Drop in Intelligence

Lately,

Have you ever had a conversation in which you felt that the other person was incredibly stupid and had NO COMMON SENSE?

This thread is not to be a rant.

These days in the United States I see disclaimers everywhere telling you that, "WARNING: COFFEE IS HOT" No duh!

They are afraid of people sueing them because they didn't know the coffee could burn you.

Then people are making up how to get out of jail and avoid punishment by saying that some minute detail was wrong.

Have you ever talked to some one that seemed 'stupid'?

This seems to be happening to me more and more often.

People are more concerned about how well their boss will like them, or how to get the best grades.

None of my fellow peers actually KNOW anything about the actual subject, just enough to get an A, but while I am actually trying to learn the material.

No one is concerned about learning anything, or knowing anything, but just enough to secure a position in life.

It seems that nobody has any Common Sense anymore!

Has anyone else have any similar experianes, conversations, or thoughts.

It angers me about this.

It has seemed that around the Western World, no one seems to CARE, and that is what scares me. They just know how to play the system, they do not know how to actually complete the task.

It seems that everyone except for a few have had a drop in INTELLIGENCE.

I'd actually consider learning to play the game an extremely important lesson. Yeah, it's nice to get a job, or a girlfriend or whatever by genuinely being the best man to do so, but life doesn't work that way most of the time.

Playing the system is key, and whilst taking an interest in your studies is definitely important, being a fountain of knowledge without a job is a worse position to be in than employed but somewhat thick.

That's my opinion, anyway.

reply to post by jBrereton


Playing the game could be a choice, but your confined to the rules of society. I think just about everyone here on ATS could be defined as In the Box. But I am sick of all the stuff we do by the "System".

I am working towards in my school, job, and family to move away from sticking to the rules, thinking outside the box, and informing people that ideas can exist outside of the confined world that they live in.

a friend of mine works at in office of major shipping company. last Friday the vice president of the entire company visited her branch. because the office is small they set him up in the conference room so he could do the paperwork or whatever he needs to do.

my friend was walking to the coffee machine which was right across from the conference room when the VP asked for a cup of coffee as well. while she was making the coffee, the representative of her branch walked into thr conference room and began a conversation with the VP.

now what i would have done is bring the coffee anyway but what my friend did was walk away. she explained that she might get fired because it would look like she was trying to brown nose the VP. i think that is ridiculous. apparently your not allowed to bring coffee to anyone anymore on risk of being fired.

this isn't the same as what you mentioned but its along the same lines i think.

reply to post by N. Tesla


It is also things like that, Social Hierarchy, and corperation hierarchy that discourages me.

I really dislike the fact that you can't walk into the owners office and sit down and talk with him if you need to. Or at school a group of friends do not lets others be friends with another group.

It is discouraging what the society is playing by. One of my lifes vision is to change the rules, bend them, and will them, so that no one can be left out, your voice can and will be heard.

*Fyi* I am not a social outcast of society, I do have a life too

Originally posted by truth_seeker3Playing the game could be a choice, but your confined to the rules of society. I think just about everyone here on ATS could be defined as In the Box. But I am sick of all the stuff we do by the "System".

I am working towards in my school, job, and family to move away from sticking to the rules, thinking outside the box, and informing people that ideas can exist outside of the confined world that they live in.

Yeah, that's lovely, but you know what? Society is pretty good to me, at least. Lets me get into a hospital when I need it, lets me chat with my mates, all of the rest, and it provides employment.

Saying that ideas can exist outside of the confined world that we live in is what we here in the UK call pissing into the wind. If I live a fairly pointless life and then die, that's tragic. Dying as a martyr to a cause nobody cares about is just a waste of your life, and you'd do well to avoid that from happening.

Ahh yedah I feel like this to. That's why I dropped out of high school, because I couldn't take the sheer stupidity of todays youth. I'm serious go into a high schooland just look around at what all the kids are doing. It's sad really.

I think the teenagers are the worst off.

reply to post by jBrereton


Society may be good to you, but what about the person sitting next to you at the train station?

And life IS NOT pointless no matter what you have done in your life, there was a cause and effect. There was a reason to why it happened.

But this is the reason why you are thinking this and the main core of the problem: You do not care.

It is as simple as that. I want to make people uncomfortable, push them to their limits, help others, get them outside of their little confined world to help others.

You may have it good, but there are others who need your help.

Originally posted by truth_seeker3

Society may be good to you, but what about the person sitting next to you at the train station?

No idea, and it'd be a little strange to ask them, now, wouldn't it?

Originally posted by truth_seeker3 And life IS NOT pointless no matter what you have done in your life

Yes, well I'd disagree with that. Almost everyone on this earth's life is essentially pointless, because we affect very little and will be quickly forgotten.

Originally posted by truth_seeker3 there was a cause and effect. There was a reason to why it happened.

Aye, "my dad didn't use protection on his birthday when he had sex with my mother".

Originally posted by truth_seeker3 But this is the reason why you are thinking this and the main core of the problem: You do not care.

It is as simple as that. I want to make people uncomfortable, push them to their limits, help others, get them outside of their little confined world to help others.

Telling people to escape from where they might have a chance to make something of themselves, or at the very least are guaranteed not to starve (in the UK, anyway) is not going to help them.

Originally posted by truth_seeker3 You may have it good, but there are others who need your help.

