# Debate: are people getting thicker?



## Blaze163 (Sep 15, 2010)

You know, something's been bugging me for years. It might just be me, but I can't shake the feeling that I've been observing a slow degredation in the state of humanity for several years now. People seem to be getting quite alarmingly stupid. Not everyone, in fact I'm sure the smart people are getting smarter. But the dumb people just seem a lot dumber than they used to. Here's a few examples.

- The Crazy Frog. Only a truly decadant and inwardly collapsing society could ever have allowed an annoying noise to become the pinnacle of music and oust Coldplay from their number one spot on TOTP back when the frog's cold hearted butchery of Axel F was unstoppable.

- Paris Hilton. Her very existance is a good sign that humanity as a whole isn't much fussed about progress. She's a symbol for all celebrity culture. Jedward, Big Brother, any instance where someone gets by on name and no talent yet makes more money picking their nose than I earn in a year.

- Chavs. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure teenagers have almost always been total ass hats. But why are the modern ass hats so in your face about it? Idolising drugs, violence, stupidity and the raping of the english language, chavs are all associated subcultures are a major thorn in my balls. I have a hazy recollection of a time when such things were considered bad. What happened to that idea? When the ability to speak the queen's english was pretty much a given instead of the rarity it seems to have become in my city.

- Fanboys. Again, while this has probably always been around, why does it seem all the more noticable these days? Case and point, the ongoing campaign to see which has the bigger fanbase, Halo or God. People no longer analyse anything, they'll gladly accept a cheap cop out of a game which offers nothing new and simply stagnates the industry, just because it carries the name of a game that once shook the world. We never used to be this rabid. It's not just the Halo fanboys of course, that's just my pet peeve. A lot of people these days are simple creatures, brainless hype fed sheep who will spend whatever the popular norm demands instead of thinking for themselves.

This is particularly worrying for me. Both as someone who tries to classify himself as an intellectual and as a gamer. From the gamer standpoint, people getting thicker means that games will have to dumb down to maintain sales (see pretty much any Wii game that's not Zelda, Mario or Metroid related) and that scares me, because the last time the industry was all easy to make no effort generic slop, we had the infamous crash of '83. I don't want to see my beloved games industry fall. Granted, I think it's so damn strong at the moment that such a collapse is unlikely, but look closely and you'll see the warning signs.

As a man who tries to consider himself an intellectual (I'm not perfect, nobody is. Nor do I claim to be. But I do try to think every now and then about serious stuff) the stupification of the masses worries me, because I'd actually like to see mankind make some serious progress. Walk on other worlds, explore the ocean depths, unlock the mysteries of life. And we're never going to make any sort of progress if we're taking one step forward and two steps back, which is how life seems to be for us as a species right now. We seem to have reached an impasse. A point in our evolutionary path where we seem content to rest on what we have rather than strive for more. We've damn near given up on the space program, for example. We're never going to walk on Mars in my lifetime at this rate, some people aren't convinced we've been to the moon yet (don't let this topic become a 'did we or didnt we' debate please). 

Maybe it is just me. Maybe it's just false memories of childhood and we were always this dense. But maybe I'm right. What do you think?


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## monkat (Sep 15, 2010)

Most of what you're commenting on is social phenomena - hence your findings.

After you guys grow past teenage years, it'll get better. Promise.


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## TrolleyDave (Sep 15, 2010)

There's no debate here.  People ARE getting stupider, more ignorant, more selfish, lazier, more self entitled and common sense and common courtesy don't seem to be so common anymore.


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## The Catboy (Sep 15, 2010)

Well before I graduated high school I took a walk down the freshmen hallway wondering how that graduating class was going to be. I was saddened by the fact that our future is fucked. They were yelling across the hall the stuff they did over the weekend, which included under-age drinking, sex, doing drugs, ect. A good number of them had already gotten into trouble in the school and with the law. A few girls had already gotten pregnant, and the guys were in close contest of wits with a stone.
I am going to agree with Dave on this one, it's not even a debate as much as fact.


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## tinymonkeyt (Sep 15, 2010)

Are people getting fatter? Yes.


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## _Chaz_ (Sep 16, 2010)

Actually, intelligence is on the rise. It's common sense that seems to be plummeting.


