• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!

Idiocracy: Welcome to the future

VanceMack

Less like the tiger...more like the lion.
DP Veteran
Joined
Feb 1, 2010
Messages
88,367
Reaction score
39,498
Gender
Male
Political Leaning
Independent


Seriously...we arent 500 years out...its a lot closer than we think!

Another thread discusses whether unemployed people should have the 'right' to vote. Well...Im not suggesting they shouldnt...but there WAS a time when we looked not to what our country can do for us but we can do for our country. that time has passed. We DO have a majority of people invested in having the government take care of them. What passes for culture and entertainment is as infantile as "Ow My balls". So really...how far off are we?
 
I completely agree.

I love that movie, but it is scary in it's assessment of our current society and the true underpinnings to it's hyperbole.
 
... We DO have a majority of people invested in having the government take care of them....

would you care to attempt to qualify that or are you happy spewing empty, inflammatory rhetoric?

geo.
 
Seriously...we arent 500 years out...its a lot closer than we think!

Another thread discusses whether unemployed people should have the 'right' to vote. Well...Im not suggesting they shouldnt...but there WAS a time when we looked not to what our country can do for us but we can do for our country. that time has passed. We DO have a majority of people invested in having the government take care of them. What passes for culture and entertainment is as infantile as "Ow My balls". So really...how far off are we?

I think that quote is out of whack, it should say "What you can do for yourself."
I have no intentions of serving the state.
 
The move completely ignores the Flynn Effect which shows that we've been getting smarter over time. The movie was an alright flick but the premise is ultimately flawed in that the empirical evidence has been showing that the opposite is occurring.
 
would you care to attempt to qualify that or are you happy spewing empty, inflammatory rhetoric?

geo.

Of course I AM happy spewing rhetoric, but lets see, shall we? We currently have somewhere around 25% unemployment (of course the exact figures arent known...the roles of those still actively looking for work or are otherwise still eligible to recieve unemployment benefits but are unable to are currently at 10.5% and as Geitner once again has pointed out thats going up. Add to that 2.9 to 4% of Americans homeless. Statistics in 2009 showed that 43.4% paid NO taxes or worse less than zero which means they got some of that free love (Earned Income Credit). This year its at 47%. Recent stats released by the Mayo institute show somewhere around 84 million folk are getting government aid. Not to mention the school lunch programs, the school breakfast programs, etc. And then lets throw in how many senior citizens relied on the government and social security for their health care and retirement. According to NIMH and the latest full breakdown (which was in 2004) about half of the countries 57.7 million people living with diagnosable mental disorders are unable to work and are on disablity. Add to that number the general slugs in society...yeah...Id think if we wanted to do some real research Id say that the roguh number is pretty damn close. Maybe even an UNDER exaggeration.

Oh...I suppose we could throw in the number of people who's productive lives consist of sitting on mom and dads (probably just moms come to think of it) couch playing video games or watching Jerry Springer, Judge Judges Judy, Carlos, Bob (how many of THOSe programs are there), Oprah, Tyra, Maury, or just go to the DVR for recorded episodes of Tosh.0 or Wipeout (and you can BET they have the Girls Gone Wild Series all bought and paid for on pay per view.

And Im just guessing...considering your response Im wondering if i didnt strike a nerve! maybe a little too close to home? Are ya 'batin'?
 
I think that quote is out of whack, it should say "What you can do for yourself."
I have no intentions of serving the state.

Id be totally fine if more people were concerned with doing for themselves and their families.
 
The move completely ignores the Flynn Effect which shows that we've been getting smarter over time. The movie was an alright flick but the premise is ultimately flawed in that the empirical evidence has been showing that the opposite is occurring.
Frankly I had never heard of The Flynn Effect prior to your posting it. However in the link you provided it also states...

"Possible end of progression

The Flynn effect may have ended in some developed nations starting during the mid-1990s. In the United Kingdom among teenagers, IQ maximized during the 1980s and has since reversed marginally"

Now, I would think the school performance and tests would bear out the fact that we arent INCREASING...we are in fact DECREASING in knowledge and IQ. And for fun...you ought to read what passes as college level writing...even into the 3000 and 4000 level courses.
 
