I didn't want to post this - the Devil made me!!!
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/lifestyle/us-adults-are-dumber-than-the-average-human/story-fnixw28h-1226735154370
Hi Cindy! As a former paramedic/firefighter I could have saved you the reading on this one. It didn't take very long on the street's for me to see the writing on the wall. I didn't call it stupidity, but job security. Some of the things I witnessed were just so incredibly dumb that I am surprised we are still a super power. It seems like they never learned from their dingy actions. The same people over and over did the same incredible things upping their injuries every time. Then, they procreated! The next generations were worse building on behaviors that seemed insane the first time around. What scares the stuffing out of me is if they survive they will be taking care of me in the future. Come on zombie apocalypse! These comments do not or should not upset anyone here though because I think we have a fine family here. Maybe we are the intelligent, well adjusted and the "normal" people in the large general population are the one's with the issue's. What do you think? I feel like that is accurate. Anyway, yes, for some reason the U.S. is in big trouble. I suppose I could immigrate................... ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
Then again there is nothing that strikes more fear in me than walking into the ED and seeing it staffed by people I taught!
quote
I suppose I could immigrate................... ;D
unquote.
I've just warned the immigration dept to keep an eye out for you; they have BANNED you >:-)
I knew it! You and Devlyn have to be sisters *giggle*
Cindy, All you have to do is look at the state of our goverment to figure out that we are not as inteligent as the rest of the world. They can't balance a budget, they live beyond their means, they borrow money to pay off loans, they shot first and ask questions later. And these are our elected officals so what does that say about the rest of us?
Shouldn't it say "WE adults" rather than "US adults"?
OOPS, it means we voted them in. :embarrassed:
Me thinks this is a Cindy post. Oh it is a Cindy post :D
Lucky were no the US!
That was a close one.
I looked over the report. For my country, the outlook seems rather bright.
For example, Korea is among the three lowest-performing countries when comparing the skills proficiency of 55-65 year-olds; however, when comparing proficiency among 16-24 year-olds, Korea ranks second only to Japan.
The problem is that the voter turnout of 55-66 yr is far higher than the younger generations, whereas the political preference is so much contrasting between 20-54 years and >55 years. I am skeptical whether those aged voters even can read and understand the public commitments. One presidential candidate promised that every person > 65 year old will get a monthly subsidy of ca. US$200, regardless of their income, and she became the president. Last month, she apologized, and retracted that commitment.
I have to wait for a few decades to see any significant political reform in this country.
barbie~~
The Ten Most Educated and Smartest Countries in 2012 (http://skeptikai.com/2012/04/16/the-ten-most-educated-and-smartest-countries-in-2012/)
(Lists modified from source at link)
The "Most-Educated" Rankings
1. Canada
2. Israel
3. Japan
4. United States
5. New Zealand
6. South Korea
7. Norway
8. United Kingdom
9. Australia
10. Finland
Intelligent States (Source: Yahoo Finance)
1. Hong Kong
2. South Korea
3. Japan
4. Taiwan
5. Singapore
6-9. Austria
6-9. Germany
6-9. Italy
6-9. Netherlands
10-11. Sweden
10-11. Switzerland
Well, as an American, I can witness that things are worse than the folks in Adelaide can imagine. Some elements of our society have some kind of weird pride in their ignorance. In many areas intellectual achievement or success in a cerebral profession make one "unmanly". Our politicians fall all over each other to convince voters that they are "one of the common people" and not an elitist (meaning one of those smart folk).
Due to the amount of time I spend online with Americans i'm not shocked by the findings in that report, i'm also not shocked that the UK didn't fare too well either.
Our education system is stretched to the limits for the average person & it wasn't that good when I went to school many, many years ago. I left school with no maths qualifications, I had to put considerable effort in at college to improve my math skills to become an engineer & I can now tell you with the utmost confidence that 2 + 2 = 5
'Murica. That is all.
Eliza Doolittle: Ah-ah-ah-ow-ow-oo! I don't want no gold and no diamonds! I'm a good girl, I am!
Carry on! ;) :angel:
This is what happens when you protect people from themselves. Seat belt laws, anti-smoking laws, etc.
If we would just let natural selection take its course, we would be fine. Instead, we insist on protecting people from themselves, and their foolish choices get worse as they teach them to their offspring who proceed to make even worse choices.
