How dumb can people get?

[Chero-King]

http://videos.streetfire.net/search/suzuki/2/wm/5cc2ad7a-2f70-4295-bdca-869d433804ca.htm

For once, he's not even wearing a seatbelt, second, He's crammed 3 kids into the back without any protection and decideds to see if he can climb a hill in with very short wheelbase. Smart. He's damn lucky it didnt roll back on him, those kids would've been crushed.

[boise49ers]

http://videos.streetfire.net/search/suzuki/2/wm/5cc2ad7a-2f70-4295-bdca-869d433804ca.htm

For once, he's not even wearing a seatbelt, second, He's crammed 3 kids into the back without any protection and decideds to see if he can climb a hill in with very short wheelbase. Smart. He's damn lucky it didnt roll back on him, those kids would've been crushed.
Yep pretty stupid. Looked like some type of organized event too.

[shortxjdoug]

to answer you original question ("how dumb can people get") they can actually be very dumb, youd be surprised how dumb they actually get

[CanMan]

http://videos.streetfire.net/search/suzuki/2/wm/5cc2ad7a-2f70-4295-bdca-869d433804ca.htm

For once, he's not even wearing a seatbelt, second, He's crammed 3 kids into the back without any protection and decideds to see if he can climb a hill in with very short wheelbase. Smart. He's damn lucky it didnt roll back on him, those kids would've been crushed.

Its just not the young dumbass driver who is a dumbfawk, its the 3 people gettinging the back, who are even more of dumbfawks.

[5-90]

"Only two things in the Universe are in infinite supply - hydrogen and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the former..."

5-90

[IcedXJ]

"Only two things in the Universe are in infinite supply - hydrogen and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the former..."

5-90

oh man do I ever agree with that.

[8Mud]

I've seen some really crazy stuff, three people standing up in the back (holding onto the roll bar), two in the front (CJ3 I think). Guy takes a left turn at about 30 MPH, people flying everywhere, when it rolled.
Guy hits the whoops Z do's at about thirty in a YJ, without the top on, the two people in the bacK fly out and he runs over one of them, with the right rear wheel.
Guy sitting in the front passengers seat (actually a swat cop), with his year old son in his lap (no seatbelt) driver hits a bump, him and his son bounce there heads off the roof.
What's that old saying aobut putting your brain in gear first.
Nobody died in any of these brain farts, but it wasn't from lack of effort.
I once had the organizer of an event (a Jeep salesman) tell me not to wear my helmet and to also take the helmet off of my then 12 year old son. Because he didn't want people to get the wrong idea, that four wheeling is dangerous or something. I told him he was welcome to take a ride with me, without a helmet, because he had nothing to loose anyway.

[johnlv6]

They can be pretty dumb.

[nubs]

If it wasn't for stupid people us FF/Medics wouldn't have a job!

[Kittrell]

If it wasn't for stupid people us FF/Medics wouldn't have a job!

I wouldn't go that far, but they sure do help.

[johnlv6]

If it wasn't for stupid people us FF/Medics wouldn't have a job!

Stupid people cleanse the gene pool.

[RichP]

I'm not amazed anymore by the stuff people do. One spring we had a bear wake up from it's winter slumber and start looking for food. You could tell it was not all there yet brain wise. We have alot of tourists from NYC and NJ around when one woman stops her minivan so the 8 kids in the back wearing bathing suits and flip flops can go get a closer look at the bear.

[IcedXJ]

I'm not amazed anymore by the stuff people do. One spring we had a bear wake up from it's winter slumber and start looking for food. You could tell it was not all there yet brain wise. We have alot of tourists from NYC and NJ around when one woman stops her minivan so the 8 kids in the back wearing bathing suits and flip flops can go get a closer look at the bear.
:confused::dunno:

[RichP]

:confused::dunno:

Got suddenly busy, at any rate this woman stopped so the kids in the back could get out and go 'pet the bear'...or somesuch, was interesting watching a bunch of 5-8 year olds chasing a newly awakened 200lb bear up the street.. wife, neighbor from next door and me standing on the side deck were speachless.. I know I roared out with 'Are you F&CKING STUPID or what' and didn't get an elbow in the ribs from the wife so she must have agreed with me...
With that the woman suddenly engaged her brain and called the kids back..

