Are most people idiots?

[aerius]

Half of the population has an IQ above 100. The other half has an IQ below 100. Half of the population really is stupid.

Reminds me of one of my fave quotes, "you know how dumb the average person is? Well by definition half of them are dumber than that". What I've found in general is that idiots are becoming dumber and more numerous, while smart people are getting fewer in number and smarter.

[Master of Ossus]

Surprisingly, despite the American education system, the average American is literally more intelligent than the average French person, who has an IQ of just 96. There are various other countries that have slightly higher or lower average IQ's (Japan's is 107, Belgium's is 106, and Guatemala's is 102. On the lower side, Portugal, Malaysia, and Yemen all have scores of 97.).

[Kelly Antilles]

Surprisingly, despite the American education system, the average American is literally more intelligent than the average French person, who has an IQ of just 96. There are various other countries that have slightly higher or lower average IQ's (Japan's is 107, Belgium's is 106, and Guatemala's is 102. On the lower side, Portugal, Malaysia, and Yemen all have scores of 97.).

Yes, but are the tests comperable between each country?

[Colonel Olrik]

the lower side, Portugal, Malaysia, and Yemen all have scores of 97.).

Blrph to you

[Master of Ossus]

Surprisingly, despite the American education system, the average American is literally more intelligent than the average French person, who has an IQ of just 96. There are various other countries that have slightly higher or lower average IQ's (Japan's is 107, Belgium's is 106, and Guatemala's is 102. On the lower side, Portugal, Malaysia, and Yemen all have scores of 97.).

Yes, but are the tests comperable between each country?

Sort of. Since many of the questions are related to culture, though, it's hard to compare different parts of the world. They are all designed to have an average of about 100, but inevitably there are significant cultural differences between people in different parts of the world. For instance, the language and culture of countries in the Arabian Peninsula and other parts of the world are so unbelievably complex that it is almost impossible to generate reasonable methods of comparing them. In some cases, culture can be so radically different from one town or tribe to the next that designing a single test for them is almost impossible.

[Kelly Antilles]

Sort of. Since many of the questions are related to culture, though, it's hard to compare different parts of the world. They are all designed to have an average of about 100, but inevitably there are significant cultural differences between people in different parts of the world. For instance, the language and culture of countries in the Arabian Peninsula and other parts of the world are so unbelievably complex that it is almost impossible to generate reasonable methods of comparing them. In some cases, culture can be so radically different from one town or tribe to the next that designing a single test for them is almost impossible.

And that right there is why our teachers TEACH the test only. And why our children don't care about school. They are taught the same thing day in and day out. There is no variety. I really feel sorry for kids these days.

[Master of Ossus]

Yeah. It's even worse in Japan. Those kids simply have no ability to solve problems! They can easily do the math/recite the line/memorize the text, but they have no ability to apply what they know to accomplishing anything. Yes, they're all much better at the fundamentals than students from almost anywhere else, but they typically have such problems in trying to use their knowledge that they are virtually worthless for the first six months in the business world, while they try to re-educate themselves.

[Kelly Antilles]

Yeah. It's even worse in Japan. Those kids simply have no ability to solve problems! They can easily do the math/recite the line/memorize the text, but they have no ability to apply what they know to accomplishing anything. Yes, they're all much better at the fundamentals than students from almost anywhere else, but they typically have such problems in trying to use their knowledge that they are virtually worthless for the first six months in the business world, while they try to re-educate themselves.

Exactly. The Suzuki method for learning music is horrible. They don't even learn how to READ MUSIC! The teacher plays part of the piece for them and they sit there and play it over and over until they have it. Yes, there are a lot of virtuoso violin players, but they all sound the same. No originality. Now, if you were to put a piece of music, I'm talking with bars and notes and treble and bass clef, in front of them and they would look at you funny.

[haas mark]

Yeah. It's even worse in Japan. Those kids simply have no ability to solve problems! They can easily do the math/recite the line/memorize the text, but they have no ability to apply what they know to accomplishing anything. Yes, they're all much better at the fundamentals than students from almost anywhere else, but they typically have such problems in trying to use their knowledge that they are virtually worthless for the first six months in the business world, while they try to re-educate themselves.

Exactly. The Suzuki method for learning music is horrible. They don't even learn how to READ MUSIC! The teacher plays part of the piece for them and they sit there and play it over and over until they have it. Yes, there are a lot of virtuoso violin players, but they all sound the same. No originality. Now, if you were to put a piece of music, I'm talking with bars and notes and treble and bass clef, in front of them and they would look at you funny.

