willowfall
Senator
“There are notions so foolish that only an intellectual will believe them.” - George Orwell; Author
kisses
willowfall
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Is the world getting stupider?
- Thread starter Fantasmo
- Start date
“There are notions so foolish that only an intellectual will believe them.” - George Orwell; Author
kisses
willowfall
Fantasmo
Senator
Most stupid thing I heard yesterday: Entrepreneurs like Elon Musk should pay US taxes on "unrealized value gains" of his shares (when the value goes up on the stock exchange): So pay taxes when the shares rise (what would force him to sell part of the company, literally destroying it)
But obviously he would not get money back if the shares drop...
And that from a finance minister!
But obviously he would not get money back if the shares drop...
And that from a finance minister!
crumera
Crucifier of Pixels
Blaha blah blah politics how boringMost stupid thing I heard yesterday: Entrepreneurs like Elon Musk should pay US taxes on "unrealized value gains" of his shares (when the value goes up on the stock exchange): So pay taxes when the shares rise (what would force him to sell part of the company, literally destroying it)
But obviously he would not get money back if the shares drop...
And that from a finance minister!
Gibbs505
SERVORUM DOMITOR
The gene pool needs more chlorine!
YUP .... https://science.howstuffworks.com/l...rch-confirms-it-really-are-getting-dumber.htm .... I just Googled it . Found a wealth of articles on we are getting dumber . https://www.becausehealth.org/emf-and-health-2619435226.html
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I would very much hope anyone as mired in illegal and immoral acts as that is given a lot more than pause.
So... what you're saying is that baseless accusations generally don't work?
Silent_Water
Tribune
A few more thoughts and opinions from me and from Germany:
1. Almost all human beings can separate almost everything what they are thinking about almost anything into something which is fitting to their momentary convictions as if they had a psychologically split personality.
2. Intelligence does not really influence some of your lifetime opinions when you had an education by religious or political fanatics.
3. Stupid and fanatic people are always in advantage because it is unfortunately much easier to destroy something in our world than to build something up.
4. Every believe in religion AND politics can be turned into a dogma, which is in the worst case protected by a new version of "inquisitional courts".
5. Human beings can have exactly the same gene pool but absolutely different political opinions formed by their environment, which turned them into tragical opponents.
6. Fanatics sometimes have more children on purpose.
Some examples for these statements in chronological succession:
1. Monks in the Middle Ages were often keepers of scientific ideas and scripts from the ancient past of Roman and Greek philosophy but at the same time despising these pagan times. These monks could never understand how Romans could reach such a level of culture without believing in a Christian god and so, the Roman Empire must have been taken a wrong turn in history. The same monks could at the same time in the Middle Ages write about their contempt for Roman gladiator's games in an amphitheater but also invent the next day new torture techniques for heretics or witches.
2. The German so-called later "Reichsführer SS" (= "'Imperial' Leader of the SS") Heinrich Himmler visited one of the best German "humanistisches Gymnasium" (= "humanistic high school") with lessons in ancient history, in Latin, in Greek, in ancient philosophy and how to lead a good life according to the ideas of Greek and Roman philosophers.
All this did not prevent him from planning the mass murder of millions of other human beings who were regarded by him as "inferiors not worth of living".
3. The fanatics who commited their suicide attacks with airplanes in 2001 were almost all the most "intelligent" sons of their relatively rich families.
4. When a controversial believe in a theory - no matter if it is a religious or a political one - turns into the basis of a new polity or a new real state, you are always in danger of getting a state with an institution like the "Holy Inquisition" because you then have a mass of believers and the leaders of the state try to keep the believers around you by fighting against all dissenters with all possible means. There are no real differences between the "show trials" in times of the "Holy Inquisition", in Nazi-Germany under Hitler or in the Soviet Union under Stalin. In Stalin's times and in his fight against the so-called "Trotsky'ites", the accused not only had to be sentenced to death, they also had to confirm their theoretical "crimes" because there usually was no real evidence AND the accused themselves had to demand the death penalty for themselves, so that the "silly public" could see how "correct" this show trial was. This was "holy inquisition" in combination with modern torture at its highest form in order to keep the believers together, wasn't it?
