Stupidity

Stupidity is a 2003 Canadian satirical documentary film directed by Albert Nerenberg and produced by Shannon Brown, as the first film commissioned by the Documentary Channel. Nerenberg was also the film's executive producer. The film proposes that willful ignorance (as opposed to what is commonly meant by stupidity, low mental capacity) has increasingly become a strategy for success in the realms of politics and entertainment, that is, the "stupid" things that seemingly smart people do every day. The film questions "why stupidity is such a slippery concept to grasp and why so few people are talking about it." The film features songs by The Arrogant Worms and original music by The Morons. Synopsis The film traces the public fascination with perceived stupidity, from I.Q. tests in the early 1900s, to present-day silliness in the form of Jackass and boy bands. Nerenberg compares George W. Bush to Adam Sandler, arguing that the perception that Bush is unintelligent is as mistaken as identifying Sandler with the roles he plays in his films: both are in some sense playing to expectations from their respective audiences: "society prefers people who hide their acumen." To back up his various theories, Nerenberg employs quotes from Noam Chomsky, American Psychological Association president Dr. Robert J. Sternberg (who wrote Why Smart People Can Be So Stupid), pundit Bill Maher, "who blames it all on youth culture", and former CNN and 20/20 producer Danny Schecter. Others who appear in the film include: John Cleese, Coolio, Drew Curtis, Salma Hayek, David Lawrence, Michael Moore, Geoff Pevere, Adam Sandler, Joel Schumacher, Paul Spence, Steve-O, and Josey Vogels. Production