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## Blaze163 (Sep 16, 2010)

TrolleyDave said:
			
		

> common sense and common courtesy don't seem to be so common anymore.



Nor does honour, integrity, or common decency. Holding the door open for a lady for example. Nobody does that any more. All the girls at my school and now at work think I'm some sort of relic because I hold the door open for them. I have a sense of moral decorum. I'm constantly told I don't belong in this age. Maybe they're right. 

This subject gives me nightmares you know. Nightmares where nothing is done to stop the degredation of the human brain and years from now kids sat in their classrooms don't even speak, they communicate in rudimentary Morse code by banging their heads on their desks.


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## Uncle FEFL (Sep 16, 2010)

Of course people are getting stupider. It's the human way to take the easiest route whenever it's seen, and as technology grows, our intellect diminishes. Some people here are extremely intelligent, and that's not because they were born that way, it's because they have a motivation to do something. They have a will to live, and thrive on information.

The general populous, very much so in the US, is nearly the exact opposite. I wish it wasn't true, but it is.

People aren't born idiots, it's just that some (or perhaps most) are swayed too easily without facts and logic. I'm gonna try to state this in the most unbiased way I can: the field of science, generally, is perhaps THE MOST important aspect of our lives.


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## MelodieOctavia (Sep 16, 2010)

People started to domesticate animals and no one had to hunt anymore, so people got lazier

People started to package this food at a lower cost, and higher fat content, so people got fatter

Now with the "information age" no one has to actually learn anything, they can just look it up on the internet, and so we get dumber.

We are devolving and it's scary as hell.

The average IQ has dropped over the years.

Now, me...I use the internet to learn more every day. Science and technology fascinates me and I love to know how it works.


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## Depravo (Sep 16, 2010)

tinymonkeyt said:
			
		

> Are people getting fatter? Yes.


I'm not. I hit a weight plateau at 210lb.


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## Blaze163 (Sep 16, 2010)

The most worrying thing is that the only way I can see of actually doing anything about the problem is...well, a war. And not one of these half arsed wars where America steamrollers a developing nation within a fortnight. A real war. Where everyone on Earth is fighting to survive. Or some sort of global cataclysm, like a meteor impact or some such. Think about it. If the world as we know it came to an end, how many of us would actually survive? Do you know how to...

- Care for animals?
- What kind of mushrooms are poisonous?
- How to build complex things from wood, IE: a house?
- How to manipulate metal for various things?
- How to fend off wild animals?

Think about it seriously for one minute. If we found ourself in a Fallout 3 situation, most of us these days wouldn't have a damn clue where to begin.


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## elmoreas (Sep 16, 2010)

I thought the same thing when I was 16 and living in small town America. I thought it was just there, but apparently it has spread and now encompasses all of the USA and parts of other nations. Yes there is certainly a "dumbing down" of society as well as a loss of all moral center. Right vs. Wrong and teaching that to our children. I am not a violent person but when they took away the right of the parent to spank (not beat, spank) their children is when this all started.

To Blaze163 in Response to do I know how to
- Care for animals?
- What kind of mushrooms are poisonous?
- How to build complex things from wood, IE: a house?
- How to manipulate metal for various things?
- How to fend off wild animals?

Yes I do and much more, in fact I have 7 animals right now, I mushroom "hunt" twice a year, I have built 3 log cabins in my life the first at age 8, I have my own ceramics and metal working studio in one of our sheds, and I have been hunting (Bow, Musket, Shotgun, Spear) since I was legally of age at 12 and could get a permit. No I am not an extremist, nor a survivalist, pretty much all the guys I went to school with can do all of or do these things. Its relative to where you are from. I am from the rural USA and though we have a issue with the dumbing down of society like elsewhere, these things are still taught.


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## MelodieOctavia (Sep 16, 2010)

Blaze163 said:
			
		

> The most worrying thing is that the only way I can see of actually doing anything about the problem is...well, a war. And not one of these half arsed wars where America steamrollers a developing nation within a fortnight. A real war. Where everyone on Earth is fighting to survive. Or some sort of global cataclysm, like a meteor impact or some such. Think about it. If the world as we know it came to an end, how many of us would actually survive? Do you know how to...
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> - What kind of mushrooms are poisonous?
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None of those even matter for someone with a bit of skill in social engineering.