So, political & religious madness & stupidity can and already have met in some times in unprecedented ways in other parts of the world before several times.
Only the technical means of the mad and stupid beneath us human beings have become much better in our times.
5. There is one case of separated twins with some characteristics of an ancient Greek tragedy, which I found interesting and almost incredible, but it is basically true.
A German-Bavarian girl once fell in love with an Israeli student. They both had intra-familiar conflicts with their parents about their look on the world. Both had together two children which were twin brothers, but their parent couple died together in a car accident. The twin sons were separated by their grand-parents. One grew up in Bavaria, the other one in Israel. By the research of a US-professor, they met again about twenty years later and they could not believe what had become of them. One was an Israeli settler, the other one was raised by his German grand-parents who were almost "Old-Nazis". These twin brothers could not find one single topic in which they had the same political opinion. At the same time and by their same genes when they met for the first and also for the last time, they had worn almost the same clothes in the same colors, they had the same wrist-watch from the same producer on their wrists and both wore friendship bracelets on their wrists of the other arms.
A real modern tragedy.
6. There is and was a famous German-Israeli publicist and former professor teaching at the German military "Bundeswehr Universität München", ...
en.wikipedia.org
... who says that the future in the Middle-East makes him think really pessimistic because in about 50 years, the militant parts of the societies in Lebanon (=> Shi'ite supporters of the Hisbollah) but also in Israel (=> "Ultra-Orthodox believers") will most probably be the majority in the population, because they want by their own will and on purpose to outnumber the other parts in the population. They are convinced that this is the will of God because God wants to make them strong in order to destroy their enemies by their sheer numbers.
This professor said that it is almost impossible to talk with those people on both sides in a rational way and these are not good prospects for peace in the future.
I have even heard similar stories from countries which belonged in former times to the Soviet Union and I was once shocked to hear a young Latvian woman say in a TV report that she wants to have 10 children together with her husband. The German reporter was also a bit shocked but even more when he asked why. She said: "In the times of the Soviet Union, Latvia became a colony of Russia. We were often not allowed to speak our own language in schools and they settled their people here in order to outnumber us in our own country. Now after we are independant again, we will outnumber them!"
Unfortunately and obviously, the stupidity and injustice of the past can cause stupidity and injustice in the future and it is really hard to break such a vicious circle ...
1. Almost all human beings can separate almost everything what they are thinking about almost anything into something which is fitting to their momentary convictions as if they had a psychologically split personality.
2. Intelligence does not really influence some of your lifetime opinions when you had an education by religious or political fanatics.
3. Stupid and fanatic people are always in advantage because it is unfortunately much easier to destroy something in our world than to build something up.
4. Every believe in religion AND politics can be turned into a dogma, which is in the worst case protected by a new version of "inquisitional courts".
5. Human beings can have exactly the same gene pool but absolutely different political opinions formed by their environment, which turned them into tragical opponents.
6. Fanatics sometimes have more children on purpose.
Some examples for these statements in chronological succession:
1. Monks in the Middle Ages were often keepers of scientific ideas and scripts from the ancient past of Roman and Greek philosophy but at the same time despising these pagan times. These monks could never understand how Romans could reach such a level of culture without believing in a Christian god and so, the Roman Empire must have been taken a wrong turn in history. The same monks could at the same time in the Middle Ages write about their contempt for Roman gladiator's games in an amphitheater but also invent the next day new torture techniques for heretics or witches.
2. The German so-called later "Reichsführer SS" (= "'Imperial' Leader of the SS") Heinrich Himmler visited one of the best German "humanistisches Gymnasium" (= "humanistic high school") with lessons in ancient history, in Latin, in Greek, in ancient philosophy and how to lead a good life according to the ideas of Greek and Roman philosophers.
