25% of Americans are idiots

[Prolongus]

There's people in Texas who don't know where Michigan is. Or that it has an Upper Peninsula.

And the dumbing down of America continues in our SHIT education system.

[slowmover]

I think people who pay people to have sex with them forfeit the right to question other people's intelligence.

[OldGrump]

Originally Posted by slowmover

I think people who pay people to have sex with them forfeit the right to question other people's intelligence.

But slowmover, there is an entire cuntage industry that would collapse without us.

And think of all the education that takes place with the critique of ad spelling and grammar?

[butterfryman]

25%.................:laughing1 :

I would say 80% would be a fairly conservative estimate...
Don't look at your tight circle of friends (like most do) and conclude there might be hope.
INSTEAD..go to the DMV as everyone drives....that will tell you all you need to know.

The problem.... with determining this % for most..
*is that most folks around here anyway believe Texas is the ultimate and don't travel .....so don't have much to compare ourselves to.

BUT....
*about 75% or more of Americans believe in ANGELS.....seriously some unseen supernatural force....that is watching over us.
*more believe that life continues AFTER DEATH ....wtf
*same number give or take... believe not only is there a supernatural force somewhere in places unknown....but this force also controls our destiny and day to day crap too....somehow forgetting if this is the case
he/she is not only responsible for the cool stuff.....but also the really ugly as well.....Holocaust....pedophil ia....reality TV +++

IN addition....in speaking with friends / business associates...
*all considered fairly sharp

It seems that a whole lotta people ....
* believe the history they were taught in our public schools
*believe that discrimination/racism is no longer an issue AT ALL....failing to realize .......for white males it has never been an issue
*all Asians are pretty much the same
*likewise for Latinos....someone from S. America can correctly be referred to as being a Mexican...< "it's the same thing!"

BTW...I'm a native Texan and didn't realize I was an idiot myself until I was 45 or so.......

[Roger.Smith]

Religious indoctrination is powerful and can cause intelligent people to not question the most ridiculous of claims. The feeling of needing to be part of a community compounds the issue. It's insidious because it started when people are kids, and it's in a child's nature to want to fit in with a group.

[threepeckeredbillygoat]

After reading some other posts, I would have to say waaaay higher.

[OldGrump]

While this isn't a theological board (even though "OMG" pops up frequently), intelligence isn't necessarily negated by a belief system. If intelligence is high enough, it is easy to see and understand both science and religion.

Religion provides a coping mechanism when nothing else can explain or reduce the obstacles faced in life. Many of the teachings are simply good living advice - a moral code, so to speak. Otherwise, we have anarchy of behavioral patterns and become more similar in our actions to those of animals (of which we like to think we are the best of).

The most intelligent can recognize the need for both views and not scoff at those who adopt either one. Unfortunately, those are far fewer than the 75% the original survey in this thread suggests.

[wellendowed1911]

Originally Posted by Lust4xxxLife

What's even funnier is that a large percentage of Americans would laugh at those who think the sun orbits the earth, yet they themselves believe all the nonsense in the bible (some dude named Moses spoke to a burning bush, parted the Red Sea, etc., etc., etc.).

I find it even funnier that you have some people who believe a big explosion instead of causing chaos which happen 100 percent of the time-created sustainable life form- oh don't let me stop there- the life form that was created just happened to evolve and happen to have everything it needed to survive- oxygen to breathe, water to drink, eyes to see, ears to hear- oh and wow isn't it so amazing that the majority of these life forms were created in pairs where they just happened to have the right organs to reproduce and continue their offspring- oh wait- if this was a random explosion and these creatures evolved- how did they know how to naturally reproduce? Yes some people believe this Charles Darwin dude when his theories have so many holes in them- ijs!

[wellendowed1911]

Originally Posted by butterfryman

25%.................:laughing1 :

I would say 80% would be a fairly conservative estimate...
Don't look at your tight circle of friends (like most do) and conclude there might be hope.
INSTEAD..go to the DMV as everyone drives....that will tell you all you need to know.

The problem.... with determining this % for most..
*is that most folks around here anyway believe Texas is the ultimate and don't travel .....so don't have much to compare ourselves to.

