Stupid People, Not Technology

If you don’t want to watch the video, read the post.

I know I shouldn’t be this way, but sometimes it just gets to me, you know what I mean? I read an article the other day in the NY Times about people who are getting themselves and the national forest service in trouble using technology. The article seemed to say that without these digital type devices, people would not be in the situations they get themselves into. I think it is just stupid people, not technology!

If you didn’t link over to the article, let me give you a quick rundown. People are using their digital cameras to take pictures of themselves in dangerous places, places like next to a live buffalo, or at the very edge of the Grand Canyon. Then the buffalo charges or they fall off the edge. It wasn’t the camera, folks!

The other thing they seem to do is use their cell phones to call in all sorts of idiotic requests. One camper was lost and cold and called the forest service to bring him a hot chocolate. Another group called and had a helicopter fly in because their water tasted salty! After the third stupid call from this same group, they were forced to fly out of the area.

It reminds me of the story of two girls in Australia who somehow got themselves lost in the sewer and then used their cell phones to update their Facebook page to say they were lost instead of just calling for help. Granted, the girls were 10 and 12, but I wouldn’t put it past a lot of adults. It’s stupid people, not technology.

I don’t think it is the technology that is making people stupid as much as it is just the people themselves.

I live in the state of New York in the US and out state government is so locked up that they can’t pass anything through the state congress. The state was without a budget for 125 days. The legislators are the most incapable bunch I have ever seen. Everyone complains about them, but they keep voting them back into office. Like they got smarter or better since their last term. It isn’t the legislators, it’s the voters that are stupid!

We like to blame everyone and everything else on the situations and circumstances we find ourselves in. Why not look at our own behavior and see if there isn’t something we could have done better, smarter.

P.S. Leave a comment! Let me know what you think, or give us your own stupid people story!