Americans Are Stupid?

Americans Are Stupid?

rothkopf.foreignpolicy.com

America has been suffering an outbreak of especially virulent and acute stupidity recently. It has been particularly manifest at town hall meetings devoted to "discussions" of health care reform in which incensed Republicans scream at the top of their lungs about provisions that are not actually in any of the legislation under consideration -- for example the so-called "death panels" that would have bureaucrats deciding when to pull the plug on "grandma" (as President Obama characterized it yesterday).

Scientists are, of course, fascinated by this phenomenon which, given the behavior

(visit the link for the full news article)

Now, frankly, I don't know what the idiots have to complain about. This country has done more for them than perhaps any other single segment of our society. The constitution is packed with protections for the stupid. Grade inflation was designed especially to make them feel good about themselves. Self-help sections in bookstores and most daytime television talk shows are focused around the idea that morons are entitled to the same self-esteem that is enjoyed by people who actually think before they speak and act. In fact, catering to the nit-wit market has built the American entertainment industry into the world serving behemoth it is today (there are dummies everywhere, in fact globalization threatens a shift in the global balance of stupidity that may give an edge to more populous nations although China and India do have cultural inhibitions against some root causes of American assininity. They for example, as societies, seem to value education more and respect for those members of society that have somewhat more experience.)

Religious idiots are given the right to insert made up fairy tales for which is there is not nor could there be one single scintilla of evidence into "science" books as if they really happened. They demand and are actually accorded respect for ideas that are so preposterous that they wouldn't make it into the cosmology of Sponge Bob Square Pants. Conspiracy idiots have created an industry out of the idea that weather balloons are alien spacecraft and that those of us who are Jewish, who have been getting our asses kicked for all of human history, are actually in control of global affairs. Special-interest idiots are given the right to plead the case that if their children fail at math, can't spell or speak English badly enough then rather than being taught how to correct it, tests ought to be adjusted to ignore their shortcomings or, alternatively, their linguistic "innovations" ought to simply be treated as creativity or even as new forms of language. (You wonder why the math idiots have not managed to get algebra and calculus revised or just dropped from the curriculum for similar reasons. But then again... they are idiots.)

rothkopf.foreignpolicy.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

This whole article is absolute propaganda.

Originally posted by Donnie Darko
This whole article is absolute propaganda.

Agreed 100%.

Unfounded, bottomless, opinionated garbage...

perhaps it is propaganda but then again, he has a point. there is a lot of pandering to the lowest common denominator going on. even documentaries seem to be getting dumber.

the world seems to be run for dumb people, by dumb people and for the benefit of.....nobody.

EDIT: the very fact that there are seemingly stupid people crying about stupidity says a lot about the state of the world.

[edit on 13/8/09 by pieman]

Well, yes!!! However, that's not an insult. People in general are stupid.

When was the last time, outside of a library, that you saw someone actually bothering to read? When you do see it, it is someone reading a novel or love story. It is almost never anything of substance.

In regards to health care, I think a big stumbling block is that people really don't understand what they are trying to do. The government does a very poor job of communicating with the general public.

Me naught stoopid! me smaart! Jane teil me sew al tiem thaat I smaart!

Shey sae I gud stodent an no mi reeding wriiting and rithamatictictic betterrer than muust peeples!

Wat yu taalking aboot?

Yur op dum!

Me proood americananaan!

Go U.S.S.A. !

reply to post by SpeakerofTruth

In regards to health care, I think a big stumbling block is that people really don't understand what they are trying to do. The government does a very poor job of communicating with the general public.

No, it isn't because the gov is doing a poor job of communicating it, it is because they are doing something totally different than what they are telling the people the bill will do.

I can't remember the last time the government told the truth, and this is no different. Now people have caught on.

Originally posted by SpeakerofTruth
Well, yes!!! However, that's not an insult. People in general are stupid.

When was the last time, outside of a library, that you saw someone actually bothering to read? When you do see it, it is someone reading a novel or love story. It is almost never anything of substance.

In regards to health care, I think a big stumbling block is that people really don't understand what they are trying to do. The government does a very poor job of communicating with the general public.

Well in the UK there are a lot of people reading newspapers on the streets. It is actually part of their daily routines and you can even find FREE newspaper (the Metro). In Europe people quite enjoy educating themselves and following world wide news.

And I fully agree on your second statement. Obama should have seen this happen!

reply to post by Hastobemoretolife


you know a politician is lying because his lips are moving, to suggest this is news to the people complaining about the healthcare stuff does indeed suggest they are as dumb as a rock.

