ignorance unbound

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  • jlew24asu
    jlew24asu Posts: 10,118
    NMyTree wrote:
    :D:D
    I am? Do I get a free t-shirt and a groovey hat?

    http://www.choiceshirts.com/item/k/pl-90115a/
  • yield2me
    yield2me Posts: 1,291
    Ridin The Wave wrote:
    And I will say one more thing.....please don't tell me that you think America could be any of these things without the other? Without the money, which I don't deny The States has the most of, you might not be the source of a lot of scientific, social and medical studies. Without those continuing studies, you might not have the most money? Also, because you have the most money, it would be irresponsible to not be the major contributor to humanitarian aid.

    Just because you live in the richest country in the world, doesn't mean you are the richest person in the world or that you are any better than anyone else. It simply means you live in the richest country in the world.

    We are all on a level playing field, regardless of the country we reside in.

    You are right, but how did we get so rich if we are all morons? If our educational system is as bad as some of the posters on this thread have suggested then how in the world did we ever become a super power? I'm not trying to say that we are better than anyone else...far from it actually! This country has its problems like everyone else, we are not perfect but we are certainly not stupid either!
    “May you live to be 100 and may the last voice you hear be mine.” - Frank Sinatra
  • PJPOWER
    PJPOWER Posts: 6,499
    Ahnimus wrote:
    No. Education goes right back to being a neonate. When you compare a neonate to a clinically stupid a.k.a mentally retarded adult, there are some striking similarities. I would argue that we were all stupid at one time. The brain develops through stimulation if the brain is not stimulated it fails to develop properly. So in that regard, intelligence depends entirely on education a.k.a stimulation.
    But you can recieve that stimulation from places other than the educational system...............right! Isn't that exactly what you were talking about when mentioning picking up a book about physics? If you are not motivated to learn, you will not learn. If you are motivated to learn, you will learn............how does that have to do with the formal education that you have aquired through an educational system? Oh, and on a different subject, did you know that if the brain is overstimulated it also fails to develop properly......just interesting stuff (sorry, I get off on psychology and human development..............there in lays my career as well :) ).
  • Ahnimus
    Ahnimus Posts: 10,560
    yield2me wrote:
    You are right, but how did we get so rich if we are all morons? If our educational system is as bad as some of the posters on this thread have suggested then how in the world did we ever become a super power? I'm not trying to say that we are better than anyone else...far from it actually! This country has its problems like everyone else, we are not perfect but we are certainly not stupid either!

    Austria and Germany :p
    I necessarily have the passion for writing this, and you have the passion for condemning me; both of us are equally fools, equally the toys of destiny. Your nature is to do harm, mine is to love truth, and to make it public in spite of you. - Voltaire
  • Ahnimus
    Ahnimus Posts: 10,560
    PJPOWER wrote:
    But you can recieve that stimulation from places other than the educational system...............right! Isn't that exactly what you were talking about when mentioning picking up a book about physics? If you are not motivated to learn, you will not learn. If you are motivated to learn, you will learn............how does that have to do with the formal education that you have aquired through an educational system? Oh, and on a different subject, did you know that if the brain is overstimulated it also fails to develop properly......just interesting stuff (sorry, I get off on psychology and human development..............there in lays my career as well :) ).

    Sure, that's all true, and I would love nothing more than to have to work half as much and be able to provide proper education for my children without them attending a public school. However, I realize that many parents would never take the time and would spend the money they save on taxes on alcohol or drugs. So for the greater good of all citizens, I prefer the education systems we have. Though I can see many ways they can be improved. Still, much of the first few years of life is the responsibility of the parents, if they leave their babies in a dark room all the time, they aren't going to be very good kindergarten students.
    I necessarily have the passion for writing this, and you have the passion for condemning me; both of us are equally fools, equally the toys of destiny. Your nature is to do harm, mine is to love truth, and to make it public in spite of you. - Voltaire
  • yield2me
    yield2me Posts: 1,291
    Ahnimus wrote:
    Sure, that's all true, and I would love nothing more than to have to work half as much and be able to provide proper education for my children without them attending a public school. However, I realize that many parents would never take the time and would spend the money they save on taxes on alcohol or drugs. So for the greater good of all citizens, I prefer the education systems we have. Though I can see many ways they can be improved. Still, much of the first few years of life is the responsibility of the parents, if they leave their babies in a dark room all the time, they aren't going to be very good kindergarten students.


