25 Replies to “Too Smart To Fail”

  2. Good article, fairly perceptive.
    You have to start with a model intellect to remanufacture it. Nothing in the post 60s culture/thinking gives me hope of seeing any manufactured (or first hand) intelligence soon.

  3. Simply because there are so many of them.Watch a startled flock of sheep some time, a disturbing number of humans react the same way.
    It’s no secret that Suzuki, like Sagan, makes his followers feel “smart” because he tells them what they want to hear. That’s why he’s “the most trusted man in Canada”.
    “…. tying together absurdities into one synergistic web of nonsense that feels meaningful.”
    Yes.

  4. Manufactured intelligence is a facade, a potemkin village of the intellect. There are fancy exteriors of buzzwords and a stylish uniformity of thought, but the houses are made of rotted wood and the toilets are backed up.
    “If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn’t thinking.” Gen. George S Patton.
    Is there an opposite to the Dunning-Kruger effect? I find that the more I read about economics, medicine, history etc the fraction that I know gets smaller. Each new thing I learn leads to two or more things to learn, each of which leads to two or more things.

  6. “How come they/re telling us what to do?” is not the question, but rather why do we listen or believe, follow or adore them?
    Students are taught to be lazy. We know that most journalists are lazy because they repeat the same talking points. Many teachers may work hard but are academically lazy, pushing what the curriculum specialist tell them. Professors do the same by teaching what they were taught and following what the ‘thought leaders’ in their field are teaching, never straying too far outside the sheep fold so as not to get ostracized. Politicians are afraid of straying too far for fear of provoking the wrath of the herd and not getting re-elected. i believe it comes down to school and parenting. Teaching logic and critical thought, not just being critical.

  7. The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.
    Marcus Aurelius Augustus

  8. Stupidity is a survival trait. Displaying too much intelligence gets you kicked out of the herd, where you get picked off by predators, or may even get you kicked to death inside the herd.

  10. “Intelligence to a modern liberal isn’t depth, it’s appearance.”

    Totally true, and the rest of Greenfield’s essay, even when he’s referring to “Obama Inc.”, resonates as a description of the foot-soldiers on the unthinking, osmotic Lib/left on this side of the border too. I’ve met these sorts of people, in Vancouver and Calgary and Edmonton; their world view is plastered all over the opinion pages of the Globe&Mail, Star, Edmonton Journal, etc., and aired/broadcast, either openly or between the lines in an “everybody knows” tone on CBC/CTV/Global/CKUA/Corus v.2, etc.
    The progressives’ premise is the same as their conclusion, and it need only be reiterated, not defended or debated, because their lexicon of buzzwords (“the environment”, “racism”, “inequality”) amounts to a touchstone that confers (in their minds) superiority and unquestioned certainty about the right to political and social rulership; those with opposing views who wish to debate are just demonstrating that they’re dumb.
    Re Greenfield’s description of this “assumption of an intelligence that “transcend(s) the rational and pragmatic”, in the last year I’ve met three people (they just happen to be women) who embody this assumption: To even attempt to be rational and pragmatic, no matter how graciously and gently, is not only egregiously violative, in their minds — a display of ignorance, a sign that one is difficult, contentious, uncaring, and backwards – but triggers a socially-enforced, quasi-fascist denunciation that – ironically – inevitably entails an accusation/insinuation of fascism.
    Greenfield’s phrase “the sanctification of Third World references” — in effect, the smug usurpation and appropriation of the suffering of others — is especially apt. This tactic – because that’s what it is – is yet another sign of their overarching tendency to believe that they’ve been conferred with an awareness and higher spiritual intelligence, one that, by virtue of being self-evident and inarguable, completely obviates any need for debate or rationality.
    Under the aegis of this hideously time-bound ideology one is superior by virtue of a “self-esteem” predicated entirely on proudly wielding the intellectual equivalent of found objects that one never had to actually search for, but merely had to pick up and parrot. Occasional commenter “John” is a perfect example of this: His contributions are comprised entirely of him parroting to a “T” *every single thing* that one might hear or read in the politically correct Laurentian/legacy media in this country – think “CBC” – while being self-righteously angry that others aren’t so indoctrinated. You don’t need to read any of his comments to know exactly what he thinks on any given topic.
    I find it ironic when certain trolls deride SDA as an “echo chamber.” Even among regulars who are on the same side in a broadest sense, I have never seen a more combative lot, with so many differing opinions. Atheists will debate Christians in one thread, and agree about the lunacy of “stinking giant fans” and green energy on another; social conservatives will have an absolute tong-war with libertarians on one thread, and agree about government overspending on the next. Commenters on leftist blogs, in comparison, tend to “mistake their orgy of mutual flattery for intelligence and depth”, as Greenfield put it.
    Leftists, I’ve noticed, tend to feel “smart” – and self-righteous, and sanctimonious – about holding all the “correct” views, while Conservatives are more likely to feel frustrated that the facts are so consistently elbowed aside by the putative “smart” set on the left, including those in power whose failed policies are never acknowledged, because, of course, they’re just the “smart” things to do.