BUT....
*about 75% or more of Americans believe in ANGELS.....seriously some unseen supernatural force....that is watching over us.
*more believe that life continues AFTER DEATH ....wtf
*same number give or take... believe not only is there a supernatural force somewhere in places unknown....but this force also controls our destiny and day to day crap too....somehow forgetting if this is the case
he/she is not only responsible for the cool stuff.....but also the really ugly as well.....Holocaust....pedophil ia....reality TV +++

IN addition....in speaking with friends / business associates...
*all considered fairly sharp

It seems that a whole lotta people ....
* believe the history they were taught in our public schools
*believe that discrimination/racism is no longer an issue AT ALL....failing to realize .......for white males it has never been an issue
*all Asians are pretty much the same
*likewise for Latinos....someone from S. America can correctly be referred to as being a Mexican...< "it's the same thing!"

BTW...I'm a native Texan and didn't realize I was an idiot myself until I was 45 or so.......

Butterfly man- it's not even debatable that supernatural forces exist in various forms that science can't explain- are you telling me that every possession, ghost, apparaitions are just a figment of someone's imagination or made up hoaxes? I find it strange that even evolutionist doubt the existence of UFO's. Do you know how many star that exist? You can't even count them all- it's estimated every 5th star has some type of planet orbiting it- if you think that earth is the only planet that has intelligent and all the zillion of possible planets- remember there are countless galaxies could not have intelligent life- far superior than ours? If UFO's exist than angels exist- by definition Aliens are Aliens- beings not of this world.

[daty/o]

Originally Posted by OldGrump

The most intelligent can recognize the need for both views and not scoff at those who adopt either one. Unfortunately, those are far fewer than the 75% the original survey in this thread suggests.

The smartest person on here is the one who will openly admit they haven't got the first clue. I don't have a problem believing that there is more going on than random chaos, but organized religion was created to control, not enlighten. It is filled with "idiots" that openly claim that they know the answers. And that opened my eyes a long time ago.

[OldGrump]

Originally Posted by daty/o

The smartest person on here is the one who will openly admit they haven't got the first clue. I don't have a problem believing that there is more going on than random chaos, but organized religion was created to control, not enlighten. It is filled with "idiots" that openly claim that they know the answers. And that opened my eyes a long time ago.

What is wrong with "control, guide, AND enlighten?". We form governments with laws that make less sense. In absence of logic, why not have something that provides guidelines?

Yes, the power of religion has attracted many "idiots". Those are more likely crafty abusers of its original intent. The concept is not bad but many in "leadership" positions bend it to achieve their personal objectives. Like you, my eyes opened long ago and I'm on my own on this. I have not discarded faith but have not attached myself to any organization.

Faith is not something that can be proven, shown, or handled. But it serves an important role that should not be ridiculed. It is important to those who believe and it can not be disproved by those who don't.

I don't have a definitive answer. If I did, I'd get a pulpit and TV show and become a multimillionaire Think of the hobby funds I'd raise along with some freebies. Damn, am I going to Hell over that?

[Roger.Smith]

Originally Posted by wellendowed1911

I find it even funnier that you have some people who believe a big explosion instead of causing chaos which happen 100 percent of the time-created sustainable life form- oh don't let me stop there- the life form that was created just happened to evolve and happen to have everything it needed to survive- oxygen to breathe, water to drink, eyes to see, ears to hear- oh and wow isn't it so amazing that the majority of these life forms were created in pairs where they just happened to have the right organs to reproduce and continue their offspring- oh wait- if this was a random explosion and these creatures evolved- how did they know how to naturally reproduce? Yes some people believe this Charles Darwin dude when his theories have so many holes in them- ijs!

Very bad analogy. It's because of red shift that we know gaxalies are moving away from each other. We know that stars and planets are formed in nebulas because we can see it happening by looking through telescopes. People think science is some dark magic or plot to disprove God. Science is the study and observation of a particular field of study. The problem with humanity is that when people don't know something, they fill in the gaps with bad assumptions or worse, superstitions. Based on the evidence we have, the Big Bang Theory is the best explanation of how the Universe came into being. There is no astrophysicist that I know of that claims they know how, when, or where the singularity that caused the Big Bang came from. Weak force, Strong force, gravity, electromagnetism, photons,and time dilation people have to accept because of the role it plays in our daily lives even though most people couldn't begin to explain them. Astrophysicists are the reason we have GPS and why it still works even with time dilation in space.