It all started with reality television....
Quote from: Antonia J on December 20, 2013, 11:01:34 AM
It all started with reality television....
with heavy sarcasm on the reality.
Is it that we're dumber or just less educated?
Math is not one of my strong points, and my understanding of some algebraic concepts is still weak. Does this make me dumb, or just somebody who isn't very good with math? Part of my problem with math stems from my stutter, too, as I stutter while thinking. This can be very problematic when trying to work out basic arithmetic.
What do you expect from a country where the most popular TV personality is Honey Boo Boo.
Quote from: Ms. OBrien CVT on December 20, 2013, 12:36:11 PM
What do you expect from a country where the most popular TV personality is Honey Boo Boo.
Is she really? I didn't even know who she was until they made fun of her on South Park. I remember when I saw the pre-show blurb on their website and all I could think was: WTF is "Honey Boo Boo?"
Quote from: Cindy on October 09, 2013, 12:33:21 AM
I didn't want to post this - the Devil made me!!!
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/lifestyle/us-adults-are-dumber-than-the-average-human/story-fnixw28h-1226735154370
Amazingly that such a dumb people save the Australians from having to learn Japanese and the English from having to learn German...
BTW... when was the last itme Australinas were in the Moon?
I'm figuring its because most of us don't have access to the prison library....
scientific publications per country
USA # 1
Australia # 11
http://www.scimagojr.com/countryrank.php
Most patents awarded in the European Union
USA # 1
Australia (not even mentioned)
http://www.epo.org/about-us/annual-reports-statistics/statistics/granted-patents.html
Most International patents
USA # 1
Australia # 14
http://www.wipo.int/pressroom/en/articles/2012/article_0001.html
Finally:
42.5% of Americans have a college-level degree
while only 38.3% of Australina do!
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/most-educated-countries-world-102232490.html
I prefer to avoid this sort of thread which can get quite heated and who cares anyway but Peky, citing Mark Twain "There are 3 kinds of lies: Lies, damned lies and statistics..", you might be interested in this text :)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_born_scientists_and_engineers_in_the_United_States (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_born_scientists_and_engineers_in_the_United_States)
Hugs
Donna
P.S. Obviously, this can also apply to the O.P... ;)
Yeah! And Americans play real football, not that stuff from the other side of the pond. And...and...we invented McDonald's!
Quote from: Antonia J on December 20, 2013, 02:35:06 PM
Yeah! And Americans play real football, not that stuff from the other side of the pound. And...and...we invented McDonald's!
And don't forget Freedom Fries!!!
Quote from: big head horsey-face on December 20, 2013, 02:52:45 PM
And don't forget Freedom Fries!!!
How about a TSA taco with those Freedom Fries?
(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F31.media.tumblr.com%2Ftumblr_m4v4w9BaOt1rxp8wco1_500.png&hash=183de344b5978a1c7110ce58bda8257e07e023e0)
^This :D
Quote from: Ms. OBrien CVT on December 20, 2013, 12:36:11 PM
What do you expect from a country where the most popular TV personality is Honey Boo Boo.
lol she's kinda funny
Quote from: VeryGnawty on December 20, 2013, 04:28:35 AM
This is what happens when you protect people from themselves. Seat belt laws, anti-smoking laws, etc.
If we would just let natural selection take its course, we would be fine. Instead, we insist on protecting people from themselves, and their foolish choices get worse as they teach them to their offspring who proceed to make even worse choices.
We definitely need more Darwin awards.
I think the movie "Idiocracy" nailed it. All the smart people didn't reproduce, but all the dummies had litters of kids. Play that out over a few generations... And yes, I have no kids.
Burritos are superior to Tacos.
Quote from: Miss_Bungle1991 on December 20, 2013, 03:45:05 PM
Burritos are superior to Tacos.
I'm getting my burrito turned into a taco someday, but whatever floats your dinghy...
Quote from: peky on December 20, 2013, 12:58:17 PM
Amazingly that such a dumb people save the Australians from having to learn Japanese and the English from having to learn German...
BTW... when was the last itme Australinas were in the Moon?
Oh Honey don't get upset by a silly newspaper article.
