US adults are dumber than the average human

reply to post by TDawgRex


I don´t want to generalise, although having lived for shorter periods (4 months to a year) in several different countries, at least based on personal experience from what I saw, the average knowledge of many Americans is very limited compared to what I´ve noticed while living/travelling around Europe . I saw a lot of black and white thinking, people understand their field and often very well, although nearly anything that lies outside of it is blank...

Just a few examples:

I have never been asked about the location of my country (often not direct location, but continent) when I´ve travelled in EU, even in areas far from my area, although in US it was one of the most common questions... Even when I told about neighbouring larger countries many did not know. I even met a high-school teacher who thought Europe was a country...

Same goes to politics. Too many have not much clue what is going on (non-conspiracy point of view) , except major things. Round here & travelling around Europe, it is far more easier to find people who know about things happening around world, around their home and having a conversation on the matter.

When it comes to finances, the extreme consumption is one of the matters that illustrates it very well. People too often buy too much things they actually do not need and at the end are in financial trouble. Considering the fact that US salaries are among the world´s highest, yet consumption prices (food, clothes, tech, gas etc) are significantly lower than in other nations with somewhat similar, slightly lower salary. Norway has pretty much the same net salaries, while prices are around two times higher and yet there are more Americans in financial trouble than Norwegians. In my current location, rent and food are slightly lower priced , while gas, tech, clothes are significantly higher than in US and the average salary is 15k... That was one of things that was baffling to me at first in US, people earning more than 50k a year having financial issues at such cheap prices. One of things of course lies in impulsive decisions, I saw too much such purchases from my workmaters, too often taking into credit card (tbh most people round here don´t even use it, use only debit as credit often leads to debt) or just buying lots of small things often (a´la eating outside a lot, lottery tickets often,lots of soda and snacks, using car for smaller trips (under mile) , I tried explaining it to them that spending like that grows big at the end, but it was like talking to a wall, just like trying to talking my friend, who was having some financial issues, out of loan for 3rd car to his family (he, wife and a 3 yo).

Although I would not be sure in whether smarter consuming would lead to better results. The inflation would be very high, as most companies are earning from revenue, not prices. The market is simply too dependant on such purchases. Lose them and prices will skyrocket, as that is the only way companies would survive.

As I said, I do not want to generalise. There are smart people just as dumb people everywhere in the world, we are simply talking about the average level and that is unfortunately where US is behind most other advanced nations largely due to the weaker public education system (up to some point caused by the strong private education system) , self-centered culture, extreme consumerism largely due to very strong entertainment and advertising industry etc etc.

beezzer

Metaphysique
reply to post by tadaman

 

Denial is not a river in Aegypt.

just so you know.

Atlantis is the capital of Georgia.

Kidding. "G" is the capital of Georgia.

careful beez, you're sounding like a beauty pageant contestant

"lie down with dogs..."

as for wisdom there's even less of that in the homeland than intelligence or education, witness the downward spiral it's going through, a subject you've covered various aspects of in your threadwork.


@tadaman: all I see is version, albeit twisted of a socrates quote, used to glorify ignorance, Ive been seeing versions of that, personally for the past 30 years. agree about academia being part of the problem though. also agree regarding importance of early environment etc. I can honestly say I've learned more from reading and doing than from school and college.

@Advantage: no doubt some Sybyl on an off day, during the last days of rome, expressed similar statements

@ to all: refusal to address the problem and crack jokes does not help, quite the contrary.

I think that explains why the Republicans still get nearly 50% of the vote.

reply to post by Advantage


I'm autistic. I have difficulties detecting sarcasm and joking in text based conversations. Sorry for the misunderstanding and thank you for clarifying.

reply to post by Eryiedes


To add to your post, a handful of curiosities that I've found over the last couple years, which highlights some very peculiar things--some of which your videos mention:

Overview of Educational Psychology

Death education:

National Defense and Education Curiosities

Another area of potential development in computer applications is the attitude changing machine. Dr. Bertram Raven, in the Psychology Department at the University of California at Los Angeles, is in the process of building a computer based device for changing attitudes.** This device will work on the principle that students' attitudes can be changed effectively by using the Socratic method of asking an appropriate series of leading questions logically designed to right the balance between appropriate attitudes and those deemed less acceptable.

(have to download now as onsite hosting is gone for this one)
The Effects of Electronic Data Processing in Future Instructional Systems by Don Bushnell, Systems Development Corporation for the DoD

A computer-based laboratory for automation in school systems, written for the Research Directoriate for the Systems Development Corporation

Systems Development Corporation Wiki

Bushnell worked for SDC and NORAD. Oh and was involved with schools in the 60's.