All this did not prevent him from planning the mass murder of millions of other human beings who were regarded by him as "inferiors not worth of living".
3. The fanatics who commited their suicide attacks with airplanes in 2001 were almost all the most "intelligent" sons of their relatively rich families.
4. When a controversial believe in a theory - no matter if it is a religious or a political one - turns into the basis of a new polity or a new real state, you are always in danger of getting a state with an institution like the "Holy Inquisition" because you then have a mass of believers and the leaders of the state try to keep the believers around you by fighting against all dissenters with all possible means. There are no real differences between the "show trials" in times of the "Holy Inquisition", in Nazi-Germany under Hitler or in the Soviet Union under Stalin. In Stalin's times and in his fight against the so-called "Trotsky'ites", the accused not only had to be sentenced to death, they also had to confirm their theoretical "crimes" because there usually was no real evidence AND the accused themselves had to demand the death penalty for themselves, so that the "silly public" could see how "correct" this show trial was. This was "holy inquisition" in combination with modern torture at its highest form in order to keep the believers together, wasn't it?
So, political & religious madness & stupidity can and already have met in some times in unprecedented ways in other parts of the world before several times.
Only the technical means of the mad and stupid beneath us human beings have become much better in our times.
5. There is one case of separated twins with some characteristics of an ancient Greek tragedy, which I found interesting and almost incredible, but it is basically true.
A German-Bavarian girl once fell in love with an Israeli student. They both had intra-familiar conflicts with their parents about their look on the world. Both had together two children which were twin brothers, but their parent couple died together in a car accident. The twin sons were separated by their grand-parents. One grew up in Bavaria, the other one in Israel. By the research of a US-professor, they met again about twenty years later and they could not believe what had become of them. One was an Israeli settler, the other one was raised by his German grand-parents who were almost "Old-Nazis". These twin brothers could not find one single topic in which they had the same political opinion. At the same time and by their same genes when they met for the first and also for the last time, they had worn almost the same clothes in the same colors, they had the same wrist-watch from the same producer on their wrists and both wore friendship bracelets on their wrists of the other arms.
A real modern tragedy.
6. There is and was a famous German-Israeli publicist and former professor teaching at the German military "Bundeswehr Universität München", ...
Michael Wolffsohn - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
This professor said that it is almost impossible to talk with those people on both sides in a rational way and these are not good prospects for peace in the future.
I have even heard similar stories from countries which belonged in former times to the Soviet Union and I was once shocked to hear a young Latvian woman say in a TV report that she wants to have 10 children together with her husband. The German reporter was also a bit shocked but even more when he asked why. She said: "In the times of the Soviet Union, Latvia became a colony of Russia. We were often not allowed to speak our own language in schools and they settled their people here in order to outnumber us in our own country. Now after we are independant again, we will outnumber them!"
Unfortunately and obviously, the stupidity and injustice of the past can cause stupidity and injustice in the future and it is really hard to break such a vicious circle ...
Maybe it wasn't so bad that when I was young there weren't any computers, smartphones or calculators. We were forced to think for ourselves and the solution to a math problem had to come from our own brain and not from the display of a calculator. And even when we were later allowed to use slide rules, you had to know the solutions in order to skip the result beforehand. I'm not sure that many students today would be able to solve math problems without tools.
I can totally agree with you in this opinionA few more thoughts and opinions from me and from Germany:
1. Almost all human beings can separate almost everything what they are thinking about almost anything into something which is fitting to their momentary convictions as if they had a psychologically split personality.
2. Intelligence does not really influence some of your lifetime opinions when you had an education by religious or political fanatics.
3. Stupid and fanatic people are always in advantage because it is unfortunately much easier to destroy something in our world than to build something up.
4. Every believe in religion AND politics can be turned into a dogma, which is in the worst case protected by a new version of "inquisitional courts".
5. Human beings can have exactly the same gene pool but absolutely different political opinions formed by their environment, which turned them into tragical opponents.