Now lets just check, USA pop = 317 million. Australia = 23 million Mmmm maybe that reflects in the publication and patent information!
quote
BTW... when was the last itme Australinas were in the Moon?
unquote
Not sure, but if I ever meet an Australina I will make sure to ask what itme it is!!
Enough already!!!! :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
Quote from: Cindy on December 20, 2013, 04:33:00 PM
Oh Honey don't get upset by a silly newspaper article.
Now lets just check, USA pop = 317 million. Australia = 23 million Mmmm maybe that reflects in the publication and patent information!
quote
BTW... when was the last itme Australinas were in the Moon?
unquote
Not sure, but if I ever meet an Australina I will make sure to ask what itme it is!!
Enough already!!!! :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
I bought a stylish Aussie made toilet, but somehow it doesn't flush in reverse. Should I return it?
Quote from: Jill F on December 20, 2013, 04:01:26 PM
I'm getting my burrito turned into a taco someday, but whatever floats your dinghy...
:D :D That was a good one.
According to the article shared by The Advertiser, which originally appeared in the New York Post, I'd be considered dumb due to my current math skills (see my earlier comment in this thread for details). And according to other comments in this thread, I could be considered dumb because I've had kids.
I like anti-smoking laws. They prevent me from having to deal with second-hand smoke, which also gives my kids (and their mother) instant asthma attacks. I'm a bit perturbed that smoking is allowed in my apartment building and I can only hope that my neighbors who smoke take the necessary precautions. I should not have to be subjected to "natural selection" if they start a fire in their apartment and it consumes mine as well.
Likewise with seatbelt laws. If I crash a car into another car and someone sustains an injury that could've been prevented by using a seatbelt, I'm the one who gets protected.
As usual, these things are a little more complicated than what they seem to be on the surface. If the situation is actually one of education rather than intelligence (also see my previous comment in this thread), then part of the issue is that education isn't a high enough of a priority in this country. Often, the most crowded schools are in the poorest areas. These schools don't get the funding they need to provide education, which is little more than test training. The test scores are low and their meager funding gets cut. The system is designed to fail.
Quote from: Cindy on December 20, 2013, 04:33:00 PM
Oh Honey don't get upset by a silly newspaper article.
...all the more so as the article was originally published in a well know Australian newspaper called the "New York Post".. ;D ;D ;D
Quote from: Miss_Bungle1991 on December 20, 2013, 12:42:26 PM
Is she really? I didn't even know who she was until they made fun of her on South Park. I remember when I saw the pre-show blurb on their website and all I could think was: WTF is "Honey Boo Boo?"
I thought the new reality hit here was our homophobic and racist Duck Dynasty thing? Fortunately I was only briefly exposed to Honey Boo Boo and never to the Ducks during my channel surfing.
Meh, IMHO we could all do with plenty of humility. Nationalistic and patriotic nonsense divides and conquers us.
Quote from: Donna E on December 20, 2013, 01:35:25 PM
I prefer to avoid this sort of thread which can get quite heated and who cares anyway but Peky, citing Mark Twain "There are 3 kinds of lies: Lies, damned lies and statistics..", you might be interested in this text :)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_born_scientists_and_engineers_in_the_United_States (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_born_scientists_and_engineers_in_the_United_States)
Hugs
Donna
P.S. Obviously, this can also apply to the O.P... ;)
Mark Twain did not know anything about statistics... neither does most people who use his misguided quote.
While it is true that a poorly conducted or analyzed statistic analyses can be misleading -as is often manipulated by politicians- the fact remain that statistics specially those validate by measurements of strength and reliability are extremely useful documenting differences, relationships, etc.
I am one of those foreign born US scientists... I earned my master and doctorate in the USA... I have live all my adult life in USA... I am a US citizen
makes no difference where you are born or where do you die what it counts is: where and for whom you fight for
The OP may have posted a "funny" or "silly," seemingly harmless article but it is not. It does perpetuate a misconception, and it is a cheap "put down" at best...
Quote from: peky on December 20, 2013, 05:36:33 PM
Mark Twain did not know anything about statistics... neither does most people who use his misguided quote.
While it is true that a poorly conducted or analyzed statistic analyses can be misleading -as is often manipulated by politicians- the fact remain that statistics specially those validate by measurements of strength and reliability are extremely useful documenting differences, relationships, etc.
