Forrest Gump’s momma told him, “Stupid is as stupid does.” The momma’s of politicians, pundits, talk show personalities and an array of activists should have warned them that, “Stupid is also as stupid speaks.” 

 Take for example, Iowa Republican Representative Steve King. He told a  audience last weekend that he “could empathize” with the crazy man who crashed an airplane into an IRS office building in Austin, Texas. The Congressman’s comment came during a panel discussion at the annual convention of CPAC, a conservative activist group. When asked to clarify the stupid statement, he mumbled some mumbo-jumbo about being subjected to past tax audits, relating his own frustration to that of pilot, Joe Stack. I say keep Congressman King off airplanes. Greyhound buses cause less damage if crashed into buildings.

He—unlike the fictional character, Forrest Gump—does not display outward signs of mental deficiencies. Only when he opens his mouth is his stupidity exposed. Which is often. Stupidity by choice is what I call King’s condition. It has reached epidemic proportions in the country, as evidenced by the number of people  defending Joe Stack’s  terrorist act.

In large part, the wave of dim-wittedness is a result of intellectual laziness. Many folks are willing to let others think for them. Consequently, newspaper, magazine and book sales are down. And Fox “News”  viewership has increased, mainly because the network offers a venue for commentators who incite scared and angry people, who are caught up in a recession that has caused turmoil in their lives. 

My own reading and viewing habits are pretty eclectic. I subscribe to Time, Newsweek, U.S. News & Report, New Yorker, Sports Illustrated and the Baton Rouge Advocate. My day usually begins online with the New York Times, Washington Post, and Atlanta Constitution (I’m still a Braves fan). During the day, I periodically check the Drudge Report and Huffington Post, plus a few political and journalism websites. My daytime television consists of monitoring CNN (after all, the network contributed to my retirement account) and the Weather Channel. In the early evening, I channel surf the nightly news on the three broadcasts networks, as well as the local news channels. Then, it’s The Daily Report with Jon Stewart on Tivo, followed by The Colbert Report. On a strong stomach, I occasionally take a peek at Fox “News.”

Now you know. My name is John and I’m a news junkie. But it is the least of the addictions I’ve dealt with during an adventureous lifetime. Granted, my reading and viewing habits are weighted to the left. However, nobody can accuse me of being an elitist. As an ex-drunk Alabama redneck raised in the housing projects of Mobile, it’s a wonder that I don’t have a white sheet with eye holes stored in the closet. Fortunately, though, my political views were formed while reporting from the frontlines of wars on poverty, racism and a variety of societal problems.

Far too many commentators and pundits—on the left and the right—have little or no experience as eyewitnesses to issues they report and opinionate about. I mean, what the hell does a former sports commentator like Keith Olberman know about government and politics?  How do ex-disc jockeys and bartenders become experts on public affairs? The don’t. They are hustlers selling various brands of stupidity. And people buy the opinions by choice.

Glenn Beck certainly recognizes the potential of selling stupidity. He is an expert in marketing dim-witted theories about government and its failures. And although he  admits being nothing more than a ”rodeo clown,”  fans believe he is only being modest—that the college drop-out is truly brilliant based on years of training as a disc jockey. Indeed, Beck was the keynote speaker at the aforementioned CPAC convention. Go figure. Still, he impressed the audience by disclosing that he possessed a public library card, the source of his great wisdom and wit.

I shouldn’t beat up on Glenn since we have much in common. I’m also a college drop-out, or more accurately, a fail-out. I wanted to become a disc jockey, but my record-spinning dream was sidetracked at  a tiny radio station where I stumbled into the news business. Glenn and I are both recovering alcoholics, making me wonder if he believes half of what he says.

An essential principle of staying sober is self-honesty, especially in the context of Twelve Step programs. He credits AA with helping him plug the jug, as well as dealing with a nose problem. With his double-digit years of sobriety, I conclude that he does not engage in self-deception. If that’s the case, Glenn is truly a b.s. artist, who exploits unhappy folks pre-disposed to believing he is real. Stupidity is their choice as opposed to thinking.

In today’s uncertain political, cultural and economic environment, Glenn Beck is a beneficiary of the Forrest Gump Syndrome on two fronts. He takes advantage of stupidity by choice. And like Forrest, Glenn succeeded by arriving at the perfect time and place to pluck chocolates from Mrs. Gump’s proverbial box of suprises.