Tsunami of Stupidity

Several months ago I made a post titled "Things Actually Said In A 12th Grade English Class," in which I described an informal debate I had with three high school students who adamantly defended the practice of abortion. Now several months later, in that same class, one of the students who was most adamant in defending a woman's "right to choose" (that is to choose to kill an unborn child) almost left the room in protest as we watched the opening scene of Amazing Grace where an injured horse is being whipped. "I can't watch this! I can't watch this!" said the student. The sight of an injured horse is appalling to this student, but the thought (maybe the sight would change perspective) of stabbing an unborn baby to death with sharp instruments is perfectly tolerable. I know I'm speaking of a more-thoughtless-than-normal high school student--and maybe most of us at some point fell into the intellectual paralysis that often comes with adolescence--but the disturbing thing is that this student articulates very clearly the perspective of many adults. That bumper sticker that says, "Save the Whales and Kill the Babies" was inspired by just such people.

When adults with this quality of thinking and character team up to run for office (or vote people into office) or run schools or businesses, it's like a Tsunami of stupidity crashing through American society. The big question is whether or not the traditional structures of reason and morality will be strong enough to stand in the wake of such a wave.