I am one of those foreign born US scientists... I earned my master and doctorate in the USA... I have live all my adult life in USA... I am a US citizen
makes no difference where you are born or where do you die what it counts is: where and for whom you fight for
The OP may have posted a "funny" or "silly," seemingly harmless article but it is not. It does perpetuate a misconception, and it is a cheap "put down" at best...
Agreed. Perhaps starting threads inviting criticism of people isn't well suited for an international support community. We saw a thread locked for a very similar reason recently. My exposure to people from around the world has taught me this: Most people will say "Americans are stupid" with no more thought than I give to saying "Please pass the salt." Yet Americans are people, and we do have feelings. Being used as a soccer ball grows tiring.
Hugs, Devlyn
Oh I suppose we have all sorts of historical reasons for why this flag waving nationalism exists.
It remains a human creation folks.
One of the most beautiful pictures ever is the photo of the earth from space. No lines or borders really exist other than our own creations.
We are human and we share a planet with a relatively tiny and fragile biosphere.
Tis truly now and always the season for peace on earth and good will to all.
Try this to lighten up and Ho HO Ho to you too
http://youtu.be/wn6HI5JQBhQ
Quote from: Tessa James on December 20, 2013, 06:26:31 PM
Try this to lighten up and Ho HO Ho to you too
HEY!! I am NOT a ho!
:D :D
Takes a pun to know one ;D
I like burritos and tacos. What does that make me???
Well fed? Self satisfied? Bi?
Do tell...
Non-binary, or non-committal...I haven't figured out which, yet ;)
Quote from: Antonia J on December 20, 2013, 06:50:09 PM
I like burritos and tacos. What does that make me???
Mexican! :laugh:
Our journeys of self discovery continue on.......
Sounds like sour grapes because the U.S. leads the world in production of virtually everything. If it wasn't for the U.S., the rest of the world would be living under 15th century technology and standard of living. Thanks but no thanks. Studies of these type are worthless.... you can 'prove' just about anything you want. The proof is in the pudding, we're awesome (or were pre-Obama anyway), the rest of the world follows and produces stupid studies.
:icon_archery:
Quote from: Nikko on December 20, 2013, 07:25:35 PM
Sounds like sour grapes because the U.S. leads the world in production of virtually everything.
Tell that to the people that lost their jobs from being outsourced. Yeah, a lot of things may have been invented in the U.S. but that didn't mean anything once globalization really took off. I knew one guy that had a tool & die shop that he built from the ground up and ran it for thirty years. He eventually had to shut his doors once Chinese companies were outbidding him. The kicker is that his employees often had to be sent out of town on jobs to fix the machines that these idiots couldn't build to run properly. But eventually, all of the work dried up and that was it.
Talk to him about sour grapes. ::)
Oh...our downward slide started LONG before Obama. I think all politicians suck so I am not defending anyone. But the truth is that only a fool would believe that Obama started all of this.
US adults aren't necessarily dumber, they're just willfully ignorant.
It's like an aberrant offshoot of the Dunning-Kruger effect*. We're so busy shouting "U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A" that we haven't noticed that were falling behind in Science, Math, Health Care, Social Welfare, Infrastructure.... etc.etc.etc.
It's this sort of jingoistic, false patriotism that keeps us from addressing the real problems that the U.S. faces.
Heck, half our problems are caused by our willful ignorance, general suspicion of science and anybody who seems like they're smarter than we are, and our willingness to dismiss anything that we can't understand.
Sorry, for the rant... I live in the U.S. and I have a deep and abiding love for my country... but it doesn't extend to those who mistake their own self-interest and ignorance for nationalist fervor. I hate feeling like I have to apologize to the rest of the world, the scientific community, and civilization at large for the vocal minority of yahoos that live here.
BTW... Average U.S. IQ is just 98. So yes. Science says that on the whole we're dumber than the median IQ.
www.statisticbrain.com/countries-with-the-highest-lowest-average-iq/
*(Please excuse the blatant quote from wikipedia.)
"The Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which unskilled individuals suffer from illusory superiority, mistakenly rating their ability much higher than is accurate. This bias is attributed to a metacognitive inability of the unskilled to recognize their ineptitude."