    do you ever actually answer anybody's posts? All you do is talk in circles and fill the page with BS. Are you an attorney? If not then you should seriously consider a career change my friend!
    “May you live to be 100 and may the last voice you hear be mine.” - Frank Sinatra
  • Ridin The Wave
    Ridin The Wave Posts: 552
    yield2me wrote:
    You are right, but how did we get so rich if we are all morons? If our educational system is as bad as some of the posters on this thread have suggested then how in the world did we ever become a super power? I'm not trying to say that we are better than anyone else...far from it actually! This country has its problems like everyone else, we are not perfect but we are certainly not stupid either!

    Agreed. But America's CURRENT educational system doesn't have a whole lot to do with the fact that America is the richest country in the world. That does however have a lot to do with the exploitation and down-right bullying of other countries.

    Let's not forget that America does not stand alone as a super power. There is a lot of help, none of which I am pretending is Canadian.

    Regardless, this thread is yet another example of how things can so easily get out of hand. If it can get this out of hand on a personal level, it's not hard to imagine why things get so out of hand on a political level.
  • Ahnimus
    Ahnimus Posts: 10,560
    yield2me wrote:
    do you ever actually answer anybody's posts? All you do is talk in circles and fill the page with BS. Are you an attorney? If not then you should seriously consider a career change my friend!

    Sorry, answer what posts?

    I'm not an attorney, but I have spent a bit of time within the court system as a guide to friends and family.
    I necessarily have the passion for writing this, and you have the passion for condemning me; both of us are equally fools, equally the toys of destiny. Your nature is to do harm, mine is to love truth, and to make it public in spite of you. - Voltaire
  • NMyTree
    NMyTree Posts: 2,374
    Ahnimus wrote:
    Sorry, answer what posts?

    I'm not an attorney, but I have spent a bit of time within the court system as a guide to friends and family.



    ...and don't forget youm spent time in court to answer for your own actions.
  • Ahnimus
    Ahnimus Posts: 10,560
    NMyTree wrote:
    ...and don't forget youm spent time in court to answer for your own actions.

    As a youth, which if I didn't share I wouldn't be at all accountable for. Most people advise me not to share my childhood crimes because clearly people will formulate opinions of me contrary to my actual character. Which appears to be what you are expressing right now. :(
    I necessarily have the passion for writing this, and you have the passion for condemning me; both of us are equally fools, equally the toys of destiny. Your nature is to do harm, mine is to love truth, and to make it public in spite of you. - Voltaire
  • CorporateWhore
    CorporateWhore Posts: 1,890
    Ahnimus wrote:
    I don't really drink beer though :(

    Wimp
    All I know is that to see, and not to speak, would be the great betrayal.
    -Enoch Powell
  • Ahnimus
    Ahnimus Posts: 10,560
    CorporateWhore wrote:
    Wimp

    I just prefer not to consume alcohol.
    I necessarily have the passion for writing this, and you have the passion for condemning me; both of us are equally fools, equally the toys of destiny. Your nature is to do harm, mine is to love truth, and to make it public in spite of you. - Voltaire
  • CorporateWhore
    CorporateWhore Posts: 1,890
    Ahnimus wrote:
    I just prefer not to consume alcohol.

    Ya know, I'm fine when you call me a racist or you make fun of my country - that's not so bad.

    But a teetotaller? Gimme a break...
    All I know is that to see, and not to speak, would be the great betrayal.
    -Enoch Powell
  • Ahnimus
    Ahnimus Posts: 10,560
    CorporateWhore wrote:
    Ya know, I'm fine when you call me a racist or you make fun of my country - that's not so bad.

    But a teetotaller? Gimme a break...

