First off, not all the questions are all that easy. Second, I bet you could ask 5th graders all over the country some of these questions and they wouldn't do any better than adults. Having six or so 5th graders, obveiously, is far from representing the whole. Considering that like 50% of middle schoolers can't even find the United States on a map, I'm not too worried how "stupid" adults are compared to 5th graders.

Originally posted by ghaleon12
Considering that like 50% of middle schoolers can't even find the United States on a map, I'm not too worried how "stupid" adults are compared to 5th graders.

50 percent huh? Where did you go to school? Got a source for that info? The US isn't to hard to find on a map, I've seen 5 year olds point out the USA on a globe.

I've watched it in part twice, the 2nd time there was a high school teacher, well he was a football coach and this guy didn't get any question right!

No wonder our kids are as dumb as a sack of hammers.

Roper

Originally posted by Roper
I've watched it in part twice, the 2nd time there was a high school teacher, well he was a football coach and this guy didn't get any question right!

No wonder our kids are as dumb as a sack of hammers.

Roper

Just because one football coach is dumb, thats no reason to assume they all are. You guys need to lighten up, the whole idea of the show is to cast dumb people! Since when are casted individuals on TV shows an intelligence guage for our whole society! If thats your take on things, maybe you guys need to watch more jeopardy and less 5th grader.... Then you can think the whole world is turning into geniuses.

It's no surprise it's on Fox and it's just part of the general societal dumbing-down that the MSM/television have been perpetrating on us for decades.

If you want a good reality dose, get thee to Google video or YouTube and listen to a major presidential speech by Ike (I'd recommend his last, the Military Industrial Complex speech) or anything scripted or just five extemporaneous words from JFK. Likewise a broadcast by Murrow or Cronkite.

Listen to the tone, the vocabulary, the inner logic, and the information imparted by these speeches. These presidents did not treat the public like children or morons, they spoke with eloquence and respect and a sense of honor and decorum. They spoke to the public as to an audience of informed adults.

All that is ancient history. Today it's Rovian cynicism and corporatism running the show: Sell Joe Six Pack his beer, then your lies.

He's so blunted by a lifetime of moronic drivel he'll never know--or care.

And so it goes.

Its really embarrasing to watch that show and have these people not know even the most basic of answers!
I suppose they have to have a low IQ and be dummies to qualify in that show.
After all, its Jeff Foxworthy's show.



Amazing!

But we've all seen the reporter on the streets asking dumb questions and people have not the slightest clue. They dont!!!

So how many actually took the test and what did you score?

I want my million bucks!!!!

I did take a cheat on the question "name the island that Tokyo is on".

Roper

Ok... so yeah... I got pwned by the question "What date is Boxing Day celebrated in Canada?" And I was like... wtf is Boxing Day? I'd like to hear an explanation for why not knowing foreign holidays makes you stupid.

*EDIT* : Why are the math and science questions approximately 100 times easier than the others? I haven't had to think more than half a minute about any of them, and that was the maximum number of thursdays in a year thing.

[edit on 7-7-2007 by rickjamesia]

Well, I have to admit that on my first try, I scored 10,000..LOL. Oh,well. Of course, I didn't use any cheats or anything. Maybe I will try again.

[edit on 7-7-2007 by SpeakerofTruth]

[edit on 7-7-2007 by SpeakerofTruth]

Originally posted by Spawwwn
I don't know why everyone is all shocked, and offended. If anything this just proves how useless grade k-12 is, and how little you use anything you learn there in the real world. This is excactly why i slept through most of school.

Note:Contributing factor to the twisted 'logic' behind Spawwwn's rant.

Originally posted by Spawwwn
Grade school is about memorizing obscure facts. I mean what countries do pandas come from? Why should i know or care?

Didn't it mention continent, not country?

Originally posted by Spawwwn
How many months have 31 days? That's just obscure facts. This is in no way a reflection of how "dumb" the adults are, or how "poor" our education system is (although it is admitedly quite crappy).

That may be so, but it doesn't require a great intellect to link Pandas-China-Asia, does it?

Originally posted by Spawwwn
This is why kids hate school because the ONLY things you will EVER learn are: Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division..and basic english.

Well, maybe you shouldn't have slept through class, you might have learnt more.

Originally posted by Spawwwn
You don't really start learning usefull stuff till college..and even when you get to college there is a lot of useless crap you have to learn there. I mean seriously who cares about shakespere he's be dead for what like 400 years?

Well, I'm going to go with the whole 'The Bard (Shakespeare) was possibly one of the greatest playwrights (creator of plays, i.e tragedies, comedies etc) and overall contributors to European (or at least British) literature for centuries'.

Originally posted by Spawwwn
Everyone loves or at least likes their major..but seriously all those other useless courses like english and sociology are still useless, even in college. Trade schools are the way to go. Learn a good trade, and cut out all that excess book studying junk.

...and if one is majoring in either English or sociology? Uh oh! System error!
Yes, trades do, for the most part, help the world (or at least our lives) go round. However, since the 15th, or earlier, centurys the world has become a more complicated place: If everyone took a 'trade', instead of the 'book studying junk' you can say goodbye to doctors, lawyers and contemporary Western society in general.
Ah well. That stuff's useless anyway

Originally posted by Spawwwn
90% of the stuff learned through highschool is useless though. If you can comprehend english, and know how to use a claculator..you're fine. Tell me how many times have you honestly had to do linear algeabra in the real world? there's no reason adults should remeber obscure facts from outdated text books from 40 years ago.

Yes but for most of us that didn't, or are not, sleep/sleeping through highschool didn't make our choices when we first entered. And one can't quite go to a highschool, say 'Give me basic math/english and I'll be out by 15!'.
What if you decide you want to change, or, due to technological advantages, your job becomes obsolete?
And what about those that, in their particular career path, must use the 'useless' skills?

Originally posted by Spawwwn
Why don't we ask these kids to do some hardcore calculus? Or even ask them to analize why they think stem cell research could help parkisans disease. Then we'll see how smart those little heffers are.

Well, I'm going with the 'Because these students are Fifth Graders, and so have not obtained the information their competitors contemporaries may/may not have attained'.

Yay the 'I am the World' fallacy

Anyway in response to the O.P the contestants, like on most reality shows, are picked largely for:
1. Entertainment and
2. Ratings

I mean, who wants to see intelligent people winning again and again? Pretty dull viewing if you ask me.

It's like the 'Oprah Special on Education', where asking two white 'Americans' the first five U.S presidents as opposed to two 'Chinese' students proving that the U.S education system is crap.