Kia Ora,
::) Tis a fact "Stupidity Knows No Country's Boundaries " (No country's immune )
Metta Zenda :)
By that link, the US is on level with Australia and France, and is a point above Canada.
The US is the only country for which a thread like this would be tolerated, right? I mean, sure, we're collectively one of the world leaders when it comes to flag-waving, but that's definitely not who a lot of us are. It's kind of like casting generalities about men/women, blacks/whites/asians/etc, Christians/Jews/Muslims/Buddhists/etc... it's a pretty tired shtick, and it's only interesting when it subverts expectations. I mean, just as SunKat says that US patriotism keeps the country from addressing its problems, saying its residents are dumb doesn't address its problems either.
To make things even weirder, if you break down states into their own categories, you can start ranking states (with many capable of rising quite high or falling quite low on the worldwide rankings if they were treated as their own countries). Here are a couple sources with estimates: http://anepigone.blogspot.com/2010/05/state-iq-estimates-2009.html http://sq.4mg.com/IQ-States.htm . There are substantial discrepancies, but they show a substantial diversity that probably owes itself (in great part) to education.
Quote from: Miss_Bungle1991 on December 20, 2013, 07:31:04 PM
Tell that to the people that lost their jobs from being outsourced. Yeah, a lot of things may have been invented in the U.S. but that didn't mean anything once globalization really took off. I knew one guy that had a tool & die shop that he built from the ground up and ran it for thirty years. He eventually had to shut his doors once Chinese companies were outbidding him. The kicker is that his employees often had to be sent out of town on jobs to fix the machines that these idiots couldn't build to run properly. But eventually, all of the work dried up and that was it.
Talk to him about sour grapes. ::)
Oh...our downward slide started LONG before Obama. I think all politicians suck so I am not defending anyone. But the truth is that only a fool would believe that Obama started all of this.
Only a fool thinks I said Obama started all of 'this'.
But Obama's ultimate goals are pure devastation. This next year is going to be pure chaos as obamacare starts doing to employer insurance plans what it did to my individual insurance plan. My premium quadrupled and I'm now uninsured because I can't afford insurance. I've chosen to increase my life insurance instead. I'm not afraid of dying, I think being forced to buy unaffordable health insurance is tyranny. BTW, these new plans SUCK! My deductible would've been $6,500 in network ($19,500 out of network! And my network is slim pickens, the $19,500 is probably the most likely deductible. The copay is anywhere between 25% to 50% depending on the 'situation'). But I'm glad the 'winners' of this debacle are getting free healthcare.
Obama is an incompetent liar who spent a billion dollars on a website that could've been bought off the shelf for less than a million dollars. It's obscene the government is doing this in the first place.
Obama didn't start this, but democrats did, he's just put the destruction of our country on steroids. Spending future generation's futures for his own political gain. Not unheard of, but he's the master of it, it's the only thing he's good at.
The freedom and liberty that turned stupider than average Americans into huge successes is being lost. But hey, people who choose to sit around in their pajamas drinking hot chocolate have crappy free healthcare. Yippee.
We have more choices here in the US. You can be an idiot and get away with it. We do have a lot of smart people, but they don't use what was called "common sense". We have people in my astronomy club doing external outreach to schools and they are complaining that the science teachers at the elementary and middle school levels don't know the basics of astronomy! They cannot name the 8 planets! I know there was 9, but remember a bunch of PhD's did demote Pluto to "Dwarf Planet" status. Too many things are done for us because of the technology. Too much typing on the keyboard or twiddling a game console before a monitor instead of shaping a piece of wood for example, does less for us.
But when television is bad, nothing is worse. I invite each of you to sit down in front of your television set when your station goes on the air and stay there, for a day, without a book, without a magazine, without a newspaper, without a profit and loss sheet or a rating book to distract you. Keep your eyes glued to that set until the station signs off. I can assure you that what you will observe is a vast wasteland. Newton N Minow, FCC chairman on May 9, 1961. Speech in front of the National Association of Broadcasters meeting.
Joelene
Quote from: Joelene9 on December 21, 2013, 05:57:32 AM
We have more choices here in the US. You can be an idiot and get away with it. We do have a lot of smart people, but they don't use what was called "common sense". We have people in my astronomy club doing external outreach to schools and they are complaining that the science teachers at the elementary and middle school levels don't know the basics of astronomy! They cannot name the 8 planets! I know there was 9, but remember a bunch of PhD's did demote Pluto to "Dwarf Planet" status. Too many things are done for us because of the technology. Too much typing on the keyboard or twiddling a game console before a monitor instead of shaping a piece of wood for example, does less for us.
