Americans aren't stupid (despite all appearances). . .

*This post was written a year ago. But it still stands!

I've been thinking a little bit about the prevailing conception that Americans are stupid.

Not long ago, I was considering how many really brilliant friends I have—people whose ideas and pursuits and priorities and philosophies I can learn from.

It's not about degrees or the number of syllables you use. And now I'm watching, in advance of writing an article, a screener copy of "The End of the Tour," which is about late famed American writer David Foster Wallace, who said brilliant things like "The truth will set you free. But not before it's done with you."

Yes, we could all of us probably bone up on geography or history or address some areas where we should know more. But everyone who figures out how to get by, let alone thrive, has acquired some smarts.

There's nothing wrong with occasionally putting our brains on autopilot while watching a reality show. Let's not buy into the "Americans are stupid" trope, though.

Because while a little self-deprecation is vital for a sense of humor, self-loathing is pointless. Because with everything that faces us, we can't afford to be stupid. And because we've got Mark Twain, damn it, who said things like "Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first."

The Twain factor alone should give us a get-out-of-jail-free card when it comes to public perception of the American intellect, for at least a couple more centuries.