[IcedXJ]

Got suddenly busy, at any rate this woman stopped so the kids in the back could get out and go 'pet the bear'...or somesuch, was interesting watching a bunch of 5-8 year olds chasing a newly awakened 200lb bear up the street.. wife, neighbor from next door and me standing on the side deck were speachless.. I know I roared out with 'Are you F&CKING STUPID or what' and didn't get an elbow in the ribs from the wife so she must have agreed with me...
With that the woman suddenly engaged her brain and called the kids back..
smartest thing she ever did was get them back in the car...Lucky she did too, kids make good snacks :viking:

[5-90]

smartest thing she ever did was get them back in the car...Lucky she did too, kids make good snacks :viking:

Debatable. If they were her offspring, perhaps the bear could have terminated the gene line and stopped that particular idiot from breeding...

5-90

[djblade311]

lol. "Stupid people shouldn't breed"

[5-90]

lol. "Stupid people shouldn't breed"

I consider that less of a joke than you'd first think. By "enhancing" safety all over the place, we have effectively halted human evolution - because now, even idiots can have a long and fruitful life.

While there are aberrations to idiotic gene lines (call them "mutations" that result in above-average intellect,) most lines of idiots tend to breed true, and are allowed to grow up and dilute the rest of the genome. While I'm not wholly in favour of eugenics (just witness what Hitler was trying to create in his "Master Race" to see why...) I've become inclined to believe that something needs to be done - if for no other true reason than the overpopulation of the planet. We've got six and a half billion people on this mudball - that's about three billion too many. If we don't start expanding, population control will become an issue.

If we do start expanding to other planets, we will begin a "filtering process" anyhow - only the best and brightest will be eligible for offworld colonisation - those with useful wit or skills, and that will be assured of work once they get out of the gravity well. Unfortunately, it will eventually result in the decline of Earth - because the "mean" population will sink in quality as the best and brightest head for the stars.

So, what do we do in the meantime?

5-90

[shortxjdoug]

So, what do we do in the meantime?

5-90

thats a good point, today there are many regions of the world that shouldn't be able to logistically sustain their population (arid african regions india middle east etc etc) because these regions can't sustain such extreme populations the rest of the world feels they should help and then we all become a crutch to allow a starving population to remain alive on the edge of existence. If most of these areas were left on their own the population would head toward a normalization and try and balance itself to the AVAILABLE resources of the region. I know it sounds cold and unforgiving but allowing such a huge number of people to exist on the brink waiting for the next handout may be just as bad

[IcedXJ]

thats a good point, today there are many regions of the world that shouldn't be able to logistically sustain their population (arid african regions india middle east etc etc) because these regions can't sustain such extreme populations the rest of the world feels they should help and then we all become a crutch to allow a starving population to remain alive on the edge of existence. If most of these areas were left on their own the population would head toward a normalization and try and balance itself to the AVAILABLE resources of the region. I know it sounds cold and unforgiving but allowing such a huge number of people to exist on the brink waiting for the next handout may be just as bad
That is a really good point. There needs to be a stabilization with the available resources there. With higher populations in other parts of the world they have utilizied the resources they have, and use it to build an economic system.

[90xj06]

in people being dumb. go to the local hospital and ask how meny people come in with missing fingers. because they put there fingers under the lawn mower.

[5-90]

thats a good point, today there are many regions of the world that shouldn't be able to logistically sustain their population (arid african regions india middle east etc etc) because these regions can't sustain such extreme populations the rest of the world feels they should help and then we all become a crutch to allow a starving population to remain alive on the edge of existence. If most of these areas were left on their own the population would head toward a normalization and try and balance itself to the AVAILABLE resources of the region. I know it sounds cold and unforgiving but allowing such a huge number of people to exist on the brink waiting for the next handout may be just as bad

You forgot Los Angeles - as I recall, that place is about twelve hours away from starvation at any given time. One major disaster would wipe that city right off the map - and look where they get all their resources! I say shift the port traffic to points North and South (San Diego and San Francisco come to mind...) because that place just doesn't have the resources to sustain such a high population density...