Just because Darwin wasn't 100% correct doesn't invalidate the premise of evolution. Chimpanzees and humans share 96% of their DNA. Orangutans share 97%, gorillas share 98% of their DNA with humans. Humans share 99.9% of their DNA with any other human. We know this because of genome sequencing. Genome sequencing isn't some science bullshit, it's real. . Albert Einstein wasn't 100% correct in all of his hypotheses, but that happens in science because you're limited by he information you have at the time. In 300 years the things we know now will seem as primitive and rudimentary as life in the 1700's seems to us now.


The examples you provided are not good ones:

Oxygen to breathe - This is Earth. In this chicken-egg scenario, the oxygen came first then the living organism. Oxygen isn't here because we are, we're here because of oxygen.

Water to drink - See the above post about oxygen.

Eyes to see - Not all animals on this planet rely on eyesight. Some are blind or have very poor vision like moles, buffaloes, and nematodes.

Ears to hear - See above about eyes.

Isn't it so amazing that the majority of these life forms were created in pairs where they just happened to have the right organs to reproduce and continue their offspringNot all lifeforms procreate in pairs. When animals share a prehistoric ansector, that's bound to happen depending on the class of animals. Science even broke them down into: Mammals, Birds, Reptiles, Fish, Amphibians, and Arthropods.

How did they know how to naturally reproduce - Plants reproduce. They also don't breathe oxygen and as far as science has determined, they aren't sapient.

[wellendowed1911]

Originally Posted by Roger.Smith

Very bad analogy. It's because of red shift that we know gaxalies are moving away from each other. We know that stars and planets are formed in nebulas because we can see it happening by looking through telescopes. People think science is some dark magic or plot to disprove God. Science is the study and observation of a particular field of study. The problem with humanity is that when people don't know something, they fill in the gaps with bad assumptions or worse, superstitions. Based on the evidence we have, the Big Bang Theory is the best explanation of how the Universe came into being. There is no astrophysicist that I know of that claims they know how, when, or where the singularity that caused the Big Bang came from. Weak force, Strong force, gravity, electromagnetism, photons,and time dilation people have to accept because of the role it plays in our daily lives even though most people couldn't begin to explain them. Astrophysicists are the reason we have GPS and why it still works even with time dilation in space.

Just because Darwin wasn't 100% correct doesn't invalidate the premise of evolution. Chimpanzees and humans share 96% of their DNA. Orangutans share 97%, gorillas share 98% of their DNA with humans. Humans share 99.9% of their DNA with any other human. We know this because of genome sequencing. Genome sequencing isn't some science bullshit, it's real. . Albert Einstein wasn't 100% correct in all of his hypotheses, but that happens in science because you're limited by he information you have at the time. In 300 years the things we know now will seem as primitive and rudimentary as life in the 1700's seems to us now.


The examples you provided are not good ones:

Oxygen to breathe - This is Earth. In this chicken-egg scenario, the oxygen came first then the living organism. Oxygen isn't here because we are, we're here because of oxygen.

Water to drink - See the above post about oxygen.

Eyes to see - Not all animals on this planet rely on eyesight. Some are blind or have very poor vision like moles, buffaloes, and nematodes.

Ears to hear - See above about eyes.

Isn't it so amazing that the majority of these life forms were created in pairs where they just happened to have the right organs to reproduce and continue their offspringNot all lifeforms procreate in pairs. When animals share a prehistoric ansector, that's bound to happen depending on the class of animals. Science even broke them down into: Mammals, Birds, Reptiles, Fish, Amphibians, and Arthropods.

How did they know how to naturally reproduce - Plants reproduce. They also don't breathe oxygen and as far as science has determined, they aren't sapient.

