Idiocracy

[innerSpaceman]

Good parents being one thing ... raising good kids being almost entirely non-dependent. Oh, I'll grant that crap parents likely make for nasty kids ... but I've known good parents who've already raised good kids to then raise a devil spawn.


Kids are people. They will be what they will be. No need to add bad parenting to the mix ... but good parenting is a guaranty of nothing.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Originally Posted by Alex Stroup

Here's my view on "you'll make great parents."

I have no idea. Many incredibly nice people make for horrible parents and plenty of otherwise rotten people make for great parents. People who manage to produce one great kid will find that the other one turns out rotten even though they were exposed to the same parenting.

So with all the friendly emotion I can muster I say "If you become parents I'm sure you'll work hard at it."

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

Good parents being one thing ... raising good kids being almost entirely non-dependent. Oh, I'll grant that crap parents likely make for nasty kids ... but I've known good parents who've already raised good kids to then raise a devil spawn.


Kids are people. They will be what they will be. No need to add bad parenting to the mix ... but good parenting is a guaranty of nothing.

Visible mojo for both of you. Well said.

At some point I'd like to discuss the probability of a future filled with stupid people - but not now, I've got a nice beer buzz and Evangelion to watch.

[innerSpaceman]

Um, that future is now. Have you been outside your house lately?


The world is almost to the breaking point with stupid people.

[Alex]

After having spent some time studying history I'm pretty convinced that we are, on average, no stupider than ever. It is just that history tends to ignore the "lower classes" of ordinary people. But in reading cultural history after cultural history that focuses on the lives or "ordinary" people the same themes of "people are idiots" keep coming to the surface (see, for example, Richard Darnton's The Great Cat Massacre and Other Episodes in French Cultural History; though for a view of what occupied the intelligentsia I can also recommend Darnton's more academic Forbidden Bestsellers of Pre-Revolutionary France).

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

Um, that future is now. Have you been outside your house lately?


The world is almost to the breaking point with stupid people.

No, dude, I'm talking about serious stupidity. See the movie.

Originally Posted by Alex Stroup

After having spent some time studying history I'm pretty convinced that we are, on average, no stupider than ever. It is just that history tends to ignore the "lower classes" of ordinary people. But in reading cultural history after cultural history that focuses on the lives or "ordinary" people the same themes of "people are idiots" keep coming to the surface (see, for example, Richard Darnton's The Great Cat Massacre and Other Episodes in French Cultural History; though for a view of what occupied the intelligentsia I can also recommend Darnton's more academic Forbidden Bestsellers of Pre-Revolutionary France).

What about the concept that no matter what, smarter people will complain about dumber people, no matter how many there are, or how wide the gap is?

My current POV regarding other metrics, like percentage of the world population that has access to leisure time, health care, education, etc, is that probably (I have no proof of this, just my own POV) it's about the same as it ever was. I also believe that there are many factors that keep the percentages stable.

My POV on percentages regarding smarts was basically the same. But now I've thought way too much about it due to this movie and realize that the shockwave that The Pill has caused is incredible. It's only been around for what, 60 years or so? Already the effect is dramatic and totally measurable. Like a stand up comic once said - there's a reason it's called The Pill. They invented medicine that has nearly eradicated polio, but they didn't call THAT The Pill.

It's frightening, but at this point, I'm really starting to believe that Mike Judge's crazy scenario is completely plausible.

[wendybeth]

When I refer to 'good parent (ing)', I do not mean the end result- I mean the apparent ability to do so. No one can truly predict the outcome of any parenting attempt; one can only go by certain criteria and hypothesize as to the level of success. There are far too many variables in both the parent (s) and the child's life to state with any real certainty the outcome. Having been raised by a lunatic, I can safely say that sometimes things work out better than they should have. I also have a very dear, sweet friend who is currently raising a female version of Damian, through no real fault of her own. (The kid truly is evil).