I thought that movie was both disturbing and hilarious.

Hilarious... well that's obvious.

Disturbing... we really have been moving towards a lowest-common-denominator, vulgarized and dimwitted pop culture for some time. However, I take comfort in the fact that stupidity is not entirely hereditary... sometimes dimwits give birth to geniuses, and vice-versa.
 
Of course I AM happy spewing rhetoric,

heheh....
We currently have somewhere around 25% unemployment
a preposterous number - even such bilous anti-obamistas as WND won't go further than MAYBE 22%. Best approximation is perhaps 18% (CNBC et al.)

It doesn't really matter, though, and it does little to bolster your premise to cite such obviously partisan inspired propaganda as 'facts'.

only those of the unemployed as per the designation, the 'official' 9.5% (Employment Situation Summary) are of any actual relevance when discussing monies gotten from the government. and these are not depending on others, they are depending on the monies THEY, their fellow workers and employers contributed to that express purpose. the gummint only moves the paperwork.
Add to that 2.9 to 4% of Americans homeless. Statistics in 2009 showed that 43.4% paid NO taxes or worse less than zero which means they got some of that free love (Earned Income Credit).
and? no income means no income taxes. the more taxes you spend entitles you to greater public services? or.... public services are allocated without respect to income status? because if it is the former, i hope you are the CEO of a MAJOR, MAJOR international financial corporation or forget calling the fire dept - they will not answer the phone.

get hip, homey, YOU receive in a month far more in benefit from the monies collected in taxes than you could generate in taxes over your lifetime. so, you are living on someone else's dime too.
Recent stats released by the Mayo institute show somewhere around 84 million folk are getting government aid.
citation?
"Add to that number the general slugs in society...
translation: "poor people are disgusting"
yeah...Id think if we wanted to do some real research "
translation: "if i were not just making all this crap up".

enough... this is beyond silly. your assertion is baseless.
And Im just guessing...considering your response Im wondering if i didnt strike a nerve! maybe a little too close to home? Are ya 'batin'?

wassat mean? jerkin off? no, not at the present... perhaps later.

geo.
 
heheh....

a preposterous number - even such bilous anti-obamistas as WND won't go further than MAYBE 22%. Best approximation is perhaps 18% (CNBC et al.)

It doesn't really matter, though, and it does little to bolster your premise to cite such obviously partisan inspired propaganda as 'facts'.

only those of the unemployed as per the designation, the 'official' 9.5% (Employment Situation Summary) are of any actual relevance when discussing monies gotten from the government. and these are not depending on others, they are depending on the monies THEY, their fellow workers and employers contributed to that express purpose. the gummint only moves the paperwork.

and? no income means no income taxes. the more taxes you spend entitles you to greater public services? or.... public services are allocated without respect to income status? because if it is the former, i hope you are the CEO of a MAJOR, MAJOR international financial corporation or forget calling the fire dept - they will not answer the phone.

get hip, homey, YOU receive in a month far more in benefit from the monies collected in taxes than you could generate in taxes over your lifetime. so, you are living on someone else's dime too.

citation?

translation: "poor people are disgusting"

translation: "if i were not just making all this crap up".

enough... this is beyond silly. your assertion is baseless.


wassat mean? jerkin off? no, not at the present... perhaps later.

geo.

And yet you battled on. Thats even MORE comical.

Look around cupcake. If you cant see the downward trend its because you are part of it. Bet.
 
I thought that movie was both disturbing and hilarious.

Hilarious... well that's obvious.

Disturbing... we really have been moving towards a lowest-common-denominator, vulgarized and dimwitted pop culture for some time. However, I take comfort in the fact that stupidity is not entirely hereditary... sometimes dimwits give birth to geniuses, and vice-versa.

Its funny when people cling to Darwin and evolution as the educational foundation for the human species and yet we ENCOURAGE the opposite of "survival of the fittest" by facilitating the pathetic crippled and dependent pets to not just survive but thrive.
 
clever! do not even bother to deny that you are deliberately spreading propagandist bull****.
 
