There is something shameful about stupidity, and mentioning it in polite company in an inoffensive way was commonly regarded as an awkward form of comic relief. Beyond that, there was often an expression of amused interest that such an off-color topic would merit serious attention. Originally, the attention wasn't supposed to be so serious. The book was to be light and jocular. It took on more of a serious tone as I came to realize how incredibly important stupidity is.
Stupidity is simply too important to be dismissed as some tragicomic source of humor.
Above all, this is a book about people, and it presumes to say something profound about what being human means. Almost everyone who knows me was implicitly if not too diplomatically appreciative of the fact that I was undertaking the task of explaining stupidity to the literate world. In personal, academic and business matters, stupidity has bedeviled my best efforts for years. Haunting me almost daily during the writing of this book have been vivid memories of my most stupid failures. Again and again I have replayed my most grievous mistakes.