Idiocracy

[Sorrior]

Just because someone went to college doesn't mean they are smart, just means they had the money to do so. I've met more than my share of people with doctorate level degrees that were just plain fuckin stupid overall.

I'd rather say they're just good at repeating information they've already read.

[Snes]

Too many baseless opinions in this thread throwing fiction at each other. "Where's your evidence?" "U FIRST" "NO U"

[notorious98]

I'd rather say they're just good at repeating information they've already read.

Studies have shown that standardized testing is not a very good barometer of overall intelligence. I've met some stupid people who test very well and some very brilliant minds that do not.

[Urti]

Could Idiocracy really ever happen? Can and Is. In a hundred years, Mike Judge's name is gonna be up there with Edgar Cayce and Nostradamus, only Judge's predictions will have been true. This assumes anyone in the year 2113 will be able to stop 'batin' long enough to read a history book.

[Pfeff]

Technology has already started the de-evolution. Taking smarter people to make new things for dumber and dumber people

[Urti]

Just because someone went to college doesn't mean they are smart, just means they had the money to do so. I've met more than my share of people with doctorate level degrees that were just plain fuckin stupid overall.

I've noticed that this argument shows up more often than warranted, most frequently by the same groups who claim "I'm smart, but my mom/teacher/whatever says I don't apply myself."
The ability to navigate a hierarchy, a demonstrable work ethic, and perseverance are also a part of that "smart person" formula, not just being good at Trivial Pursuit or Jeopardy.

[raddry]

I don't think intelligence is so genetic that it solely determines how successful and smart a person will be. Maybe there are a few traits HELPING 'become' smart linked to general brain performance, but the environment is much more decisive into shaping an individual's intellect.

Imagine a couple of geniuses, working in physical research or something. Their kid now should be a genius too right? But what if you put him in a poor family living in slums with an adoptive family with 14 siblings and no money to live. I doubt he will become have his college degree because his real parents did.
I can admit that genetics could influence the way someone acquires intelligence but the environment plays a greater role in this. That's just my opinion.

[oblivionx]

The only thing that Judge didn't expressly include is that the federal government is the key proponent behind the creation of the coming idiocracy.

[Deleted]

Much of the media, and even political culture seems to celebrate the individual over learning or reason. Tv Shows like Big Brother reveal that it's not about what you know or what your talents are but your capacity for self-promotion. I think this encourages dumbing down, more so than poverty, because the ideas trickle down into all sections of society.

[notorious98]

The only thing that Judge didn't expressly include is that the federal government is the key proponent behind the creation of the coming idiocracy.

Actually, he kinda did. As a result of nearly going bankrupt, they had to sell off pieces of their regulatory commissions to major corporations. Social Security is already moving towards bankruptcy. We're close to the "fiscal cliff". We're trillions in debt to China. And it all comes from wasteful spending. If anything, the sheer lack of any kind of rational business methods within the government has led to this. Likely something similar to what led to the events in the movie.

[Tychoblu]

WAIT, the OP watched this movie for the fifth time!!! wtf

Idiocracy was painful to watch, with some short periods of amazing humor. I could only watch it fifteen minutes at a time, took me a week to get through it.

Loved, ouch my nuts though

[starlord]

well used to be the average smart person was stoned to death as a witch or killed by another smart person looking to consolidate power (still happens with the "educated people purges") so i think on the whole we're doing better than we were. not only that we have more opportunities for those who might be smart but in poor circumstances. i doubt "stupid people" would have been breeding any less back in the day.

this is just an example of manipulation to scare people into supporting social darwinism.
no one ever thinks that they're the dumb sheeple.

[Pendulous]

If back a long long time ago when we didn't know how fire worked, we still knew what water was, then we should be fine. We're getting smarter overall as a species, not dumber, and that movie is a satire. The fact that people take it seriously makes me very sad.

[Maloreon]

It's kind of funny how I repeatedly see conservatives and/or libertarians citing this movie as "proof" or a "glimpse" of how things will be or are. This is one of my favorite movies and I've always felt Judge was making fun of conservatives far more than liberals here. He even has a clip with Fox news reporters looking stupid (as if they don't already). Furthermore, if you are from an area which is predominantly conservative you will know the types of people depicted in the movie are conservative themselves: going along with the masses, uneducated, afraid to change, used to arguing using circular logic, afraid of hard scientific evidence, etc.

The most humorous thing though is that these pseudo-intellectual conservative/libertarian types are so quick to judge "stupid people" and lump them in with "evil liberals out to destroy the world"... when in reality its quite the opposite. Many people who are underprivileged or poor never get the same opportunities even your average middle class, white, elitist conservative American gets. Some of these underprivileged people (including some of my university teachers over the years) persevere and overcome the insanely imbalanced and unfair society that we live in (by the way if you are standing in judgment of the poor try being REALLY poor for a few years, it will wisen you up pretty quickly). Some don't, but that doesn't mean they didn't try repeatedly.

