I'm an "American" and Yes, most Americans are idiots!!!!!

The idiocracy has come. There is no question in my mind. The thing is that if you are trying to find people to talk to at such a random place such as work you are likely going to be disappointed. I of course have some advantage that I only hire intelligent people so at work I am surrounded by geniuses and since I hired them I know this for sure.

The internet is very useful in finding like souls to work with. My organization could not work without the internet and if I can not fact check someone I am very unlikely to hire them let alone talk with them. I do not think most are idiots here in the US but for certain that is a growth trend. I would wonder where you work OP? some places do not hire anyone with a brain for fear they might try to take over the company or some such thing. It might just be where you work is the issue.

reply to post by dominicus


Insofar as the average person just wants to get along and do their thing with a measure of happiness and prosperity without complicating their lives overmuch...yes. So are Canucks.
But you might take pride in the fact that Americans are, by and large, good people. They are friendly and generous and welcoming to visitors. I will provide the caveat that I am a male of the WASP persuasion...but I like Americans, I like visiting your land, and I enjoy showing them around my corner of the Great White North.

So take heart.

there is a pervasive fog of dullness hanging over everyone.

in my classes at the university this semester (genetics, microbio, molecular bio), the interaction from the students is so sparse that it has been causing the professors a great deal of distress. it seems as though the problem is not that they dont WANT to participate, but rather, that they CANT.....they couldnt process the information....

....like their brains are shutting down involuntarily.

it scares the hell outta me.

Originally posted by blaenau2000
I have stated before that only 20% of Americans have a passport, surely travelling abroad would be a good start, as the american population cant see past their TV.

With what extra $$?

Originally posted by Char-Lee

Originally posted by blaenau2000
I have stated before that only 20% of Americans have a passport, surely travelling abroad would be a good start, as the american population cant see past their TV.

With what extra $$?

Going north...you've got Canada in pretty close proximity and it's different enough that you know you're somewheres else. Then there's Newfoundland...sublime.

reply to post by dominicus


Perhaps everyone is so involved with their own lives & families and don't want to discuss these things with a complete stranger?

For most Americans I meet, I find they don't want to hear about negative things.

You know, each to their own.

Idiot is a strong word. I do think we are very, very isolated and a bit full of ourselves. But remember we are a young country and sometimes it shows.

reply to post by dominicus

I completely agree with you. Most Americans are ignorant and the main reason they are besides the education, is the dependability to watch television to be kept themselves informed.

If you want to see how ignorant Americans are, just ask them their opinion about 911.
I am an American and I cannot talk to anyone about politics, current events, and 911. I know what you mean by the strange lost look on most of their faces.
People are to busy trying to hold down part time jobs, and barely able to keep their heads above water in paying their bills. It is fact that most Americans spend more than they make.

Many Americans have become so greedy, self center, and materialistic, and the one’s that watch Glen Beck and Bill O’Reilly and believe in their propaganda garbage have become mindless idiots, who cannot or will not think for themselves.

reply to post by dominicus

Well we are told that the IQ of the Nation falls under a bell curve. That means 1/2 the people in the USA have IQs equal to or below 100.

What of those above 100?

What work you do determines who you talk to each day I assume. So if you are a publisher of a scholarly journal I assume most of your work contacts would have IQs above 125 or 130. So you would find a lot of intelligent and lively conversation, perhaps. However, if you work at a job such as sump pumping, who would you talk to? Would highly articulate professorial types stop to discuss philosophy with you if you are wearing your sump pump gear?

Think of all the variables. If you are traveling a lot, then you are an "Outsider" in many areas of the US. It may be the local vernacular says one thing to the "outsider" but means the exact opposite to the 'insider'. How astute are you at picking up nonverbal cues? What do you know of local history, legend, etc? Do you think all you have to do is just start talking to people and you can assess their intelligence? How are they perceiving you? Do you have anyway of ascertaining that?

Some of the most clever dry wits are the 'country' folk who have a lot of earth based knowledge city folk would never dream of. It is best when entering a new milieu to carefully observe your surroundings before engaging in any kind of conversation.

But again...we have subtle class divisions in this country. People judge you on your regional accent, appearance, state of health (a full set versus a few teeth for example), occupation, family background, school you went to, address you live at, and on and on.

reply to post by impressme


The whole Western world has become greedy and self centered, not just the Americans.

The Americans on the whole are Christian God fearing people and are striving for the same thing all Westerners are; good jobs, a roof over their heads, decent education for their children and some peace and harmony. Most Americans are a very likeable people and I have'nt met one who I did'nt enjoy their company. So please, stop bashing the Americans, they are after all our cousins, brothers and sisters.

reply to post by dominicus


So youre saying youre an idiot too, correct?

the problem is not that they dont WANT to participate, but rather, that they CANT.....they couldnt process the information....

reply to post by tgidkp
I have high school kids in my classes who can't name the continents or the oceans or the prime numbers through 100 using the Sieve of Aristothenes or multiply correctly or string a sequence of ideas together coherently. They have a great deal of trouble with what is called 'short term memory' and have 'attention' problems.

