The basic definition of the word stupid is “lacking intelligence or common sense”. All of us have had occasion to plead guilty to that description at one time or other. If we’re lucky, we have learned from the experience and done better afterward. If the problem repeats itself too frequently, it now turns out there may be a medical explanation.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins and the University of Nebraska have identified what they’re calling the ‘stupidity virus’. When they injected the organism into mice, the little critters started to blunder around mazes and seemed totally mystified by new toys that were introduced to them. In short, they were more stupid than they were before the injection.
Dr. Robert Yolken of Johns Hopkins was the lead investigator. He says it shows that behaviour and psychological ability are determined by many things that may be just as important as the intelligence we were born with. He also said he has suspected for quite some time that viruses can mess with our minds in a number of ways we never thought of before.
This research is preliminary, but one shudders to think what it will mean if the ‘stupidity virus’ ever becomes accepted as a recognized medical disorder. The turnout for exams in high school and college may well plummet if students could get a note from their doctor that would excuse them from demonstrating how little they really know.
When it comes to really important decisions, imagine what our lives would be like if there was a simple test that would tell if a person suffers from the virus. Members of Parliament, or any elected body could be tested before any important vote, and disqualified if they were deemed to be “stupid”.
You gotta know that Pfizer or one of the other big Pharmas are already working on an antibiotic or a vaccine. Isn’t science grand ?
I’m Roger Currie