Being a former vilolin player and current viola player (do I not have an extremely wide variety of interests???), I'll have to disagree...Suzuki (after Book 3 or 4 or so) does actually start using music on staves, with the clefs and notes and barlines and time and key signatures, blahblahblah. Except I prefer not to use Sizuki. I learn better than those who do--I teach myself.

[Kelly Antilles]

Being a former vilolin player and current viola player (do I not have an extremely wide variety of interests???), I'll have to disagree...Suzuki (after Book 3 or 4 or so) does actually start using music on staves, with the clefs and notes and barlines and time and key signatures, blahblahblah. Except I prefer not to use Sizuki. I learn better than those who do--I teach myself.

But everyone praises these children who are just "so great". Not only does it put pressure on the children, but it makes us who actually know how to read music and don't play by rote feel stupid. To see a five year old kid playing Rachmaninov like a 30 year old is rather humbling, that is until you realize they can't read a bit of music.

btw, how long does it take for you to get to book 3?

[EmperorMing]

I'm of the opinion that 'god damn stupid' is a very accurate description of the mental abilities of most people online and in real life. I tend to attribute this to an education system which has been dumbed down for political purposes: after all, idiots will vote for anyone.

I wholeheartedly agree with you! Can you say "Sheeple"?

[Stormtrooper THX-1138]

A friend of mine once attempted to cook a ten pound roast for a dinner she was hosting.Now, this woman is brilliant, by virtually any definition of the term.Speaks five languages, can perform vector calculus in her head, etc etc. Not A Dummy. She pulls the roast from the oven after thirty minutes and gleefully begins carving it, whereupon she discovers that (naturally) its still red raw on the inside.

Enormous Disaster. She gets out her cookbook, and with all the zeal of a person of her intellectual caliber, begins to read."Aha !" she exclaims. "I knew I read that right ! It says right here , thirty minutes ! I know the oven is on and at the right temperature...I don't understand ! Perhaps its the altitude...? "

Her brother , who has the mind of your average boiled turnip, picks up the cookbook."So , sis...what I'm reading here is that exactly one pound of this roast should be done by now."

She blinked twice, snatched the book from him, hit him with it, then stuffed the roast back in the oven to cook for the next several hours.

The point is , I think idiocy is within the grasp of any of us. Its just some people grasp it more often than others.

[Darth Wong]

The point is , I think idiocy is within the grasp of any of us. Its just some people grasp it more often than others.

LOL. Excellent line.

[XPViking]

Yeah. It's even worse in Japan. Those kids simply have no ability to solve problems! They can easily do the math/recite the line/memorize the text, but they have no ability to apply what they know to accomplishing anything. Yes, they're all much better at the fundamentals than students from almost anywhere else, but they typically have such problems in trying to use their knowledge that they are virtually worthless for the first six months in the business world, while they try to re-educate themselves. - Master of Ossus

Sounds like South Korea. I feel sorry for the students who are walking home at 11:00 pm from an institute only to get up at 6 am to go to school. In regards to intelligence, I think the theory of Multiple Intelligence (hope I got that right) is a better measuring tool.

XPViking

[Ghost Rider]

A friend of mine once attempted to cook a ten pound roast for a dinner she was hosting.Now, this woman is brilliant, by virtually any definition of the term.Speaks five languages, can perform vector calculus in her head, etc etc. Not A Dummy. She pulls the roast from the oven after thirty minutes and gleefully begins carving it, whereupon she discovers that (naturally) its still red raw on the inside.

Enormous Disaster. She gets out her cookbook, and with all the zeal of a person of her intellectual caliber, begins to read."Aha !" she exclaims. "I knew I read that right ! It says right here , thirty minutes ! I know the oven is on and at the right temperature...I don't understand ! Perhaps its the altitude...? "

Her brother , who has the mind of your average boiled turnip, picks up the cookbook."So , sis...what I'm reading here is that exactly one pound of this roast should be done by now."

She blinked twice, snatched the book from him, hit him with it, then stuffed the roast back in the oven to cook for the next several hours.

The point is , I think idiocy is within the grasp of any of us. Its just some people grasp it more often than others.

Great ending...also funnily enough reminds me of a former girlfriend...has similar talents but burns hotdogs while boiling them at times...don't ask...when I was in the relationship...I cooked 90% of the times.

[salm]

<pointless generalization>men can cook better than women anyway!</pointless generalization>

[SWPIGWANG]

Intelligence there is not, lapse of stupidility is.

