“Stupid is as stupid does” is a well-known idiom meaning that a person’s intelligence should be judged by their actions, not their appearance or inherent intelligence level. It suggests that a person can be considered “stupid” if they act foolishly, even if they are otherwise intelligent, and conversely, a person who may seem slow-witted can prove their worth through positive actions. The phrase was popularized by the 1994 movie Forrest Gump, where the character Forrest’s mother often quoted the idiom.

Please imagine this hypothetical story with me: The Magic Man brought me a gift. It is a one-of-a-kind lawn mower. It runs on perpetual motion and the guarantee is infinite. My gift knows when my grass needs cutting. It turns itself on and cuts my grass perfectly, then parks itself. It activates itself at night, with zero noise so that less wildlife and people are disturbed. I love my gift from the Magic Man. I have decided to put my free gift from the Magic Man on Craig’s List and give it away, for free. It costs me nothing, and I want a new zero turn lawn mower.

HOW STUPID AM I?

I would be totally STUPID. I would be trading a proven product for something that may or may not give satisfactory results.

Now, let’s look at a couple of real life stories which were totally STUPID.

Real life totally STUPID story # 1:

New Coke was released on April 23, 1985. It was a reformulated version of Coca-Cola, introduced with much fanfare, but it was quickly met with consumer backlash. The original Coca-Cola formula, rebranded as “Coca-Cola Classic,” was reintroduced just a few months later. Coca-Cola did not reveal its precise losses from the New Coke blunder, but estimates from The New York Times suggest the company lost around $30 million from unsold inventory, plus $4 million on research and marketing, bringing the total estimated loss to at least $34 million.

Real life totally STUPID story #2:

Bud Light’s parent company, AB InBev, reported a $395 million loss in U.S. revenue between April and June 2023, following the backlash from its partnership with Dylan Mulvaney. The controversy also led to Bud Light losing its position as the best-selling beer in the U.S. for the first time in two decades. 

Soon to come…Real life totally STUPID story # 3:

 

Cracker Barrel, just like AB InBev with Bud Light, has chosen WOKE & DEI over profits and success.

In my opinion, they too will  regret their decision and end up at…
THE BOTTOM OF THE BARREL.

 

Pasta had not been invented… It was macaroni or spaghetti.

Curry was a surname.

A take-away was a mathematical problem.

Pizza? Sounds like a leaning tower somewhere.

Bananas & oranges only appeared at Christmastime.

All chips were plain.

Rice was a milk pudding, and never, ever part of our dinner.

A Big Mac was what we wore when it was raining.

Brown bread was something only poor people ate.

Oil was for lubricating, fat was for cooking.

Tea was made in a teapot using tea leaves and never green.

Cubed sugar was regarded as posh.

Chickens didn’t have fingers in those days.

None of us had ever heard of yogurt.

Healthy food consisted of anything edible.

Cooking outside was called camping.

Seaweed was not a recognized food.

‘Kebab’ was not even a word, never mind a food.

Sugar enjoyed a good press in those days, and was regarded as being white gold.

Prunes were medicinal.

Surprisingly muesli was readily available. It was called cattle feed.

Pineapples came in chunks in a tin; we had only ever seen a picture of a real one.

Water came out of the tap. If someone had suggested bottling it and charging more than gasoline for it they would have become a laughing stock.

The 3 things that we never ever had on/at our table in the Good Old Days…were elbows, hats and cell phones!

In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity.

Albert Einstein

(Probably rolling its eyes and waiting for you to notice.)