It is amazing to watch people in action, trying to be smart. The problem with most of them is that they are not. They, in fact, would not be able to wonder about things, come up with a new idea, or produce something worthwhile. This in itself would not be such a tragedy, were it not for the fact that we have built a society which rewards stupidity and provides for those who cannot think for themselves, at the expense of the smart people.

When a person attempts to voice an honest, well though out opinion, it is met with a great deal of resistance. People really do sometimes try to understand this new point of view, but it doesn’t fit with the status quo, it doesn’t mesh well with the system. Such people are branded eccentric, at best, heretics, at worst. We have devised a whole system to prevent these opinions from multiplying, and perhaps making a difference. Of the artists and scientists of days gone by, most of the artists were only revered after their death. Very few of them were ever able to make a living at it. Nietzsche was one such artist, an artist of philosophy. He died penniless and in relative obscurity.

Why do we only recognize people’s accomplishments after they’re dead? From a logical standpoint, it really doesn’t make much sense. If we like and admire the work and ideas that this person is producing, it would make a lot more sense to promote the person while they are alive, so that they may continue producing. Sadly, this will probably never happen in any grand sense. The people seem to only want what is easy to understand, easy to digest.

But where did this capacity for non-reason originate? Why is the human population reducing itself to Seinfeld, or professional wrestling? Why do the masses only pursue sports and sex instead of more enlightening exercises? Not to say that sports is not a necessary function of society. But it’s not all there is to life, even though beer manufacturers would say otherwise. The Eastern philosophies are there for the exploration. The Western ones are there also, albeit tainted by Christianity and ethics. Whereas the Western world went very pragmatic, what can I see, what can I touch and feel, the Eastern world went very metaphysical. The Eastern philosophies mostly attempt to define the universe and the attempt to define our place in it. The Westerners believed for a long time that the Earth was the centre of the universe. Funny, huh?

But people out there are not uniformly stupid, either. Therein lies another problem. Some of them are easy to identify, others are rather difficult to do so. You may find that someone who acts very stupid turns out to be one of the most intelligent people that you have ever met. Unfortunately, this is not usually the case. Usually, you find someone that you think is smart, only to find out that they are not; they are merely quoting words of people gone by, or even cliches. And if you maintain that people like this are smart, I argue that so is a tape recorder.

But there are so many different varieties of stupid that it staggers the imagination. There is the garden variety of stupid, the person who never thinks for themselves, and never considers the consequences of their actions. This is the kind of person that gets into fifteen car accidents in one year, regardless of whether the accident is their fault or not. I refuse to believe that someone could be so unlucky as that. These are the people the cut you off on the freeway.

Then there is another equally dangerous kind of stupid. This is the kind of person that likes to think that they are above other people, and will never admit fault in anything. This is similar to the one who will not take responsibility for their actions, with a subtle difference. When asked the question "is this your fault", the first variety will answer "I don’t know." But the second variety will answer "no, it’s [fill in the blank]’s fault." That blank can be satisfied with the word society. It can be someone’s name. It can be an animal. It can be anything, but them. It’s Matthew Good’s fault that I’m writing this.

Finding someone who is capable and willing to place their opinion on the line, along with their reputation as a celebrity is a wonderful thing. Mr. Good speaks his mind, tells his opinions and attempts to make other people think. Unfortunately, some of the varieties of stupid are trying to shut him up because he conflicts with the status quo, and threatens the very system that prevents people from thinking for themselves and rewards stupidity. The very system that people would like to believe is made to prevent people like him from rising to a position where he can threaten their preciously fragile egos. The kind of system that prevents people like me from being able to voice my own thoughts, not because people don’t care about them (which they probably don’t – I have very few illusions), but because that way I won’t be in a position of power over other people.

The response to Mr. Good’s ranting and ravings has been negative to say the least. There have been threats made against him personally. I don’t know about anyone else, but I can usually separate the opinion from the person. The opinion is just that. It does not live or breathe. It does not have a driver’s license. It cannot own a gun and put it to your head. It cannot force you to believe it. And since Mr. Good is not out there with the gun forcing his dissidents to listen to him, why in the hell should someone else take it upon themselves to do the same? It’s not exactly smart, now, is it? Just because you threaten (and maybe even kill) the origin of the opinion, does not mean that the opinion will die with the person.

The Romans thought it would. Look at that opinion now.

I’m not saying that Mr. Good would become a martyr. But I am trying to point out that there are some fundamental errors with a lot of people’s logic. Moving on, we come to the people that are saying that no one likes Mr. Good’s music. I would disagree with numbers. He has sold a lot of albums to a lot of people, and whether or not you like his music is irrelevant. In my own world, I love his music. Therefore the tenet promoted above is inaccurate; someone likes his music. But I don’t matter, remember? I’m just some crackpot with a free web-site. Again, I have no illusions.

The point is that whether you agree with his theories/ideas/politics/whatever, it is still very important for Mr. Good to continue railing against the world with his opinions. Voltaire once said, in Freedom, "I may not agree with what you say, but to your death I will defend your right to say it." Speaking one’s mind should not be a sin or a crime. It should be cherished as the wonder that it is.

And I, for one, will continue to support Mr. Good in whatever way I can. Unfortunately, the only ways in which I can support him are to buy his music, his books, and maybe put up a "crackpot-with-a-free-web-site" essay.

Bravo, Mr. Good. I hope to see it keep coming.

-Demosthenes