A modest proposition.

I propose that, in identifying the positions people hold with respect to religion, politics, science, or any other realm of thought, "moron" is a class all unto itself. Just as a "liberal" can't be a "conservative", and vice-versa (at least on the same issue, and in the same context—i.e. political, fiscal, religious, etc.), a "moron" can't be either of the above, or anything else for that matter, because he is too ill-informed to have an opinion worth considering. In short, I propose that "moron" is exclusive of every other category. If you are a moron on a given subject, you cannot represent liberals, conservatives, blacks, whites…Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Jews, or any other race, color, creed, tint or hue. On that subject, you are a moron, and nothing else.

I'm talking about, for example,

• people who do not even understand the definitions of the terms they use.
• people who believe emotional invective is an acceptable substitute for substance in an argument.
• people who dwell in a never-ending infinite-tunnel-vision mental realm, blithely unaware that their opinions result from circular reasoning, by "virtue" [sic] of the fact that they recursively believe in their own beliefs.

...as well as others. You know—well, some of you do: MORONS!

If only we had a reliable Smart-O-Meter so we wouldn't have to waste so much time identifying or, what's worse, talking to the morons — that is, the people too ill-informed on a particular subject, and stubbornly committed to remaining so, to be worth listening to — in the first place. It would be a win-win situation for all. The morons would even have a chance to realize they ARE morons, because they might eventually notice that smart people exist, but that no smart people ever talk to them on particular subjects. And the people who AREN'T morons could get on with the business of dealing with real issues without interference and babble from MORONS!

Alas, such a device does not exist. Non-morons must resign themselves, at least for the nonce, to occasionally mingling with morons, at least in public conversations. And, sadly, the only known way to induce a moron to shed his tragic/comic ignorance is to deal with him directly, and try to coax the fragile bud of reason (if any) atop his brainstem to bloom.

The success rate of this method is dismal. But, like our prison system and our government, it's all we've got right now.