Everybody Made Stupid? Panopticon?
The panopticon is a prison design and social theory that originated in the 18th century. The word "panopticon" comes from the Greek words "pan" (all) and "optic" (seeing). Design
A circular building with cells around the outside wall
A central tower with an inspector who can see into the cells
Prisoners can't tell if they're being watched, but they must always believe they could be
Purpose
To monitor as many prisoners as possible with as few guards as possible
To make prisoners modify their behavior and work hard to avoid punishment
It’s not that people are stupid—at least, not in the way we often think. The increasing frustration that “everyone is stupid” reflects deeper cognitive and social mechanisms at play. Humans aren’t designed for detached critical thinking; we are highly social creatures who thrive on trust, imitation, and emotional resonance rather than relentless skepticism.
Humans are wired to empathize and connect. We evolved to trust those in our tribe, not to assume they’re deceiving us. Unlike solitary animals, we survive by cooperating, not by doubting everyone around us. This is a feature, not a flaw. Our natural state is to accept what our community tells us because this ensured our survival for most of human history. Constant scrutiny of others’ motives would have made social cohesion impossible. The same trusting nature that binds us together can also make us susceptible to misinformation—because we weren’t built to assume everyone is lying to make us their slaves.
Another crucial factor is imitation. Unlike a baby monkey that engages in trial-and-error problem-solving, human infants absorb information through mimicry. This learning strategy allows us to efficiently transfer vast amounts of knowledge across generations, but it also means we are prone to absorbing falsehoods alongside truths. When misinformation spreads through a trusted social group, people don’t question it—they adopt it. Imitation allows us to act collectively, moving in lockstep toward shared goals, but it can also lead to the rapid proliferation of misguided beliefs.
Modern technology further exacerbates these tendencies. The internet is a breeding ground for emotionally charged narratives that hijack our empathic responses. Consider an image of a child caught in a fence at the border. That image sparks outrage and compassion because it taps into our deep-seated need to care for others. Meanwhile, suffering closer to home often goes unnoticed—not because people are callous, but because our attention is hijacked by whatever images and stories are presented to us most vividly. Our brains are wired to react emotionally first and to analyze second—if at all.
Most people have good intentions. They are not fundamentally irrational, but rather operating on an evolved system designed for a different kind of world. We are kind, trusting, and deeply social. However, those very qualities can be exploited in the modern information landscape, where attention is currency and outrage is profit.
Of course, there is always a small percentage of people who are genuinely irrational or even insane. But the majority of perceived “stupidity” isn’t stupidity at all—it’s a byproduct of our instincts for trust, imitation, and empathy clashing with a rapidly changing world. Understanding this can make us more compassionate, and perhaps a little less frustrated, when we look around and wonder why everybody seems so stupid.
We are separated by our own “information silos,” where there is such a large gap in knowledge and beliefs that we can only connect with those who agree with us. For instance, the guy who pumps my gas mentioned he follows the “true news,” a sort of truther Trumpster website that pushed him down a rabbit hole, written by who-knows-who, and he believes it—he isn’t stupid, it’s only difficult to find accurate sources now. Even PBS is not the public programming we grew up with, now it just represents cooperate opinions, and it’s hard to know who to trust.
Chimpanzee VS Human child learning https://youtu.be/JwwclyVYTkk?si=9LgWYq6z4G1ag7qr
The Social Dilemma | Official Trailer | Netflix https://youtu.be/uaaC57tcci0?si=zlzQSFYexT0Ssf7f
Mindf*ck: Inside Cambridge Analytica’s Plot to Break the World Hardcover – October 8, 2019
by Christopher Wylie (Author)
https://youtu.be/kaiOmdUaacM?si=zn64-u4JpWAd07tD
Ralph Nader
American activist report :
Eight New Year’s Resolutions for NPR to Consider Now.” Since NPR has done little with these suggestions. After all, NPR is using the public’s airwaves.
“The Public’s Media: The Case for a Democratically Funded and Locally Rooted News Media in an Era of Newsroom Closures,” on NPR and its network of affiliates, authored by Michael Swerldow, with an introduction by me, recalling the origins of NPR and why Congress created it, along with PBS, to fill the vacuums left by commercial radio/TV.
You can obtain a copy of this report here: https://nader.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/the_publics_media.pdf