Last edited:
of course i battle on. i was brought up to believe that i was responsible for one thing and one thing only - to be a good person. and.... i am no punk. i will continue to battle. because true things have value and all that is needed for evil (ignorance, bigotry, falseness, slander, poverty, oppression.... ) to succeed is for good men to remain silent.

black beans and rice for dinner... yum!

geo.
 
clever! do not even bother to deny that you are deliberately spreading propagandist bull****.

Even MORE clever...Im just having a 'conversation' while you are fixated on a mythical percentage and want facts and evidence. And I have to tell you...thats funny as HELL to me.
 
of course i battle on. i was brought up to believe that i was responsible for one thing and one thing only - to be a good person. and.... i am no punk. i will continue to battle. because true things have value and all that is needed for evil (ignorance, bigotry, falseness, slander, poverty, oppression.... ) to succeed is for good men to remain silent.

black beans and rice for dinner... yum!

geo.

Thats the truly funny part...in a conversation about the dumbing down and dependency of society I expect MORE of people and believe it is possible and you plug your ears and pretend la la la la la its not happening...
 
Thats the truly funny part...in a conversation about the dumbing down and dependency of society I expect MORE of people and believe it is possible and you plug your ears and pretend la la la la la its not happening...

you expect.... MORE... of others? but... not much of yourself, it appears. if i am 'fixated on a mythical' anything, it is YOUR myth (nice sidestep... most would just call it a 'lie') You are worried about the dumbing down' of our friends and neighbors, so ... you propagate untruths, furthering the dumbing down? You believe it is possible, but not as long as others expect you to state facts and tell the truth.

well... you know what they say about proophets in their own countries.

geo.
 
you expect.... MORE... of others? but... not much of yourself, it appears. if i am 'fixated on a mythical' anything, it is YOUR myth (nice sidestep... most would just call it a 'lie') You are worried about the dumbing down' of our friends and neighbors, so ... you propagate untruths, furthering the dumbing down? You believe it is possible, but not as long as others expect you to state facts and tell the truth.

well... you know what they say about proophets in their own countries.

geo.

Tomato TomAHto...I dont CARE enough about an internet blog to dig up the conveeenient research to support +50%, primarily because I know that people REJECT what doesnt fit their personal paradigm...no...thats secondary...PRIMARILY because I DONT CARE if you buy it...but secondarily I know that it wouldnt matter if God came down and wrote it on your forehead with a Sharpie.
 
Its funny when people cling to Darwin and evolution as the educational foundation for the human species and yet we ENCOURAGE the opposite of "survival of the fittest" by facilitating the pathetic crippled and dependent pets to not just survive but thrive.

you have a very poor (i am being generous) understanding of the writings of m. Darwin - as proponent of 'social darwinism' it would seem. A pseudo-social philosophy which has absolutely nothing to do with "actual" Darwinism.

Simply put, "survival of the fittest" as the good doctor used it, does not mean the biggest baddest most predatory will survive over the weakest... it is a reference NOT to individuals within a population but to populations within their environment... that is, those most able to adapt to changes of environment or changes within an environment ('the fittest') will best survive those changes and produce reproducable offspring.

ignorance may be bliss, but is is terribly unattractive and makes for crappy social policy.

geo.
 
you have a very poor (i am being generous) understanding of the writings of m. Darwin - as proponent of 'social darwinism' it would seem. A pseudo-social philosophy which has absolutely nothing to do with "actual" Darwinism.

Simply put, "survival of the fittest" as the good doctor used it, does not mean the biggest baddest most predatory will survive over the weakest... it is a reference NOT to individuals within a population but to populations within their environment... that is, those most able to adapt to changes of environment or changes within an environment ('the fittest') will best survive those changes and produce reproducable offspring.

ignorance may be bliss, but is is terribly unattractive and makes for crappy social policy.

geo.

My knowledge is spot on. If the weaker of the species had someone come in and spoon feed them, house them in soft places, protect them from predators and encouraged irresponsible breeding Darwins theories wouldnt work very well...now would they.
 
Last edited:
It never ceases to amaze me when people base their views of society on a rather un-funny movie.

