Common Sense is Dying, Stupidity is Thriving

     You may have noticed some recent news headlines that seem to indicate the common sense is quickly disappearing.

Headlines like the following:

Teen lights himself on fire for an Internet challenge (covers himself with nail polish)

Man sticks pins/needles in meat at grocery store (his comment "Just for the Hell of it")

Man takes selfie holding a gun to his head and accidentally kills himself (obsessed with selfless)

     Unfortunately headlines like these go on and on.  To me it seems like many of society's problem can be attributed to lack of common sense.

     So maybe you could contribute these stupid acts to the undeveloped mind of an adolescent, that would explain a little. However the truth is only one the headlines above was a teen, the 2nd was a 66 year old man and the 3rd a 30 year old.  So only one of those stories could be the result of a brain that is not fully developed.  I'm not sure at what age is our brain fully developed but it is long before you reach age 66, so in his case it is likely something more problematic.

     I find it interesting that all too often highly intelligent people are exposed on the nightly news showing their extreme lack of common sense by doing something stupid.  Maybe instead of just rating Intellectual IQ, we should also be evaluated for Common Sense IQ?  I know raw intelligence is valued but isn't common sense just as important or even more important?  I wonder, Can common sense be taught?  Should we have a class in school called "Common Sense"?

    Many stupid stunts are driven by the desire to be popular or YouTube famous.  It seems many people want only to be famous even if it is famously stupid.  I'm sure some may be offended by me using the word stupid, but my reference is to the stupid act not the person.  Doing something stupid does not make you a stupid person but it could make you dead (reference selfie guy) or disfigured for life (fire challenge).  I often hear people say you should not judge others, true but despite what you think you are judged by your actions.

     
     I like to end with a line from an old John Wayne movie (Sands of Iwo Jima) "Life is tough but it's tougher when you're stupid".  "Just Saying…"