With the increase in anti-intellectualism, belief in things like creationism and the popularity of ultra-stupid reality shows, the dumbing of America continues unabated. The less you know the more malleable we become to those who want to control us. This helps explain how [UD’s obligatory anti-Bush comment] Bush became President.
Reservations of an Airline Agent
I work in a central reservation office of an airline. After more than 130,000 conversations — all ending with “Have a nice day and thanks for calling” — I think it’s fair to say that I’m a survivor.
I’ve made it through all the calls from adults who didn’t know the difference between a.m. and p.m., from mothers of military recruits who didn’t trust their little soldiers to get it right, from the woman who called to get advice on how to handle her teenage daughter, from the man who wanted to ride inside the kennel with his dog so he wouldn’t have to pay for a seat, from the woman who wanted to know why she had to change clothes on our flight between Chicago and Washington (she was told she’d have to make a change between the two cities) and from the man who asked if I’d like to discuss the existential humanism that emanates from the soul of Habeeb.
In five years, I’ve received more than a boot camp education regarding the astonishing lack of awareness of our American citizenry. This lack of awareness encompasses every region of the country, economic status, ethnic background, and level of education. My battles have included everything from a man not knowing how to spell the name of the town he was from, to another not recognizing the name as “Iowa” as being a state, to another who thought he had to apply for a foreign passport to fly to West Virginia. They are the enemy and they are everywhere.
In the history of the world there has never been as much communication and new things to learn as today. Yet, after I asked a woman from New York what city she wanted to go to in Arizona, she asked, “Oh… is it a big place?”
Well duh, look who’s reproducing the most.
I loved this SF story as a kid.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Marching_Morons
The story is set hundreds of years in the future: the date is 7-B-936. John Barlow, a man from the past put into suspended animation by a freak accident, is revived in this future. The world seems mad to Barlow until Tinny-Peete explains the Problem of Population: Due to a combination of intelligent people prudently not having children and excessive breeding by less intelligent people, the world is full of morons, with the exception of an elite few who work slavishly to keep order. Barlow, who was a shrewd conman in his day, has a solution to sell to the elite.
I always get a good ROFL when people who write about “stupid people” are stupid enough to believe what they are writing is not stupid.
Historically there have always been people who felt they were surrounded by the hoi polloi. But to say that people have gotten dumber as time has progressed I believe to be a misconception.
We have our own founding fathers who later became the conservative thinking Federalists who did not want to educate the masses. While Jefferson of the liberal thinking Republicans (as named, not the conservatives of today mind you) felt that education should be brought to the masses.
Can you imagine if today we only educated the so called elite’s children? What a wash in stupidity we would actually be in.
I would have to say that, people have capabilities to learn at different levels. Whether one uses those capabilities is another factor; but in all people are more intelligent/well learned now than in the past.
Anyone who has ever dealt with customer support, deals with complete fucktards EVERY DAY. So what else is new?
I watched Idiocracy on John’s recommendation on TWIT. That is a theory I’ve had for years that the stupid are breeding like rabbits and the intelligent people use birth control. That does not point to a positive outcome for the human race.
Intelligence is the ability to learn.
Ignorance is not having learned what you are capable of learning.
But you already knew that.
#6 bobbo
“Intelligence is the ability to learn.”
WRONG!!!!
How ironic of you to see only one part of the meaning.
You can lead a human to reason but you can’t make him think.
Jefferson also thought we should stay an agrarian democracy (as opposed to a republic) and that we should have a constitutional convention every few years.
People don’t value education. School kids who excel have for years been outcasts. Being smart is not cool. People believe that they don’t need to know anything beyond what narrow information source they cling to.
It’s not genetic or political; it’s cultural. Laziness is a way to simplify it.
I say take advantage of it. It’s much easier to sail through college now than it was in the early 20th century. Get an easy degree and work moderately hard and you will excel way beyond your peers who are flipping burgers because they where disinterested in education.
“The Gap Between Smart And Stupid Americans Is Widening, And Stupid Is Winning”
Blame the education system and those who have run it for 30+ years.
“The dumbing down of America continues unabated.”
I think this series of photos confirms the dumbing down process started in California.
http://tinyurl.com/7eo27
#3 – Historically there have always been people who felt they were surrounded by the hoi polloi. But to say that people have gotten dumber as time has progressed I believe to be a misconception.
I agree to an extent. We aren’t dumber. But the problem is that we were never really all that terribly smart to begin with.
It may be fair to say that we are getting less wise… but that’s another thread.
Can you imagine if today we only educated the so called elite’s children? What a wash in stupidity we would actually be in.