    I'm not calling you that.
    I necessarily have the passion for writing this, and you have the passion for condemning me; both of us are equally fools, equally the toys of destiny. Your nature is to do harm, mine is to love truth, and to make it public in spite of you. - Voltaire
  • Alex_Coe
    Alex_Coe Posts: 762
    CorporateWhore wrote:
    Hahaha, yeah isn't that funny?

    It's too bad we don't have video of Americans interviewing the border-line retarded populations in London, eh? Lots of stupid little British boys that are failing out of school.

    Better yet, why don't we interview the 3% of your Muslim population (2001 census). That's probably drastically larger now. I'm sure they know a lot about the world around them, eh?

    Maybe we should call England "Angloistan." You'll be a third world country in less than 50 years. We'll see what happens to your education then.

    What is it with the rest of the world making fun of American ignorance? Why would any country to presume to judge us in any way? When they attain the level of power and success that we have, maybe I'd listen. Otherwise, they're just hating on something better than them.

    Let's see Britain support 300 million people, have the most powerful military in the world, the most powerful economy in the world, and do it all while accepting massively larger immigration.

    This is the second effing time I've seen this video on this message board and it is an indication that plenty of clowns from overseas have a big bone to pick with America. Let's talk about it. What great wisdom do foreigners have to impart to me about my country? I'll impart some wisdom about your country too.


    Thank you for taking the words right out of my mouth.
  • ClimberInOz
    ClimberInOz Posts: 216
    baraka wrote:
    I was also thinking about the reason why a lot of non-americans know quite a lot about America, while Americans don't know all that much about other cultures & countries. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems that other countries are very interested in American culture and are exposed to American culture, probably via the media.

    Speaking as an Australian I would say that the fascination is not just with American culture, but with all different cultures. The difference is, as you suggested, we are innundated with American and British culture through TV, Music, Print Media etc. Therefore the coutries that bear the brunt of our jokes are firstly ourselves, then the US, the Brits and the Kiwis. But I have no doubt that you could produce a similar comedy sketch as the Chaser one in any country. People, it would appear, can be inherently stupid regardless of where they are from.

    That being said, in my time in the US I did find certain places where there seemed to be a lot of people who were not especially world aware. I had people mistaking Australia for Austria and (more alarmingly) Antarctica, people confused as to what language we spoke in Australia. But I would not suggest that this is reflective of the intelligence levels of the US.

    Perhaps it is just that the US media appears to play comparitively less attention to international news then the media of other Countries?
  • Ahnimus
    Ahnimus Posts: 10,560
    ClimberInOz wrote:
    Speaking as an Australian I would say that the fascination is not just with American culture, but with all different cultures. The difference is, as you suggested, we are innundated with American and British culture through TV, Music, Print Media etc. Therefore the coutries that bear the brunt of our jokes are firstly ourselves, then the US, the Brits and the Kiwis. But I have no doubt that you could produce a similar comedy sketch as the Chaser one in any country. People, it would appear, can be inherently stupid regardless of where they are from.

    That being said, in my time in the US I did find certain places where there seemed to be a lot of people who were not especially world aware. I had people mistaking Australia for Austria and (more alarmingly) Antarctica, people confused as to what language we spoke in Australia. But I would not suggest that this is reflective of the intelligence levels of the US.

    Perhaps it is just that the US media appears to play comparitively less attention to international news then the media of other Countries?

    Yea, I'm Canadian and I pay a lot of attention to other countries, and not just the ones we are bombing.

    Let's see, Australian's speak English and their PM is John Howard.

    Australia was originally populated by European nations sending criminal exiles to the region.
    I necessarily have the passion for writing this, and you have the passion for condemning me; both of us are equally fools, equally the toys of destiny. Your nature is to do harm, mine is to love truth, and to make it public in spite of you. - Voltaire
  • CorporateWhore
    CorporateWhore Posts: 1,890
    Ahnimus wrote:
    Yea, I'm Canadian and I pay a lot of attention to other countries, and not just the ones we are bombing.

    Let's see, Australian's speak English and their PM is John Howard.