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## Blaze163 (Sep 16, 2010)

TwinRetro said:
			
		

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I beg to differ. Who's to say there's anyone else around? Do you personally know all the skills you would need to survive? Basic first aid, a knowledge of what food is safe to eat, etc? These skills are lost in today's age because they're no longer necessary, but they could become necessary at any moment. While I can appreciate that certain things are lost with time, intellect should never be one of them.


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## MelodieOctavia (Sep 16, 2010)

Blaze163 said:
			
		

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Intellect and knowledge for survival do not go hand in hand...in fact, they are almost never seen together.

Being book smart, and knowing what to o to survive are 2 different things, and usually it's one or the other. I know a hell of a lot about genetics, science, and technology, but none of that means a lick when you're stuck without anything but the wild blue yonder.

If there are people around, i'll be fine, if not...well, let's just hope I don't pick up a poison mushroom.


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## MelodieOctavia (Sep 16, 2010)

Correction. intellect is being gained at a phenomenal rate by a certain handfull of people.
Mostly those in the science and technology field.

That being said...we have those people think for us.


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## Schizoanalysis (Sep 16, 2010)

Yes. And I blame videogames.


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## Blaze163 (Sep 16, 2010)

You say people don't have the capacity to know all there is to know. I agree with you. But I personally don't get the impression that a lot of people are trying to know ANYTHING. They're content to sit watching the latest series of Big Brother or whatever the replacement will be now that Big Brother has finally called it a day, wasting away never achieving anything and not even attempting to better themselves in any way. We've become so lazy that we're content to die having made no mark on the world whatsoever. I'm not saying everyone should be a total glory hunter, but I don't think I could be on my death bed realising I'd achieved nothing with my time on Earth and still smile. That's how people are getting these days. They just don't care. They don't want to see humanity achieve anything. They don't want to do anything for anyone, not even themselves.

Take my uncle as an example. I have only a vague recollection of him from my early years as most of my childhood memories are hazy at best. But I recall he was an electrician, and a good one at that. He even rewired some of my old school while my dad was fixing a window there. Now he sits in a grotty council house, drinking himself to death. Nothing went wrong in his life, he wasn't struck down in his prime by uncontrollable illness or anything. He just stopped giving a damn. He looked after our dog for a few months and she died because he couldn't be bothered to care for her. She died months ago and when my dad and I went to visit a few days ago, there was still dog hair on the carpet.

People are getting lazier and more pointless by the day. I don't expect every human on the face of the planet to be a shining beacon of hope and human endeavour, but could we at least try?


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## Blaze163 (Sep 16, 2010)

Just because people CAN be lazy doesn't mean they SHOULD be. Why is nothing being done to motivate people? Get humanity in gear so we can start making some serious progression as a species instead of just a few of us going all the way, only for their big announcements to the world about their latest discoveries to be ignored so we can all watch the latest fatuous entertainment for the terminally short of brain cells?


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## injected11 (Sep 16, 2010)

Considering I was physically assaulted and called a terrorist today by 3 guys for answering "Yes" to a survey question asking if I was willing to read the Qur'an (after having already answered "Yes" to every other religious book), my vote goes for yes, people are becoming more dense, argumentative, and rude. I'm gonna become a damn recluse just to avoid it.

That and a week ago I saw a board full of laypeople calling Stephen Hawking a retard. Truly blew my mind.


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## Uncle FEFL (Sep 16, 2010)

Blaze163 said:
			
		

> The most worrying thing is that the only way I can see of actually doing anything about the problem is...well, a war. And not one of these half arsed wars where America steamrollers a developing nation within a fortnight. A real war. Where everyone on Earth is fighting to survive. Or some sort of global cataclysm, like a meteor impact or some such. Think about it. If the world as we know it came to an end, how many of us would actually survive? Do you know how to...


I don't think a war would fix anything. What, a world war between countries completely fucking slaughtering each other? That's your wicked conclusion of our solution?

Even if I at all agreed with this, the top countries in the world would still come out on top. We'd all unite against those who were below us, because we still want to be on top (ie, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Russia, and perhaps China). My estimate is that if this actually happened we'd lose about three billion people, according to the apocalyptic mood you give.

Yeah, because only the United States partakes in one-sided wars, right? 

