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Location: Huntersville/Charlotte, NC and Washington, DC
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The event where I knew America was actively being dumbed down. Last year, the US and China made a landmark climate deal, which was a huge event in the history addressing climate change and a rare diplomatic agreement with China. What was the mainstream media actively covering that week? Something stupid about the Kardashians. Active tactic: distract the people by dividing them and talking about celebrities so they stay ignorant to what the overlords are doing.
Believing that making the statement "If you work hard you can get ahead," is "offensive" and "aggressive," and when all the prominent gun-controllers have heavily armed bodyguards 24/7 yet call for disarming the peons, and that makes sense to you, it indicates you cannot think.
I think this whole emphasis on work and getting ahead, where getting ahead just means more stupid material crap - bigger house, newer car, flatter TV, latest iPhone - is part of the dumbing down. People get the message that no intellectual activity is of any value unless it earns you an extra buck. Educating yourself just out of curiosity and for the fun of it is devalued. When was the last time you engaged in any intellectual activity that was not directly related to your job?
While some people see a conspiracy behind every single negative trend in American society, I go with the more likely culprits; human incompetence and laziness.
Those calling everyone "sheep" for not automatically swallowing their latest fad conspiracy are hippocrates. Why doesn't critical thinking and skepticism apply to your own harebrained beliefs?
America has always had a slight anti-intellectual bent in the mainstream way of life. We've always been a society that respects "doers" much more than "thinkers." And with a 24 hour news cycle and hundreds of channels of our favorite drug, television, there is more pandering to the lowest common denominator than ever. Sadly, more people will always watch "Ow My B@lls!" than more refined fare. Most of us don't like to be challenged by our choice of entertainment and it all snowballs. Blame the rise of youth culture in the mid-20th century or whatever you like...Kids nowadays want to grow up to be celebrities and athletes because, in a material cultural like ours, wealth and fame = social value.
Good grief. Celebrity culture and an uninformed population are nothing new. All evidence suggests that IQs have been rising over time. It's called the Flynn Effect. It's true that there's a lot of room for improvement in education, but that's hard to do when parents, many of whom are downright deficient in managing their offspring, revolt against reforms that are data driven in improving outcomes.
Good grief. Celebrity culture and an uninformed population are nothing new. All evidence suggests that IQs have been rising over time. It's called the Flynn Effect. It's true that there's a lot of room for improvement in education, but that's hard to do when parents, many of whom are downright deficient in managing their offspring, revolt against reforms that are data driven in improving outcomes.
I wouldn't disagree with the OPs referred article (I'm British anyway), but I do tend to agree with the snippet about the Flynn Effect. More Information doesn't automatically make people more dumb, it just gives them more choice, but innately they will exercise it because its what we do.
What is a disgrace, is that ordinary people make celebrities, by worshipping and following them. Really, even though I'm a nobody, what I'm doing is more important than what they're doing, ...every time.
On the question of the fascist world dictators, I watched a 3.5hr YouTube video 3 months ago - from JFK to 911, Everything is a rich man's trick. It was an eye opener on just how much the world scene is controlled by people more powerful than politics. So, now I take David Icke's recommendation to "don't vote", based on the reality that it's not true democracy - they may get into power, but on the big issues, they are just the puppets. Hence the right thing to do is let them get on with it, and the necessary revolution will come all the sooner. At the end of the day you can't force the hand of people's souls (mind, will, emotions) - so to attempt to use them by turning people into mindless doers will backfire. The only transactions that work are win - win.
I wouldn't disagree with the OPs referred article (I'm British anyway), but I do tend to agree with the snippet about the Flynn Effect. More Information doesn't automatically make people more dumb, it just gives them more choice, but innately they will exercise it because its what we do.
What is a disgrace, is that ordinary people make celebrities, by worshipping and following them. Really, even though I'm a nobody, what I'm doing is more important than what they're doing, ...every time.
On the question of the fascist world dictators, I watched a 3.5hr YouTube video 3 months ago - from JFK to 911, Everything is a rich man's trick. It was an eye opener on just how much the world scene is controlled by people more powerful than politics. So, now I take David Icke's recommendation to "don't vote", based on the reality that it's not true democracy - they may get into power, but on the big issues, they are just the puppets. Hence the right thing to do is let them get on with it, and the necessary revolution will come all the sooner. At the end of the day you can't force the hand of people's souls (mind, will, emotions) - so to attempt to use them by turning people into mindless doers will backfire. The only transactions that work are win - win.
Maybe the Youtube video was a rich man's trick to get you not to vote.
OP: Remember that you also have been dumbed down in your education. Therefore, you need to be very careful in your assessments of presidential candidates, and all kinds of other things. Just think for a second. What web site, information do you trust and why? Based on what do you think they are credible? The truth is that most people are manipulating you, to sell you something, manipulate you, and further their own ideological goals. I'd advise to be more of a digester of information, deciphering the good from the bad, and less of an adviser.
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