Originally Posted By ecdc <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-maher/new-rule-smart-president_b_253996.html" target="_blank">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...996.html</a> Yes, I'm an evil, terrorist-loving liberal for saying the words America and "stupid" in the same sentence. But enjoy some statistics from the commentary: >>On the eve of the Iraq War, 69% of Americans thought Saddam Hussein was personally involved in 9/11. Four years later, 34% still did. Polls show that a majority of Americans cannot name a single branch of government, or explain what the Bill of Rights is. 24% could not name the country America fought in the Revolutionary War. More than two-thirds of Americans don't know what's in Roe v. Wade. Two-thirds don't know what the Food and Drug Administration does. Nearly half of Americans don't know that states have two senators and more than half can't name their congressman. A Gallup poll says 18% of Americans think the sun revolves around the earth. A third of Republicans believe Obama is not a citizen, and a third of Democrats believe that George Bush had prior knowledge of the 9/11 attacks The average voter thinks foreign aid consumes 24% of our federal budget. It's actually less than 1%. Only about half of Americans are aware that Judaism is an older religion than Christianity? That's right, half of America looks at books called the Old Testament and the New Testament and cannot figure out which one came first.<< -------------- This sums up quite well why I've been so depressed lately about my country. We call elitism a bad thing - like being intelligent is a flaw. Ignorance is a virtue. Anger and outrage are more valuable than logic or reason. Living in the greatest country in the world isn't a birthright. Sorry religious people, but Jesus didn't just decree it and so it automatically happens. It takes intelligence, willpower, sacrifice, and dedication. None of what we seem to have right now in this country. We should change our motto from, "In God We Trust," to "Not easy? Not free? Not worth it!"
Originally Posted By plpeters70 <<A Gallup poll says 18% of Americans think the sun revolves around the earth.>> Good lord, that can't actually be true, can it? I mean, this is basic elementry school science 101! Do these people also believe that the world is flat and you can sail off the edge?? Scary!
Originally Posted By ecdc >>Good lord, that can't actually be true, can it?<< <a href="http://www.gallup.com/poll/3742/new-poll-gauges-americans-general-knowledge-levels.aspx" target="_blank">http://www.gallup.com/poll/374...els.aspx</a> It's towards the bottom. And what's up with the 3% that "have no opinion?" You have no opinion whether the sun revolves around the earth or not? Granted, the poll is from 1999. But I see absolutely no reason to believe our knowledge is any better. After the last 10 years of our educations system suffering under inadequate funding and "no child left behind," I'd bet it's probably the same, if not worse.
Originally Posted By plpeters70 <<<a href="http://www.gallup.com/poll/374...els.aspx>>" target="_blank">http://www.gallup.com/poll/374...>></a> Well that's just depressing. It's also interesting to note that this one doesn't seem to be just an "America" problem - apparently the Germans and English are just as stupid on this question! It's just amazing to me that there could be anyone left in the industrialized world who can't answer this basic question correctly! I wonder if it has something to do with religion? Maybe they've heard that the earth revolves around the sun but they don't believe it - like how they don't believe in evolution and global warming???
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo OMG, I cannot believe this. Every country has stupid people, but this is beyond.
Originally Posted By ecdc >>I wonder if it has something to do with religion?<< I think it does, but perhaps for different reasons. I hope this doesn't denigrate the thread into another pro-religion vs. anti-religion diatribe, but here's my opinion. I think America, as a very religious country, thinks they can know everything. I don't mean how to perform brain surgery, perhaps. But the American version of Christianity - at least most of it - teaches people from a very young age that they can know everything they need to know in life about right and wrong, good and evil. And since, over the last 50 years, politics and religion have become so closely intertwined, Americans think that, just as they can with their religious and moral decisions, they can know anything about politics through prayer and through the Bible and their Church. This knowledge does not require discipline. It does not require study. It does not require hard work, or sacrifice. There is no need to study ethics. There is no need to "walk a mile in another man's shoes." God will show you the way. God will tell you all you need to know. Religion gives you the answers to EVERYTHING you need to know in life. It tells you have the world came about. It tells you the meaning of life. As a result of this attitude, extremely complex, interconnected topics like healthcare, poverty, racism, abortion, finance, economics, criminal rehabilitation, taxes, drug use, and a myriad of other social issues, are reduced to caricatures of right and wrong behavior. These people with a religious worldview do not view disagreement on these topics as simply decent people with differing opinions on what's best for the country. No sir, they view those who disagree as sinners, as minions of Satan, or at best, ignorant of the will of God and to be pitied and prayed for. Yes, I think religion plays a large role in this. And not a good one, frankly.
Originally Posted By TomSawyer I wouldn't lay the blame just on religion but on ideologies of all types.
Originally Posted By skinnerbox Put the blame right where it belongs: the elimination of Civics classes in junior high and high school programs. Back in the seventies when I attended HS in California, Civics was required for graduation. No ifs, ands, or buts. You want the diploma, you must take Civics and pass the class. How can any citizen in this country make informed decisions in the voting booth without a basic fundamental understanding of how our government came to be and how it actually functions? In short, you can't. One of the main reasons during the Reagan years that GOP-affiliated leaders in state education depts across the country were given marching orders to eliminate these Civics requirements for graduation. It's far easier to hoodwink an ignorant populace than an educated one.
Originally Posted By hopemax When I graduated in 1993, civics was still required, and we had to not only pass the class we had to take a test on the Constitution and pass that.
Originally Posted By skinnerbox <<When I graduated in 1993, civics was still required, and we had to not only pass the class we had to take a test on the Constitution and pass that.>> You'd be shocked to learn how many school districts across the country no longer require Civics, and haven't for years. This became very apparent to me when I switched careers to educational testing at the beginning of this decade. High school kids don't know squat about how our government works. It's beyond appalling.
Originally Posted By WilliamK99 Man Americans are so stupid, can you believe 82% of Americans actually think the earth revolves around the sun... Luckily, I am one of the smart ones....;o)
Originally Posted By wahooskipper 75% of Americans are idiots. The other 40% aren't too bright either.
Originally Posted By TomSawyer We live in a country where people can't figure out that they can start filling out their checks while their groceries are being rung up, where some pays millions of dollars to make an animated movie with Rob Schneider doing all of the voices, and where they think the 100 calorie pack of Oreos counts as a weight loss product. If our fellow citizens were any dumber we'd have to water them twice a day. It does make Sarah Palin's otherwise inexplicable popularity make sense though. Only in a world where the sun revolves around the earth would she be a good candidate for the presidency
Originally Posted By TomSawyer We also live in a world where mouth-breathing culinary midgets think popcorn is a better snack than churros. I mean really.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo ROTFLMAO. Agreed, I think it is essential people understand how government works, and what taxes do, and receive a balanced view of all the key ideologies so that people can make informed decisions. We laugh, I am unable to vote anywhere sadly as I am a paradox based on when I moved from the US to the UK. But as you guys know, am a political scientist by acedemic training, and a government advisor (albeit in Children's and Adult services a.k.a. social care, health and education) now. Sarah talks to me every election to look at the candidates and options, and I refuse to tell her who to vote for. And despite my biases, I attempt to give her a balanced overview on what each party stands for. I wish kids in schools were given this opportunity.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>We also live in a world where mouth-breathing culinary midgets think popcorn is a better snack than churros<< As soon as I look up the word "culinary" I'll be back to debate that remark. (And you'd better just pray, Sawyer, that "culinary" doesn't mean what I think it does!!!)
