who transcend them are the makeup of the non-stupid. Those progressing in spite of their stupid possess a high proportion of people acting intelligently, those who counterbalance the stupid’s losses by bringing about gains for themselves and their fellows.

Declining societies have the same percentage of stupid people as successful ones. But they also have high percentages of helpless people and, “an alarming proliferation of the bandits with overtones of stupidity.”

About Learned Helplessness

So the main key for us is the fight against feeling helpless.  Learned helplessness is a mental state where someone who is forced to bear repeated adverse situations, becomes unable or unwilling to avoid these situations. This happens because past experiences have made them believe they don’t have the ability to avoid them. Essentially, they’ve trained themselves (and their brain) to believe they have no control over the situation, and so they don’t even try.  Filling our minds with limiting beliefs of what we’re able to achieve (or not) is dangerous. It generates a cycle of self-defeatist thinking. And when caught in the middle of this cycle, your motivation and overall productivity will inevitably start to suffer.

Coping skills to counter Learned Helplessness

First, I will share my experience in the past with a relationship I had.  After 14 years, I suffered depression and was unable to work or even function.  This was due to a person who had a personality disorder.  My road back was difficult and I still suffer after 29 years.  The fight to be functional is difficult.  However, I do it daily.  You can too!

Method 1: Adopt an optimistic explanatory style

You need to first identify your characteristic explanatory style. This refers to how you explain the events that happen in your day to day. The patterns of this are tightly linked to learned helplessness. It all comes down to differences in optimism vs. pessimism.

Method 2: The ABC Method for reframing negative situations

When faced with disappointment or any sort of negativity, you can begin to change your helpless and pessimistic perspective by using the ABC method developed by Dr. Albert Ellis and Dr. Martin Seligman. This method allows a more flexible response to negativity and is the perfect next-step antidote to the defeatist mindset of learned helplessness.

Here’s the step-by-step process to strengthen your optimistic thinking:

• A- Adversity

• • • Describe the event that happened. Here leave out any evaluations or judgments. Simply put a description to the event that happened in a way that’s as unemotional as possible.
    • For example: “A team member missed an important deadline and put us behind schedule for the rest of the checkpoints.”

• B- Belief

• • • Explain how adversity was interpreted. Not how you think it ought to be, but what your default belief/interpretation was.
    • For example: “I can’t believe they are so selfish and are unwilling to take the business seriously … it must be a sign of their overall lack of dedication.”

• C- Consequence

• • • Think about the feelings and actions that result from these beliefs. Go back with a level of introspection and ask yourself how you handled things. Dig deep. How and when do those emotions/feeling lead to certain behaviors and actions.
    • For example: “I’m overcome with anger and frustration. I feel betrayed and discouraged. I noticed I began raising my voice and I became hostile towards the team member.”

• – Disputation

• • • Do you have any grounds to dispute these automatic reactions? What are the possible repercussions of following through on those emotions? Think about whether there are greater benefits to moving on from the situation and stopping that baseline (often impulsive) response in its tracks.
    • For example: “Maybe I am overreacting here. I don’t know what the exact situation is. Maybe he/she has had a really stressful week, tried to get the work done but ran into some issues along the way.”

• E- Energization

• • This is the last step that’s done when successful disputation occurs. Did you manage to turn things around? Put all your focus on the positive feelings that ensued as a result of reframing your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Ask yourself, what’s different between how I just handled this situation versus how I would normally handle it? Relish in those personal rewards.
  • For example: “I feel proud of myself that I was able to intervene in my automatic reactions and stop my reactions part way through. I’m happy that I’m accomplishing more by looking at things in a more reasonable manner.”

Method 3: Use the SMART method to feel in control

You gain control with being Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and lastly Timed.

Here is a link to the SMART method.  You can download the paper and I suggest read it and follow make plans.  This helped me more than the 12 Week year and bullet journal. Some times we have to revisit our past to see a better future.   Sadly, this paper is written in APA format and is not easy to digest and read.  In a future post I will break down each step.  However, the choice is yours to make!

Summary

The key to fighting learned helplessness caused by Authoritarian leaders, becomes a personal journey to empower yourself.  Well, I am going back to my work.  I am taking my power back and getting energized!  You can too!  Best wishes on our journey!

About my Blog/Articles

Note – My posts use the  Gunning Fog Index.   I attempt to keep my articles easy to read, but I do use 3+ syllable words which does up my Gunning Fog Index rating.  My posts use Lexend font, one of the easiest fonts to read.  Please feel free to share these posts with friends.