Peak Idiot

One of the major developments of recent decades has been a dramatic rise in the number of idiots in the public arena. Everyone has come across them because so many infest the media – that’s the uppity aspect coming through loud and garbled.

This unfortunate phenomenon has occurred even though the village idiot is supposedly a creature of the past. Small boys no longer throw stones at the local idiot and there is no longer a tradition of subjecting them to raucous ridicule as in the golden days of yore. However, as with so many other aspects of life we have moved on but in doing so we have inadvertently enhanced the village idiot role.

Now we embrace them and even encourage them to develop the arts of uppity babble. We even treat some idiots as gurus – or at least other idiots do. This occurs when the number of idiots reaches a critical mass otherwise known as Peak Idiot. We are just about there, the obvious consequences are being visited upon us and only the idiots fail to understand why we deserve them.

Just one example should suffice to highlight the Peak Idiot issue.

The House of Commons Speaker may look like a small boy but in line with modern mores and whatever the provocation he does not throw stones at Parliamentary village idiots such as Jeremy Corbyn. It is tempting to count this as progress, but there are times when one is bound to wonder if this really is progress. Even in a limited not-going-backwards sense. Especially if we consider Mr Corbyn’s idiot history as an MP.