Are Americans getting dumber?

LTC Ed Ross — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 21:52:39 -0400

A large percentage of Americans are ignorant of political, economic, military and social issues. Are Americans dumber today than in the past or does the media just make it seem that way?

Response by SFC Michael Hasbun made Jul 8 at 2015 9:55 PM

SFC Michael Hasbun — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 21:55:50 -0400

That does seem to be the case, but then I'm sure every generation feels the same of it's successor..

Response by SGT Joe Sabedra made Jul 8 at 2015 10:13 PM

SGT Joe Sabedra — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 22:13:40 -0400

In my eyes it has become spoiled by instant gratification.
News and social media is at our fingertips.
Everything is purchased at the store where it all just shows up.

Very few garden or can or do simple repairs around the house.

I see people as well as family expecting some to care for them.

I am considered an ass for telling them to get off there ass and make it on there own and support there own family.

Be responsible. Be prepared for when the Shit hits the fan.
A job loss, death or major illness.
All of these things can put people on government assistance but for how long.

Everyone is blowing money when they don't have it as if tomorrow will bring in the winning lottery ticket.

Not dumb. People are feeling entitled

Response by SFC Stephen King made Jul 8 at 2015 10:18 PM

SFC Stephen King — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 22:18:25 -0400

I often wondered if this is by choice or education?

Response by MSgt Brian Welch made Jul 8 at 2015 11:11 PM

MSgt Brian Welch — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 23:11:15 -0400

I believe we may be duped into being dumber. Many get their "news" from unverified internet sources. Much of what people take in is from politically slanted sources and they buy into whatever strikes their political bent, There is no such thing is journalistic integrity today. It's whatever creative headline crafted that drums up the most hits that measures success. So, yes, we are dumber, but willfully dumber based on the political Kool-aid we choose to drink.

Response by Capt Seid Waddell made Jul 8 at 2015 11:20 PM

Capt Seid Waddell — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 23:20:52 -0400

LTC Ed Ross - Less educated, more ignorant on important issues perhaps, but not necessarily "dumb" as in lacking intelligence.

Response by Cpl Dennis F. made Jul 8 at 2015 11:30 PM

Cpl Dennis F. — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 23:30:09 -0400

They are definitely quantifiably dumber.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 9 at 2015 12:40 AM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 09 Jul 2015 00:40:34 -0400

Thought and research have been replaced by Google and Wikipedia.
Debate and deliberation have been replaced by hurt feelings and shaming of dissenting views.
Common sense has been replaced by group think.
Education has been replaced by indoctrination.
We are all poorer for it, in my opinion.

Response by LCpl Mark Lefler made Jul 9 at 2015 12:52 AM

LCpl Mark Lefler — Thu, 09 Jul 2015 00:52:11 -0400

States are spending less and less on education... some states are teaching creationism as if it's a science, there is also I think a lot of apathy toward education like people are just going to somehow learn things through osmosis.

Response by SSG John Jensen made Jul 9 at 2015 1:49 AM

SSG John Jensen — Thu, 09 Jul 2015 01:49:43 -0400

Media - when you read news online you mostly look at news you like - with a newspaper you had to wade through everything to get to the good stuff, and headlines can teach you stuff, of course there were people who bought the newspaper, pulled out the sports pages and threw the rest away. But then I'm a son of an English teacher and a History teacher; there were things school age, TV family movie!! that I didn't see because we watched the State of the Union Address, and we had only 1 TV.
I could maybe say that the purpose of Hollywood and the Sports industry is to keep us distracted from the real news.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 9 at 2015 7:06 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 09 Jul 2015 07:06:55 -0400

LTC Ed Ross I have the perfect example, Sir. I live in the D.C. metro and work at the Library of Congress. One of my co-workers has several Master's degrees, can speak several Eastern European foreign languages, and is well-versed in her Jewish background, but she could not tell me what the Bill of Rights were, how many justices sat on the Supreme Court (or tell me who the Chief Justice was), explain to me the 14th amendment, or telling others that she has foreign contacts in Europe was a BAD idea. I shared these observations with my husband and he believes that my co-worker is willfully ignorant. Moreover, I think many Americans are politically apathetic because they do not believe that government affects their lives, and if it does, it's so trivial that it won't impact them that greatly (e.g. paying a nickel for a grocery bag (Montgomery County, MD)). Unfortunately, many don't understand that local governments have the most power because they directly impact our lives. Google, Wikipedia, media, and social media outlets are also trouble makers. No one can think for themselves without being bombarded with subliminal messages. And lastly, I will close with one final thought: political correctness. Just this morning (July 9) I heard on the radio, that a state senator in MN wanted to change the name of the Asian Carpe (type of fish) to something else because he thought it would be offensive to minorities. The bill passed in state senate.

