More accurately, I am smart but I think that folks are far smarter than they let on, or even give themselves credit for. Although, the subject matters that people tend to choose to specialize in might not be the most wise.
Now, I specialized my knowledge fairly early on. I realized that I wanted to go into the science behind economics, and that necessitated some things. I needed to become conversant in a little bit of everything so that I wouldn't be shooting blind when I don't have the time to do the real research, and I need to know great deal about a handful of esoteric topics. This, apparently, makes me smart. That being said, I'm painfully aware that I just don't know anything at all about a wide variety of topics that are very culturally significant, and some other topics that might lead to me, personally, being ripped off by mechanics and other forms of skilled labor.
People know a lot. No, that's an understatement. The sheer volume of things that even the most stereotypically stupid among us know and understand boggles the mind. In order to be in good standing with the celebrity watchers you don't just need to know stuff, you also need to be tapped into a complex and sophisticated information gathering network. The industry and resources devoted to gossip shame many other news networks, and those involved are highly skilled demonstrate an extreme degree of cunning. Even the consumers of such works have to display an excellent ability to consume and catalogue information. Now, I question the usefulness of this information, but the capacity is there and it should be blatantly obvious.
If only those investments could be tapped into, you could solve a great deal of issues. That being said, it's nowhere even close to my place to judge such decisions. One of the defining characteristics of our political, economic, and social structures is the firm belief that the individual is the best person to decide on how that individual will allocate his or her resources. Do I agree with the investment of intellect and resources into gossip and the entertainment industry? Not really, but on the same token I doubt that many other folks would indulge my weakness for internet spaceships or mad scribblings, either. It comes down to values, assumptions, and resource allocation, as opposed to a lack of capability.
People are smart, skilled, and generally good. But it's up to them to use those resources and some of us (myself included) need to invest them more wisely.
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