Originally posted by TheOracle
Well in the UK there are a lot of people reading newspapers on the streets.

reading the latest update on big brother in the sun doesn't exactly suggest a person is particularly intelligent or well informed.

[edit on 13/8/09 by pieman]

Originally posted by TheOracle
Obama should have seen this happen!

You're right!! He is losing touch. He is allowing the likes of Nancy Pelosi dictate what his policies are going to be and he is happily saying, "Yes, Nancy, yes," and not bothering to give it a second thought.

George W. did the same. That's why his presidency wound up in shambles. He let the likes of Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney and Karl Rove dictate his policies. :shk:

[edit on 13-8-2009 by SpeakerofTruth]

My biggest problem with all this is American's don't argue for whats wrong or right, or even listen to facts for that matter. Its all about Democrats vs. Republicans. It doesn't matter what one side does the other will find something wrong about it. Its all rather childish, self serving and juvenile. Like two sibblings fighting for parents affection.

People are stupid.
Americans are greedy,selfish and fat.

[edit on 13-8-2009 by upnorthtrip]

Americans ARE stupid, yes, but the article still reeks of pro-Obama, pro-NWO, pro-OWG, propaganda.

Knowledge is power

Why do u think they dumb us down?

Originally posted by upnorthtrip
People are stupid.
Americans are greedy,selfish and fat.

[edit on 13-8-2009 by upnorthtrip]

well americans will get what they want we have the power to do so, but as being selfish the u.s. has given more aid to the world than any other 10 countries combined so give me a break on being selfish do some reading on the facts

Originally posted by standupamerica32

well americans will get what they want we have the power to do so, but as being selfish the u.s. has given more aid to the world than any other 10 countries combined so give me a break on being selfish do some reading on the facts

Now THAT'S what I'm talking about!

In 1947, George Kennan, famed bureaucrat and planner, said (in, IIRC, policy planning document 23/1947) that the US has 5% of the world's population and uses 50% of the world's resources.

He went on to say that "if we are not to become the object of envy and resentment", the US must put aside romantic notions of self-determination for other peoples.

This is the obvious reality behind US foreign policy and has been since before Kennan. Yet dimwitted Americans insist on believing their comforting myths.

What the US has given the world is, basically, extortion and violence on a global scale. And lots of Hollywood films to gloss it over and take credit for others' achievements.

Watching the "debate" over health care has made me realise how truly infantilised and propagandised many US citizens are. It's making me think Americans are even stupider than I'd previously thought.

(Yes, these are generalisations. There are honourable exceptions, but honestly, I think even the sane and sensible people live in a culture that warps their world view.)

As for USAID, it's an instrument to further that foreign policy and to allow corporations huge wrtie-offs. It very seldom does any good and can actually wreck small countries' economies. Even putting that aside, the US, per head of population, is one of the least generous countries on earth, along with Australia and the UK. Tiny countries like Eire punch way above their weight in comparison.

One entirely typical example of USAID in action: USAID: making the world hungry for GM crops

This briefing examines how the US government uses USAID to actively promote GM agriculture. The focus is on USAID's major programmes for agricultural biotechnology and the regions where these programmes are most active in parts of Africa and Asia[1]. These USAID programmes are part of a multi-pronged strategy to advance US interests with GM crops. Increasingly the US government uses multilateral and bilateral free trade agreements and high-level diplomatic pressure to push countries towards the adoption of many key bits of corporate-friendly regulations related to GM crops. And this external pressure has been effectively complimented [sic] by lobbying and funding from national and regional USAID biotech networks.

I really wish more people knew the difference between "complimented" and "complemented", btw.

Wealthiest countries foreign aid per capita

As you can see (2002 figures, but typical) that Eire, the Netherlands, and above all the Scandinavian countries (with Norway in a commanding lead) are rather more generous.

What was that again....?

Originally posted by standupamerica32
... so give me a break on being selfish do some reading on the facts

Riiiight.

[edit on 16-8-2009 by rich23]

It could be the reason there are elements of the society that virtually all have the same opinions and arguments . They are getting their info and views from a limited number of sources ( TV , Fox news etc ), rather than a diversity of opinion that would be expected if book reading were more popular .

yes they are

why ... well ... look at this website ... it was made for the americans ...

You can call some Americans highly ignorant, as they have always have been since they signed the Declaration of Independence, but to call all Americans stupid, is quite insulting to the few who really believe in this country and our way of life. I may not be the very brightest of them all, or the money like some, but i do have hope for the Constitution, and courage, still yet, in these troubling times. Do not make generalizations you cannot support.