Your analogy is also very one-sided- we don't see Chimps building cars, flying airplanes or teaching advanced calculus= why is that? When studying the human genome and its similarity to that of the chimp, scientists have recently concluded that 96% of our genome is similar. However, most people are unaware that this percent pertains to the regions of our DNA that result in proteins. The chimpanzee genome was sequenced for the first time in 2005. It was found to differ from the human genome with which it was compared, nucleotide-for-nucleotide, by about 1.23 percent. This amounts to about 40 million differences in our DNA, half of which likely resulted from mutations in the human ancestral line and half in the chimp line since the two species diverged
also, the Big Bang theory defies the law of Thermodynamics which says you can't create or destroy matter or energy. Also, if there were no "designer" tell me simply how did all the creatures learn how to survive? How did the first Lion know it was supposed to eat and how did a Zebra know it was suppose to eat grass? You ever watch National Geographic and see a Wilderbeast give birth? Wilderbeast, Gazelle's, Zebras can run in about 5 minutes after birth-yet the feline and canine family are helpless and dependent on their mom for months- how does the Gazelle that was born merely 5 minutes ago know to run when it sees a lion yet that same Gazelle will not run if an elephant, zebra or another herbivore approaches- is that design or evolution?

I have used the example of the Cheetah many times- compare a cheetah to a lion or any other member of the feline family- the Cheetah has the longest tail- that acts as a rudder when it's chasing prey and making sharp turns. The Cheetah is the only cat whose claws don't fully retract- which gives it traction when chasing prey. The Cheetah has oversized Nostrils and Lungs in order to take any huge amounts of Oxygen in order to maintain high speeds. The cheetah is the only cat in the feline family with a flexible curved spine- which it enables it to have great speed when sprinting- Now with all those attributes I just mentioned about the Cheetah- is it safe to say it was more than likely "Designed" that way or it just happened to evolve with all those attributes? Because if the Cheetah is built like a Lion- sorry that bulk is going to prevent him from running that fast- if the Cheetah had small lungs and small nostril- guess what lack of oxygen- big problem when running- if the Cheetah had a small tail or retractable claws- guess what it's prey would just make sharp turns and loose the Cheetah- clearly their is an intelligent designer amongst us. Also, google the Mimic Octopus it has bee observed to mimic at least 8 other species in which it will have the same shape, color and habits of various other creatures- depending on the situation(i.e hunting, escaping prey) the octopus is in- there's no way in hell you are going to convince me that those traits evolved- it clearly was designed to have those abilities. here's a link with photos of the mimic octopus appearing to mimic 8 different other sea animals- down to the color and texture: http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/...opus_master_of

Bottom line there is just too many things in this world where the right things are needed at the right amount or right time for species to survive for all of this to be random.

[threepeckeredbillygoat]

The plan is too perfect for there not to be a perfect planner.

[Roger.Smith]

Originally Posted by wellendowed1911

Your analogy is also very one-sided- we don't see Chimps building cars, flying airplanes or teaching advanced calculus= why is that? When studying the human genome and its similarity to that of the chimp, scientists have recently concluded that 96% of our genome is similar. However, most people are unaware that this percent pertains to the regions of our DNA that result in proteins. The chimpanzee genome was sequenced for the first time in 2005. It was found to differ from the human genome with which it was compared, nucleotide-for-nucleotide, by about 1.23 percent. This amounts to about 40 million differences in our DNA, half of which likely resulted from mutations in the human ancestral line and half in the chimp line since the two species diverged
also, the Big Bang theory defies the law of Thermodynamics which says you can't create or destroy matter or energy. Also, if there were no "designer" tell me simply how did all the creatures learn how to survive? How did the first Lion know it was supposed to eat and how did a Zebra know it was suppose to eat grass? You ever watch National Geographic and see a Wilderbeast give birth? Wilderbeast, Gazelle's, Zebras can run in about 5 minutes after birth-yet the feline and canine family are helpless and dependent on their mom for months- how does the Gazelle that was born merely 5 minutes ago know to run when it sees a lion yet that same Gazelle will not run if an elephant, zebra or another herbivore approaches- is that design or evolution?