6. Fanatics sometimes have more children on purpose.
Some examples for these statements in chronological succession:
1. Monks in the Middle Ages were often keepers of scientific ideas and scripts from the ancient past of Roman and Greek philosophy but at the same time despising these pagan times. These monks could never understand how Romans could reach such a level of culture without believing in a Christian god and so, the Roman Empire must have been taken a wrong turn in history. The same monks could at the same time in the Middle Ages write about their contempt for Roman gladiator's games in an amphitheater but also invent the next day new torture techniques for heretics or witches.
2. The German so-called later "Reichsführer SS" (= "'Imperial' Leader of the SS") Heinrich Himmler visited one of the best German "humanistisches Gymnasium" (= "humanistic high school") with lessons in ancient history, in Latin, in Greek, in ancient philosophy and how to lead a good life according to the ideas of Greek and Roman philosophers.
All this did not prevent him from planning the mass murder of millions of other human beings who were regarded by him as "inferiors not worth of living".
3. The fanatics who commited their suicide attacks with airplanes in 2001 were almost all the most "intelligent" sons of their relatively rich families.
4. When a controversial believe in a theory - no matter if it is a religious or a political one - turns into the basis of a new polity or a new real state, you are always in danger of getting a state with an institution like the "Holy Inquisition" because you then have a mass of believers and the leaders of the state try to keep the believers around you by fighting against all dissenters with all possible means. There are no real differences between the "show trials" in times of the "Holy Inquisition", in Nazi-Germany under Hitler or in the Soviet Union under Stalin. In Stalin's times and in his fight against the so-called "Trotsky'ites", the accused not only had to be sentenced to death, they also had to confirm their theoretical "crimes" because there usually was no real evidence AND the accused themselves had to demand the death penalty for themselves, so that the "silly public" could see how "correct" this show trial was. This was "holy inquisition" in combination with modern torture at its highest form in order to keep the believers together, wasn't it?
So, political & religious madness & stupidity can and already have met in some times in unprecedented ways in other parts of the world before several times.
Only the technical means of the mad and stupid beneath us human beings have become much better in our times.
5. There is one case of separated twins with some characteristics of an ancient Greek tragedy, which I found interesting and almost incredible, but it is basically true.
A German-Bavarian girl once fell in love with an Israeli student. They both had intra-familiar conflicts with their parents about their look on the world. Both had together two children which were twin brothers, but their parent couple died together in a car accident. The twin sons were separated by their grand-parents. One grew up in Bavaria, the other one in Israel. By the research of a US-professor, they met again about twenty years later and they could not believe what had become of them. One was an Israeli settler, the other one was raised by his German grand-parents who were almost "Old-Nazis". These twin brothers could not find one single topic in which they had the same political opinion. At the same time and by their same genes when they met for the first and also for the last time, they had worn almost the same clothes in the same colors, they had the same wrist-watch from the same producer on their wrists and both wore friendship bracelets on their wrists of the other arms.
A real modern tragedy.
6. There is and was a famous German-Israeli publicist and former professor teaching at the German military "Bundeswehr Universität München", ...
... who says that the future in the Middle-East makes him think really pessimistic because in about 50 years, the militant parts of the societies in Lebanon (=> Shi'ite supporters of the Hisbollah) but also in Israel (=> "Ultra-Orthodox believers") will most probably be the majority in the population, because they want by their own will and on purpose to outnumber the other parts in the population. They are convinced that this is the will of God because God wants to make them strong in order to destroy their enemies by their sheer numbers.Michael Wolffsohn - Wikipedia
This professor said that it is almost impossible to talk with those people on both sides in a rational way and these are not good prospects for peace in the future.
I have even heard similar stories from countries which belonged in former times to the Soviet Union and I was once shocked to hear a young Latvian woman say in a TV report that she wants to have 10 children together with her husband. The German reporter was also a bit shocked but even more when he asked why. She said: "In the times of the Soviet Union, Latvia became a colony of Russia. We were often not allowed to speak our own language in schools and they settled their people here in order to outnumber us in our own country. Now after we are independant again, we will outnumber them!"