    Australia was originally populated by European nations sending criminal exiles to the region.

    Do you want a medal or a chest to pin it on?

    I hope you're proud of yourself haha.
    All I know is that to see, and not to speak, would be the great betrayal.
    -Enoch Powell
  • yield2me
    yield2me Posts: 1,291
    Ridin The Wave wrote:
    Agreed. But America's CURRENT educational system doesn't have a whole lot to do with the fact that America is the richest country in the world. That does however have a lot to do with the exploitation and down-right bullying of other countries.

    Let's not forget that America does not stand alone as a super power. There is a lot of help, none of which I am pretending is Canadian.

    Regardless, this thread is yet another example of how things can so easily get out of hand. If it can get this out of hand on a personal level, it's not hard to imagine why things get so out of hand on a political level.


    So you are saying that our wealth in this country is coming from "bullying" other countries? Give me some examples of the mass amounts of wealth that are coming from these countries we exploit.
    “May you live to be 100 and may the last voice you hear be mine.” - Frank Sinatra
  • NMyTree
    NMyTree Posts: 2,374
    Ahnimus wrote:
    As a youth, which if I didn't share I wouldn't be at all accountable for. Most people advise me not to share my childhood crimes because clearly people will formulate opinions of me contrary to my actual character. Which appears to be what you are expressing right now. :(



    Nah, not at all.

    I was merely stating that your experience and knowledge of the law and court room procedures comes from first hand encounters.

    What, you think I never got in trouble when I was a kid? Ha!

    I had my fair share of dad coming to the police station to get my ass out of there, when I was a teenager. I was rather rebelious and rowdy teen...lol:D

    True story, but this time I was in my mid-20s and I was really innocent of any wrong doing. It was my insurance company who screwed up. Unlike my teenage years when I was definitely guilty of being a jackass.

    I was driving home late one Sunday evening, on Route 23, from a weekend at my girlfriends house in Sussex County, NJ.

    I get pulled over by a cop for speeding and he checks my insurance and registration. Unbeknownest to me, I have the wrong Insurance card .......an outdated Insurance card. I thought it was my new card, because that was the one my insurance company mailed me. But they screwed up and some how sent me the same card as the one that had just expired.

    Any who, the cop tows my car and brings to the police station. I had a small travel bag with my clothes, and my acoustic guitar.

    I was pissed off because I knew I was up to date with my insurance and that the card was the one just sent to me.

    Of course the cop didn't believe me and did what he had to do.

    I get to the Police station and there's no one else there. Just me and the cop who brought me in. I called for my girlfriend to come and get me.

    The cop asks me if I can play "that guitar your carrying, there". And I say, yeah. I can.

    So he asks me to play something. So I did.

    This cop was a big music lover and starts really enjoying my playing. He comes over and starts making requests (some of which I knew, others I didn't......but was able to fumble around a little an figure out some of those songs).

    The cop starts signing along while I'm playing:D:D

    Meanwhile, my girlfriend was on her way to get me and she's all worried, upset and panicy.

    There I was strumming and singing some tunes with this cop, for over an hour. Two other cops walked in and they came over and hung around to listen.

    So there I am, playing my acoustic guitar and singing Neil Young's "Heart Of Gold" with this cop and the other two were hanging around just watching and grooving; when my worried and upset girlfriend walks in to the station:D

    She stops dead in her tracks, looks at me, looks at the cops and starts shaking her head in disbelief.

    "What the hell is going on?!?!?!?!"

    Later she says to me, " You're the only person I know who gets arrested, then makes friends with the cops, and somehow get's the cops to run through a drive-tru for you ( which they did. went to Burger King for me.....the only place opened near-by...lol), to pick you up some dinner. If that's not looney enough, you start a sing-along with the cops!" What the fuck!?!?"

    :D:D



    Well, technically I really wasn't arrested, I was brought to the police station because they towed my car and I proved to them my insurance company had screwed up, when I called them from the police station. Not to mention at that time I worked with several law enforcement officers, so that helped.

    "Heart Of Gold" some how took on a slightly different meaning for me from that point on:D

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