I seem to recall Agent Smith's monologue from "The Matrix," wherein he compared us to virii. There is some validity in that - as mentioned, other organisms will try to achieve a state of balance with the resources (also due to predator/prey relationships) - but we don't. We continually expand, we have no predators, and we have the conceit to think we're smarter than Nature (until Nature hands us our collective arse again - recall Katrina.)

I don't think the populace of overcrowded areas would willingly try to "normalise" to resources tho - I think they would be forced to normalise by the available resources and competition therefor.

All giving people "assistance" does is expand the "Welfare State" to encompass the world - instead of trying to survive within their available resources, they come to depend upon handouts from the rest of the world (mostly the developed parts...) and we get more people who end up knowing sod-all about actual survival, and the race starts to lose its edge (note my comments on eugenics and improvement, previously.)

While we're about it, let's take a look at most of the industrialised population centres - and see what skills may be lost. Trapping? Nope - all but gone. Tanning? Not unless you've got a sun lamp (and that's not what I'm talking about.) Most people can't even tie proper knots anymore, either.

Shooting? Hardly - and that's a skill that keeps others going (you've got to eat, don't you?)

How many people actually know where that meat in the grocery store comes from? How many can replace that, if the grocery stores aren't around anymore? I know I can - can you?

Let's go with really simple - how many people still know how to sharpen a pickax/ax/knife/shovel/chisel/other edged implement? During childhood, I learned to sharpen pretty much anything - from a double-bitted felling ax to a straight razor. I don't pay to sharpen knives and scissors around here - I do it myself. Replacing a stone every few years is much cheaper...

I'd actually consider most regions of the world overpopulated. Look at most metropolitan centres - if they have to bring in vital resources (foodstuffs and the like - not consumer goods!) from more than 50 miles or so away, they're overpopulated. If you can't get what you need within a day's drive (or, better, a day's walk or horse ride!) you don't have enough resources to support your population. Simple logistics.

If you don't have/know basic survival skills (knifework, marksmanship, cordage, how to build a basic shelter, how to find water...) you're going to be bones when the hammer falls.

Frankly, I'm beginning to think we need a good, worldwide disaster in the short term, just to thin out the populace and hopefully improve the breed. It would need to be worldwide - we can have local disasters, but the rest of the world would try to help us out, rather than realise they're doing more harm than good...

Maybe I'm just a Renaissance Man at heart - but anyone who lives fully in the modern world, with "modern" skills, just isn't well-rounded. Go camping. Once you've done that a few times, start setting weight limits on gear. How about allowing yourself forty pounds for one week? You can live well, if you know what to pack and know how to use it. You can live with forty pound of gear for a month if you know what you're about, and can live fairly rugged...

5-90

[Chero-King]

Wow, I really didnt expect this thread to get so "in depth" so quickly.
:)

[boise49ers]

Wow, I really didnt expect this thread to get so "in depth" so quickly.
:)
We could even take it further and say the same thing about Trying to turn countries that have been loppin off heads for 10 thousand years into Democracies and leave them to fend for themselves instead of dumping our nations tax dollars into a fruitless venture. Let the sparring begin. :roflmao:
:gonnablow :roflmao:

[Sarge]

If we do start expanding to other planets, we will begin a "filtering process" anyhow - only the best and brightest will be eligible for offworld colonisation - those with useful wit or skills, and that will be assured of work once they get out of the gravity well. Unfortunately, it will eventually result in the decline of Earth - because the "mean" population will sink in quality as the best and brightest head for the stars.

5-90

Looking at our history I would wager that a few ships would be full of "the worst" as the politicians use the planets as a method to get rid of the convicts. Remember we never have enough jails.

Sarge

[5-90]

Looking at our history I would wager that a few ships would be full of "the worst" as the politicians use the planets as a method to get rid of the convicts. Remember we never have enough jails.

