Does this scare the hell out of you?

[mickeyd]

Very sad as well as very funny. I enjoy seeing my fellow Americans make total fools of themselves.

 

[MichaelB]

Believe me, the US has no monopoly on ignorance or foolishness. In fact, I think it's a most common human condition and will be found everywhere. We do seem to enjoy ours, instead of hiding it like others we shine a spotlight on it and laugh at ourselves.

 

[braumeister]

Very true.
I think the main reason these things are so funny/tragic/incredible is because these are not the sort of people we tend to associate with.

 

[Walt34]

What the OP's video did not show, was the folks that were interviewed and knew the answers.

I strongly suspect that you are correct. Where's the entertainment in correct answers?

 

[LOL!]

An older video. Harvard grads are smart, too:
Harvard Graduates Explain Seasons - YouTube

 

[LOL!]

Meh. I don't think it is a secret that I think most of my fellow Merkins are as ignorant as the average trailer park denizen.

How many of them know what a merkin actually is? And you call yourself one.

 

[lemming]

Freezing up when asked to speak in public is not that unusual and if they throw out a question for a time period you weren't expecting 0 no brainfreeze.
Didn't SOutherners call the Civil War something else..war of aggression or just "The Rebellion" and they probably don't think it is over.
If one of you wants to try to explain Syria to me I'll listen.

 

[donheff]

Probably fewer than you think.

Took me a while to get that one. Looks better to me the way Brewer spelled it.

 

[Walt34]

Didn't SOutherners call the Civil War something else..war of aggression or just "The Rebellion" and they probably don't think it is over.

It is referred to in certain parts as The War of Northern Aggression.

It was several years ago that I received quite the history lesson from Leonidas after referring to the Civil War. He hasn't posted recently but still stops by now and then.

Suffice it to say that in Texas the point of view is markedly different than in say, New York.

 

[Senator]

Do Americans even need an education anymore? I am thinking that education may be obsolete.

We can get technical folks from India. We can get labor from Mexico. We can outsource all manufacturing to China. We can get medical professionals from many countries, Liberia, India, Philippines, Israel, etc.

We really do not need to work here anymore. There are huge safely nets, so no one will ever starve, or be homeless. Medical care is not an issue.

Why would/should anyone care who the elected officials are?

 

[Walt34]

Didn't SOutherners call the Civil War something else..war of aggression or just "The Rebellion" and they probably don't think it is over.

I found the history lesson. http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f27/another-reason-not-to-live-in-texas-35643.html#post657538

 

[braumeister]

There are huge safely nets, so no one will ever starve, or be homeless.

Sure, there is bread. But what about circuses?

 

[M Paquette]

Do Americans even need an education anymore? I am thinking that education may be obsolete.

There's a good argument to be made that the American masses are over-educated. It is well understood by a few folks that the teaching of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS), critical thinking skills, and similar programs can challenge a student's fixed beliefs and undermine parental authority.

 

[brewer12345]

Sure, there is bread. But what about circuses?

You must not be in one of the highly gerrymandered "contested" election districts...

 

[daylatedollarshort]

George Carlin has a pretty funny routine you can find on youtube on the American Dream. I won't link to it because it is classic Carlin and pretty crude. But he claims that the real powers that be don't want a highly educated population. It is better if we are just smart enough to "operate the machine and fill out the paperwork."

 

[aja8888]

Do Americans even need an education anymore? I am thinking that education may be obsolete.

We can get technical folks from India. We can get labor from Mexico. We can outsource all manufacturing to China. We can get medical professionals from many countries, Liberia, India, Philippines, Israel, etc.

We really do not need to work here anymore. There are huge safely nets, so no one will ever starve, or be homeless. Medical care is not an issue.

Why would/should anyone care who the elected officials are?

It's on it way to becoming Utopia!

 

[Senator]

It's on it way to becoming Utopia!

The true early retirees are making it on the equivalent of ~$45K a year, with COLA, and start at age 18.

Think about how long one has to work a 'real' job, to get less than that.

 

[clifp]

The scary thing is those people vote.

Thankfully as Mead's link showed the most ignorant one tend to not to vote.

Having watched similar displays of political ignorance for most of my life, (remember Jay Leno' AllStars?), I am always annoyed at the never ending campaigns to get people to vote. If you don't know who the Vice President is or who we got our independence from I don't want you anywhere near a polling place