Another fun one:
www.soisystems.com...

Structures of Intellect are used, particularly in specialized education, across the US in the public school system. It was created by Drs. Mary and Robert Meeker.

Dr. Robert Meeker also worked for SDC and RAND. The SDC also worked with DARPA. He also wrote this...

Pacifist Bargaining Tactics: A Laboratory Assessment of Some "Outsider" Influences

for DARPA.

Neat. Now these are the only two needles that I was able to pull from the haystack but I imagine, if you know names, you'll find a lot more interesting things relating to the public school system, the DoD, and DARPA. I'd give the NSA link because they have a whole tab on the NSA's suggestions on curriculum for K-12 in their academia tab but I've not been able to get it to load all week.

Anybody want to guess what ideology essentially stimulated Eric Harris' pathological view of society?
Eric Harris' Journal--graphic and language warnings/very scary stuff

Just go visit the thread about Bill Maher. The proof is in the puddin

reply to post by WhiteAlice


Oooooh....I have some watching and reading to do now.
Arigato!

-Amitaba-

- Our education system was dumbed down for no child left behind.
- Parents raise their kids using the TV as a sitter and also as a device to keep them occupied for as long as the day as possible.
- Our education system, TO INCLUDE top universities, DO NOT encourage nor hold a space for independent thought. They teach how to absorb and regurgitate, not to take with them any real sort of education at all.
- Healthy debate does not exist, the system here in the USA does not want debate. They want people and students to suck up what they say and question NOTHING. Why? A questioning mind is a mind that will look to change things that don't make sense or that don't work. That is not what is wanted in the USA, they don't want anything changed so they don't train minds to do so. All they want here is people nodding their heads in unison repeating the words 'Thank you sir may I have another"


I'm pretty well traveled all over this beautiful world and I can say without a doubt that the American citizen is the worst educated person with as little independent thought as possible. This of course is generalizing, there are those that do not fit this comparison at all, but they are definitely the minority.

This dumbing down is not a coincidence, it is in the agenda. There are many environmental factors to include as well as diet. These points can not even be talked about with the typical American because they get offended whenever they feel like they can't keep up with the conversation, and that is a typical occurrence.

My personal belief is that media is making people 'dumber', making it easier for people 'not to think for themselves'. Getting words put into your head and being un aware of so is very easy with today's media and social media!

If you would like to see how pathetic some of the results to simple straight forward common knowledge and even questions about there own country watch this!

The Worlds Dumbest Nation

The American dream used to be about everyone having an equal oppurtunity based on hard work and self reliance.
Now that the left has created the me generation, not many are willing to put in the work required to get ahead. They would rather just bitch and complain that they are not getting free stuff.

There is always the factor of the questions asked, i'm great at certain subjects so if you ask me to do some mental maths i'll probably do it but the mrs can translate between lord knows how many languages and to her its as easy as anything, we all have our strengths and weaknesses

reply to post by TXRabbit


call me dumb...but I don't get it.
So if we don't like a comedian we aren't as smart?

Well considering his entire show is very politically charged...I guess you think half the country is smart and the other half isn't.

The guy is an elitist douche...
How in the world would someone out to defend the disenfranchised even enjoy a playboy millionaire who mocks them from a soap box which stinks of fine cognac, expensive cigars, and several hundred dollar Cologne .....

yeah. what idiots we are.

I don't even agree with what is usually accepted as the definition of intelligence. Reading, math, calculating mileage, sorting groceries by expiration date? These are all things that can be done by a computer. Why is "intelligence" being limited to mean "how well you can mimic a computer processor".

Where is the critical thinking? The creativity? What about social intelligence? Reading, writing and math are important, but they're hardly even half of the whole picture.

My tablet can do all those things they tested for, but I wouldn't call it smart.

This becomes a problem with educational placement too. You get young kids with a large vocabulary, above average arithmetic ability and a strong memory, and everyone thinks they're "gifted". Problem is, they can't apply these abilities to new situations on their own. They can't problem solve, but they can regurgitate like nobody's business, and that's what counts as "smart" in our society.

webedoomed
Education is primary, school is secondary.

Neither of my parents went to college, and they be boss.

The poor stay poor because of a combination of pressures keeping them in check, and their inability to rise above.

We started from scratch. I remember poverty well. Now we're into the 1%, and nobody in our family is pushing a political agenda.