Could we at least have chosen an entertaining one?
 
I dont CARE enough about an internet blog to dig up the conveeenient research to support +50%,

apparently.but.... well, you needn't do all that much research... you can spare yerself a lil trouble by just counting heads and dollars. according to the National Debt Awareness Center, HHS and SSA the two agencies that comprise the bulk of monies paid to individuals, together accounted for $150m. (I assume that, good patriotic american that you must surely be, you would omit such folks as Vererans form the list of folks receiving federal monies and allowing other to provide for them?)

now, as of the last census, half the population (your putative "50%") of the U.S. (officially, that is, illegal immigrants, homeless crackheads and other uncounted ne'er do wells omitted) would be roughtly 153b souls. Kinda nice how those number correlate, innit? serendipitous is the adjective that leaps to mind... I can leave the Casio in my backpack. by my reckoning, each of those folks received, em.... 10 cents for FY 2010. not much of a living, if you ask me, even were the assertion true which, of course, it is, as we have already ascertained, not.
I know that people REJECT what doesnt fit their personal paradigm

ah! yes, indeed. here is a statement that stands up all by itself (though... do you really mean "paradigm"... a popular word these days, i know)... THIS needs no comment. don't tell me you have been irony in the entire discourse?

you sly boots.

I know that it wouldnt matter if God came down and wrote it on your forehead with a Sharpie.

nope, you are sadly right... if God were to come down here, sharpie in hand and proceed to dispense patent untruths as you do... i would would be doomed.

geo.
 
The move completely ignores the Flynn Effect which shows that we've been getting smarter over time.

I don't think the problem is the capacity for knowledge, but a flaw in the application. I frequently observe that many people don't know how to perform basic skills for living outside of an automated, fast-food, Walmart society. People may be getting more intelligent as far as their ability to learn facts, but knowing facts doesn't get one too far in the real world. Even my mother, who is highly intelligent, but not formally educated, and a sweet and somewhat naive woman, remarked to me that people seem to be getting "retarded" these days. Coming from her, that's a pretty unbiased and unjudgemental view.
 
Last edited:
It never ceases to amaze me when people base their views of society on a rather un-funny movie.

Could we at least have chosen an entertaining one?

Beauty is in the eyes, baby...maybe you didnt find it funny cuz it hit close to home...
 
apparently.but.... well, you needn't do all that much research... you can spare yerself a lil trouble by just counting heads and dollars. according to the National Debt Awareness Center, HHS and SSA the two agencies that comprise the bulk of monies paid to individuals, together accounted for $150m. (I assume that, good patriotic american that you must surely be, you would omit such folks as Vererans form the list of folks receiving federal monies and allowing other to provide for them?)

now, as of the last census, half the population (your putative "50%") of the U.S. (officially, that is, illegal immigrants, homeless crackheads and other uncounted ne'er do wells omitted) would be roughtly 153b souls. Kinda nice how those number correlate, innit? serendipitous is the adjective that leaps to mind... I can leave the Casio in my backpack. by my reckoning, each of those folks received, em.... 10 cents for FY 2010. not much of a living, if you ask me, even were the assertion true which, of course, it is, as we have already ascertained, not.


ah! yes, indeed. here is a statement that stands up all by itself (though... do you really mean "paradigm"... a popular word these days, i know)... THIS needs no comment. don't tell me you have been irony in the entire discourse?

you sly boots.



nope, you are sadly right... if God were to come down here, sharpie in hand and proceed to dispense patent untruths as you do... i would would be doomed.

geo.

Cupcake...do you KNOW where statistics come from? They come from people invested in creating studies or viewing data to prove a point. In the years Ive worked with research scientists Ive YET to meet the scientist that conducted an unbiased study designed to simply let the chips fall where they may. thats why I laugh when I see people like you want to cite studies, then rip some source out of your ass that proves YOUR version of the truth. Look at the global warming issue. How many completely unbiased studies have you ever seen done? I can answer that if you have a little problem being honest. The answer is none...all of it is conducted by people invested in the OUTCOME.
 
Back
Top Bottom