Sarge

That's fodder for another discussion. Having done some volunteer work, I'm mildly surprised at the number of people actually in jails (it is, after all, a growth industry for local jurisdictions, so I'm not too surprised...) that don't really belong there. There are a lot of "consensual crimes" on the books anyhow. Besides, given the trend toward "marking" people now, is it any wonder recidivism is so high? If we gave people a "clean start" (seal the record unless you end up in court again...) for anything but crimes against the person, you would probably see a decline in recidivism and in incarceree populations in general...

5-90

[XJ Dreamin']

If we do start expanding to other planets, we will begin a "filtering process" anyhow - only the best and brightest will be eligible for offworld colonisation - those with useful wit or skills, and that will be assured of work once they get out of the gravity well. Unfortunately, it will eventually result in the decline of Earth - because the "mean" population will sink in quality as the best and brightest head for the stars.

I'm going to have to think for a while before I come up with the references, but that's been done in SciFi writings more than a few times.


So, what do we do in the meantime?


B-Ark :D

[Michaelarchangelo]

The bear story reminds me of tourists in Florida also. We have a lot of aligators in various lakes and ditches, and on more than one occasion, I have seen people get out of their cars and try to feed them. What really goes through people's heads?

[GSequoia]

What really goes through people's heads?

Teeth I'd imagine...

[IcedXJ]

Teeth I'd imagine...

and lots of them.

[streetpirate]

Looking at our history I would wager that a few ships would be full of "the worst" as the politicians use the planets as a method to get rid of the convicts. Remember we never have enough jails.

Sarge

See australia.

[RicksXJ]

lol. "Stupid people shouldn't breed"

unfortunately, it seems the stupid people have more offspring than the
not-so-stupid people.......

[5-90]

I'm going to have to think for a while before I come up with the references, but that's been done in SciFi writings more than a few times.



B-Ark :D

Yep - Douglas Adams, Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy; Robert Anson Heinlein, "Diaspora" (mentioned in several of his works collected under his "Future History" genre,) and others. Those are the two that most readily come to mind - although the "A" and "C" arks never did leave Golgafrincham (interestingly, diffusing the "middle-men" of society via the "B" ark ensured the survival of the race - which serves to demonstrate the luck that schmucks often enjoy...)

5-90

[XJ Dreamin']

Yep - Douglas Adams, Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy; Robert Anson Heinlein, "Diaspora" (mentioned in several of his works collected under his "Future History" genre,) and others. Those are the two that most readily come to mind - although the "A" and "C" arks never did leave Golgafrincham (interestingly, diffusing the "middle-men" of society via the "B" ark ensured the survival of the race - which serves to demonstrate the luck that schmucks often enjoy...)

5-90

If I remember correctly, the A/C crowd misguidedly loaded the telephone sanitation folks onto the B-ark and all subsequently died of rather nasty ear infections. Did I make that up, or is that the way it went? It's been so long.

Quick quiz: What's the message, written in huge flaming letters on the side of a mountain range, left by the creator of the universe? Winner gets a Shiner Bock, if I ever make it to a NAXJA event.

[goodburbon]

something along the lines of "sorry for the inconvience"

and it was a rather nasty virus transmitted by public telephones

[goodburbon]

What I wouldn't give for a perfectly normal beast sandwich.


:lickout:

[Rob Mayercik]

something along the lines of "sorry for the inconvience"

and it was a rather nasty virus transmitted by public telephones

Actually, God's Last Message to His Creation read "We apologize for the inconvenience". You were close.

And yes, it was a dirty telephone that got the rest of the Golgafrinchams. Adams never actually mention whether the survivors of the B Ark crash on Prehistoric Earth lasted long term. Arthur did mention at one point that "a lot of them didn't survive the winter, and the rest decided that they needed a holiday and set off across the ocean on a raft".

I'd wager that they didn't all die out - never underestimate the staying power of an idiot.

Rob

[5-90]

Idiots are indestructible - we're descended from the Golgafrinchams, and that's why The Question was so difficult to read.

"...'We apologise for the inconvenience.' I actually feel *good* about it, really..."

And, they didn't say "ear infections" - it was, as I recall, "a virulent disease spread by a dirty telephone..."

5-90