Either you're talented enough, else conscientious enough. If you don't make the grade, you will stay below.

Just remember that class correlates with socioeconomic status, but doesn't always go hand in hand.

Be classy, sleazy, do whatever just keep swimming!!

Well spoken....

And people forget that the top 1% GLOBALLY also started at the bottom somewhere along the line. I've seen dozens of people who had NOTHING end up as Millionaires (and Billionaires) because of their ingenuity and persistence.

reply to post by Maxatoria


It's a bit off topic but I gotta say it.
Dude (or Dudette)...I love your avatar.

-Amitaba-

thisguyrighthere

TDawgRex

Allow me to generalize what I see in this article. Poverty breeds more of the same and the wealthy take care of their own.

Obviously. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer because the rich keep doing what made them rich and the poor keep doing what they've always done.

This is also the key to the rich becoming poor and the poor becoming rich.

good education

Even if you could get such a thing in the US that's only half the solution. A good education is worthless if the student won't learn or can't learn. The most money spent per student in the world is worthless. the highest paid teachers in the world are worthless, the most high-tech facilities in the world are useless if a student doesnt have an intrinsic desire and the inherent ability to learn.

Agreed. Poor decisions will make you poor. Where those poor decisions come from is relative. Even some rich people who inherited their wealth lost it in a short amount of time because they didn't know how to manage it, and they probably received all the opportunity in the world to succeed. Lottery winners often go broke because they mismanage their winnings. Many poor people don't know how to save and invest, nor how to spend their money and that's how they end up being unable to lift themselves from their poverty. These days there are so many resources and so much information online available to anyone who is looking for it. Libraries have free internet access.

Anyway... my point is that throwing money at the poor or taking it away from the rich won't solve a damned thing,....not for very long anyway. You gotta teach them how to fish, but first they have to WANT TO learn! The person who got rich through their own determination and skill will use his/her brain to accumulate more even if you take away what they have.

WhiteAlice
reply to post by Advantage

 

I'm autistic. I have difficulties detecting sarcasm and joking in text based conversations. Sorry for the misunderstanding and thank you for clarifying.

My oldest is a high functioning autistic. No problems

Maxatoria
There is always the factor of the questions asked, i'm great at certain subjects so if you ask me to do some mental maths i'll probably do it but the mrs can translate between lord knows how many languages and to her its as easy as anything, we all have our strengths and weaknesses

I agree with this. I have a mechanic that can fix anything, find anything, improvises like no one else, but would be hard pressed to name one bordering state. More importantly, he is happy with his life, and could care less what anyone thinks.

I hate this educational guilting. I was married to a man that carried around his institutional intellect like a peacock, but could never figure out the laundry room. I'll take common sense and happiness over knowledge that is shoved down our throats, that in the end never really serves us.

Maybe if they stop getting their information from CNN and FOX and concentrated on the internet, Places like ATS, they might be a little more clued up...

The findings were equally grim for many European countries – Italy and Spain, among the hardest hit by the recession and debt crisis, ranked at the bottom across generations. Unemployment is well over 25 percent in Spain and over 12 percent in Italy. Spain has drastically cut education spending, drawing student street protests.

Maybe I'm wrong, but here's what I'm thinking. Doesn't the state of the economy of a country reflect the intelligence of the population? It would make sense that if the population is highly intelligent, they are more likely to be involved in decision-making when it comes to policies and laws. A highly intelligent population would also make better decisions as a whole, avoiding decisions that may contribute to long-term economic problems. If mistakes were made, their superior problem-solving skills would help alleviate problems faster than in other countries where intelligence suffers. That's just my guess.

Obviously every country is responsible for its own well-being, meaning that if they place the quality of education on a higher pedestal, they will produce more intelligent citizens who can then help the country grow in a positive direction. Countries that do not concern themselves with the quality of education FIRST are also doomed to produce less intelligent adults with lesser problem-solving skills which will eventually plunge that country into a mess.

Here in the U.S. all you ever hear is "We need more money! We need more funding!" but the actual QUALITY of education is not going up despite the growing funds. It's going downhill. Teachers unions are more concerned about keeping a bad teacher employed than providing students with quality education. School boards and the politically correct are more concerned with lawsuits from parents for disciplining bratty kids than allowing the good teachers to function at full speed. Schools are more concerned with higher test scores (therefore lowering the bar) than actually teaching these kids something valuable. The education system in the U.S. is a COMPLETE FAILURE!!!!!