the stupid world

I live in New York. I used to live in Orange County. Before that I was seen frequently in both Boston and Paris at times and I travelled to Philadelphia about 10 times a year. I sing myself no praises on being well-travelled where the continental United States and western Europe are concerned because what I'm aiming for here is how amazingly different and unique all of these places are. Each city in the US has a different attitude, accent and set of stores, habits and weather patterns that make it unique and fun to explore. By the same token, each of the countries and cities I have lived in or to which I have traveled abroad, too has its own culture, language and idiosyncrasies that keep it curious and fascinating. These nuances are what make me love to travel and uncover things that are new to me.

Those glamorous and exotic tid-bits aside, I have observed in my decades on this planet, that there is one thing - one dirty truth in which they all share a common bond regardless of culture, language, musical preference or any other normally delineating feature. This phenomenon is worldwide and inescapable and yet widely ignored by the local population in any township, metropolis or country out of what I can only figure is hope that it will just disappear. It is the parallel universe beneath all of them: the stupid world.

There is the normal world and then there's the stupid world. In the normal world, people are working toward some sort of goal, be it work related, financial or otherwise. They are relatively aware of what's going on and get up every morning and go to work to conduct their business and contribute their time and efforts to their own well-being and the furthering of whatever common pursuit they have chosen to adopt with their co-workers. Sometimes these people do things that are considered "obnoxious" or "air-headed", but by and large, they are competent human beings that would be considered "smart" in their field.

Filling in the holes between these "smart" people are the stupid people. The people who seem to be out and about with no clear direction or purpose, other than to slow down and irritate the "smart" ones. These are the people with whom no one can avoid contact, no matter what cranny of the world you are in or passing through. These people do things like the following:

* walk extremely slowly in large, fast moving crowds, while weaving as if intoxicated or suffering inner ear trouble.

*stop suddenly (on foot or in vehicles) because of a shiny object in their path or the jarring interruption of a thought, and cause those behind them to shift or run into each other or stationary objects.

*speak in "valley" at elevated volumes, while airing the dirty laundry of anyone they have ever encountered.

*block doorway entrances and stairwells for no apparent reason other than to stare off into space.

I marvel at these people. What is it like where they are? How do they get through the day and more importantly, who pays them? What are their thoughts on our world? Do they find the smart people as fascinating and annoying as we find them? How did they go global, slithering just beneath the current of productivity and embed themselves so deeply in every culture known to man? Are they constantly frustrated by our competence and logic and if so, what are they saying to themselves as they shake their heads and squinch up their faces in disapproval?

I can only hope that one day I have the mountain of available time required to conduct a thorough study of these people and their parallel world so that I can finally answer the universal question.....

What the fuck is wrong with you, dude?