Zimbabwe is a failed state because we have many stupid voters. Alas! There is no cure for stupidity! W Mukori

 The ignorant can be educated and the crazy medicated. Alas! there is no cure for stupidity! NONE!

How true! 

Zimbabwe is a failed state because we have brigades of stupid people who keep repeating the same mistakes over and over again - a hallmark of stupidity. The irony is that we continue to boast that we are one of the best educated nation in Africa. 

In other words we have invested millions of dollars, sweat and sinew and all we have hundreds of thousands of of idiots with “O” level education or better and a very significant number even have university qualifications!

You cannot reason with the stupid, they are incapable of rational thinking. Experience is the best teacher, yes but only for those with still some active brain cells which repeated suffering can force the dormant cells back to live. The brain of the stupid has all but ossified into fat. 

The stupid view leaders as demigods who can do no wrong, that is hardwired.  This is why diehard Zanu PF supporters see nothing wrong with extending Mnangagwa’s stay in office by 2 years, followed by CAB3 and now there is talk of CAB4! Diehard MDC/CCC supporters will never accept that Chamisa is corrupt, incompetent, a liar and a conman!

The idea that ancient Greeks classified humans into "idiots, tribesmen, and citizens" is a popular modern interpretation of ancient Greek civic philosophy that frequently circulates as a viral social media commentary. While it captures genuine elements of how the Greeks viewed civic duty, the specific three-part breakdown uses a mix of real ancient etymology and modern sociological framing.

Here is how the original Greek concepts compare to the popular modern viral breakdown:

1. The Idiots (Idiotes)

The Viral Definition: A totally selfish, self-centered person who has no public philosophy, disregards community rules, and cares only about personal gain. 

The Historical Reality: In ancient Greece, the word idiōtēs (ἰδιώτης) originally meant a "private person" or an individual who did not hold public office, as opposed to an official or an expert. Because Athenian democracy placed a massive premium on participating in the polis (public life), those who completely neglected civic affairs and focused purely on private matters were looked down upon. Over time, the term evolved from meaning a private citizen to someone unskilled, uneducated, and eventually, the modern meaning of the word.

2. The Tribesmen

The Viral Definition: A person with a narrow, clannish mindset who can only see the world through the lens of their specific ethnic, religious, or political group. They are loyal only to their group and suspicious of outsiders. 

The Historical Reality: This category is largely a modern sociological addition used to contextualize contemporary political issues like tribalism and hyper-partisanship. While ancient Greece was originally organized by distinct geographic and ancestral tribes (phylai), the democratic reforms of Cleisthenes in 508 BC actually restructured these tribes artificially to mix people from different regions. This was done explicitly to break old clannish loyalties and force people to identify as citizens of the city-state rather than members of an isolated tribe

3. The Citizens (Polites)

The Viral Definition: The ideal community member who respects shared humanity, balances individual rights with the common good, and actively builds a flourishing society.

The Historical Reality: To the Greeks, a politēs (πολίτης) was a citizen of the city-state (polis). Being a citizen was not a passive status; it required mandatory active participation in governance, jury duties, and military service. However, the ancient Greek definition of a citizen was highly exclusive—it was strictly limited to free, adult, native-born males, entirely excluding women, enslaved people, and foreign residents (metics).