"...two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe..." -- Albert Einstein

 We appear to be in a virtual Pandemic Of Stupid these days, evidenced from the top down. Sadly, this stupid too often manifests itself as cruelty in the guise of fascism and other maladies including out-and-out racism too few bother to even hide anymore. It's supported by the uneducated (advanced degrees seem to make little difference) and willingly ignorant, who are pretty easy to recognize.

 As in 1994's Dumb and Dumber, it's too often easy to make fun of all this. The Three Stooges made it their schtick a century ago, setting themselves up as "how stupid can you be?" then demonstrating. Where we start running into trouble is when this demonstration turns into 1) public policy and/or 2) (worse) behavior that can threaten family stability and future.

 Of course, we each have our own episodes and histories of (let's be honest here) Just Plain Stupid activities. Fortunately, time tends to be a very good teacher. Until it's not, and goes simply unrecognized by someone responsible (often with good intentions). Here's where things can get complicated in a hurry, as those standing around watching are hesitant to get involved for fear we might oh-fend someone. Mendacity can be suffocating.

 Too often, those most guilty believe they're the smartest people in the room. This makes them unreachable on nearly a daily basis, setting up unneeded obstacles that too often never go away. This is why any psychologist talks about the importance of boundaries. We need to establish and hold to them or risk getting sucked into a vortex not of our own choosing.

 It can be a daily battle best fought with diversion and focus on what positives we can find.

"...smart people learn from everything and everyone, average people from experiences. Stupid people already have all the answers..." -- Socrates (though some say Voltaire)