"The Marching Morons" (1951) by Cyril Kornbluth is one of the sci-fi stories sometimes called 'prophetic.' (WIKI: The Marching Morons)
You are only a moron in this context or if you think you might be but, in that case, you probably don't read much anyway. Since you're reading this, we're guessing you might even be ok. As to the others (shrug).
From the WIKI:
The story is set hundreds of years in the future: the date is 7-B-936. John Barlow, a man from the past put into suspended animation by a freak accident involving a dental drill and anesthesia, is revived in this future. The world seems mad to Barlow until Tinny-Peete explains the Problem of Population: due to a combination of intelligent people not having children and excessive breeding by less intelligent people (see Fertility and intelligence), the world is full of morons, with the exception of an elite few who work slavishly to keep order. Barlow, who was a shrewd real estate con man in his day, has a solution to sell to the elite, in exchange for being made World Dictator.
Which aspect of this do you not think has become true since then. The world was brought to its knees by 'real estate men' only eight years ago. And, by the way, when was the last time you saw a scientist other than some patronizing quack on the television.
(Ed: those TV scientists sometimes have impressive credentials!)
So what when that's all they do with their knowledge now. They're nothing more than the Kardashians of science and yes, honey, it does make your ass look fat.
You are only a moron in this context or if you think you might be but, in that case, you probably don't read much anyway. Since you're reading this, we're guessing you might even be ok. As to the others (shrug).
From the WIKI:
The story is set hundreds of years in the future: the date is 7-B-936. John Barlow, a man from the past put into suspended animation by a freak accident involving a dental drill and anesthesia, is revived in this future. The world seems mad to Barlow until Tinny-Peete explains the Problem of Population: due to a combination of intelligent people not having children and excessive breeding by less intelligent people (see Fertility and intelligence), the world is full of morons, with the exception of an elite few who work slavishly to keep order. Barlow, who was a shrewd real estate con man in his day, has a solution to sell to the elite, in exchange for being made World Dictator.
Which aspect of this do you not think has become true since then. The world was brought to its knees by 'real estate men' only eight years ago. And, by the way, when was the last time you saw a scientist other than some patronizing quack on the television.
(Ed: those TV scientists sometimes have impressive credentials!)
So what when that's all they do with their knowledge now. They're nothing more than the Kardashians of science and yes, honey, it does make your ass look fat.
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