Review: _The Marching Morons_ by C.M. Kornbluth -- prophetic science fiction

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Back in the early 1980's, there was a magazine called Omni that was dedicated to science fiction. One of the stories that were published in it was this one, and it has stayed strong in my memory nearly thirty years on. Indeed, when I see particularly idiotic posts on facebook, I tend to comment "And the marching morons continue on..." This novella is why. The world, in this futuristic tale set in the United States, has literally gone stupid. The average intelligence of the average person is now 45, and those who have the smarts run the world quietly, trying to not stress out over the crisis of just too many stupid people, and stay sane. Topic Number One, the question of overpopulation and what to do about it, is what the world must solve if there is to be any survival of humanity. A potter, Efim Hawkins, spends his time between the brain trust in Antarctica, and his beloved kilns. On a hunt for some suitable clay, he finds the coffin of "Honest" John Barlow, a man who was put into a state of suspended animation, and eventually buried -- for hundreds of years. Curious, Hawkins opens the coffin, and finds Barlow still in his comatose state. A cure for his accident has been found, but evidently no one thought to give it to Barlow. Happily, it's a simple cure. Barlow is hardly grateful for his reanimation. The world that he has woken up to is full of marvels for him, and while Barlow does have some wits, Hawkins wisely decides not to tell him all of the truth. Happily he passes Barlow on to the psychologists and gets back to his potter's wheel. A good portion of the past has been forgotten, and Barlow is a treasure trove of history, custom and ideas. Enough of them that there may be a solution to The Problem, and Barlow wants a high price indeed for his help... I'll stop right there. This hardly took any time to read, and when the ending came I was struck by the sheer cynicism of the story. This isn't one for the squeamish, but for those of us out there who can handle the racism in this (it was written back in the 1950's), it does make for one hell of a story. The writing is spare, but striking, without any superfluous words, and it's a good one. This one fed my sardonic view of the world, especially when I think of the current political race in the United States. For those of you who can handle it, it makes quite a tale and one that I can recommend with some reservations. Four stars overall. The Marching Morons C.M. Kornbluth 1951, 2016; Positronic Press ISBN 978-1-5154-0395-1