Politics.690 - WHO DUMBS WHO ?

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Politics.690
WHO DUMBS WHO ?

{Politics.690.1}: Sofos Grafeas {grafeas} Fri, 13 Apr 2007 04:38:39 EDT (HTML)

Is it the media who dumbs down their cultural content and, in consequence, stupidifies the masses ( as it is the current belief ) – or- is it people who forces the media to dumb down their cultural content because, in order to be profitable, is obliged to satisfy their stupidity and primitive emotions ?

If both happen at the same time, which tendency is prevalent ?

{Politics.690.2}: Michael Cerkowski {michael33} Fri, 13 Apr 2007 05:40:50 EDT (5 lines)

  It's a negative feedback loop, and looking at history, it appears
that the corporate drive to maximize profit, which was somewhat
muzzled until 1980, has tipped the balance and made it a downward
spiral. The government has not just allowed, but has actively
encouraged this.

{Politics.690.3}: Glen Marks {wotan} Tue, 05 Feb 2008 04:35:03 EST (9 lines)

The following recent article asks:

- Yet what are we to make of an electorate that keeps returning so
many of these villains to office; of voters who, fully cognizant of
the Himalayan deficit they're passing on to their children, continue
to oppose any tax increases to pay for the war in Iraq; who still
seem to treat the suburban idyll with undiminished reverence?

http://www.christianitytoday.com/bc/2008/001/17.34.html

{Politics.690.4}: Glen Marks {wotan} Sat, 08 Mar 2008 21:19:17 EST (6 lines)

Does this have anything to do with a motive for dumbing d.?:

- People are difficult to govern because they have too much
knowledge.

Lao-tzu

{Politics.690.5}: furryriverrat {riverrat} Sat, 08 Mar 2008 23:02:30 EST (5 lines)

Even a blind hog digs up and acorn every now and then.

"www.christianitytoday.com/bc/2008/001/17.34.html"

This is one of the most thoughtful articles I have read in a long time.

{Politics.690.6}: Glen Marks {wotan} Sun, 02 Aug 2009 21:33:15 EDT (4 lines)

For those who are in denial about the depths of dumbing down in this
country:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birthers

{Politics.690.7}: veganshawn {veganshawn} Thu, 06 Aug 2009 10:45:50 EDT (6 lines)

I think it is a little bit of both. I think a lot of people feel
helpless by what it is going on around them and they don't want to
"think", so the media runs stories of celebratory gossip for them. On
the other hand a lot of us who want to think, who want to challenge
what we don't like feel left out so we search out alternative media
sources, but that gives big media an excuse to not cater to our needs.

{Politics.690.8}: Colleen Nelson {cole2u} Fri, 07 Aug 2009 09:39:34 EDT (HTML)

Don't forget that things are constantly changing. Today's dumb is tomorrow's 'well du'h!'

Don't forget the parable of the smart pills. People do catch on after a fair rasher of stupid.

{Politics.690.9}: furryriverrat {riverrat} Tue, 11 Aug 2009 23:32:45 EDT (32 lines)

