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The 5 Basic Laws of Human Stupidity Delving into
a fascinating and cutting theory. The
Basic Laws of Human Stupidity is
a short essay written by the Italian economist Carlo Cipolla. The first
edition was written in English and released in 1976. Originally, it was
intentionally distributed only among his friends on a confidential basis. The
reason is simple. That book was intended as a sort of joke, where he faced a
few serious topics in a lighthearted and not-to-be-taken-too-seriously way. The most
famous excerpt is the one on human stupidity. When addressing such a sensible
theme, he came up with an extravagant and interesting theory, which earned
him incredible success. Not only was the essay officially published, but it
was also translated into many languages and distributed worldwide. Now, it
represents a milestone on the controversial topic of human stupidity. Let’s dive into the 5 basic laws of
human stupidity. First Basic Law Always and inevitably everyone underestimates the number of stupid individuals
in circulation.
Stupid
people exist, but according to Cipolla you may be deeply underestimating
their number and influence in our society. He was so strongly convinced about
this that he asserted that “any numerical assumption would turn out to be
an underestimate”. This statement was obviously an exaggeration, part of
his playful writing style. On the other hand, such an idea should not be
taken too lightly. After all, this is not the first law by accident. Please,
think about all the people that you had judged intelligent, before realizing
they were actually behaving stupidly and obtusely. If you are still not
convinced, Cipolla suggested an experiment. Go out in the street and see how
many people insist on obstructing you for no apparent reason. What would you
call their behavior if not stupid? Second Basic Law The probability that a certain person is stupid is independent of any
other characteristic of that person.
Cipolla
considered stupidity as a human characteristic, like having blond hair or black
eyes. Consequently, it cannot but be distributed roughly equally in all walks
of society, regardless of people’s level of education. “Whether one
frequents elegant circles or takes refuge among cannibals, whether they lock
themselves up in a monastery or decide to spend the rest of their life in the
company of a beautiful partner, the fact remains that they will always have
to deal with the same percentage of stupid people”, he concluded. In this
pessimistic view, human beings are doomed to deal with stupidity. Also,
according to Cipolla, there are no safer places or solutions to avoid it. The
only thing you can do is accept this and live with it for the rest of your
existence. Third Basic Law A stupid person is one who causes losses to another person or a group
of people while they gain nothing or may even suffer losses.
Carlo
Cipolla considered this the golden and most important law, never to be
forgotten. He did not consider stupidity a matter of IQ, but rather a lack of
relational skills. In particular, he believed that it is possible to classify people based on their behavior.
Stupid people are the ones who harm others and often themselves. On the
contrary, the behavior of intelligent or overly naive people is aimed at
helping others.
Specifically,
he believed that stupid human beings behave in an irrational and
difficult-to-understand way. This does not mean that their actions do not
have an impact on your life. On the contrary, you are very likely to remember
people who hindered you, causing you difficulties, frustrations, and
suffering. What is even more surprising, that such stupid people may not even
gain anything from their behavior. In fact, Cipolla stated that “there
are people who, by their illogic actions, not only cause harm to other
people, but also to themselves. Such people belong to the genus of the super
stupids.” Fourth Basic Law Non-stupid people always underestimate the damaging power of stupid
individuals. In particular, non-stupid people constantly forget that in any
time and place and circumstance dealing and/or hanging out with stupid people
always turns out to be a costly mistake.
To make
this law clearer, Carlo Cipolla added that “stupid people are deadly
dangerous because reasonable people find it difficult to imagine and
understand stupid behavior”. In such a view, stupid people’s attacks
always catch intelligent ones by surprise. This makes it even more difficult
to come up with a rational defense. On the other hand, this would be of
little use since illogic actions cannot be understood using logic. As a
result, by underestimating their power, you are vulnerable and always be at
the mercy of stupid people’s unpredictability. He was also convinced that
intelligent people tend to think that the stupid ones can only harm
themselves, that they are immune to their actions. This is a huge mistake
making reasonable people feel invulnerable, dangerously lowering their guard. Fifth Basic Law Stupid people are the most dangerous type of people.
This law
comes as a natural consequence of the previous and fourth basic law. Also, if
you have no clue about what Cipolla meant here, he made it even more obvious
by adding the following corollary: A stupid person is more dangerous than a bandit.
