In my childhood, it was always the smart children who were picked on and bullied, and sometimes even beaten up. Yes, it is because other children are envious, but the time has come that we need to teach our children not to envy and hate those people who are different, but to learn to celebrate them, especially the people who are intelligent.

Let’s face it, if intelligent people are routinely treated badly, they are going to be less likely to use their intelligence, and we need intelligent people to solve our problems, whether it is what is wrong with our car, or what is wrong with our bodies, or what is wrong with our science. We must, therefore, start rewarding displays of intelligence appropriately, whether socially or financially, and stop the bullying and harassment that intelligent people experience today.

Rather than tolerating envy of intelligence in our children, we must begin to set up intelligent people as role models for both ourselves and our children, and begin emulating intelligent people. We must reward study and academics, or society will soon find itself in a great deal of trouble, as intelligent people begin to keep their discoveries to themselves, and refuse to share those discoveries with us.

And to that end, we must stop the media bullying of intelligent people, as well. We must vote with our dollars, and refuse to support advertisers whose commercials show a lack of respect for intelligent people, and petition to have advertisers withdraw from shows that denigrate intelligence. Otherwise, we may end up like the movie Idiocracy, and regret the consequences of treating intelligent people badly.