Top 10 signs you're a fundamental christian. 10 - You vigorously deny
the existence of thousands of gods claimed by other religions, but
feel outraged when someone denies the existence of yours. 9 - You feel
insulted and “dehumanized” when scientists say that people evolved
from other life forms, but you have no problem with the biblical claim
that we were created from dirt. 8 - You laugh at polytheists, but you
have no problem believing in a trinity god. 7 - Your face turns purple
when you hear of the “atrocities” attributed to allah, but you don’t
even flinch when hearing about how god/jehovah slaughtered all the
babies of Egypt in “Exodus” and ordered the elimination of entire
ethnic groups in “Joshua” including women, children, and trees! 6 -
You laugh at hindu beliefs that deify humans, and Greek claims about
gods sleeping with women, but you have no problem believing that the
Holy Spirit impregnated Mary, who then gave birth to a man-god who got
killed, came back to life and then ascended into the sky. 5 - You are
willing to spend your life looking for little loopholes in the
scientifically established age of Earth (few billion years), but you
find nothing wrong with believing dates recorded by Bronze Age
tribesmen sitting in their tents and guessing that Earth is a few
generations old. 4 - You believe that the entire population of this
planet with the exception of those who share your beliefs — though
excluding those in all rival sects - will spend Eternity in an
infinite Hell of Suffering. And yet consider your religion the most
“tolerant” and “loving.” 3 - While modern science, history, geology,
biology, and physics have failed to convince you otherwise, some idiot
rolling around on the floor speaking in “tongues” may be all the
evidence you need to “prove” christianity. 2 - You define 0.01% as a
“high success rate” when it comes to answered prayers. You consider
that to be evidence that prayer works. And you think that the
remaining 99.99% FAILURE was simply the will of god. 1 - You actually
know a lot less than many atheists and agnostics do about the Bible,
christianity, and church history - but still call yourself a christian. ..

{Politics.690.10}: Brian Bixby {cusco} Tue, 11 Aug 2009 23:59:08 EDT (1 line)

Is that your list?  If so, Bravo!  If not, attribution?

{Politics.690.11}: Colleen Nelson {cole2u} Wed, 12 Aug 2009 00:11:45 EDT (HTML)

Boy, that list is way too dumb and clunky to be an internet gem.

See, the trick to slamming something as emotionally hot button as religion is to be snappy. Get it? Slam. Snappy. Done.

This reads more like someone who is real mad at his ex and spends way too many words saying why. Bla bla bla whine bla.

Who dumbs who here?

{Politics.690.12}: Karl V {digem} Wed, 12 Aug 2009 08:55:31 EDT (1 line)

Great list!

{Politics.690.13}: Jonathan Nadel {jpn100557} Wed, 12 Aug 2009 12:22:24 EDT (16 lines)

how about all this hype going on in the news about obama's health
care program.  perfect example. how complex is the issue.  but then,
to see all those down to earth americans getting up to the
microphone,  all choked up and with tears in their eyes.  health
care.  the issue will be bantered around in the congress as nothing
more than a well orchestrated exercise in shuffling paper from one
commitee to another commitee,or one house to the other house,and
then the media will do their followup,  putting them folks on tv as
they choke back their tears,  (health care mind you is the topic),
and then some of the great political 'commentators',and 'analysts'
will wrap it all up for you and have you all convinced that these
town hall meetings prove, after all is said and done, that's it's
the people who run the country, and not the politicians. So from the
steps of the white house, we here at abc news can tell you that
you've nothing really to worry about.  is that what you guys mean by
getting dumbed down?

{Politics.690.14}: Colleen Nelson {cole2u} Wed, 12 Aug 2009 19:33:18 EDT (HTML)

Nah. That's what everyone in the psychology profession calles th depressed attitude of the liberal defeatest.

*sob* *impotent anger and nightly railing in favorite cyber liberal watering hole* *sob* *go to work* *grrr* *come home* *sob*

Repeat until dumbing down process is complete

{Politics.690.15}: Jonathan Nadel {jpn100557} Thu, 13 Aug 2009 13:37:59 EDT (6 lines)

coleen, that was pretty cool. i,m with you,  i believe things will
improve.  the thing that comes to my mind though, is how the stock
market had lost about half after this last downturn in the economy.
makes you ponder.  will it make it all the way back up to fourteen?
what about interest rates on passbook savings accounts or on cd's.
god are they horrendous.

{Politics.690.16}: Colleen Nelson {cole2u} Thu, 13 Aug 2009 13:48:04 EDT (HTML)

Well, according to what I've been hearing from the talking folk on NPR is that we kind of dumbed ourselves down by freezing with fear and taking the market into that frozen moment of fear, no spending, no job expansion, quick lay people off don't order inventory. It added up to a winter of our collective discount tent.