I have used the example of the Cheetah many times- compare a cheetah to a lion or any other member of the feline family- the Cheetah has the longest tail- that acts as a rudder when it's chasing prey and making sharp turns. The Cheetah is the only cat whose claws don't fully retract- which gives it traction when chasing prey. The Cheetah has oversized Nostrils and Lungs in order to take any huge amounts of Oxygen in order to maintain high speeds. The cheetah is the only cat in the feline family with a flexible curved spine- which it enables it to have great speed when sprinting- Now with all those attributes I just mentioned about the Cheetah- is it safe to say it was more than likely "Designed" that way or it just happened to evolve with all those attributes? Because if the Cheetah is built like a Lion- sorry that bulk is going to prevent him from running that fast- if the Cheetah had small lungs and small nostril- guess what lack of oxygen- big problem when running- if the Cheetah had a small tail or retractable claws- guess what it's prey would just make sharp turns and loose the Cheetah- clearly their is an intelligent designer amongst us. Also, google the Mimic Octopus it has bee observed to mimic at least 8 other species in which it will have the same shape, color and habits of various other creatures- depending on the situation(i.e hunting, escaping prey) the octopus is in- there's no way in hell you are going to convince me that those traits evolved- it clearly was designed to have those abilities. here's a link with photos of the mimic octopus appearing to mimic 8 different other sea animals- down to the color and texture: http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/...opus_master_of

Bottom line there is just too many things in this world where the right things are needed at the right amount or right time for species to survive for all of this to be random.

We don't see Chimps building cars, flying airplanes or teaching advanced calculus= why is that?

Chimpanzees don’t have sapience like humans do. Sapience and the ability to use tools separate us from the rest of the animals. There’s a reason why we’re called Homo Sapiens. Moose loose their antlers, but deer don't even though they are in the same family the same way humans and chimps are primates.



also, the Big Bang theory defies the law of Thermodynamics which says you can't create or destroy matter or energy.

The Big Bang does not violate the “Law of Thermodynamics”. I say that as a former A student in Physics. The fact that you referred to it as the “Law of Thermodynamics” is maddening enough. There are actually four laws. You've given the basic layman’s understanding that gets repeated over and over, then people use it in argument because they heard from someone else. I could go into more detail, but I’m not writing another term paper.


Also, if there were no "designer" tell me simply how did all the creatures learn how to survive?

They same way they do now. It’s called instinct. It the same reason babies suck their thumb and know how to suckle. Animals that don’t attack and eat humans will if hungry enough. Humans eat all sorts of thing they wouldn't normally eat when they don't want to die. It's called survival. I know they’ve shown that on Nat Geo Wild.


You ever watch National Geographic and see a Wilderbeast give birth? Wilderbeast, Gazelle's, Zebras can run in about 5 minutes after birth-yet the feline and canine family are helpless and dependent on their mom for months- how does the Gazelle that was born merely 5 minutes ago know to run when it sees a lion yet that same Gazelle will not run if an elephant, zebra or another herbivore approaches- is that design or evolution?


Evolution.


I have used the example of the Cheetah many times- compare a cheetah to a lion or any other member of the feline family- the Cheetah has the longest tail- that acts as a rudder when it's chasing prey and making sharp turns. The Cheetah is the only cat whose claws don't fully retract- which gives it traction when chasing prey. The Cheetah has oversized Nostrils and Lungs in order to take any huge amounts of Oxygen in order to maintain high speeds. The cheetah is the only cat in the feline family with a flexible curved spine- which it enables it to have great speed when sprinting- Now with all those attributes I just mentioned about the Cheetah- is it safe to say it was more than likely "Designed" that way or it just happened to evolve with all those attributes? Because if the Cheetah is built like a Lion- sorry that bulk is going to prevent him from running that fast- if the Cheetah had small lungs and small nostril- guess what lack of oxygen- big problem when running- if the Cheetah had a small tail or retractable claws- guess what it's prey would just make sharp turns and loose the Cheetah- clearly their is an intelligent designer amongst us.

It’s evolution. They all shared a common ancestor. All the big cats in Africa have spots, even lions on their underbelly. Over millions of years they bred, separated, and passed down their genes. Animals that are able to survive pass down their genes, animals that die don’t. We also have fossil records. Besides humans have an appendix, that doesn’t seem like an intelligent design. Intelligent Design is just a perversion of science axioms.


Bottom line there is just too many things in this world where the right things are needed at the right amount or right time for species to survive for all of this to be random.

You say that because you don’t understand the science behind it. You might as well say that reality is fake and we’re living in the Matrix. It goes directly to the point of my first post that when people don’t know something, they fill in the gaps with bad assumptions and superstition. "God done it" is not a suffcient answer to our ignorance of the Universe. An old man in the sky with magical powers in a city of gold is a bit much.