Sad story of scientific ignorance

[Lagmonster]

I present to you the most misery-inducing thing you'll see today: A video of the French version of 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire'.

In it, the question asked is: "What orbits around the earth?" and the possible answers are A) the Moon (la Lune), B) the Sun (le Soleil), C) Mars, and D) Venus.

Be careful not to slap your forehead too hard NOT when he can't answer it himself, but when you see the results he gets from the 'polling the audience' lifeline.

Granted I don't go around thinking that game show audiences comprise the best minds in this day and age, but this is a significant reminder of the state of the modern world.

[Dooey Jo]

I wouldn't worry too much. If you ask stupid questions, you'll get stupid answers. Many of those who clicked 'B' probably thought he was a stupid fucker who should get the fuck out of that chair, and the rest probably got the question backwards, ie: "What does the Earth orbit around?"

[General Zod]

I wouldn't worry too much. If you ask stupid questions, you'll get stupid answers. Many of those who clicked 'B' probably thought he was a stupid fucker who should get the fuck out of that chair, and the rest probably got the question backwards, ie: "What does the Earth orbit around?"

I would have clicked D out of spite. Had I been an audience member.

[Admiral Valdemar]

You are the weakest link, goodbye!

[Azazal]

You are the weakest link, goodbye!

cough, faked, cough


But the Admiral knew this and was only test us

[Admiral Valdemar]

Your pointing out of the obvious demands action. To the gulags, sir!

[Singular Quartet]

I wouldn't worry too much. If you ask stupid questions, you'll get stupid answers. Many of those who clicked 'B' probably thought he was a stupid fucker who should get the fuck out of that chair, and the rest probably got the question backwards, ie: "What does the Earth orbit around?"

I would have clicked D out of spite. Had I been an audience member.

I think someone clicked C out of spite, actually. If you pay attention, C had 2%, and there couldn't have been more than 50 people in the audience.

[HSRTG]

I'd have gone with B, just to fuck with the guy. As, I suspect, many of the audience also decided to.

[Trytostaydead]

I present to you the most misery-inducing thing you'll see today: A video of the French version of 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire'.

In it, the question asked is: "What orbits around the earth?" and the possible answers are A) the Moon (la Lune), B) the Sun (le Soleil), C) Mars, and D) Venus.

Be careful not to slap your forehead too hard NOT when he can't answer it himself, but when you see the results he gets from the 'polling the audience' lifeline.

Granted I don't go around thinking that game show audiences comprise the best minds in this day and age, but this is a significant reminder of the state of the modern world.

In instances like that, you just gotta think the audience is dicking with him for not knowing. I would think the audience would be fairly random in distribution, and to have that many people answer wrong on such a common knowledge question is questionable.

[Lagmonster]

I suppose it is more pleasant to assume that half of all French audience members are sneaky little fucks than to think that half of all French audience members are complete morons.

Of course, neither makes me truly happy.

[Trytostaydead]

I suppose it is more pleasant to assume that half of all French audience members are sneaky little fucks than to think that half of all French audience members are complete morons.

After Europe's vaunted education system versus ours in the US?

I'd hate to think how I would do on some of those early questions about nursery rhymes or singers, or how the audience would treat me if I polled them.

[Admiral Valdemar]

I suppose it is more pleasant to assume that half of all French audience members are sneaky little fucks than to think that half of all French audience members are complete morons.

Of course, neither makes me truly happy.

Both are a sad take of humans, so no, it's really a lesser of two evils. Sneaky bastards or dumb ones.

[FTeik]

How many intelligent/educated people take the time to watch that shit?

[General Zod]

How many intelligent/educated people take the time to watch that shit?

Enough to keep it on the air apparently.

[drachefly]

You think a show can't stay on the air just on the support of unintelligent, uneducated people?

[Oni Koneko Damien]

I suppose it is more pleasant to assume that half of all French audience members are sneaky little fucks than to think that half of all French audience members are complete morons.

Of course, neither makes me truly happy.

Both are a sad take of humans, so no, it's really a lesser of two evils. Sneaky bastards or dumb ones.

I wouldn't call them sneaky bastards. I mean, the guy's on a trivia game-show, he's already definately getting some money out of this. If I were in the audience, and someone showed such a horrid lack of basic education...hell, I'd be quite tempted to fuck with them as well. There's no real harm in it, unless someone wants to show me how losing at a gameshow is harmful.

[Jim Raynor]

I remember when Who Wants to be a Millionaire? ran primetime in the US. In one episode, Regis told the audience that unlike American audiences, who always tried to help the contestant (I don't remember a single instance of them blatantly fucking around), foreign audiences were much more likely to screw with them.

[Admiral Valdemar]

I remember when Who Wants to be a Millionaire? ran primetime in the US. In one episode, Regis told the audience that unlike American audiences, who always tried to help the contestant (I don't remember a single instance of them blatantly fucking around), foreign audiences were much more likely to screw with them.

Well, that may be so for the others (read: foreigners), but in the original over here, the audience always tried their level best to help. It was only on the tougher questions where a real breakdown happened in consensus and a wise player would use the Ask The Audience lifeline early one anyway.

[salm]

I remember when Who Wants to be a Millionaire? ran primetime in the US. In one episode, Regis told the audience that unlike American audiences, who always tried to help the contestant (I don't remember a single instance of them blatantly fucking around), foreign audiences were much more likely to screw with them.

Well, that may be so for the others (read: foreigners), but in the original over here, the audience always tried their level best to help. It was only on the tougher questions where a real breakdown happened in consensus and a wise player would use the Ask The Audience lifeline early one anyway.

Indeed. Same here.

[Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi]

I saw the clip and assumed that there was confusion as to the what the question was asking among the audience (got "what does the earth revolve around?" mixed up with "what revolves around the earth?")

[weemadando]

In Australia the show is so lowest common denominator that when some wanker asks the audience when WW2 ended and is given a response like 1881, I take that as just being dumb fucking bogans, not malicious.

[2000AD]

That's not scientific ignorance that's just plain dumb ignorance.

[Darth Servo]

Hey, there are still people out there who believe the Earth is the center of the entire universe.