But when television is bad, nothing is worse. I invite each of you to sit down in front of your television set when your station goes on the air and stay there, for a day, without a book, without a magazine, without a newspaper, without a profit and loss sheet or a rating book to distract you. Keep your eyes glued to that set until the station signs off. I can assure you that what you will observe is a vast wasteland. Newton N Minow, FCC chairman on May 9, 1961. Speech in front of the National Association of Broadcasters meeting.
Joelene
Very true. Americans have had tremendous freedom to be what their free-will yields them. Many take this for granted or have bought into the false notion they can't succeed on their own. Many others know better and have created very meaningful lives. Average these groups out and the U.S. doesn't appear special. Freedom requires personal responsibility and motivation for success for it to work wonders for people.
Ya, that was 1961 when it took all day of viewing TV to see it's a wasteland. Today it takes just a few minutes. I doubt any TV show has done more damage to a nation's image and soul than 'Keeping up with the Kardashians', such a bunch of worthless human debris.
I never saw the Kardashian show but Smurfs, Family guy, Simpsons, Beavis and Butthead, and especially South Park are proof enough that something is wrong. I refuse to watch most of them due to a few seconds of seeing them being nauseating.
The Simpsons were okay back in the day. Now? Not so much.
Quote from: Miss_Bungle1991 on December 21, 2013, 02:39:18 PM
The Simpsons were okay back in the day. Now? Not so much.
The Simpsons are still on?
I kudnt under stan da arctacle
Quote from: svaso on December 21, 2013, 03:34:27 PM
I kudnt under stan da arctacle
Ding ding ding! We have today's winner of the Make Devlyn Smile contest!
Quote from: Jill F on December 21, 2013, 02:47:16 PM
The Simpsons are still on?
Yeah, but I haven't watched them since 05, 06.
Quote from: Ms. OBrien CVT on December 20, 2013, 12:36:11 PM
What do you expect from a country where the most popular TV personality is Honey Boo Boo.
I thought Duck Dynasty had surpassed Honey Boo Boo already. Then again, that show might go on haitus considering that the patriarch of the show made some unsavory comments about African Americans and homosexuals.
I refuse to believe that the Kardashians, Honey Boo Boo, and Duck Dynasty (which I mercifully still don't know anything about, and perhaps to save my soul I'll avoid knowing what it is other that than vaguely knowing it's ~redneck) are the soul of the US, even if it's the most-easily ridiculed part, and a ranking of most-watched shows for 2012-2013 should bear this out (http://www.tvguide.com/news/most-watched-tv-shows-top-25-2012-2013-1066503.aspx). There have been some ~animated shows mentioned as dark indicators for the US, but The Simpsons (which I haven't watched in 15 years) and South Park (also a long time) were not without their moments, and they lack a certain element that I think defines the inner-most level of TV hell (which Kardashians, Honey Boo Boo, Survivor, Amazing Race, whatever Simon Cowell's attached to, and probably *almost* reality competition show and many other reality shows eagerly employ): deeply-personal trivial/artificial conflict. Sports and many other competitions are artificial, but they're not intrinsically personal, so they leave a space for people with cooler heads to have serious discussions and see if something deeper can be accomplished (even basketball players are using more-sophisticated tactics than they did a couple decades ago). Many good stories show deeply-personal conflicts while still making them authentic (even if they're in a fantasy setting, they can be analogous to real-life scenarios), compelling people to better-understand their own lives and those around them. A problem is when viewers get deeply emotional, especially angry/smug, for nothing. Without some lesson or understanding to draw from that experience, people are not just worked up, but they're left empty, which makes for a particularly toxic experience.
If one tries to describe a broader circle of rubbish, it's easy to rationalize throwing the better part of anything into the pot (and the "90% of everything is crap" saying starts to show up): cable news is generally either slanted or lazy; sports are unimportant; sitcoms (whether acted or animated) have shallow, uninspired writing; crime shows distort reality; Weather Channel is disaster porn; History Channel does not live up to its name.
