“Stupidity” raises fundamental human questions. What is stupidity? Is stupidity mainly a psychological issue? Are there social roles where stupidity is expected and/or rewarded? Can stupidity be a positive trait or always negative? Who defines that someone is stupid? Can someone “graduate” out of stupidity? Are there different kinds of stupidity? What are the Darwin Awards? What are the differences between Leadership-Induced Stupidity, Structure-Induced Stupidity, Imitation-Induced Stupidity, Branding-Induced Stupidity and Culture-Induced Stupidity?
Actual examples are plentiful. Christopher Exley of Everett, Washington, was arrested for conducting a drug deal over the phone–in the bathroom of the Everett Police Department.
Pacific Airlines’ brilliant advertisement “You’re scared of flying? So’s our pilot!” ad campaign led the airline to bankruptcy within two months of the campaign’s inception.
In August 2006, Darrel Rodgers was treated at a Bloomington, Indiana, hospital for a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his left knee. Rogers explained that he shot himself seeking to relieve the pain in his knee, which probably stemmed from shooting himself in the same knee ten years earlier.
The Martin Luther King, Jr., celebration in Florida, where a plaque was unveiled that was intended to honor the actor James Earl Jones but instead read, “Thank you James Earl Ray for keeping the dream alive” (an unfortunate slip-up, as James Earl Ray was King’s assassin).
A social worker instructed a parent to help an uncommunicative child to talk by pretending (playing stupid) not to understand their non-verbal requests.
How hiring a “smart” candidate doesn’t mean they are immune to doing stupid things. By compelling employees into defined roles that don’t necessarily suit their skill sets, discouraging constructive feedback by subordinates, and advocating for the conformity of procedural norms, businesses handicap their employees’ full potential for productive and constructive input.
The class will be discussion, with some lectures. Preparation time should be about two hours weekly.