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I have decided that much of the problem can be attributed to the continuum of intelligence levels across all members of society. On the far left end of the bell curve, we have the not bright at all, who nontheless know that they are not bright, so have learned to concentrate on the simple tasks. These folks tend to be without guile and simply respond in a forthright manner.

Next up we have the nearly normal to slightly above normal intelligence. Very little difference in raw wattage in this group. They tend to be "salt of the Earth" types. They are also the most populous group. Generally honest, generally earnest and hardworking, but subject to many common pitfalls (drugs, booze, minor criminal acts, etc). They tend to be easily deceived and typically have trouble coming to terms with errors they may have made. This group is where elections are won or lost.

Next up the somewhat more intelligent group. These people are (using standard IQ tests measure) somewhere between 110-125. This group is easily the most dangerous. They are smart enough to have had some academic or life success, but they aren't quite bright enough to realize they aren't that smart. This breeds arrogance. They honestly believe that their range of vision is as far as anybody can see, thus their interpretations are correct or at least not questionable. These are the folks that write ponderously long articles believing that extra verbage equates to extra brains. They are more difficult to deceive, but once deceived they dig in like ticks on a hound dog. Once deceived, they will follow their deception right through the gates of hell.

Next up, the pretty smart. They tend to revel in deciphering the universe around us. They become engineers and surgeons, and other high functioning occupations. They view the goings on of group two as something to be ignored (like reality TV) or challenged (group three) as long as their primary interest comes first.

The final group is the ridiculously smart. Those that are not driven mad by their intellect (Richard Kazinsky) retreat into esoteric shelters to live separate from others.

The exponent in this continuum is the existence of good and evil. At every level there is both evil and good. However, group 3 is the group least able to see it while the most able to cause great harm.

There is a societal example easily visible if it is simply looked at, but that is a whole other essay.