It does sort of beg: what is worth consuming anyway? If the idea is that reality TV is trash, and a bunch of other content is no good, let's flip the topic around and say what is worthwhile. Are there any stories, games, movies, shows or other diversions that are worthwhile, perhaps that help make other countries strong? As gratifying as it may be to list off a bunch of negatives to avoid, it behooves us to have positive alternatives to consider.
Quote from: Kaelin on December 22, 2013, 11:43:38 AM
let's flip the topic around and say what is worthwhile. Are there any stories, games, movies, shows or other diversions that are worthwhile, perhaps that help make other countries strong? As gratifying as it may be to list off a bunch of negatives to avoid, it behooves us to have positive alternatives to consider.
I can think of one:
(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Filarge.listal.com%2Fimage%2F1550096%2F968full-the-get-along-gang-artwork.jpg&hash=567e88ec7438286647c32598ce71009a8ffcdbe4)
Quote from: peky on December 20, 2013, 12:58:17 PM
BTW... when was the last itme Australinas were in the Moon?
Sorry to be picky Peky but no-one has EVER been in the moon, they've been on the moon but not in it :P
I'll take off my pedantic skirt now
Quote from: Jayne on December 22, 2013, 12:44:05 PM
Sorry to be picky Peky but no-one has EVER been in the moon, they've been on the moon but not in it :P
I'll take off my pedantic skirt now
Except for the man eating the cheese...
Actually, that's a rabbit and she's pounding mochi.
Not surprised. Working retail in a small store over the summer, I actually had a woman try to walk out with some clothes, because they had no price tag on them she assumed they were free.
I mean, really, how stupid can you get?
Australinas
I'd like to meet one some day. I think they play the didgireboo
People, I posted it for a laugh for crying out loud.
It reminds me of a variation of the 1970's heterosexual comment 'I'm very accepting, some of my best friends are Americans, my hairdresser is one and he is so cute'
If we can't laugh at stereotypical nonsense then we are in a sad state.
Quote from: Kaelin on December 22, 2013, 11:43:38 AMAs gratifying as it may be to list off a bunch of negatives to avoid, it behooves us to have positive alternatives to consider.
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Little_Pony_Friendship_is_Magic)
This is the best show on television. No shens.
... you said that because I used the word "behooves," didn't you? :P
Since when do bees have hooves?
Quote from: LordKAT on December 23, 2013, 04:32:24 AM
Since when do bees have hooves?
I think she was referring to the killer bees. Nasty little buggers those. You never want to see them stampede... Just a flurry of hooves, stingers, and incessant buzzing. The stuff of nightmares.
Quote from: Willow on December 23, 2013, 12:58:28 AM
Not surprised. Working retail in a small store over the summer, I actually had a woman try to walk out with some clothes, because they had no price tag on them she assumed they were free.
I mean, really, how stupid can you get?
Wow! I've always said there are a lot of idiots in the world, but that wins the golden dunce cap.
I think that the "no price tags = free" argument was a cop-out excuse to try to worm her way out of the store pressing charges -- as in, the person planned to have that excuse ready if she was caught (it's not hard to just remove tags from items). While there's an element of stupidity, it's also a case of simply playing dumb.
Don't knock playing dumb. It works well for so many things.
Quote from: Kaelin on December 23, 2013, 02:01:47 AM
... you said that because I used the word "behooves," didn't you? :P
Actually, I said it because My Little Pony is the best show on television. I wish it weren't the case. On the bright side, it is fairly entertaining...
Great, I'm another rarity – born in America with a PhD in the sciences.
I need a hug!
Jen
And here we have a real Rarity.
Man, these My Little Pony references just keep coming in.
If people think that US adult are dumber than the average human then they obviously haven't spent a day or two in my home town, I've met people who couldn't count to twenty even if they took their shoes & socks off!!
Yes these people do have all of their fingers & toes :laugh:
i don't think studies work in cases like this. easily manipulated and always subjective whether the makers realize it or not.
To say Americans are dumber than (just as example) Canadians is sort of like saying women like pink more than men or that men are sloppier than women -- one may be able to support a tendency, but one has to think wisely about how to use those results, as the results often serve as justification for staying within a stereotype. We have to be prepared to dismiss this manner of thinking where it comes.