If they want help, they can ask for it and I'll give them as much as I can. Until then, not much I can do.

as another poster has already said - and I hate to admit it - being "stupid" but knowing how to "play the game" in society is ultimately more rewarding (superficially) than being educated.

That's how public schools are training us anyways - the more agreeable and flexible you are, the better. Those that are smart or socially awkward are typically looked at with disdain and contempt.

Originally posted by scientist
as another poster has already said - and I hate to admit it - being "stupid" but knowing how to "play the game" in society is ultimately more rewarding (superficially) than being educated.

That's how public schools are training us anyways - the more agreeable and flexible you are, the better. Those that are smart or socially awkward are typically looked at with disdain and contempt.

I don't think that smartness per se is seen as something to be looked down upon, or we wouldn't have grades any more.

What I do think is certainly seen as increasingly important is a person's ability to work with others. This does often mean that a person's intelligence is seen as less important than their ability to socialise, but it doesn't mean that it doesn't matter at all.

[edit on 28-7-2008 by jBrereton]

I don't think people are getting more stupid; I think the majority of people have always been unintelligent/mediocre/lazy. It is just a shock to every generation how generally useless their peers really are. They want to think it was better in their parents' or grandparents' generation, but it wasn't.

Do you really think it's a coincidence that a tiny fraction of people control a vast amount of resources? If people want to be in control of things they make it so. But most people hate to be in control because that means they are held responsible, which is unacceptable for most. (Most) people want to win the lottery; they don't want to build a fortune 500 company from the ground up.

Originally posted by sc2099
But most people hate to be in control because that means they are held responsible, which is unacceptable for most. (Most) people want to win the lottery; they don't want to build a fortune 500 company from the ground up.

I like what you said there. Having Staffed NYLT, Nation Youth Leader Training, it is discouraging how people cannot take responsibility serious, such as arriving on time, or completing a task.

jBrereton--

I do acknowledge your point on playing the game is more rewarding. It is, having served myself to help others for the past year has been hard. Taking upon yourself to take responsibility is hard. That is why I believe the core of modern and past problems are inexperienced leaders.

They are trying to solve problems and make decisions without taking everything into account, just what is best for their career.

Playing the game will get you a job, a girlfriend, and a school, but only after you stop play the game you realize what is really out there.

What discourages most, and has me, is while your doing the work. It seems hard, overwhelming, and unprofitable, but after the fact, you look back and are glad you did that.

and Sc2099,

That may be the reason we are that 'stupid' is because past generations have failed to act.

reply to post by truth_seeker3


That is the plan. To make us be so enthralled by entertainment that we can't focus on the real world problems. The only caring and considerate people who truly care about things are the ones that have been hit close with the suffering. They are the first and the last to falter in crusading for their causes. Their passion boosts their intelligence, because their hearts are in the right place. They are doing a good job of making people superficial. They will only wake up when they have a terrible loss.

Yes once we have some 'life altering' event out of control from the high power, people will look around and realize what has been lost.

It really is depressing to see so many people just Not care. The people who really do care are like maintenance workers, just patching it up until they fully realize what has happened

reply to post by truth_seeker3


The System isn't designed for us to learn, its designed for us to waste years of our lives cramming for tests and conforming to everyone else... You go to school and work, then you go to work and work and then you die and if you question the status quo you're either a Bill Gates/Oprah or a Hippie/Bum...

Society teaches us to measure each other in petty things like material possessions, grades, or salaries, and nice guys/gals really usually do finish last... Happiness is said to be a picket fence a wife and 2.2 children nevermind what makes you as an individual happy... We're socialized to want the same things but the thing is often those fairy tale lies we get told about glorious suburban futures with a loving spouse aren't fulfilled. Heck, you're lucky to get the dysfunctional TV sitcom style family (and emulation of those is an issue)...

People are apathetic, its starts in youth, the elites and mega-corporations/Media keep us fat and fed, unsatisfied enough to buy tons of crap we don't need but satisfied enough that the people don't move en masse to change everything to a better system...

So is there a drop in intelligence? Maybe, it depends on how you measure intelligence (IQ, creativity, etc) but I'd agree that Apathy is in epidemic supply...

I am disagreeing with the way intelligence is measured. Some people may intelligence may be measured in a test with caculated results.

Intelligence is how you react to a situation.. will you react well or not..

Intelligence is how you cope and solve the problem at hand

Intelligence is how much common sense and logic you can use to help others.

Intelligence is not measured on a sheet a paper or can be a result, it is something that must be determined on our own.

Yes, I just had another conversation that just blew me away..

As some one mentioned before, is it normal for some people to feel like they are surrounded by people with little or no logic, problem solving skill, or common sense?

reply to post by truth_seeker3


I think you should use people's general stupidity to your advantage. See it as a way to help yourself and others like you escape the system. If you know you're playing a game and your competitors do not, it should be easy to outwit them to get what you want out of life.

Do you feel sorry for the people you think are, for lack of a better word, 'sheeple'?

Your right, I already sort of use it to my advantage, but I don't want to exploit it or be too selfish about it.

I have had people complain to my how bad their life is, how tired they are, how NOT in control they are.

But I know for a fact: I CAN be in control and I WILL be in control.

I now view it as a personal choice, whether you allow yourselves to be governed or not.