You Decide: Are Americans Stupid?

[marmar]

from AlterNet's PEEK:



You Decide: Are Americans Stupid?

Posted by Daniel DiRito, The All Spin Zone at 6:09 AM on April 4, 2008.

A recent report indicates an alarming number of Americans are failing to complete high school.



It’s one thing to be uneducated; it’s another to be stupid. If a new report on drop out rates in major U.S. metropolitan cities is to be believed, fewer Americans are educated. If the following video represents a cross section of the United States, far too many Americans are also stupid. Taken together, they paint a frightening picture. It’s a mixture that may well explain our diminishing economic advantage and it may also signal our waning relevance on the world stage.

From The Washington Post:

WASHINGTON — The Bush administration announced Tuesday it will require states to report high school graduation rates in a uniform way instead of using a variety of methods that critics say are often based on unreliable information.

Education Secretary Margaret Spellings announced the change at a news conference at which a report was released showing that 17 of the nation’s 50 largest cities had high school graduation rates lower than 50 percent.

Nationally, about 70 percent of U.S. students graduate on time with a regular diploma and about 1.2 million students drop out annually.

“When more than 1 million students a year drop out of high school, it’s more than a problem, it’s a catastrophe,” said former Secretary of State Colin Powell, founding chair of the alliance.

Now take a look at the video. While this piece was a tongue-in-cheek presentation aired on Australian television, it is difficult to ignore the subtle threads of truth that underly the humor.


CNNNN - Are Americans Stupid?


When I traveled around the world in late 2004 and early 2005, it became apparent that many foreigners were beginning to mistrust the American public. Generally speaking, the message I received was that the world could excuse the unfortunate election of George Bush in 2000…but his reelection in 2004 had set in motion doubts about the electorate’s judgment. Further, the prior willingness to separate the unpopular actions of the U.S. government from the generally positive perceptions of the average American was beginning to erode.

At the same time, I sensed a forgiving tone predicated upon America’s long history as a force for good in the world. Notwithstanding, it was apparent that granting the benefit of the doubt would eventually come to an end if our trajectory remained the same.

While the 2006 election may have been viewed as a step in the right direction, I think it’s safe to surmise that little has happened since my travels to reassure the rest of the world that a sea change has occurred. The seeming ineffectiveness of the Democrats to reduce or remove our troops from Iraq couldn’t have been encouraging. ......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/81332/

[panader0]

1. Over 50 million people voted for bush..........

so, yeah, I would have to say yes.

[lonestarnot]

2. Did you personally count those votes? Snort....

:rofl:

[flashl]

10. Or believe ...

If you believe 4.0 million new white big city voters showed up in 2004, you can believe the 2004 election results.

If you believe that Bush could conjure those new voters representing an 80% increase in white turnout over 2000 with just the slightest Get Out the Vote (GOTV) activity in big cities, you can believe the 2004 election results.

If you acknowledge that Bush lost votes in his political base compared to 2004, the rural segment, yet soared to victory on the basis of substantial gains in the urban areas, then you can believe that he was the truly elected president in November 2004.

American COOP II

[LiberalEsto]

3. My mother always used to say

Americans were the stupidest people on earth. She was a European immigrant.
The first time I remember her saying this, I was 4, and I think she was upset about Eisenhower beating Stevenson again in 1956.

[Breeze54]

4. The majority of HS drop outs are AA's and Latino's. Do you think they are stupid?

I tend to think it has more to do with economics, the disadvantaged and violence
in inner city schools. So, no. I do not think Americans are stupid at all.

[marmar]

5. That's the "uneducated" problem the author was talking about higher in the story.....

..... the "stupid" part comes from the video link.

[RaleighNCDUer]

11. But it was Americans who created the economic disaster that

impacts the AA and Latino communities, as if there was no downside to it for the general American society.

IOW, conservative corporate America takes a huge crap on the front lawn, then wonders where the smell is coming from. THAT is stupid.

[Breeze54]

14. We all know the GOP is stupid....

;)

[SteelPenguin]

12. That's exactly it

I always find myself falling into the "Americans are Stupid" mindset, but that glosses over the actual problems. It implies that either genetically or culturally there is just a problem with American's, and it accepts it rather than looks for a solution.

The truth is that if you go to any major metropolitan area and instead of looking at the average or the median, you look at the top 3-4 school districts, and the bottom 3-4 school districts you're going to see a remarkable difference.

The top districts in ANY metropolitan area of the country are going to be great schools. They're going to have extremely high rates of graduation, college acceptance, etc. They'll have tremendous opportunities for their students from TV studios inside the schools, to brand new computers, and some of the better teachers in the area.