Of the
five laws seen so far, this should be the most understandable and reasonable
one. In fact, common sense tells us that intelligent people, no matter how
hostile they may be, are predictable. In contrast, stupid people are not.
This subtle difference makes stupid people incredibly more fearsome than
intelligent people. In conclusion, this should be regarded as a kind of
compendium of his entire theory on human stupidity. Conclusion
The
Italian economist Carlo Cipolla taught us that by using only irony and common
sense, it is possible to conceive captivating ideas. As we have just seen, he
was able to lightheartedly address human stupidity in a clear and incisive
way. By summarizing such a complex and controversial subject in five basic
laws, he devised a genuine and fascinating theory. Initially shared only with
his friends, that theory became internationally known, and it is now studied
in many disciplines. Although it should not be taken too seriously, this theory is something to keep in mind when inevitably hampered by human stupidity. |
Sunday, March 6, 2022
The 5 Basic Laws of Human Stupidity. Carlo Cipolla. 1976
Saturday, March 5, 2022
2022 Hip Hop Architecture Camp Internship Program. Virtual and In-Person August 8 - August 19, 2022
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Get Involved: |
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less than 2% of licensed
architects in the United States are African American, and the lack of early
exposure is one of the many factors why that number remains low. The internships will take
place August 8 - August 19, 2022 and will be a mix of virtual and in-person
opportunities. Here is our list of current
intern hosts and a person from each firm is part of our Internship Advisory
Board.
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Wednesday, March 2, 2022
Proposal Writing. Main areas to cover. March 2022
Learn the process
You’ve seen the grant opportunity at the federal, state, county,
city, township, foundation, and private sector.
What are the steps you should consider to address the grant
for funding for the problem, your mission to address?
Just a few ideas for consideration.
BEMA International
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Week 1: Components of a Grant Proposal •
Executive Summary •Cover
Page •Organization Background Week 2: Components of a Grant Proposal •Problem Statement Week 3: Components of a Grant Proposal •Goal •Objective •Activities •Work Plan Week 4: Components of a Grant Proposal •Intervention
Strategy •Strategy
Justification •Rationale Week 5: Components of a Grant Proposal •Management •Outcomes •Monitoring
and Evaluation •Risks
and Assumptions •Project
Sustainability •Grant
Budget •Application follow up and Award Week 6: Fund Raising •The
Fundraising Planning Process •Humanitarian
Financing, Coordination and Partnerships •How to Respond to a Call for Proposals Week 7: Fund Raising •Humanitarian
Financing, Coordination and Partnerships •Online
Fundraising •Donor
Research, Engagement, Recruitment •Fundraising
for Major Donors •Corporate
Fundraising •Branding and Campaign Integration Week 8: Fund Raising •Ethics
in Fund-Raising •Develop
Best Practices Tools and Resources Including the Donor Relationship
Management •Developing and Implementing the
Fundraising Plan |
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Black Emergency Managers Association International Washington, D.C. |
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Los Angeles Abilities Expo this weekend (March 4-6) at the Los Angeles Convention Center. March 1, 2022
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Dear ECA SoCal members, You are invited to join other ECA members, American Red Cross Volunteers, and Los Angeles Fire Department CERT members at the Los Angeles Abilities Expo this weekend (March 4-6) at the Los Angeles Convention Center. This is a major event with special demonstrations (adaptive sports, inclusive dance performances, and more), a variety of informative workshops each day, and more than 100 exhibitors/vendors providing information, promoting services, and showcasing an amazing array of adaptive equipment, healthcare resources, and many other items. Like other events now resuming, the Expo will follow several safety measures. As we have in past years, Earthquake Country Alliance will be sharing a large booth area with key partners to provide earthquake preparedness and mitigation information, especially of course our resources for people with disabilities and new materials in many languages. This is a fantastic opportunity to meet and share safety information with participants, but also to learn from them about how we can improve our messaging and approach. You are welcome to bring your organization’s preparedness materials to distribute too! You are welcome to join us any day or multiple days of the Expo. The Expo hours are Friday and Saturday from 11am – 5pm, and on Sunday from 11am – 4pm. To help us reach more people, please consider coming on Saturday or Sunday. By having a large team, we all will be able to visit the other booths, attend workshops, and see the demonstrations! If you would like to join us, please email me at sandow@usc.edu for
further instructions. We hope to see you there! Sharon Sharon Sandow de Groot Director for Strategic Partnerships Communication, Education, and Outreach Program Southern California Earthquake Center University of Southern California 3651 Trousdale Parkway, ZHS 156B Los Angeles, CA 90089 |
Los Angeles. FIRST IN-PERSON CERT Basic Training Class. begin on April 7 and continue every THURSDAY NIGHT FROM 630-9P / 1830-2100 Hours March 1, 2022
This message is being forwarded to my friends who are part of Neighborhood Associations, block clubs, neighborhood councils, and so on. I am happy to announce that Community Emergency Response Team Training is back. We have our first class taking place in our Palms area of the city.
