Just ain't smart enough

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
The title refers to me, not you. I am the one not smart enough. You may, after reading this piece, decide that you too are not smart enough, but I leave that to you.

I have met a few other people who are also not smart enough. Mark is the one who comes to mind immediately. He and I worked together at a newspaper years ago.

When he informed me that he was not smart enough, I was quite surprised. But since then, I have come join him.

You are probably wondering what Mark and I and a few other people are not smart enough about.

Before I tell you, I have more information to share.

When I tell people in person, their eyes glaze over. It's like I'm suddenly speaking a foreign language or discussing quantum physics. They immediately tune me out. Most will then shift the subject to something they and I are smart enough to handle. A few just quit talking altogether.

A very few people look at me with an astonished incredulous visage. I actually had one person say to me "Well how do you know what is going on?"

At the time I tried to explain it. Nowadays, I won't bother explaining, I'll just say "How do YOU know what is going on?" and then invite the person to question me about pretty much anything of substance, relevance and importance.

I admit here that what is important to me is not important to someone else. Same thing with relevance. That is why I include the word "substance." Substance means of significance, importance, weight, of major impact and lasting implications.

I just like this image.

With those provisos in place, there are certainly lots of topics I don't know much, if anything, about. Professional and collegiate sports; celebrities (any time I use celeb references in my stuff, I have to check with someone else to make sure I'm using such references correctly, then I promptly forget them), talking heads like those on cable news networks (see parenthetical note immediately preceding).

Got any idea yet of what I'm not smart enough for? I'll give you a hint. Federal regulation and cathode rays.

Any closer?

Another hint. Outside Adel there is a billboard on Highway 41. It says "Save money! Get rid of cable!" The rest of the information urges people to contact an internet service provider.

Closer?

Ok try this.

 
How about now?

Yep. I am not smart enough to watch television. I used to be. Watched it for hours a day. But I haven't been smart enough in years.

And some people are now quite offended.

"But all you have to do is turn it on and sit there and watch," you say.

Interesting. How does this profit you? How does it make you a better person? How does it edify and educate you and in what way does it elucidate? Never did much for me.

Yes, yes, yes, I admit there are a few things on TV which are superlative. My brother actually learned to read watching Sesame Street and the Electric Company (which surprised his kindergarten teacher to no end). Documentaries can also be good stuff. I actually do miss watching Mythbusters every now and then.

But for each TV event which does inform you, educate you and give you information you can actually use to make informed and intelligent decisions to make the world a better place there are 1,000 events which at best do nothing and at worst render you incapable of independent thought.

Even those TV events which are worthwhile are bracketed by spewing fountains of electronic compost, also know as a commercials.

You are now asking what I do since I don't watch TV. I listen to the radio, mostly National Public Radio and I do that while I either work or read. I read several books a week. I read newspapers, hard copy and online.

I listen to NPR because it has no commercials, very little blather and no idiot news as compared to other major broadcast news sources. I define idiot news as things like Charlie Sheen's most recent meltdown (if I got that right). NPR also gives me more detail than any other broadcast medium, which I then take and go in search of more information on topics that are important to me. In other words I don't take NPR's word for it, I go research for myself.

Do you take what you see on TV and go do research on it? Or do you take the TV as gospel truth?

Really?

If TV news is that untrustworthy and bad why do you keep watching it?

I also write. You see part of how much I write each week in this forum.

As for being informed by television, g'head. Pick a topic of substance, relevance and importance. Pick one. We'll discuss it. You can decide for yourself if I am informed or ignorant on such matters.

I am not criticizing you if you watch TV. This is your choice. I only say I'm not smart enough to watch TV. There is far too much I need to learn before I can start watching TV again.

"All I know is that I know nothing."