Back in history not so long ago, people learned mainly from 'memorizing' - auditory. World wide, there are famous Griots who have inherited the talent of memorizing vast quantities of information, such as lineages, stories, etc. and they intermarry so as to retain this quality.

People blast TV but before TV or radio even, people relied on 'story telling', and such story telling was a highly prized art. it taught kids how to sequence ideas logically, how to listen carefully and to pick up on inferences, cue and hints. Reading came late to the human race and a certain percent of intelligent humans can not process this task (I think internet and FB have proven to help lots of kids learn to read and write - even spell somewhat).

But think about it: we have a very mechanistic, disciplined, almost authoritarian social construct. You get fired for being late. A student is "tardy". Fall in line. Read this book from 60 years ago although a student has little in common with the theme, characters or plot.

Maybe academic education beyond a certain point is only for the few...but there are many different types of education. Scientific, mathematical, industrial, practical arts, Arts of every kind, athletics, business, mechanics, engineering...these are not strictly 'academic' in the traditional sense either.

And there are people who dont like to think; they resist it with all their might. Because of memories usually.

reply to post by bluemirage5

So please, stop bashing the Americans, they are after all our cousins, brothers and sisters.

Talk about being ignorant, I never made any claim that Americans were not. So what does your comment have to do with my post?

I am an American and I cannot talk to anyone about politics, current events, and 911. I know what you mean by the strange lost look on most of their faces.

I assume you are not an American, perhaps you haven’t read our constitution. I have the right to express my beliefs weather you like it or not, and as I stated earlier in my post I am an American, born and raised here, so get over yourself.

Agreed. I've lived and gone to school in both New York and Virginia and I've come to basically the same conclusion. I don't know what's going on, but every person I meet is for some reason a complete idiot.

They wanted me to join them....

Originally posted by seagull
Perhaps you should try topics that are a bit more common place? One can have very intelligent conversations on topics as commonplace as sports, or music...things of that nature.

As for your contention that "most" Americans are idiots? Nope. Sorry, have to disagree. Some? Surely. Most? Not so much.

To the OP, you need to speak for yourself. Perhaps you aren't patient enough, or maybe you are bringing up topics in either the wrong way or during the wrong time. There's holes in your "evidence" that most Americans are idiots, your golden ratio is fool's gold - might look pretty to you, but it's not a valuable affirmation.

Instead of complaining that people are horribly unaware, you could instead be seeking out better ways to raise said awareness... I agree with the fact that our country is in a dire need of better education, this has been an issue for a long time. This is why it is important to not throw your hands up and get off your horse.

Try changing up your tactics.

reply to post by dominicus


Obviously you have never traveled outside of the country because if you had you would know that most people are idiots. The only difference is we give our idiots reality TV shows so the rest of the world can know our idiots are the best! I used to feel like you until I traveled the globe and realized that there are much stupider places then the US. Spend 5 minutes and Mexico and you will see what I am talking about. And that's not even close to the worst that I have seen.

Fellow american surrounded by morons signing in. I can't stand talking to anyone about anything anymore so i just keep to myself

It's not only in America, ATS is international , I expect soon threads like this
I'm an "Australian" and Yes, most Australians are idiots!!!!
I'm an "French" and Yes, most French are idiots!!!!!
I'm an "English man" and Yes, most Englishman are idiots!!!!!

and so on etc etc

Admiting your reality is good start ,Majority of population are so dumbed down today in 21 century that would be unthinkable even for antique Greeks ,Romans 2000 years ago .

How stupid you sound when you say something, depends on where you are standing when you say it...
Mark Twain/ Sam Clemmons

Most people are more stupid than me, and most people are smarter than me. It depends on what we are doing and talking about as to which applies.

I know people that never graduated high school, but can fix a car like nobody's business... when I am sitting on the side of the road, thier apptitude jumps a great deal.

Likewise, the idiot farmer that didn't go to college and never listend to Bach or Wagner..but he can mend his own tractors, weld, balance his books, know the best times to go to market, can read the weather without tuning in to the Weather Channel, can do field first aid..be it a hired hand or a cow... can usually hunt and fish in the off season... and even do a little cooking... pretty smart fella if you ask me.

Most people are smart and learn quickly...it is the culture, the demands of daily life, and what they enjoy in their off time...that determines what is smart. There are folks that can speak 3 languages, but can't use a chainsaw to help clean up after a hurricane. There are people that can figure a math problem that covers 2 walls, but can't remember to change their oil every 3-4000 miles...and they blow an engine.

In the eternal words of Forrest gump..."Stupid is as stupid does."

I would like to get some clarity around this topic, before talking about idiots can you give your definition?
I don't look at someone who does not have a education automatically say they are a idiot. To me a idiot is someone who does not want or try to learn.

Stupid is something completely different, stupid is someone who does not have the ability to learn.