“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe.”
~ Albert Einstein
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YOU CAN’T FIX STUPID!

It has been said that ignorance may be cured with education, and with exposure to new information and facts. Stupidity, however, is irreparably ingrained in many – repeated poor judgment speckled with willful disregard of the facts. It is so metastasized that people with the “stupid affliction” simply can’t or won’t change. The comedian, Ron White, popularized this phrase on his iconic comedy tours. “You can’t fix stupid.”

Or, “toopid” as Angela Hoy, the publisher of WritersWeekly, likes to say.

We can’t fix stupid, but it certainly can be assigned a court date. In the law, I can only surmise that the judiciary must go to great lengths to restrain itself from excoriating a myriad of Plaintiffs for their abject stupidity. Our lawsuit-obsessed society has put manufacturers on edge. What is open and obvious to the general population now must be emblazoned in product literature and packaging. For example, a thermometer warning: “Once used rectally, the thermometer should not be used orally.”

“Pepper spray causes eye irritation.”

On a baby stroller: “Remove child before folding.”

One doctrine in the law that inures to the benefit of landowners is the “open and obvious” doctrine. In premises liability cases, it can be a complete defense to a Plaintiff’s specious claims. For example, when you proceed in a section of the produce aisle of a grocery store, knowing there is a spill that is clearly marked by wet floor signs. The idea is that the hazard is so apparent that no reasonable person would proceed at their own peril. There are countless lawsuits where Plaintiffs have climbed over a barrier that was designed to protect them – often accompanied by warning signs. True to form, they proceed at their own risk.

I am an avid diver. Any time you place something between yourself and the surface of the water, your risk of injury or death increases exponentially. Shipwrecks and cave diving are two examples that are inherently dangerous. Proceed at your own risk. While diving in Cozumel, Mexico, you can experience the popular cenotes, which are natural swimming holes formed by collapsed limestone rock. The contiguous caves’ entrances are all marked clearly: “If you proceed beyond this point, you will die.” Yet, people do, and too many have died.

GMAIL PREDATORS

Any legitimate business has their own website domain and their employees have email addresses that use that domain (i.e. angela@writersweekly.com). It’s fine for individuals (like authors) to use a Gmail.com email address. For your own safety, assume that any person who contacts you from a company that uses a Gmail.com email address is a scammer.

Any person using a Gmail.com email address who advertises, or reaches out to you about their publishing, marketing, and/or book review services is an OPEN & OBVIOUS DANGER. Proceed at your own risk. These ubiquitous predators bear other harbingers of fraud such as unique, very formal English diction and alarming foreign monikers such as Adelaide Panful, Genesis Jones, Mr. Peter Michael, Ella Brooks, and Jourdan Bella. There are also a lot of scammers using the last name of Smith.

Alphabet, Inc. (NASDAQ GOOG), the parent company of Google, has a market capitalization of roughly 2.97 trillion dollars. Yes, it is a behemoth, venerated titan of tech. But, that’s it. A Gmail account imbues an owner with nothing more than an email address. No marketing or publishing prowess accompanies a Gmail address. If anything, it is a glaring red flag that you are little more than savory prey on the cyber Serengeti.

Anyone who contacts or corresponds with you via Gmail on your publishing journey is more likely than not a publishing or marketing predator lying in wait. An open an obvious danger such that, if you take the bait, I can only cringe and say, “How stupid can you be?” It is as simple as that.

REPORT Gmail FRAUD: fraud@google.com

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JAMES M. WALSH, ESQ. is a former Navy JAGC officer and a recipient of the American Bar Association’s coveted LAMP Award for excellence in military legal assistance practice. A rolling stone, J.M. has globetrotted most of his adult life. After the military, J.M. pursued commercial real estate development, leasing, and asset management. He resides in Catania, Sicily. He spent almost twenty years in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Luzerne, Erie & Lackawanna Counties. His handiwork as an editor and author is interspersed throughout this novel. Leo A. Murray fondly refers to J.M. as his collaborative, literary ‘Coach’ or ‘Lieutenant.’ Agnes claims that he has gypsy in his heart and rabbit in his feet.

James’ thriller, Maximum Impact, written with co-author Leo Murray, was published by Abuzz Press, an imprint of BookLocker.com.