Here's Exhibit A in the case of People with Functioning Brains vs. Ben Stein:
The people who have been laid off and cannot find work are generally people with poor work habits and poor personalities.
He goes on to say that the people who are suffering the most pretty much deserve it because they were clearly irresponsible people living above their means and didn't prepare for a horrible disaster that, according to 2007 Ben Stein, wasn't ever going to happen.
Wait, what?
Yep. Ben Stein spent much of early to mid 2007 and portions of 2008 claiming, among other things:
-- The foreclosure problem would "blow over and the people who buy now, in due time, will be glad they did..."
-- "The credit crunch is way overblown. The [financial institutions] are being given away; they're so unbelievably cheap...The subprime problem is a problem, but it's a tiny problem in the context of this economy...It's a buying opportunity, especially for the financials, maybe like I've never seen before in my entire life."
-- "I think stocks will be a heck of a lot higher a year from now than they are now"
-- "I base my financial opinions and views on the words of a tiny green man whom only I can see."
I had trouble verifying that last one, to be honest.
Now, much like the majority of you, I'm just a 29 year old male named Brian who lives in Chicago, and am not especially qualified to pose as a financial expert. However, I do feel that if someone spent the year leading up to one of the most devastating financial crashes in the history of everything talking about how strong the economy is, then maybe he should shut the fuck up about finances and who's to blame for what.
Just putting that out there.
Oh, he also likes to subtly imply(or overtly bellow) that the theory of evolution was instrumental to eugenices, Nazis and the Holocaust, successfully completing the Trifecta of Extra-Strength Dumbass.
In his struggle to remain relevant to someone, Stein's own words continue to undermine him and his presumed intellect. His views for the most part are dated and idiotic without any bearing on reality, and it's high time that he stops getting taken seriously.