It does have a cost, one that too many people never learn to stop paying. It’s not just in politics or religion that we see groups of people signing up to be taken for a ride. There’s the old adage “A fool and his money are soon parted.”
Payday lenders, retailers that advertise sales or discounts in a confusing way, and pharma companies that emphasize the benefits of products while downplaying the risks are just a few industries that count on people not figuring out that they’re being played. Leaders in the public and private sector actively undermine public education until it costs them something (like having to automate cash registers because too many employees can’t count change).
What worries me is we haven’t hit rock bottom yet, and the stupidity appears to be spreading (with costs increasing) every year.
