Thread: Are people stupid or am I getting old?

I don't get it, do you have nothing to prove? IMO that song and video is a bad attempt at imitating rap music's "thug life" mentality. Now if you are looking for a great punk band that is STILL making great music, you can't go wrong with Bad Religion. If I recall their first album came out in the early eighties they are still are kicking ass and taking names. I doubt H20 and the like will have that kind of longevity.

P.S. I wore Vans when they were made in California, where are they made now? I'll give you one guess.

i sooooo can't wait for my boys to have kids of their own so i can watch nature take its revenge.....

Obviously the intellectual capacity of people has not changed. What has is how they use that capacity. They may be up on the latest technophobia but they lack basic classic knowledge and an awareness of history and you know that old saying about those who don't learn from history and it's mistakes. However what is most a matter of concern is folks don't seem to have either the ability or desire to think for themselves and have lost the ability to read and learn and analyze and make good decisions. They rely on others for that and there is no shortage of people out there who are eager to do the thinking for you and buy their agenda.

This has all happened before in every country where a democracy was changed over to a dictatorship.

I'm 28 and I knew who Nimoy was when I was about 6! Thats not general knowledge, thats a classical education as far as I'm concerned.

I dont think people are getting more stupid (the brain can still do as much as it could 100 years ago), but I do think theres this huge sense of self entitlement that convinces youngsters (I have a few grey hairs, so I guess I'm old! ) they dont need to know anything. I've really noticed that, even at expensive schools.

It also seems to be some weird badge of honour to be thick as a plank as well. I used to help run an air cadet squadron and any time I called someone out on something they did wrong the attitude was "Yeah, and what of it?" and everyone laughed because little Jonny had put his trousers on back to front or something. And the kids actually enjoyed the attention they got from acting stupid! Strange...

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

However what is most a matter of concern is folks don't seem to have either the ability or desire to think for themselves and have lost the ability to read and learn and analyze and make good decisions. They rely on others for that and there is no shortage of people out there who are eager to do the thinking for you

The human brain may have the same potential capacity that it did a few years ago, but this enormous capacity is being under-utilised by the majority of people.
Also, to some degree, a lot of us know more and more about less and less. A kid might spend days playing computer games in virtual reality, but be incapable of a simple task like mending a puncture in bicycle tyre ( and probably be so unfit he'd struggle to pedal very far anyway).
There used to be some shame attached to not knowing how to do things, such as pass school exams or perform basic practical tasks. Nowadays many don't care.

Originally Posted by welshwizard

The human brain may have the same potential capacity that it did a few years ago, but this enormous capacity is being under-utilised by the majority of people.
Also, to some degree, a lot of us know more and more about less and less. A kid might spend days playing computer games in virtual reality, but be incapable of a simple task like mending a puncture in bicycle tyre ( and probably be so unfit he'd struggle to pedal very far anyway).
There used to be some shame attached to not knowing how to do things, such as pass school exams or perform basic practical tasks. Nowadays many don't care.

absolutely correct... through video games they have excellent hand/eye coordination and concentration.......

but yet without noises and flashing lights in their eyes they are unable to concentrate....

Some people are better at some things than others. I am very proficient in IT, but I had to pay someone a nice chunk of change today to replace my muffler.

Am I stupid because I could not replace the old rusted out muffler? Is the mechanic an idiot because he does not know how to setup an apache server?

People really need to get over themselves. Just because someone does not meet the arbitrary standards you set for them does not mean they are a lesser person.

Like someone else said, give these idiots time to grow up some and find their way. I am sure many of you were "idiots" when you were young.


RE: Young people not being proficient in history,etc.. Blame the current generation of geniuses in charge that decided proficiency tests are more important than actual learning and teaching.

I think it really depends on what type of knowledge you are using as a measure and what circles you are traveling in. I always get a kick out of paying for an item in an unusual manor and watching the expression on the clerk's face and again after they use the computer cash register to figure it out. Say the item comes to $16.35. I would give the clerk a twenty, and two ones or the $.35 expecting a 5 spot back and the $.65 if I gave them two singles. Gees, ya would think I was using Greek currency. I know that math isn't everyone's cup of tea but clerks at the register should know a bit more than a rock! LOL I read in the news a short while ago that some schools were going to stop teaching cursive writing. Think your old now? Wait till you give one of then a hand written anything that they need to understand.

I agree with the post above that references previous generations. I know a few people from times past like Sargent York and Audy Murphy. How many names of popular people of the times are lost to the generations. If knowledge of people's names important to us ( like Nimoy) is a measure of our age than in your case I would say yes. If we are measuring their walking around common sense I would say yes and I would say that some is by design similar to 'new speak' out of the book 1984.

Originally Posted by Slartibartfast

Am I stupid because I could not replace the old rusted out muffler? Is the mechanic an idiot because he does not know how to setup an apache server?

It's more a case of the car owner who hears the unusual noise from under his car and has no idea what a muffler is or does, or the computer user who has no idea that there is such a thing as a server.
Believe it or not, there are people out there who cannot connect the act of sexual intercourse with the resulting pregnancy.

Originally Posted by welshwizard

Believe it or not, there are people out there who cannot connect the act of sexual intercourse with the resulting pregnancy.

Dang it! After 5 kids, I told my wife I thought something was up, but she wouldn't believe me! I just knew it.......