Are you sure that this isn’t what is happening. For all the bitching by the ignorant masses of blog blabbers about how our national education system has gone to Hell in a handbasket and sent back a greeting card, the truth is that inner city schools abandoned by white flight and certain small rural schools left behind by collapsing economies are where children suffer.
Wealthy community schools swim in tax money and their kids enjoy a solid core curriculum, a diverse assortment of electives, AP classes, and a college placement rate that is stellar.
I’d argue that we do educate our elite while tossing our poor to the gutters.
#5 – I watched Idiocracy on John’s recommendation on TWIT. That is a theory I’ve had for years that the stupid are breeding like rabbits and the intelligent people use birth control. That does not point to a positive outcome for the human race.
So let’s go smart bitches! Time to our Mensa Freak on! YEA BABY!
Save humanity, ride a nerd!
Dave, you are a tool.
There was a time when reading wasn’t just for fags. And neither was writing. People wrote books and movies. Movies with stories, that made you care about whose ass it was and why it was farting. And I believe that time can come again!
#7–J==what are the other parts? with sites?
While I was speaking extemporaneously–let me check online Websters:
Intelligence: 1 a (1): the ability to learn or understand
(geeks will want to see Def No 5–that can’t be right.)
http://www.merriam-webster.com
J==you do raise an interesting linguistic point==what is the most accurate term for some who claims a point of knowledge (laying the predicate that he is not ignorant) but has the point incorrectly?
“High on Fruit Loops” comes to mind, but there must be better ones.
#15 bobbo
bobbo you make me laugh. I don’t need to post any sites because you posted one for me. You are such a dolt. LOL
If you had bothered to read a little further on that link you provided your suspiciously edited version leaves out the answer which you seek. Part 2 says “the ability to apply knowledge to manipulate one’s environment or to think abstractly as measured by objective criteria “
If anyone wonders why “Idiocracy” doesn’t happen, its because in the genetic transmission of intelligence there is statistical regression to the mean==stupid people will have normal kids, as will intelligent people, as will mixed folks. When any trait “runs in a family” it is noticed because it is rare.
While there is no question that Americans are getting dumber and dumber, it is also true that most scientists are as narrow-minded and bigoted now as in the day when all mainstream physicists were opposing Ludwig Boltzmann’s atomic theory or when prominent mathematicians were opposing the fundamental mathematics of Georg Cantor.
Quantum creation is not anti-intellectualism.
Hmmm, maybe it takes exceptionally stupid people to fly on airlines today.
#18–J==so how does that definition differ from the first one in a manner that provides “another part?”
and relevantly, the other part here is to distinguish intelligence, or lack thereof, with ignorance. In your second definition, you have to have knowledge before you can apply it==so, no new parts.
Try again.
jbenson2 (#12),
WOW, that link has some creepy, crazy pictures!!!!!
#12 – I’d argue that we do educate our elite while tossing our poor to the gutters.
I will take your summary statement as an et al for the direction of the point.
I agree that the playing field is not equal in education and the poor are, by their nature (i.e. no money) at a disadvantage.
But at least they are not directly denied a basic education; to which not all kids had in the history of our country had.
Funny thing is…every generation thinks that the previous generation schooling was better than the current. They were saying that as far back in the 20’s….
Hey !!! Do you mean that now, more than half of us are below normal ???
# 22 bobbo
bobbo you are exactly what this article is describing. I will go slow for you.
Part one. You said. “Intelligence is the ability to learn.”
Part two based on the link you gave. “the ability to apply knowledge to manipulate one’s environment or to think abstractly as measured by objective criteria”
Part one you acquire the knowledge part two you apply the knowledge. See 2 parts. There are many more criteria involving intelligence but for the sake of making you look stupid this one will do fine.
You clearly only posted one part. Like I said how ironic of you.
“In your second definition, you have to have knowledge before you can apply it==so, no new parts.”
Your logic is funny I all most can’t stop laughing.
#25 JimD
That was very funny! I got it.
Having a climate where people are afraid to ask questions, or express themselves is something that has a major impact on ‘Dumbness’.
I take issue with the help desk picture. If you don’t feel free to ask the help desk a question then they can’t do their job. (i.e. Help) I’ve run a help desk for 5+ years, and I repeatedly tell people the dumb question is the one not asked. There are questions I can answer quickly, and there are those that are not. There are no, however dumb questions.
Like Mr. Wolf, I’m here to help and placing a stigma on asking the ‘right’ or ‘intelligent’ question only has scared away people in the past.
# 27 Thinker
“I repeatedly tell people the dumb question is the one not asked.”
I agree with you.
#26–J==is this article to a great degree confuses being dumb with being ignorant. Please stop adding to the confusion.
MARLENE: I can’t be with someone if I don’t respect what they do.
JERRY SEINFELD: You’re a cashier!