I"ll say one final thing too: to those who are in this thread saying that we should let the "stupid die out". How would you feel if someone that much smarter than you picked apart your life and deemed you worthy of death. I can say with absolute certainty that I'm "more intelligent" (what a flawed concept anyway, but whatever) in almost any category (academic testing, IQ testing, social functioning, other categories that people like to cite which actually don't say much but I'm making my point) than 99% of humanity yet I'm not going to sit here and equate someone's poor decision making or social status with their worth as a human being. For those of you calling for this kind of harsh, "lets judge the poor and deem them unworthy of life if they fail" type of world: I assure you there are people more successful, more together, and more intelligent than you who would do the same to you. How would you feel then?

[Sorrior]

Studies have shown that standardized testing is not a very good barometer of overall intelligence. I've met some stupid people who test very well and some very brilliant minds that do not.

LOL been my experience as well. And i've also heard of those studies.

Thus why i like to call college degrees "Dolphin Papers". Essentially they show you are AT LEAST just smart and trainable enough to jump through hoops....Doesn't mean you'll be good but you can do it LOL.

[Swazi Spring]

Such a thing couldn't happen, not to the degree shown in the movie.

We're already going down that path and it's only going to get worse with the rise of the welfare state mentality and lack of personal responsibility.

[Sorrior]

It's kind of funny how I repeatedly see conservatives and/or libertarians citing this movie as "proof" or a "glimpse" of how things will be or are. This is one of my favorite movies and I've always felt Judge was making fun of conservatives far more than liberals here. He even has a clip with Fox news reporters looking stupid (as if they don't already). Furthermore, if you are from an area which is predominantly conservative you will know the types of people depicted in the movie are conservative themselves: going along with the masses, uneducated, afraid to change, used to arguing using circular logic, afraid of hard scientific evidence, etc.

The most humorous thing though is that these pseudo-intellectual conservative/libertarian types are so quick to judge "stupid people" and lump them in with "evil liberals out to destroy the world"... when in reality its quite the opposite. Many people who are underprivileged or poor never get the same opportunities even your average middle class, white, elitist conservative American gets. Some of these underprivileged people (including some of my university teachers over the years) persevere and overcome the insanely imbalanced and unfair society that we live in (by the way if you are standing in judgment of the poor try being REALLY poor for a few years, it will wisen you up pretty quickly). Some don't, but that doesn't mean they didn't try repeatedly.

I"ll say one final thing too: to those who are in this thread saying that we should let the "stupid die out". How would you feel if someone that much smarter than you picked apart your life and deemed you worthy of death. I can say with absolute certainty that I'm "more intelligent" (what a flawed concept anyway, but whatever) in almost any category (academic testing, IQ testing, social functioning, other categories that people like to cite which actually don't say much but I'm making my point) than 99% of humanity yet I'm not going to sit here and equate someone's poor decision making or social status with their worth as a human being. For those of you calling for this kind of harsh, "lets judge the poor and deem them unworthy of life if they fail" type of world: I assure you there are people more successful, more together, and more intelligent than you who would do the same to you. How would you feel then?

Actually while i duslike this seeming decrease of the average intellect i also say that we need as many different viewpoints as possible and that even the greatest genius can have moments of TREMOUNDOUS stupidity while even the stupidest idiot can have moments that make the greatest genius look like a fool.

Thus i say we as a species need the full spectrum of intelligence.

---------- Post added 2013-02-07 at 01:28 AM ----------

We're already going down that path and it's only going to get worse with the rise of the welfare state mentality and lack of personal responsibility.

Actually in some aspects the movement towards a more centrilized system what you call "the wellfare state" actually will give those with true intelligence but maybe some issues a better chance to shine.

Also is this REALLY the topic to be pushing your agenda in?

[xylophone]

I'm all for it if it helps me get a dildozer.

[Roose]

Fat Mike sums it up very well too.

---------- Post added 2013-02-06 at 07:37 PM ----------

If back a long long time ago when we didn't know how fire worked, we still knew what water was, then we should be fine. We're getting smarter overall as a species, not dumber, and that movie is a satire. The fact that people take it seriously makes me very sad.

Yes, a small portion of our species is progressing technology and science. It is hard to unlearn what we have learned as a species, but that does not mean that we can't try. Look at test scores if nothing else. Kids today by and large are dumber than they were just 15-20 years ago. Why, because their parents are fucking morons and our education system is average at best. I would be willing to bet that most kids today can't even do math in their heads and depend on calculators.

[Zhangfei]

Where is the evidence that kids are stupider today than the past? All academic evidence is pointing to the opposite.