It's long been thought that stupid people are just that: Stupid. They're the butt of jokes, routinely fail at simple tasks, and generally experience the worst that the Western, developed world has to offer. Despite their lowered capacity for thought and reflection, however, their existence came with the assumption that, some of the time, they are, at the very least, aware of the cause of their actions, as well as their reactions to external factors and stimuli.

This long-held belief is called into question by ground-breaking new research being conducted at the Springbrook Thought Institute. Studies concluded that…less neurologically ‘gifted’ people, or ‘NPCs’, are not active in activities that would indicate even a small amount of self-awareness, whether on the conscious or sub-conscious level.

"Even without considering the results, conducting the study itself was quite interesting", researcher Don Brown explained. "We installed hidden cameras in the homes of 15 families who were known to be inflicted with lower intelligence down their family line. 12 months of footage later, and we now begin to understand their thought patterns”. He continues; “they show signs of existence and not much else. They live their day-to-day lives just like us, but that's there the similarities end. Signs of interest or even knowledge of the world around them were non-existent". Dozens of researchers pored over tens of thousands of hours of footage for 2 years after that phase of the study had concluded.

"We were able to learn this much though observation alone, so imagine what we'd learn through the use of neuroimaging techniques". Dr. Brown is visibly excited, and rightfully so. With ongoing research such as this, it may not be long before scientists are able to free these people from their stupor. "I entered this field to help people and this may be my chance to make my impact on the world".

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It's an exciting time, but not everyone share's Dr. Brown's enthusiasm. Richard Brom, the head of one of the departments conducting this study, shares his contempt for the people that others, like Dr. Brown, might want to help. "Over the course of the study, we were witness to countless examples of blatant ignorance and even contempt for the intellectual members of our society. These are people who generally don't know and don't want to know. Whatever it is that you or I know, whatever the situation, they want no part in it. Further research is needed to know whether this is a part of their condition, or a psychological flaw that is separated from it. If results indicate the former, I am willing to reconsider my position on the issue, but until such time, I remain firm in my stance".

When asked about Dr. Brom, his colleagues admit that while He is an excellent scientist, He can be "kind of a heartless bastard". At press time, despite the success of this initial study, and 3 more studies planned for the immediate future, it was unclear whether it is possible for the subjects to be any less self-aware while still being aware of their actual existence.