Thinking logically is a skill that most never learned. It is difficult to develop the frame work for logic by oneself, let alone apply it. Compared to the experienced debaters here, most people have no chance.

While many people here are whining about the lack of intelligence of the avg. population, I doubt the mental capacity of people is actually much inferior. It is unwise to take behavior and belief as a accurate indicator of intelligence. A person can only understand what one had been exposed to.

Emotions means far more than truth, cognition far more than evidence and instinct far more than logic. It is only though long and painful retraining of the brain that we can be aware of buildin flaws, and sometimes even repeated attempts fail.

Think about it, the PC infront of you is millions times faster in solving logic problems.

[Colonel Olrik]

Think about it, the PC infront of you is millions times faster in solving logic problems.

I think that's not true, It's certainly faster in solving mathematical problems and alike, but not when dealing with logic. That's part of what still divides us (very good at trivial logic, bur really slow at computation), and them

and welcome to the board

[SWPIGWANG]

*w00t no poking here*

PC can deal with logic far better. It just can not convert reality into pure logic as well as we do. But we usually don't consider cognition a part of intelligence even though that is probably the real reason humans are intelligent. Able to tell a apple from a post from disciple of wong is something we fail to take into account when considering intelligence because it is largely innately wired and there is little variation among the general population.

*but since when did anyone care about what the human mind is good at? The ability to enjoy other's stupidility have prevented this

[Daedalus]

Slight debate tangent: Just wanted to express my annoyance with people that, when you are being critical of one singular, exclusive point - assume you speak from a position diametrically opposed to whatever the matter of the critique was.

A good example would have to be the Arab-Israel conflict. Point out to any Zionist that it was rather less than surgical of the IDF to lob a laser-guided missile into a packed suburbian apartment block in order that one terrorist be killed - automatically you must be not only Pro-Palestinian, but Anti-Zionist, and perhaps even Anti-Semite.

Works the same way if you criticize the Palestinian supporter on the issue of suicide bombers and civilian targeting.

Very irritating.

[The Yosemite Bear]

I can cook, I can program computers in C++, and Basic, I can figure out math problems in my head. I understand the Health Code better then my bosses (A source of much friction). I can't spell worth shit, I can't see very well, I am a slob, and I still can't get a windows based computer to work the way I want it to.

Am I stupid?

Everyone has different talents.

I also know an Illiterate man, who can't be beaten at chess or checkers by any one I have ever seen.

[Mr Bean]

If we are bragging then ok

I can't Dance or Sing, However I can peg a man sized object with my MK III at 100 yards, I can make any computer fix itself through divine beanvention and hack the avarage persons computer in under a minute, I'm skilled in a varaity of no-longer useful lanugages and have since forgotton most of my useful ones

If pressed I can fly most anything with wings with less two mins study, I can pilot a Helecoptter

I can cook, however it very quickly but the results will definatly be ediable at the end of the experment, I am logical whenever possible and when that fails I go Ironic
Suprizingly this works quite well, I can gut a fish or skin a deer but I don't much like doing either. I can swear at you in fourty two languages and ask to go to the bathroom in 2


Does this make me an Idiot?
Or just Random

[SWPIGWANG]

anyway, at least I know I'm a idiot so there.....


If only I can upgrade memory and logic processing speed....

[victorhadin]

I would like to think that everyone, when you get right down to it, is intelligent and logical, but I would be fooling myself.

I don't mean to sound snobbish; I count myself along with everyone else. We are all bloody nincompoops at one time or another, be it in accidentally doing suicidally dangerous things through making obvious and accidentally insulting verbal slipups to your boss through being taken-in by confidence tricksters to being led in by clever dodging during a debate.

I have done all of the above, and I expect everyone else here has too. I have nearly got run over whilst cycling twice, I have accidentally insulted coworkers and superiors with otherwise harmless slips and have been led in by opposing debateurs into changing the tide of debate into another discussion entirely.



It's probably best we don't feel too superior; every one of us has been a supreme boob at one time or another.

[victorhadin]

But to join the bragging:

I am, academically, a fairly smart bugger.
I am good with numbers and their applications in systems.
I can't shoot that well, but I can shoot OK and am a fair archer.
I can tell you all you want to know about the breeding of Corydoras catfish.
I am a damned good writer and was once offered to have work published, though I have never once actually gone to a publisher.
I am not a bad-looking chap.
I can run cross-country fairly well.
I am naturally good at piloting aircraft and will generally master any given flight simulator (for training or leisure purposes) in the first flight.
I can do this really interesting thing with my little finger. No, really; it's quite impressive.