The stupidity of modern man

I like quoting movies. Heck, I like quoting entertainment in general. I figure if I can rely on the funny quotes others have said on screen, then I can keep the amount of thinking I need to do to a minimum. I think the last original funny thing I said was this summer, and that might be it for my college career.\nI was perusing the Internet the other day when I came across a story that jogged a memory of a quote from the Mel Brooks movie "Spaceballs." (Brooks is a comedic genius in his own right...if only I had his smarts.)The Rick Moranis character, Dark Helmet, says late in the movie, "So Lone Starr, now you see that evil will always triumph, because good is dumb." But there is one change I would like to make to the quote:\nPeople are dumb.\nThere are numerous examples of this every day on campus. The person leaving their cell phone on in class, someone spilling their drink on themselves at Burger King and a freshman taking a 9 a.m. class in Swain West are just a few. But a story I found on the Internet goes leaps and bounds beyond anything seen on campus.\nOn Jan. 26, a teenager in Connecticut attempted to copy a stunt he saw performed on MTV's "Jackass." The star of the show, Johnny Knoxville, had steaks tied to his body and had his friends set him on fire to barbecue the meat. The teenager got his friends to help him do the same thing. Unfortunately for this young boy, he forgot one important thing: the flame-retardant suit Knoxville wore. Whoops.\nI did not see the actual stunt performed on the MTV show. In fact, I have only watched it one or two times. One of my friends from home made me watch it during winter break -- he told me it was the funniest thing ever. Of course, he derives extreme pleasure from watching others hurt themselves. While I also enjoy the ol' laugh-at-the-guy-getting-hit-in-the-nuts joke, I thought this show went a little far.\nImagine teenage boys given video cameras and money to perform all the stupid tricks they find funny. That is the premise of "Jackass," near as I can tell.\nThe thing that I don't get, which goes back to my belief that people are stupid, is how this kid thought having his friends light him on fire was a good idea. I can only imagine the thought process going through this kid's head in the morning:\n"What do I want to do today? I could probably go for a steak dinner. I think getting lit on fire is also a good idea. Maybe I could do a two-for-one."\nThis incident reminds me of other famous times in history where the human race has happily displayed their stupidity for all to see. A couple years ago, an adolescence thought it would be a good idea to set his house on fire because he saw Beavis and Butthead light something on fire on television. (Hmm, another case with MTV, eh? That's some bad luck.)\nThroughout history, man has proven himself to be a stupid, stupid creature. The worst part about this whole "Jackass" accident is that MTV might be sued because of what happened. Did MTV light the match the kids used to set their friend on fire? Of course not. Are they the ones who will get punished? Of course they will. They set the example.\nIt's true TV does influence the way people act, especially in this country. These days, everyone seems to overlook two important points that have gotten me through life relatively unharmed for almost 21 years. People need to have the common sense not to light themselves on fire or do other stupid stunts. But we also need to start holding the parents of the kids doing these stupid things accountable for their child's actions. Do your job and show these kids what is right and wrong, what is good and bad, and what is downright stupid.\nThe first time I heard someone say he did something because he saw it on TV, it went down as the stupidest thing I have ever heard. I have yet to come across a more stupid comment. But, knowing the human race, I'm sure it will come up with something new for me pretty soon. Probably about the time I think of something funny and original again.