n. A group or class of stupid people; non-programmers as seen by programmers.
2002
As I've said before, the thought that we're paying the salaries of 30,000 federal employees to studiously search the make-up pouches of middle-aged women means only one thing: The Stupids are in charge.
1993
Stupids n. Term used by samurai for the suits who employ them; succinctly expresses an attitude at least as common, though usually better disguised, among other subcultures of hackers. There may be intended reference here to an SF story originally published in 1952 but much anthologized since, Mark Clifton's "Star, Bright". In it, a super-genius child classifies humans into a very few 'Brights' like herself, a huge majority of 'Stupids', and a minority of 'Tweens', the merely ordinary geniuses.
1987 (earliest)
Man, you are just as stupid as I thought! No wonder I don't want to live in your stupid city! You're nothing but a bunch of stupids! You don't deserve me! I'm outta here!
This term almost certainly (although see the Jargon File citation) comes from the series of children's books by Harry Allard and James Marshall chonicling the life and times of the Stupid family (The Stupids Step Out, The Stupids Die, etc.). It predates the Tom Arnold movie "The Stupids," although the latter no doubt helped to popularize the term.