The worst districts in ANY metropolitan area are going to be bad. They're going to mostly be in the cities, and comprised mostly of the poor, black, latino, or other ethnic minorities. They're going to have low rates of graduation, college acceptance, and very few opportunities for their students, perhaps no computers, or no qualified teacher to teach the students any skills.

The rich, mostly white, kids get great educations, opportunities and generally come from families which provide more support financially and emotionally. The poor, mostly ethnic, kids get bad educations, opportunities, and generally come from families which can't afford to support them financially, or have the time do support them emotionally (as they're working 2-3 jobs).

The well off in this country are doing great, best health care in the world, best education in the world, best whatever...The not so well off, the middle class, and the poor? No health care, horrible education, no support...

Solutions? Increase federal funding for education in this country by BILLIONS so that once infrastructure is accounted for (which includes security, building maintenance, etc) every student in this country recieves a similiarly high quality of education as those top 2-3 districts in each metro area now recieve. Institute Universal Health Care so that poor families don't bankrupt themselves. Increase federal funding to rebuilding our inner cities into livable places that provide affordable housing. Increase the minimum wage so that at the very least someone working 40 hours a week can live above our own defined poverty level.

If a poor family is given a good safe home, health care, and enough money that they don't have to work more than 40-50 hours a week to provide for their family; coupled with a high quality education for their children....Then you'll see change for the better.

[bdamomma]

6. this saying holds so true.

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world".

Nelson Mandela.


apparently this regime or our society wants to keep us ignorant and dependent on them.

[The2ndWheel]

7. It's either a globalized world or it's not

"It’s a mixture that may well explain our diminishing economic advantage and it may also signal our waning relevance on the world stage."

How can we not have a diminishing economic advantage when there are billions of people in China and India that now want a piece of the pie? When much smaller countries in Europe start to create a US-superstate-like structure? Unless the US starts popping out more babies, or integrates Canada and Mexico, we have nowhere to grow anymore. How much more can we consume?

And a waning relevance on the world stage? Well isn't that the point? Every person on the planet having an equal voice?

Americans aren't stupid. No more than any other collection of people. We just don't get to have everything if we want everyone to have everything. Neither does anyone else.

[ColbertWatcher]

8. Is America lerning?

http://www.apa.org/journals/features/psp7761121.pdf">incompetance and the possible correlation to an inflated sense of competance

[melody]

9. No matter how much better it makes you feel than those "stupid" Americans

No, they're not. That kind of thinking is itself evidence of ignorance. Anyone who dismisses
the intellect of all people because of the actions of a few is a bigot -- that's the case no matter
the object of our dislike.

[Marr]

15. I think it's completely fair to take note of national differences.

Among industrialized nations, the US has an unusually high level of religious fundamentalism, for instance. I think that's just one sign of a very anti-intellectual, irrational streak that runs through the culture. There seems to be a kind of "proud to be stupid" element to our national character. We're not all that way, of course, but the sentiment is prevalent.

I don't think it's bigotry to notice these things. There's a real problem here and ignoring it isn't going to do any good.

[melody]

16. It's preferring to see some forms of knowledge as "intelligent" that is the problem

Yes, there's a very high degree of religious fundamentalism. Those same people have knowledge about other matters
about which we don't. To think otherwise is to engage in a form of ignorance that is even more dangerous than anti-intellectualism.
It's the same idea that persuaded Europeans that they were educated and aware whereas the Native Americans (and Africans, etc)
were not because they didn't speak the same language or have the same customs. There are vast numbers of people who've no
knowledge whatsoever about the European world. Are THEY stupid?

[Marr]

19. I don't see the connection.

The fact is that we've got a real anti-intellectual, anti-science, anti-reason element this country. Superstition is not the equal of reason, and pointing that out is not bigotry. The more we make excuses for ignorance, and, yes, stupidity, the longer we'll be dominated by them.

It's not as if these backwards thinkers just sat quietly in the corner, naval gazing. They dominate our public discourse. These irrational values inform our public debate. They shouldn't be legitimized.

[melody]

26. It's simple

My uncle is a right-winger. He loves to march out videos of minorities making "stupid" remarks and then suggests they
aren't as intelligent. Now we all know this is because he has defined certain things as "intelligent" and certain ways
of expressing oneself as "stupid". It's an ignorant assessment based on his own ignorance. But the very thing that makes
that wrong makes it wrong to call Americans "stupid". Bigotry isn't just morally wrong, it's evidence of ignorance itself.

