Are People Getting Dumber?

[the captain]

I came to the realization today that people are getting dumber. There was a kid down the street from my house that used a gun to shoot out the window of a landscaping truck to steal shit. The sound of the shots brought the landscaping crew running around the house to see what happened and saw the kid standing by the truck with his gun. They called the police and the kid took off running but everyone in the neighborhood knows who he is so he won't get away. Now, if you don't know, in the US there are things called Mandatory Minimum Laws and under these laws if you discharge a gun while committing a felony it is an automatic life sentence and there is no way around it. So, he kid pretty much threw his entire life away for maybe a couple hundred dollars worth of stuff. Do you think this is an isolated incident of stupidity or do you think it reflects the world at large?

 

[Dr. UBAR]

Everyone is pretty much dumber, my shrink tells me to stop thinking about it.

 

[Nova Tendril]

Isolated incident. People aren't getting dumber. People have always done stupid things. It's just that the type of dumb things people did in the past differ from the ones people do now.

 

[APPCRASH]

Colonial age slavery. End of conversation. Since disbanded, people seem smarter already.

 

[Mizaki]

It frustrates me when people think this way. Like intelligence is equal to personal worth. No, people have not gotten dumber, there's just a large amount of angry cynics out there who think that everything on this planet is on a gradual decline starting from the day they're born. I can't believe that there are people that can see things like witch burnings, then things like slavery, and even things like technology of the past, then look at today and go "wow ppl 2 so stupid now!!!!"

 

[andyandy]

In my opinion, the peak of human brilliance was the 1950-60's. Since then we have been getting more stupid and lazy. This is just my opinion, and I respect anyone who has a different one.

 

[Kogarian]

I came to the realization today that people are getting dumber. There was a kid down the street from my house that used a gun to shoot out the window of a landscaping truck to steal shit. The sound of the shots brought the landscaping crew running around the house to see what happened and saw the kid standing by the truck with his gun. They called the police and the kid took off running but everyone in the neighborhood knows who he is so he won't get away. Now, if you don't know, in the US there are things called Mandatory Minimum Laws and under these laws if you discharge a gun while committing a felony it is an automatic life sentence and there is no way around it. So, he kid pretty much threw his entire life away for maybe a couple hundred dollars worth of stuff. Do you think this is an isolated incident of stupidity or do you think it reflects the world at large?

To be honest, he probably won't get life since that 'Three Strikes Rule' was put in effect. At least I hope he doesn't, as we have a local man that was convicted of murder and he'll only get 15 years of prison time (with good behavior). And with that incident of a 12 or 13 year-old sueing her dad because he grounded her, and the courts were actually in her favor, I'd have to say it's the world, or possibly Western Civilization, at large.

Then again, I don't think it's just these current generations that are dumb. It's probably just this weird habit of certain members of our species.

 

[captainwalrus]

In my opinion, the peak of human brilliance was the 1950-60's. Since then we have been getting more stupid and lazy. This is just my opinion, and I respect anyone who has a different one.

Because bringing the world as close as it has ever gotten to nuclear holocaust was the "peak of human brilliance". I think we can and are doing better than that.

 

[darkless]

Isolated incident there are always the handful of idiots around the smart ones dont emerge until just before college when being smart i cool and doesn't get you murdered.

 

[andyandy]

In my opinion, the peak of human brilliance was the 1950-60's. Since then we have been getting more stupid and lazy. This is just my opinion, and I respect anyone who has a different one.

Because bringing the world as close as it has ever gotten to nuclear holocaust was the "peak of human brilliance". I think we can and are doing better than that.

Calm down. Think of all the scientific advancements made during that time. I'm not saying everyone was a genius then, and i'm most certianly not saying that being close to a Nuclear War is a good thing.

 

[RavingPenguin]

I came to the realization today that people are getting dumber. There was a kid down the street from my house that used a gun to shoot out the window of a landscaping truck to steal shit. The sound of the shots brought the landscaping crew running around the house to see what happened and saw the kid standing by the truck with his gun. They called the police and the kid took off running but everyone in the neighborhood knows who he is so he won't get away. Now, if you don't know, in the US there are things called Mandatory Minimum Laws and under these laws if you discharge a gun while committing a felony it is an automatic life sentence and there is no way around it. So, he kid pretty much threw his entire life away for maybe a couple hundred dollars worth of stuff. Do you think this is an isolated incident of stupidity or do you think it reflects the world at large?

Wow, just, wow. There are much better ways of breaking into a truck. Hell the butt of the gun probably would have done it. If you had met my brother you wouldnt have to ask if society was getting dumber. You would know the answer is yes. I swear I facepalm at about everything he asks me. He is a highschool student too.

 

[Flishiz]

Eh, thread was done about 10 minutes ago

 

[the captain]

I came to the realization today that people are getting dumber. There was a kid down the street from my house that used a gun to shoot out the window of a landscaping truck to steal shit. The sound of the shots brought the landscaping crew running around the house to see what happened and saw the kid standing by the truck with his gun. They called the police and the kid took off running but everyone in the neighborhood knows who he is so he won't get away. Now, if you don't know, in the US there are things called Mandatory Minimum Laws and under these laws if you discharge a gun while committing a felony it is an automatic life sentence and there is no way around it. So, he kid pretty much threw his entire life away for maybe a couple hundred dollars worth of stuff. Do you think this is an isolated incident of stupidity or do you think it reflects the world at large?

Wow, just, wow. There are much better ways of breaking into a truck. Hell the butt of the gun probably would have done it. If you had met my brother you wouldnt have to ask if society was getting dumber. You would know the answer is yes. I swear I facepalm at about everything he asks me. He is a highschool student too.

That's my point, why the fuck would he shoot out the windows. He could have just shattered it with something and no one would have had any clue until the crew went to get back in the truck. It was the dumbest possible way to break into something.

 

[Vibgyor]

I'm 16 and I don't think I'm chronicaly stupid but I know what your talking about you could interchange that person with about 4 people from my school and it wouldn't be unexpected

 

[captainwalrus]

Calm down. Think of all the scientific advancements made during that time. I'm not saying everyone was a genius then, and i'm most certianly not saying that being close to a Nuclear War is a good thing.

Sure, the 50s and 60s have had their share of scientific achievements, but so has just about every decade since the Scientific Revolution. And especially now that we have such an extensive array of informational networks, I think that scientific knowledge and achievements has not just progressed since the 50s and 60s, but has been exponentially advancing forth.

 

[StickManRampage]

I believe the general public is becoming smaller. There are either very intellectual people around of very dumb ones.

 

[Emeli]

Well I don't think it's a real question of IQ. I'm sure that people now are as intelligent as they've ever been. I think it's more a question of people getting out of practice at doing the whole thinking thing. It's not secret that people are bombarded with opinions in the media from every direction on what they should be doing, how they should be acting, and it all contributes to the great global phenomenon of "dumbing down", because no one has to really think for themselves anymore. My husband is from America, and while he's quite smart, sometimes he is so dumb that he makes me want to strangle him. It's not that he has a low IQ, it's usually a lack of general knowledge or just being out of practise in flexing his brain.

Are we getting stupider as people? No, I don't think so. Are we getting stupider as cultures? Yeah, totally.

 

[McClaud]

Isolated incident. People aren't getting dumber. People have always done stupid things. It's just that the type of dumb things people did in the past differ from the ones people do now.

Exactly.

I also think as people get older and more experienced, they start seeing the dumber people more often. They've always been there, you probably didn't think about them so you didn't see them until this one incident.

People aren't getting dumber. You're getting wiser, and that allows you to be more observant of this continual cycle of stupidity that is always going on around us.