I know many of you have members of your team (or maybe even you) who want to take this training. See below and sign up...quickly. Seating is highly limited and I know we will fill up fast.
If there are any questions, please feel free to let me know.
---------- Forwarded message
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I am happy to announce that the FIRST IN-PERSON CERT Basic Training Class will be taking place right here in Battalion 18. It's being conducted out the same location where the very LAST in-person class was held prior to COVID-19, the Iman Center in Palms.
The class will begin on April 7 and continue every THURSDAY NIGHT FROM 630-9P / 1830-2100 Hours. Classes will conclude on May 19, 2022. Please note that the following weekend, a mapping exercise is planned for the Westside Village area which will allow our new graduates to get some time applying their new skills. More is to come on that later.
Seating in the class is limited as we are still observing social distancing procedures which is a prudent thing. This is a class which has been greatly anticipated for a long time. I ask that previously CERT trained members REFRAIN from signing up for this class. We'd like to leave it for folks especially those coming through our NTP program to take. Previously trained members will have the opportunity as more classes open up down the line. Also, our previously trained members SHOULD be taking advantage of the in-person opportunities such as the monthly pop-ups to sharpen skills. Additionally, PLEASE ONLY SIGN UP FOR THE CLASS IF YOU INTEND TO ATTEND FOR THE FULL DURATION. Again, seating is limited and it is a shame to have seats go empty because folks decided NOT to continue for whatever reason. Just sayin'.
This is a momentous occasion for us and we are very happy to be hosting this first class. If there are any questions, please feel free to let us know. To sign up for the class, use this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lafd-cert-iman-cultural-center-tickets-82852489025
--
CHIN THAMMASAENGSRI
South Bureau Coordinator &
LAFD CERT Call Out Team Dispatcher
"Head 'em up, move 'em on!"
FCC GMRS Call Sign: WQXR577
Climate Change: Join the course: Deep Dive in Scaling Up Sub-National Sustainable Finance Through Thematic Labelled Bonds
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Dear UNDRR network, We would like to invite you to join us on the innaugural
course: Deep Dive in Scaling Up Sub-National Sustainable
Finance Through Thematic Labelled Bonds by Climate Bonds initiative and
designed with the partnership with MCR2030 and UNDRR. 6,7 April - See further information
here. We are offering a discount for the cities participants
of the MCR2030. For a list of the eligible markets, please see the
image attached, please note you need to be based in one of
these markets. When you register for the course, add the following code
to get 33% discount: CBICitiesEM33 For a list of the eligible markets, please see the
image attached. About the course:
Cities and local and regional governments are on the front
line of climate change risks. Amongst a number of issues are the lack of
information and market knowledge, lack of policy and/or regulatory
system, lack of support from national authorities, lack of aggregation
schemes for small scale eligible projects.
Acknowledging these obstacles and the rapid growth and relevance of the
labelled debt market for sub-national governments, the Climate Bonds
Initiative (CBI) has structured a comprehensive course on
thematic-labelled bonds. It is suitable for professionals who wish to
gain knowledge of such labels and the market, their issuance process and
mechanisms that can support local governments when embarking on this
journey. CBI’s Scaling Up Sub-National Sustainable Finance Through
Thematic Labelled Bonds discusses in detail challenges and supporting tools,
but most importantly, the benefits of issuing these innovative instruments
by sub-sovereign entities.
