A Short History of Stupid

How did everything get so dumb? How did we become hostages to idiocy? What must we do to be freed from a captor whose ransom note simply reads, "D'oh"? The deteriorating quality of our public debate and the dwindling of common sense in media, politics, and culture can drive you to despair and rage. It certainly drove writers Helen Razer and Bernard Keane to a desperate act: befriending each other for long enough to write a book. Join forces with these uneasy allies to fight against a world that has lost its reason. This book examines the different ways in which we've been afflicted over the last 3,000 years. It damns those who have spread Stupid and celebrates the brave few who resisted. Hilarious, smart, unpleasant, infuriating, and rude, A Short History of Stupid is at once a provocation and a comfort.

Bernard Keane writes on politics, media, and economics, and is the author of War on the Internet. Helen Razer has written four nonfiction books and contributes opinion pieces to Rolling Stone, the Age, and other pop culture outlets.