Hi everyone,
I've been M.I.A. for a while now on this profile. Recently, I've had to take on someone else's responsibilities at work (just trying to earn a living, like many of you) and it's put somewhat of a clamp on the amount of time I have to keep up with this profile. But today when I logged into this profile to check up on things for the first time in a while, I found the following message from someone here on myspace and it lit a flame inside of me:
I think this myspace is bull shit and why waste your time bashing the President . Just because you don't like him, doesn't mean he's going to resign. I think he is a great president. And the amount of hate in this country is do to people like you hateing Bush. So you should do something worth while, instead of wasting precious time being stupid and complaining. You can make a difference, but not in this category.
She's right -- I can make a difference! And so can you! Which is why I'm changing the name of this profile. Being an activist, a volunteer, and having a good sense of humor are certainly all things we should strive for and things that I recommend pursuing. But, it's come to my attention that there's a much, MUCH, bigger problem facing Americans today (as well as the rest of the world that's forced to deal with us.) That's why I'm changing the name of this profile to "Campaign Against Stupidity (CAS)."
It's time we launched an offensive against idiocy nationwide. In fact, starting now I'm launching a war of my own against a common noun (since that seems to be in vogue these days (see: "War on Drugs," "War on Terror")) -- The War on Stupidity. Only, with your help, perhaps we can actually win this war!
Here's the goal: To convert enough people over from idiocy to competency so that the majority of Americans (that's greater than 50% for those that added me as a friend just to leave disparaging comments about liberals on my profile) can actually think rationally and critically.
My first salvo in this war was the following response to the email posted above:
Please -- PLEASE!! -- read a book (any book), read the newspaper, stop and think about what's going on in the world around you rather than only paying attention to what's affecting you personally. There are far more important things to think about than what 'he said today' or what 'she wore today.' Think critically. You don't have to agree with me. Just be open-minded, learn what's going on in this country and in this world, think from an outsider's perspective (put yourself in someone else's shoes) and then decide for yourself what you think is right. In short, be able to back up your opinions with well thought-out arguments.
You say President Bush 'is great.' Why is he great? That's what you need to be able to tell me. One of the many reasons I think President Bush is far less than great is because he, himself, cannot provide evidence of his accomplishments. He can say we're "spreading freedom," he can say "we're winning the war on terrorism," he can say "the economy is strong" or any number of other things that lack any factual backbone, but guess what? They mean the same thing coming from my mouth as they do from his, which is to say, "jack squat."
Perhaps I misjudged you. Perhaps you have legitimate arguments as to why you're enamored with the President. Hell, perhaps I'm stupid for missing something good about him which you can see, but I to date haven't. But, if you're going to take the time to write me and tell me that I'm wrong, at least take the time to think about it and tell me why I'm wrong. That's all I ask.
--Tim, from AV&H
Please note that recognizing an idiot and then simply calling them an idiot will not help us win the War on Stupidity. You must explain to them why they're an idiot, all the while being careful not to let on that you're implying they're an idiot. In fact, sometimes inferring that you may be wrong helps to mask the fact that you're calling them an idiot -- as long as you get them to think at a level higher than they were initially that's all that matters.
And that's the goal of this war. To raise the level of thought in this country. So, every time you see idiocy, I ask you to challenge it, push it, do anything within your power to raise that person's idiocy to a level slightly more competent. This country, and indeed the world, is counting on us!
Go forward, my friends! Scare idiocy from the deepest recesses of the human soul! Keep it out of our schools! Keep it away from our children! WE WILL DEFEAT IDIOCY!!!
--Tim, from CAS
P.S. Please bear with me as this space comes together.
