The Hypocrisy of Stupidity

The most infuriating thing to me about stupid people is not so much the stupid things they do (which are very annoying) but rather the indignation they feel when their stupidity leads to bad things happening to them.

I was walking to a local watering hole one evening to hang with a friend. I reached an intersection where I needed to cross the street. The light was red, so I opted to wait. This may not sound like an amazingly brilliant decision to you, but it is a critical component of the story.

You see, a man on a bike needed to cross the same street I did. Rather than waiting, he just rode on through. There was no traffic coming, but there was a woman in a car turning right on red. She looked to her left to make sure no traffic was coming, then, seeing it was clear, started to make her (legal) right on red.

This of course put her path and Mr. bike rider’s path in direct conflict. As she started her turn the bike dude was directly in front of her car. She slammed on her breaks, he swerved, and disaster was narrowly averted.

This is when the story gets truly spectacular. Bike dude starts yelling at the driver to “watch where you’re going.” He gives her the “angry eyes” of a man who enjoys conflict. She apologizes to avoid further conflict, he fumes as he rides off, and she continues on her way.

Who was wrong in this situation? Frankly, both people. And here’s what we can learn:

Lesson #1 – Don’t forget to account for other people’s stupidity

The woman was wrong because she looked left and then started her turn before completely looking back. In her mind the way was clear because since the light was red, there should have been no one in the intersection. But really, if you have driven in the city of Philadelphia for more than 5 minutes you know that people will not always win the good citizenship award for traffic flow.

You may do everything right, but other people’s stupidity can still mess with your Zen. Never discount this factor as you move through life. This is why I still, and will always, look both ways even when crossing a one-way street.

Lesson #2 – If you do something stupid, don’t get mad if stupid things happen to you.

As wrong as the driver was, I still find the bike dude to be more of an idiot, if only for his reaction afterward. You may disagree, but think about it: you are at a red light, you do not have the right of way, and you are not allowed to cross. On the other side of the street you see a car with it’s right turn signal on. You decide to cross anyway, completely discounting the possibility that the driver may be preparing to turn right on red?? Then, when your stupidity almost gets you killed, you have the audacity to flip out at someone else??

Basically, when you throw a hissy fit after your stupidity leads to stupid things happening to you, you are saying to the world, “I am so angry that you did not properly compensate for my stupidity!”

At some point the government needs to step in and build a commune for people that dumb…

The Motivational Smart Ass’s Simple Rules for Life Success

It’s really not that complicated:

1. Don’t do stupid things
2. Take into account that others will do stupid things
3. Be cautious in confronting other people’s stupidity, because they will be too stupid to follow your logic and just get mad at you

Follow these rules and you should a happy, less-stupidity filled life….