[Marr]

27. Well, I would never say that all of a nation's people are stupid.

But surely you're not suggesting that we can never classify behavior as stupid. I think we've made stupidity into something to be respected here in the states, and I don't think that's healthy.

[melody]

30. I think we need to recognize how destructive and dangerous it is to dismiss ALL people as anything

Even saying "most people" are this way is dangerous. Every form of prejudice is based upon what the holder considers
to be good reasons.

We can't approach a sovereign people (and that is what the south is -- a culture as distinct from the rest of the US as
the US is from Canada) and demand they "be like us" to be acceptable.

The danger isn't their anti-intellectualism -- it's the sociopaths who are using their ignorance of the rest of the society
against them.

[HockeyMom]

13. NCLB

I think that is playing a major role in this. I cannot speak for the rest of the country, but NYS did away with local diplomas and now all students must pass the more difficult State Regents. I know 40 years ago my husband did not pass the Regents exams and got a local diploma. After the service, he went to college and got his degree. What would have happened to him in today's world?

It may not be the answer for all these kids, but I think NCLB has to be playing a role in this.

[B Calm]

17. Anybody who votes republican are very stupid! Unless you're

a fucking millionaire! How they get away with their personal responsibility crap, while allowing corporations freedom to exploit their workers is beyond me. I believe in personal freedom and corporate responsibility, which is why I'm a democrat!

[varelse]

18. In my experience

NO.

I hire and train people as part of my job, but even before I worked in "middle management" I assure you, the majority of my co-workers were intelligent - by this I mean, able to learn, able to make sense and use of information provided to them in their environment, able to think creatively, and solve problems if given room to think and act on their ideas. So much of what we see as stupidity is really masked fear...

[leftofthedial]

20. LOTS of 'em

are dumber than rocks

[Norrin Radd]

21. I would say, "incurious."

[Ishoutandscream2]

31. Bingo!

[HughBeaumont]

22. In the past 40 years, there have been only 2 Democratic presidents.

Despite overWHELMing evidence that under Republican administrations as compared to Democratic ones:

stock market returns are worse,
personal spending goes down as do incomes,
the national debt rises substantially,
more country-damaging scandal and illegal activity under Repubs,
damaging and tax-wasting invasions so the Pentasewer and their cronies can get rich off of Joe Sixpack at the price of his soldier son,
more religious right empowerment happens,
more fear-induced governing,
income disparity grows,

Despite ALL of this . . . we STILL. VOTE. REPUBLICAN.

We STILL VOTE REPUBLICAN.

Not you and I, certainly, but America still WORSHIPS these assholes.

And sad as it is, they may go for the Voting Stupid Trifecta in November and elect Grampa McClown just so they can keep a Democrat out of office.

So really, that should tell you all you need to know about our collective intelligence. Unfortunately, there are apparently more stupid than smart in the old Yew Ess of Ay-yi-YIII.

[L. Coyote]

23. Stupidity, the film, is a MUST SEE.

[Fireweed247]

25. Do you mean Idiocracy?

Love that movie!

[Initech]

33. Dwayne Cammacho for president!

Because shit sucks! :rofl:

[razors edge]

24. Stupid is as stupid does.

What comes after stupid and before catatonic?

[StaceyDodd]

28. Americans that don't vote Obama

are the stupid ones...we can forgive past stupidity but this election will show people for what they are

[Rosemary2205]

29. This is how it works.

1. Arrest all the dads on petty shit over and over and over again until they get busted on 3 strikes yer out and get locked up forever.

2. Make in next to impossible for Mom to spend any time with her kids at all by making wages so low she has to work 3 or 4 part time jobs. Threaten her with taking her kids away when child services shows up because the neighbors hate it when kids do kid things, especially when Mom is desperately trying to catch her required 30 minutes of sleep every day.

3. Cut pretty much all educational funding for Mom to improve her own education. And while you are at it, do whatever it takes to make sure her kids go to schools that are more worried about what shirt the kid's wear to school than whether or not the kids are learning anything.

4. proceed to blame Mom when the kids drop out, get knocked up, or join a gang.

lather, rinse, repeat.

[Initech]

32. Childrenz do lern!

Of course the fact that our PRESIDENT put these words together in that order really says something about this country.

[kevinbgoode]

34. How much education do you need to perform in the few industries

left in America? For one thing, conservatives cherish ignorance as the easiest, most blissful method to control others. . .for another, other than health care that no one can afford, a career in the many televangelista empires which permeate the public airwaves every day in this country, or thinking up new ways to legally steal from the public, about the only future some of these kids can look forward to in this country is a temp job cleaning hotel rooms for the Beijing Olympics.