@PharaohsVizier: It's hard to have faith in humanity when you see so many people doing the absolute bare minimum or below even that. I rely on our educated people to give us a better world, not our general masses. It's too big a responsibility in my opinion. Too many people would rather go into cosmetology rather than cosmology, too many people are happy with becoming a burger-flipper rather than a physicist. Obviously, the science field isn't for everybody, but people don't aspire to be what they can.


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## CarbonX13 (Sep 16, 2010)

I think it's because of the way our society is ran nowadays, and how the education system works. Students these days, are undoubtedly spoiled. They have everything done for them, and have no responsibilities in family or society. It's not as bad in Asian countries (namely China and Taiwan, not sure about others), but it's slowly evolving as well. Our society is becoming a spoiled era with people beginning to become more lazy, and stupid, because every is done for them.


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## Magmorph (Sep 16, 2010)

The general population has always been stupid. We are stupid, but not as stupid as people from several centuries ago.


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## Blood Fetish (Sep 16, 2010)

The general public is vastly more educated than they were even 100 years ago. Just look at literacy rates.


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## Ryukouki (Sep 16, 2010)

Well, completely off here, just joining in here.

If someone said this, sorry. I think it's incredible how we learn things nowadays. Even though there's those dull people out there, it's only natural. My view on why we may be getting "dumber/thicker" is because of the rate at which technology advances. Back in the day, when not many good items/tools/knowledge existed, we had to do everything by hand manually, and in doing so we "learned something" in the process, didn't we? Sure, we're not doing everything manually anymore, it's just that we have new tools to make life easier. We're not dumbing down, we're just making life easier for ourselves by taking advantage of the better technology.


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## Uncle FEFL (Sep 16, 2010)

PharaohsVizier said:
			
		

> It's hard to blame some people.  Trying to be at the forefront of anything these days seems like a daunting task.  Scientists of any field seem almost unreachable, even if you dedicate your life to an area it might not be enough.  At the forefront of fields like physics, you'd can't just put effort into it, you have to be inherently talented, a true genius.  It's really quite intimidating, there are just so many people in every field, career or job.  Even if you wanted to be the best plumber around, it's no easy task.


I disagree. I don't think you have to be a genius to intelligently attempt to understand how the universe operates. It takes a passion for science as a whole, the ability to understand complex concepts, and a ton of math, which I personally find exciting, but that's beside the point. Plenty of people have the mindset for the science field, but few act upon it. So much so I could argue that those even considering anything in the fields of science know at least a little of how successful they could be.

I don't think a challenge should ever make you quit your ideal career.


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## Shinigami357 (Sep 16, 2010)

it's part of evolution. only now, it's our heads and our ideals that are evolving. if they wanna degrade themselves, let them be.

EDIT: friggin' spellin' !!!


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## Blaze163 (Sep 16, 2010)

Shinigami357 said:
			
		

> it's part of evolution. only now, it's our heads and our ideals that are evolving. if they wanna degrade themselves, let them be.
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How are we evolving, though? What serious progress has mankind as a whole made for the last few decades? Think about all the mind blowing inventions of previous decades. We invented things like electricity, aircraft, a global information and  communications network. We walked on the moon, sent probes into the furthest reaches of our galaxy.

Then we just seem to have taken a break. What's been invented in the last ten years or so that honestly rivals the kind of impact that electricity had on our society? When was the last time doctors cured anything? When was the last time we actually looked good as a species? Look at us right now. Teenage pregnancy rates are through the roof, unemployment figures are diabolical, homelessness is getting worse, even literacy rates are dropping in several countries, and I'm ashamed to say that England was one of them last I checked.


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## Depravo (Sep 16, 2010)

Blaze163 said:
			
		

> We invented things like electricity


People must be getting stupider if they think we _invented_ electricity.


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## Blaze163 (Sep 16, 2010)

Depravo said:
			
		

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OK, allow me to rephrase. We harnessed electricity. We learned how to use it.


