Re: Dumbing Down America
Have you guys noticed an increase in killings and missing-people reports lately? It's getting out of hands. What's happening?
Re: Dumbing Down America
Hmmmm Beer.
Next round on me pal.
Re: Dumbing Down America
Yes, we Americans are dumb. The industrial, technological and agricultural innovations, scientific and medical discoveries, top universities and countless inventions by Americans over the past couple centuries were sheer luck. Someone please enlighten us stupid Americans how we can hope to be as smart as Pakistanis and others who haven't had this lucky streak.
Re: Dumbing Down America
^ Jal gaya ..burnol laggayai
Re: Dumbing Down America
^ stort eksempel på et geni
Re: Dumbing Down America
i agree
Re: Dumbing Down America
lol @ seminole! You are quite right. I apologize to you, Supernova, for my grouchy and somewhat harsh reply. However, the gov't has nothing to do with what entertainment the masses enjoy. And if you look the world over, "entertainment" - movies and TV shows - that are popular are almost invariably mindless escape into fantasy land. Same with the fascination and interest in people like Paris Hilton, billionairre heiress to a fortune that we cannot begin to imagine. Govt has nothing to do with this. You mention the 1950's - ok. The really big shows then were "Howdy Doody", "Father knows best" and the Ed Sullivan Show". So wheres the intellectual content there? Flash to today and no matter what country you look at, the entertainment is just that - people want escapism and fantasy and thats what sells and this is how things have been the world over since entertainment began.
You seem very resentful of government...so what steps are you taking to change it? Because you see, this is one of the few countries on the planet where you CAN change it. You talk about the food supply and all the additives. Well in the USA, food is plentiful and farming has become science. Are you saying that we should go back to natural farming and ban any and all treatments and additives? This would cut food production dramatically. In the USA, maybe the mainstream food was raised with hormones and additives but what about 3rd world countries where these technologies are not available? In those countries, you can see the farmers children who are deformed mentally and/or physically because farmers are using pesticides that were long ago banned in developed countries. You can also see how many in those countries are going hungry because the supply cannot keep up with the demand. So which case do you prefer? Theres a balance to everything. And the govt is not out to get us here. Those in power are out for themselves for sure....but not to the extent that you seem to imply. There are vastly more issues at hand than you can begin to imagine and have not considered.
Re: Dumbing Down America
the choice is always there for people to watch other stuff, discovery for example, or history channel, science channel, documentary channel etc. NASA tv, weather channel.
lets talk about media and entertainment in some other countries shall we?
would bollywood ever get out of its girl-guy-dance-hero-villain-mummy-daddy-opposition-lovers against all odds type of movies?
would Pakistani entertainment be anything more than wannabe videos from third rate bands, the same soap opera told 50 different ways, I mean really forget some hightech stuff…Pakistan TV does not even have a real action, crime type of show..i mean forget CSI and Law and Order, not even A-team. the rest of the programming is filled with hacks of candid camera.
dont get me started on Asian TV, anyone who has epnt any amount of time in japan or has been unfortunate enough to watch japanese gameshows will be shaking his head right now.
There are a couple of buttons on your remote, you can change the channel or you can turn it off. No one sitting there holding a gun to your head making you watch simpsons.
Now lastly, lets not all be all boring and watch NASA TV, and discovry health and stuff all day, balance that with the rest of your life and some fun programming…like..the simpsons.
when people talk aout dumbing down of america, they really dont have a good grasp on the level of knowledge and intelligence of people in other places.
Re: Dumbing Down America
Those publically funded libraries are the real evil 
Re: Dumbing Down America
Yes, we Americans are dumb. The industrial, technological and agricultural innovations, scientific and medical discoveries, top universities and countless inventions by Americans over the past couple centuries were sheer luck. Someone please enlighten us stupid Americans how we can hope to be as smart as Pakistanis and others who haven't had this lucky streak.
Dumb American ....
Re: Dumbing Down America
I think it is the failed university system that is the problem. In one recent survey the US had only 62 of the top 200 universities world wide. I may be a dumb American, but I think that only represents 31% of the total. And for one country to have almost 1/3 of the world's top universities is very telling indeed.
Re: Dumbing Down America
Dumb American ....
Obviously a post by a Pakistani genius...
Re: Dumbing Down America
Obviously a post by a Pakistani genius...
Could it be otherwise ...
Re: Dumbing Down America
"the simpsons" sends countercultural/political messages and promotes anarchy and mayhem. there are inside jokes and allusions made to important books, events etc. it cannot be categorized as a dumb show.
Re: Dumbing Down America
"the simpsons" sends countercultural/political messages and promotes anarchy and mayhem. there are inside jokes and allusions made to important books, events etc. it cannot be categorized as a dumb show.
:)
It appeals to all intellects ....
Re: Dumbing Down America
I think it is the failed university system that is the problem. In one recent survey the US had only 62 of the top 200 universities world wide. I may be a dumb American, but I think that only represents 31% of the total. And for one country to have almost 1/3 of the world's top universities is very telling indeed.
Seminole, although we do have a lot of fairly dumb highschool dropout or grads as well. That is the group that people look at when they say oh, americans are dumb, while comparing to themselves.
Obviously if they were either comaring themselves to the ppl in top unis, or if they were looking at uneduated villagers in their country and comparing them to our american country bumpkins they may have different conclusions.
Now look, any place where mobs go and burn down KFC because bUsh said something dumb or they were ticked off at what the pope said..the people there dont get really high marks for intelligence.