  11. This is what I’ve been saying all along. Every liberal and lefty organizer and activist knows how this works and exploits it.
    It’s the same principal of motivation that is used by every competent salesman, lawyer and politician in the world. The same for cult operatives like Scientologists and “motivational” speakers and common street hustlers. Low cunning serves for lack of intellect and ability and the effects of a repetitive mantra serve to dampen any nervous objections.
    Cheers Kate!

  12. Because fools are certain,vitriolic and savage about their beliefs, we slightly saner folk, are cursed/blessed with humility,uncertainty and no wish to start a riot over nonsense.
    That is why we seem to be ruled by fools.
    The Libtards take silence as agreement, which is why they never learn.
    When one has to act to remove mendacious fools from positions of authority, half steps are not common.
    Anger,rage even is required to overcome inertia and the fear of ripping the cover off of, the illusion, we call civilization.
    Then it takes another approximately 70 years for the fools to dominate again.
    We have let the likes of Pierre the Idiot , attempt to destroy our country, because we are busy, believe the stupid and evil always destroy themselves and are not in possession of that absolute conviction, that I/we can run other peoples lives for them.
    Especially that extraordinary madness that I can organize your affairs better than you can, using a bureaucracy to do so.

  13. The difference between intelligence and wisdom is unfathomable. With a bit of practice we can all learn a bit of trivia and make ourselves look smart. On the other hand we must spend years in thought and reflection to achieve wisdom. Unfortunately the leftists among us encourage trivia because they lack or fail to understand wisdom and the role it must play in a successful society.

  14. Mutt: Hey Jeff, these smart pills you sold me taste like sh*t.
    Jeff: See, you are smarter already.

  15. In large measure what is being described here is post-modernism. Logic, rationality and observable evidence become secondary or irrelevant to who holds a particular view and what their motivations are. Many of these people claim to be Marxists, yet Marx who tried to root all of his theory in observable evidence would have been repelled at the absence of logic or thought in those claiming to be his followers.

  16. Great piece. Same old story told in an intelligent and thoughtful way, but, same old story. It is us and them. I fear it is going to take a lot of shooting to settle this serious and growing divide. …. Just like they alway do through out history. We should be able to sort all these problems, but only our side is willing and able to employ the logic and reason required. When you can’t talk, you whack. It’s what we do.

  18. I found this a bit of a repetitive ramble, rather than a slap-down rant. But Every policy is right because it’s smart and it’s smart because it’s progressive and it’s progressive because smart progressives say that it is. hits it on the head.

  19. EBD, “His contributions are comprised entirely of him parroting to a “T” *every single thing* that one might hear or read in the politically correct Laurentian/legacy media in this country – think “CBC” – while being self-righteously angry that others aren’t so indoctrinated.”
    This part of the paragraph reminds me of much of the content in Darrel Bricker’s and John Ibbitson’s book, “The Big Shift”. Bricker and Ibbitson make the case in this book that the century old grip of the Laurentian elite, represented by the CBC, CTV, Global, most of paper MSM, and the progressive politicians, has been slipping away the last decade. Most have not seen it coming, but those that do see it are becoming shriller in their attacks against conservative thinking.
    Bricker and Ibbitson write that the driver for this shift has been the increasing number of immigrants that do not share the Laurentian elites progressive (Marxist) vision and are more in tune with conservative thinking.

  20. Yes, the progressive liberal is quite arrogant in the assumption of their rightness and also, the hysterical denunciations, the likes of which we see in other totalitarian regimes, of non-conformists.

  21. Reading this blog post, alongside the daily comments of my colleagues and “progressive” contacts (in conversation or in their social media postings), explains as clearly as anything the rapturous embrace of Justin Trudeau as the next saviour of our nation.