Quote from: Jayne on October 09, 2013, 12:54:26 PM
I can now tell you with the utmost confidence that 2 + 2 = 5
Well, for very large values of 2 it does :)
I am definitely less intelligent now, than I was before I began to read this thread.. ;)
kidding aside tho, I think the last time I had to figure out the co-sine of the tangent.. of a.. a taco, was in high school. As I aviate for a living, it was -never- going to enter into my job field. Same with Trig, Calculus, I think you get it.. you know, we were much smarter just out of school than we are now, as the knowledge we have dragged around began to leak out as it just wasn't needed. Now those that went into fields that use trig, calculus, functions, sentence structure, poetry, chemistry, ... frog dissecting (that one was for Jessie), yes, it's used and reinforced every day.. I don't have to know or use quadratic equations to know how what happens if I get too high (and no, the wax does not melt and my feathers come off and I plummet to Earth)..
Granted, some never get that initial education others do.. a 10yr old in West Virginia, Kentucky, or PS148 in Harlem, will not have the same Math or English opportunities as a 10yr old in Oregon, Illinois, or Beverly Hills. Sadly, it has been like that for generations. And not likely to change for several more. But it is interesting to note, that many of the brightest students in the US in the past decade or so, have come from other countries. Even tho they have gone thru US school systems, they excelled.. Nature or nurture? What was the parental involvement in those homes?
A comedian had a quip in his monologue years ago.. I think it might have been George Carlin, as funny as he was, truly an intelligent man also. He commented in a joke.. "American television is just gotten so stupid.. I tried turning up the brightness on my tv.. didn't work.." ..something-something, about pouring water out of a boot too.. ;)
Intelligence has nothing to do with Common Sense, and vise-versa..
Country-bashing has been going on for a thousand years (well, ok, hundreds, maybe) and it will continue until the tectonic plates (see, Mr. Peterson, I remembered that one!) move and form Pangaea again (he would be so proud, and we are all One People again.. but Mrs. English [yes, really was her name], my English teacher, would be writhing in agony seeing all the contractions I have used). Sloppy? maybe. Lazy? Lots more likely. (overall, I think I would get a C- on this post for content, but an F on structure. =)
Quote from: Cindy on October 09, 2013, 12:33:21 AM
I didn't want to post this - the Devil made me!!!
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/lifestyle/us-adults-are-dumber-than-the-average-human/story-fnixw28h-1226735154370
At least, they are far smarter than Koreans, especially those at 55-65 years old.
http://www.latimes.com/world/asia/la-fg-south-korea-calamity-20140423,0,7203262.story#axzz30J8HvLIS
barbie~~
Oooooooooh don't even get me started on this one. >:(
Rant!
As a USAF (military) vet, I am disgusted that I almost died...literally...."protecting" the morons here in this country. Really. Call me whatever you want...I'll confess to just about any vulgar name you may have for me at this point...but...oh, words cannot describe the disdain I have. It borderlines resentment.
Okay, so it IS resentment.
A lot of it has to do with the fact that me...and plenty others like me...an atheist and a transgender, has to be blamed (primarily by the Right) for all the problems in this country. Excuse me, armchair patriot: I served. What the heck did you do for this country? Love it or leave it, eh? Sure. I'm out of here as soon as I raise the money to jump to Europe or something. Care to donate to the "get this atheist LGBTQ veteran out of the US" fund? No? Then stuff it and keep watching American Idol while texting on your iPhone.
Then, on the Left, you have the people who go crying to the government to fix all their problems, which raises taxes on the working bloke who is already struggling to get by. They cry for minimum wage increases, but that raises the prices of everything else and then so minimum wage has to be increased again to compensate (in their minds.) Then vets and servicepeople like me...you know, those ladies/gents/everyone in between who don't get raises proportionate to your burger-flipping job...is stuck shouldering the extra costs of inflation AND dodging bullets while you really didn't get anywhere with your minimum wage hike because now everything else has gone up?
I have to deal with the BS of the Right on the streets because of their moral ignorance, and the BS of the Left while I am in my home because of the Left's economic ignorance. I don't know which is worse.
And people wonder why I am a recluse? lol
The problem with the world today is that the ignorant people are too sure of everything and the wise ones are not sure of anything...and it is the ignorant people who vote. DUMMIES!
There. All better now.