Response by Cpl Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 9 at 2015 9:45 AM

Cpl Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 09 Jul 2015 09:45:33 -0400

I wouldn't call them dumb, just indoctrinated. Some are willing to listen and learn, but some have become militant in their beliefs and nothing will change their minds. The militant become extremely hostile; name calling, threats, etc, but will never offer valid responses.

Rules For Radicals (teach this and you'll have a quiet coup)
Rule 5: Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon. There is no defense. It’s irrational. It’s infuriating. It also works as a key pressure point to force the enemy into concessions.
Rule 11: The price of a successful attack is a constructive alternative. Never let the enemy score points because you’re caught without a solution to the problem.
Rule 12: Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it. Cut off the support network and isolate the target from sympathy. Go after people and not institutions; people hurt faster than institutions

Response by SPC Jan Allbright, M.Sc., R.S. made Jul 9 at 2015 10:22 AM

SPC Jan Allbright, M.Sc., R.S. — Thu, 09 Jul 2015 10:22:53 -0400

This has been on-going since the invention of the printing press.
People that are uniformed and uneducated are much easier to control!

Response by TSgt Kevin Buccola made Jul 9 at 2015 10:44 AM

TSgt Kevin Buccola — Thu, 09 Jul 2015 10:44:06 -0400

I do not think we are getting dumber - I think its the opposite - We are smarter by what is taught...I think technology makes us dumber. The simple things such as reading a paper map, looking for a book in the library, spelling, simple grammer, simple math etc. Technology does this for us. As for political issues the media has really made us a dumb society.

Response by SPC Jan Allbright, M.Sc., R.S. made Jul 9 at 2015 10:46 AM

SPC Jan Allbright, M.Sc., R.S. — Thu, 09 Jul 2015 10:46:33 -0400

Putting in another 2 cents.
An educated, informed and engaged electorate is exactly what politicians DO NOT WANT.

Response by SrA Edward Vong made Jul 9 at 2015 10:47 AM

SrA Edward Vong — Thu, 09 Jul 2015 10:47:03 -0400

I wouldn't necessarily say Americans are getting dumber. The intellectual focus just seems to lean towards something else. There are of course the actual dumb ones out there.

Response by CPO Jon Campbell made Jul 9 at 2015 10:59 AM

CPO Jon Campbell — Thu, 09 Jul 2015 10:59:30 -0400

I think the media has a lot to do with it. There are TVs on constantly everywhere you go with cable news and commentary with news crawls on top of news crawls feeding people information that is often dubious and commentary that is often the collective pooling of the commentators ignorance. People accept this massive information flow as long as it fits their beliefs and rarely verify or look at other opinons or viewpoints. The results are a polarizing and have a dumbing down effect. I don't think people are dumber in an organic way, but they are being manipulated by the constant flow of biased media they consume and lack of critical thinking they engage in.

Response by SGT Ben Keen made Jul 9 at 2015 11:04 AM

SGT Ben Keen — Thu, 09 Jul 2015 11:04:11 -0400

Dumber may not be the right word but I see where you are going. I think the public is becoming less aware of things or choosing what they want to be aware of at least. Personally, when it comes to politics, I'm very picky on what I pay attention to. I try to ignore the words coming out people's mouth and rather focus my energy on learning about the issues through my own research. With the advent of social media, social issues have become more and more the same. People have a kneejerk reaction based on some issue without fully understanding the issue and therefore become less aware of the true social issues are. For the longest time, I lacked understanding of economic issues. Mainly because I'm not very good in math and all the numbers are hard for me to track and understand. But I have made it an effort over the past few months to start small and learn about the economic issues impacting the Pittsburgh area. Once I have a better understanding of how the city plays a role in the state's economic landscape then I will feel better learning how the state plays a role in the country's landscape and so on.