  22. was at a funeral recently and this article reminded me of the thoughts that went through my mind at the time, repeated dogma with no original thoughts what so ever. Liberalism/progressivism is simply religion without god!

  23. Frank Zappa; I am the Slime.
    But the article posted resonates, as the docile arrogance of the Libtard is impossible to reason with. If you ask;Is it true? they react as if you just became the Antichrist.
    If you challenge the groupthink, dare to ask one of the chosen to think, you are the enemy.
    So most people stop wasting their time trying to reason with these people.
    They believe silence is agreement and charge on destroying communities,public wealth and production.
    I can fix most things mechanical or electrical, but I can not fix stupid.
    Some people are so stupid you can only drive them from your life and property by force.
    Due to the PC insanity of human rights, now you a persecuted by people even more moronic, when you are forced to defend life and limb from the entitled ones.
    What does confound my thinking, is the absolute belief of the useless and clueless, that they will be looked after, by society even as they destroy the lives & wealth of all around them.

  25. Very interesting post and quite an interesting exposition of the self delusion that occurs in the political classes. With this assumption of intelligence held by the self-styled “intellectuals”, it’s no wonder that objective measurements of intelligence or scholastic proficiency are being increasingly denigrated. I’d love to see Obozo’s IQ score which is probably an even more closely held secret than his university transcripts.
    Thomas Sowell would disagree with the premise (inferred from the post) that this group of “intellectuals” is dumber than those who don’t hold their views. There are some very bright people inhabiting this reality tunnel to nowhere, but as intellectuals, they live in the world of ideas rather than having any direct contact with physical reality. They are under the delusion that because they can manipulate ideas in such a facile manner, then it should be just as trivial to change reality to meet their goals. Little dissent occurs in such groups as any individuals who have even slightly discongruent reality tunnels are excluded from membership in the elites. What Thomas Sowell proposes is to strip intellectuals of the prestige they currently enjoy. As non-intellectuals Sowell counts engineers, physicians, and other professions whose work always involves dealing with an unyielding reality.
    The other way to consider this aberrent reality tunnel is the discourse in the book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. I know Pirsig is on the right track as any mention of this particular book on a usenet discussion over a decade ago would send the leftists into a rage as Pirsig didn’t have the proper credentials to be writing on such subjects. Pirsig considers that book a failure and made another attempt in Lila but I think that, as a first approximation, his delineation of the classical and romantic ways of seeing the universe it was a good start. An individual with a classical mindset views a motorcycle very differently from an individual with a purely romantic mindset; the classical minded person sees the motorcycle as hierarchical set of systems and subsystems which function together and he also knows how to fix a motorcycle if it malfunctions. A romantic minded individual sees just the motorcycle and is likely more inclined to go with what they percieve to be a pleasing appearance of a motorcycle than one which is easy to fix or reliable. They view the motorcycle as a type of magic chariot with which they can indulge in their travel fantasies and, when the motorcycle breaks down, they are clueless as how to fix it. There’s an interesing section in the book when the romantic member of this cross US bike ride had loose handlebars and the classical member told him a shim wsa needed. It turned out that a piece of aluminum from a pull tab from a beer can was just the right thickness and the romantic was outraged at this potential violation of his motorcycle with a piece of a beer can.
    Another factor in this herd behavior is the increasingly totalitarian schools with their “zero tolerance” policies. We’ve now had 1.5 generations exposed to this type of exceedingly conformist conditioning programs which, in typical 1984 logic, are the exact opposite of what they claim to be. Schools claim to be catering to individuals; that is if the individual behaves as they want them to. Also, “anti-bully” programs are the norm now and, anyone who looks at the situation rationally would quickly ascertain the the biggest bullies are the teachers and administrators.
    The end result of this process is easy to see – the US and other countries in which this process of dumbing down the population exists, will be taken over by countries who are very much in touch with reality and whether it will be the Russians or Chinese who are the eventual victors remains to be seen. Of course, such an event is something that the US self-styled inteligensia has absolutely no ability to predict as such futures are invisible from their reality tunnel.
    Not an easy thing to turn around and, as has been noted above, the process may involve a lot of shooting. The big cities are a writeoff and the best thing to do to survive the inevitable collapse of the dream world of the political class which, once it is too incongruent with physical reality, is to be in a small town where the majority of the population have real-world applicable skills. Learning Russian and Cantonese would be another wise strategy.

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