Unfortunately and obviously, the stupidity and injustice of the past can cause stupidity and injustice in the future and it is really hard to break such a vicious circle ...
I just don’t get how people can go through life without at least a rudimentary understanding of numbers.
I mean I don’t think people should necessarily be able to complete partial differential equations off the top of their head (although it’s the only way to properly understand compound interest when looking at a house mortgage or for your Superannuation)
Nope, just a rudimentary basic ability to guesstimate a reasonable solution.
For example, if someone says that in 10 years at the rate of $100 per month a tax will cost the person a million dollars, one would hope the average person would be able to work out that’s massively incorrect, even if they don’t understand what an error by two orders of magnitude means.
Some basic simple logic applied on a daily basis plus some critical thinking habits could go so far in changing the current status quo to a glittering future looking sensible population.
Silent_Water
Tribune
In addition, I am often suprised - if not shocked - what younger generations do NOT know about history or contemporary history.
I often ask myself what the younger generations were doing in school instead of taking lessons in history.
For example, when I was a schoolboy in a German "Gymnasium", there were discussions in our classes about all wars in the 20th century and also about the "Falklands War" which was taking place right then in 1982 and which also ended the military junta dictatorship in Argentina in the long run.
OK, it is not necessary to know anything about this war if you want to live a good life in Germany, but I was shocked to meet in the meantime many Germans about 20 years younger than me, who never heard anything about this war.
I also once saw a Jay Leno comedy show from the USA in the time just before President Obama was elected and Jay Leno asked young girls in front of a cinema about their knowledge of US history.
At first, I thought, this must be something like a joke within a joke, but the reactions of the teenagers seemed to be genuine when answering his questions, for example like these ones:
"For us in the USA, which were our main enemy countries in World War II ?"
One girl answered with a bewildered look: "Perhaps Germany?! But I am not really sure ..."
Jay Leno: "Yes, OK, and another one?"
"Hmmm ...."
A Toyota pick up was driving by and Jay Leno said: "Look at that car! Where was it produced?"
"Hmm ... Japan?"
Jay Leno: "Oh my God! Dear audience: One day we will get the government which we deserve because of our knowledge of history!"
When I think of this Jay-Leno-Show, I am still shaking my head after such a long time ...
I often ask myself what the younger generations were doing in school instead of taking lessons in history.
For example, when I was a schoolboy in a German "Gymnasium", there were discussions in our classes about all wars in the 20th century and also about the "Falklands War" which was taking place right then in 1982 and which also ended the military junta dictatorship in Argentina in the long run.
OK, it is not necessary to know anything about this war if you want to live a good life in Germany, but I was shocked to meet in the meantime many Germans about 20 years younger than me, who never heard anything about this war.
I also once saw a Jay Leno comedy show from the USA in the time just before President Obama was elected and Jay Leno asked young girls in front of a cinema about their knowledge of US history.
At first, I thought, this must be something like a joke within a joke, but the reactions of the teenagers seemed to be genuine when answering his questions, for example like these ones:
"For us in the USA, which were our main enemy countries in World War II ?"
One girl answered with a bewildered look: "Perhaps Germany?! But I am not really sure ..."
Jay Leno: "Yes, OK, and another one?"
"Hmmm ...."
A Toyota pick up was driving by and Jay Leno said: "Look at that car! Where was it produced?"
"Hmm ... Japan?"
Jay Leno: "Oh my God! Dear audience: One day we will get the government which we deserve because of our knowledge of history!"
When I think of this Jay-Leno-Show, I am still shaking my head after such a long time ...
dfg42
Consul
The point is not the tools. The problem is the acceptance of the noise without thinking about it. So if you believe the things read in a book called "la mia battaglia" or by some stupid statements on TikTok, without studying the problems mentioned, you are stupid anyway. On the other hand there may be useful things you may be able to do with an iPhone, say making pics of crucified females, or even males (but only with Cornu and without Loincloth!).
