FA, FO

[aadler]

I recently was reminded of something I saw several several years ago, on A&E Biography: while speaking of the subject of that particular episode, the narrator concluded the sentence with, “… and this insecurity started a downward spiral of cocaine abuse.”

Whereupon I stood up and said to the TV set, “No, using cocaine started a downward spiral of cocaine abuse.”

Then yesterday, I saw a report that, after some state (I forget which) decriminalized possession of the most common illegal drugs, overdoses went up 1,500%. Gee, who saw that coming? and what could possibly have brought it about?

Why is it so hard for some people to keep basic principles straight in their minds? “Don’t do stupid things if you don’t want stupid results.” “If you get stupid results, don’t repeat the stupid things that produced them in the first place.”

Maybe the advanced brains necessary for elite thought just can’t be bound by simple, crude cause-and-effect reasoning. Or maybe — maybe — they’d change their methods of operation if they were ever, ever actually held accountable for the continuing results of their continuing dumbassery.