This course will be delivered in English. Limited spaces. For further information, kindly email training@climatebonds.net Kind Regards,  Alicia Bastos
von Döllinger Head of
Events & Training
Twitter: @climatebonds
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Tuesday, March 1, 2022
Request for Applications (RFA) for the LBTQ Health Equity Initiative March 1, 2022
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Sunday, February 27, 2022
Just Imagine. Working together for our communities. February 2022
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Black
Emergency Managers Association International
Washington,
D.C.
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Friday, February 25, 2022
You are a part of history, everyday. 5,357 school facilities for African American students in 15 states established between 1913 and 1932
You are a part of history and contributing to
the message, the narrative, the story everyday.
The good, the bad, and the ugly.
Know the past to know the future.
BEMA International
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 To fight injustice, he built schools  La Verne Gray, left, was a
student at this former school in Capitol Heights, Maryland, one of more than
5,000 built to educate Black American children in the early 20th century,
when public schools refused to admit them. The massive building campaign was
partly funded and driven by philanthropist Julius Rosenwald. Today, Dorothy
Canter, right, is working to preserve some of the Rosenwald Schools still
standing and make them into a multi-site element of our National Park system. Photo by Jason Sauler
 Interior shot of the renovated Ridgeley School in Capitol Heights, Prince George's County, Maryland.Photo by Preservation Maryland By Glenda C. Booth Posted on January 31, 2022 “All the other pleasures of life
seem to wear out, but the pleasure of helping others in distress never does.” Bethesda retiree Dorothy Canter was “blown away” when she saw “Rosenwald,” a 2015 documentary directed by Aviva Kempner that told the story of Julius Rosenwald, a philanthropist who built more than 5,000 schools for African American children who were denied the right to public education during the Jim Crow era. Born in 1862 to German Jewish immigrants who came to the U.S. fleeing persecution in the mid-1800s, Rosenwald left his Illinois home at 16 for New York City. There he learned the clothing trade, never completing high school. When
he was 23, he moved to Chicago and opened a company making men’s suits.
Sears, Roebuck & Co., then a struggling new company that sold many
products by mail order, was a client. Rosenwald eventually headed Sears,
transforming it into a retail powerhouse. Rosenwald believed in the Jewish concepts of tikkun olam, “repair the world,” and tzedakah, which means “righteousness, charity and responsibility.” He had a “give while you live” philosophy, believing that every generation should create wealth and direct it for use in their time. He was alarmed at the injustices against African Americans, and in 1911 befriended Booker T. Washington, founder of the Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University), and joined Tuskegee’s board. At Washington’s urging, Rosenwald helped six rural Alabama communities raise money to build schoolhouses at a time when there were few or no schools for African American children in the rural South. From that effort with Washington grew a financing partnership combining Rosenwald’s grants and local contributions that led to the construction of 5,357 school facilities for African American students in 15 states between 1913 and 1932. Inspired to
create a national park
Before
seeing the film, Canter, a retired Ph.D. biophysicist, had never heard of
Rosenwald. As she walked out of Washington’s Avalon Theater, she had a
lightbulb moment and told her husband, “We need a national park to honor
him.”
Inspired, Canter established the Rosenwald Schools National Historical Park campaign, recruited board members, met with national park and historic preservation officials, recruited 107 supporting nonprofits, commissioned three studies and is president of the campaign — all as a volunteer. Her
group wants the National Park Service to create a multi-site national park
honoring Rosenwald’s legacy, with a visitors’ center in Chicago, the
philanthropist’s hometown. Canter dreams of being first in line at the ribbon cutting for the new Rosenwald Park, the country’s first of more than 400 in the U.S. to honor a Jewish American. Like Rosenwald’s parents, Canter’s Eastern European and Russian grandparents came to the U.S. to escape persecution. “They stressed the importance of education and social justice,” Canter said of her grandparents. “Like so many immigrants, they contributed to our nation. I will be very proud to see a story that reflects some of their history shared in a new national park.” A biography of
Rosenwald Board
member and D.C. resident Stephanie Deutsch learned from a newspaper wedding
announcement that her husband’s great-grandfather was Julius Rosenwald.