Silent_Water
Tribune
Mhm, I almost think, I must have heard this expression "la mia battalia" in another language before,
maybe in German it sounds a bit like "Mein Kampf" ...?By the way, the "very strange but also very intelligent" East-German comedian "Olaf Schubert" made a show program and also a book with this title in its German plural:
"Meine Kämpfe", which sounds in German now ridiculous by itself ... but - again: in the meantime - I ask myself how many German teenagers are still understanding and getting this joke ...
Olaf Schubert - Meine Kämpfe: Amazon.de: Olaf Schubert, Diverse, Olaf Schubert: DVD & Blu-ray
Entdecken Sie Olaf Schubert - Meine Kämpfe und weitere TV-Serien auf DVD- & Blu-ray in unserem vielfältigen Angebot. Gratis Lieferung möglich.
www.amazon.de
Doragon
Tribune
My 2 cents:
1. Intelligence is not hereditary or genetic, it is a way of conduct and of living. Though genetics may grant someone more options to develop, it says nothing about the choices that are being made. Upbringing plays a bigger part in this, as do circumstances. Someone who has it easy as a child, has less reasons to develop intellect. The more wealthy our society becomes, the less creative we need to be. In other words, progress creates stupidity.
2. On the other hand, people have always been stupid, but in history the stupid ones were never recorded or shown. History is written by the intelligent minority. Nowadays everybody seems to be a historian of their own stupidity and that means it gets noticed more easily.
3. A third point I'd like to make is that intelligence and dumbness are not opposed to each other. Developing nuclear weapons and computers is a very intelligent thing to do, but also incredibly stupid. Especially when we are smart enough to make machines that prevent us to think for ourselves.
4. And finally I would like to point out that the arrival of computers and smart phones created a new reality, a hyperreality that functions in itself without any necessary connection to the real world. Politics and media respond to each other, floating above the world as it seems. It used to be intelligent to know what's going on in the world, but suddenly the media are misrepresenting the world as it is, twisting it around. Which means that being informed doesn't necessarily mean we know what's really happening anymore.
1. Intelligence is not hereditary or genetic, it is a way of conduct and of living. Though genetics may grant someone more options to develop, it says nothing about the choices that are being made. Upbringing plays a bigger part in this, as do circumstances. Someone who has it easy as a child, has less reasons to develop intellect. The more wealthy our society becomes, the less creative we need to be. In other words, progress creates stupidity.
2. On the other hand, people have always been stupid, but in history the stupid ones were never recorded or shown. History is written by the intelligent minority. Nowadays everybody seems to be a historian of their own stupidity and that means it gets noticed more easily.
3. A third point I'd like to make is that intelligence and dumbness are not opposed to each other. Developing nuclear weapons and computers is a very intelligent thing to do, but also incredibly stupid. Especially when we are smart enough to make machines that prevent us to think for ourselves.
4. And finally I would like to point out that the arrival of computers and smart phones created a new reality, a hyperreality that functions in itself without any necessary connection to the real world. Politics and media respond to each other, floating above the world as it seems. It used to be intelligent to know what's going on in the world, but suddenly the media are misrepresenting the world as it is, twisting it around. Which means that being informed doesn't necessarily mean we know what's really happening anymore.
All I read was “without loincloth” and began to shudder!
But then I used my critical reasoning and logic to counter your argument with things I found in internet land (but not tikTok) and smiled
So there!
dfg42
Consul
I was just joking.... ;-) however did you start a loincloth challenge on TikTok?All I read was “without loincloth” and began to shudder!
But then I used my critical reasoning and logic to counter your argument with things I found in internet land (but not tikTok) and smiled
View attachment 1110269View attachment 1110270View attachment 1110271View attachment 1110273View attachment 1110274View attachment 1110275View attachment 1110277View attachment 1110278
So there!
Joking? What??? All this time I thought you were an entirely scholarly, serious, sober, and somber person who never enjoyed levity nor alliteration…
Hmmm… a TikTok loincloth challenge might even be enough to get me to download the app!