These things are cyclic and according to the talking folk, this recession is only one or two points worse than the one in 1982 but our attitude was different then. They say the stimulous really did pull the nation and maybe the world from free fall into depression and now all we have to do is get our act together and start moving, planning, hiring, going to school, in short stop standing frozen in the headlights.

This frozen in the headlights causes too much of the handwringing and negative 'everything's f966ed up and it always will be' posturing.

Nothing stays the same. We need to keep moving on.

{Politics.690.17}: Jonathan Nadel {jpn100557} Thu, 13 Aug 2009 15:12:17 EDT (1 line)

heaar ya there,  btw,what's for dinner tonight?

{Politics.690.18}: Colleen Nelson {cole2u} Thu, 13 Aug 2009 18:08:04 EDT (HTML)

Homemade salsa and grilled chicken. I'm about to dig out my copy of the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers Foodstamp Cookbook. Lookin' for cheap eats in all the right places.

{Politics.690.19}: Richard Clark {cardo} Thu, 13 Aug 2009 22:22:06 EDT (HTML)

For decades the US has paid its K-12 teachers significantly less than what their counterparts make in places like Japan and northern Europe. And test scores reflect that, with Japanese 5th graders consistently doing better at math, on average, than American _8th_ graders. Classrooms have fewer kids per teacher in Europe, too. That helps.

Most Americans are screwy when it comes to taxes. In California, as most of you know, we wrecked public education with the passage of something called Proposition 13, which cut property taxes, which were and still are the main source of revenue for public schools.

{Politics.690.20}: Jonathan Nadel {jpn100557} Fri, 14 Aug 2009 11:18:47 EDT (6 lines)

homemade salsa and grilled chicken.  sounds like a good one
colleen.  i went to a chineese buffet yesterday.  no good movies
playing at the mall,  so i treated myself to the buffet.  wound up
having grilled fish and egg foo young. had a nice dessert also,
some maple flavored cream sandwiched between two graham crackers.
not all that bad.

{Politics.690.21}: {daveinchi} Fri, 21 Aug 2009 21:24:42 EDT (HTML)

I had a yummy pasta and chicken dish my sweetheart Jasmine made.

{Politics.690.22}: Colleen Nelson {cole2u} Sat, 22 Aug 2009 20:47:25 EDT (HTML)

I'm in the middle of eating the chicken my daughter made on the ancestral Weber. It is a bit of heaven, all smoky and sweet and tangy. To think I taught her to cook. Of course waitressing at the local steakhouse didn't hurt....

The family compound is rocking tonight!

{Politics.690.23}: Glen Marks {wotan} Sat, 16 Oct 2010 04:12:31 EDT (7 lines)

According to this recent article:

- There is something profoundly diseased about a society that
idolizes its ignoramuses and disdains its experts.

"http://swampland.blogs.time.com/2010/10/14/ignorance-as-
authenticity/"

{Politics.690.24}: Glen Marks {wotan} Mon, 21 Mar 2011 15:54:36 EDT (7 lines)

"How Dumb Are We?":

"http://news.yahoo.com/s/dailybeast/13043_americasignorancecouldposeh
ugeproblems;_ylt=AhdGnx7loJzeEw2sISpVxUOs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTRvOG5wNGczBG
Fzc2V0A2RhaWx5YmVhc3QvMjAxMTAzMjEvMTMwNDNfYW1lcmljYXNpZ25vcmFuY2Vjb3V
sZHBvc2VodWdlcHJvYmxlbXMEY2NvZGUDbW9zdHBvcHVsYXIEY3BvcwM4BHBvcwM1BHB0
A2hvbWVfY29rZQRzZWMDeW5faGVhZGxpbmVfbGlzdARzbGsDaG93ZHVtYmFyZXdl"

{Politics.690.25}: {lizcostello} Mon, 28 Mar 2011 09:06:37 EDT (0 lines)
{erased by lizcostello Mon, 28 Mar 2011 09:06:49 EDT}

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