A stay-at-home mom for years, Deutsch became so intrigued with the story that she wrote a book, You Need a Schoolhouse: Booker T. Washington, Julius Rosenwald, and the Building of Schools for the Segregated South. She probed archives and visited two dozen Rosenwald Schools. Learning the story “opened my eyes to the African American experience,” Deutsch said. “In the face of prejudice and exclusion, they built up very strong institutions.” Deutsch
describes her book and volunteer work to preserve the history of Rosenwald
schools as her “second act.” Today, she’s on the campaign’s board and is
writing a second book about the fellowships Rosenwald created in 1928 for
talented African Americans. Nearly 900 artists and scholars received Rosenwald Fund grants, among them Langston Hughes, Marian Anderson, Ralph Ellison and Jacob Lawrence. Twelve worked with Thurgood Marshall on the landmark Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court case that found segregated schools to be unconstitutional. Thousands of students — including John Lewis and Maya Angelou — flourished in Rosenwald schools throughout the country. Many schools in
this areaRosenwald’s
donations, matched with local contributions, led to the construction of 382
Rosenwald buildings in Virginia between 1917 and 1932, and 150 schools in
Maryland, including 27 in Prince George’s County and 17 in Montgomery County.
In 1927, Marylander LaVerne Gray’s family donated two acres of their farm in Capitol Heights for a Rosenwald school. Gray’s mother, Mildred Ridgeley-Gray, attended the Ridgeley School starting in 1927 and later taught there. Gray also attended Ridgeley from 1949 to 1954, when the school closed following the Supreme Court’s decision. The Ridgeley School, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, still stands today, fully restored in 2011. “It’s part of a
great story of how a community of former slaves could educate their children
— and when the opportunity came along, they grabbed it,” Gray said. “It’s a story of the camaraderie between Rosenwald and Black people to enhance the lives of us all. It’s a great American story.” Endangered
schools
From
the 1920s to the 1940s, about one-third of Black children in the South
attended Rosenwald Schools. After the Supreme Court’s ruling to end school
segregation in 1954, public school systems gradually desegregated.
As
a result, many of the Rosenwald school buildings were abandoned or
demolished. In 2002, the National Trust for Historic Preservation put Rosenwald
Schools on its “11 Most Endangered Historic Places” list, noting that only 10
to 12 percent of the buildings still stand. Many people are working to save those existing buildings. For instance, the 100-year-old Scrabble School in Rappahannock County, Virginia, was restored after being neglected for four decades, thanks to some of its alumni. “I am very excited to have this nice little gem of a place,” said Nan Butler Roberts, president of the nonprofit Scrabble School Preservation Foundation Roberts
attended the Scrabble School for first through fourth grade, 1962 to 1966,
and recalls that her teacher had to commute 75 miles one way weekly from
Lynchburg. She helped restore the building as a senior center in 2009. “I’m a doer when I get involved in something I’m passionate about,” she explained. The national park
campaign
Canter’s group hopes to include many of the remaining Rosenwald school buildings in the national park system. So far, the campaign to establish the Julius Rosenwald & Rosenwald Schools National Historical Park has raised funds and prepared several studies on Rosenwald’s legacy and the schools. The studies concluded that Rosenwald and the Rosenwald Schools are of national historic significance and that the park would be an important enhancement to the national park system. One study identified Chicago sites for the future visitors’ center. Working with state historic preservation officials, the group recommended 56 former school facilities for possible inclusion in the national park system. They
lobbied Congress to pass a bill, which became law last year, requiring the
National Park Service to conduct a special resources study, the normal
prelude to creating a national park. The
Park Service will determine if there are nationally significant natural or
cultural resources, and whether they are a suitable and feasible addition to
the park system. Campaign members volunteer untold hours and energy to move the project forward, inspired by Rosenwald and Washington. “The important lesson is in how people can partner and get something done,” said Fairfax County resident Jordan Tannenbaum, a campaign board member. The schools represent the story of “Jewish and Black communities working together toward a common goal to achieve betterment of the country.” To
find out more about the campaign to establish a national park, visit rosenwaldpark.org. The Scrabble School will premiere a documentary and unveil a historic marker later this year. Visit scrabbleschool.org. For information about the Ridgeley School, now
a museum in Prince George’s County open by appointment only, visit pgparks.com/3022/Ridgeley-Rosenwald-School or
email blackhistory@pgparks.com. |
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