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## Youkai (Sep 16, 2010)

yeah ppl are getting fat (there already was a time in history where humans wanted to be fat [was a symbol of money])
and as well many ppl are geting very stupid ...
there are several "doku" series in tv showing mostly families with both parents beeing unemployed and most of them are really retarded,
hardly able to speak in an understandable language, not even able to count to 10 and hell just stupid and ugly -.-V

(not that everyone who is unemployed is like this, i was unemployed 2 years as well, just they mostly show the extreme retarded people in tv)


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## Uncle FEFL (Sep 16, 2010)

Blaze163 said:
			
		

> How are we evolving, though?Our brains are getting larger. Like I said before, people aren't born idiots, they just choose to be.
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Our era is not fixated around inventions, per se, but _information_. We are finding out so much information that others couldn't because they didn't have these inventions to work with!

How about the Large Hadron Collider (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Large_Hadron_Collider)? How about the tools being used to search for dark matter? How about the very chance of even discovering the type of universe we live in? This is an age of information, it's just that too many people are being misinformed, or choose not to be informed (for religious, cult, et cetera, purposes).

Notice how big the gaps are between the discovery of atoms and the particles that make them up? Stop being so ignorant; scientists don't come up with this overnight, dude. It could take decades of "layers of information," or it could even take thousands.

I just saw this last night on the Science Channel: Graphene is being invented, what could be the STRONGEST AND LIGHTEST material in the known UNIVERSE. It's a single atom thick of carbon and its bonds. Check Wikipedia for more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphene

Doctors don't cure or work to cure anything. When have we EVER looked "good" as a species? In the Egyptian times? No. In the Roman times? No. Dark Ages? Renaissance? The Scientific Revolution? No, no, and no. Only SOME people look good.

The masses have always been stupid throughout the history of man. It's because the leaders want to remain leaders. People don't come up with Rutherford-like experiments! Not all of us can be Leonardo da Vinci's! We can't all come up with Einstein's relativity! You have to be informed, _first_. And obviously gifted (but not for the field itself).

You seem a little misinformed. Inform yourself, brah.

EDIT: Of course, unorganized part of my argument. *Fixes*


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## Shinigami357 (Sep 16, 2010)

Blaze163 said:
			
		

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aw, come on, do you have to have every single breakthrough mankind has made listed down? We have particle accelerators, levitation technology, stem cell research, facial reconstruction, DS flash cards, free internet porn, etc (but don't count the last 2, lolz  
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





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also, electricity was harnessed long ago. hell, franklin was still alive then. planes aren't exactly that old. the internet (i assume that's what you mean) is less than a few decades old.

the last time doctors cured anything would be... uh, do you remember SARS? avian flu?


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## Deleted User (Sep 16, 2010)

I am the firememestarter! And what are you firememestartin'?

anyways...yes, they're getting thicker because I can't think of a proper reason to argue my point. This proves that we are thick.


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## Law (Sep 16, 2010)

It's not so much that people are getting thicker, it's more the fact that the thick people are reproducing faster than the smart people.


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## Deleted User (Sep 16, 2010)

Law said:
			
		

> It's not so much that people are getting thicker, it's more the fact that the thick people are reproducing faster than the smart people.


That is correct. You are so wise (or it could be that I am thick... 0-o)


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## Blaze163 (Sep 16, 2010)

Shinigami357 said:
			
		

> aw, come on, do you have to have every single breakthrough mankind has made listed down? We have particle accelerators, levitation technology, stem cell research, facial reconstruction, DS flash cards, free internet porn, etc (but don't count the last 2, lolz
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1)  The world's biggest particle accelerator didn't even work.
2) What levitation technology? I don't see flying cars anywhere.
3) A fair chunk of people still believe we should stop stem cell research. Hell, the former president thought it would offend God.
4) I don't really think facial reconstruction is as revolutionary as electricity or unlocking the DNA code.

As for the net being a couple of decades old, that's exactly the point I was trying to make. You can't invent one thing then just sit and do sod all for twenty years, which is what we as a species seem to be doing right now. We should be continuing to advance rather than sitting around with our thumbs up our arses. I will however admit that the continuing development of forensic science as a crime fighting medium does earn some points, that's made some pretty big advances over the years and hopefully will make crime virtually impossible.

And I don't think Avian Flu was ever a real threat if I'm perfectly honest. I think it was mostly a media construct to get our collective minds away from more serious issues, such as why the human race seems to be doing virtually fuck all.


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## Magmorph (Sep 16, 2010)

Blaze163 said:
			
		

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Yeah, the net hasn't advanced at all since it was invented, flying cars are the only type of levitation technology, and people protesting stem cell research makes it invalid.


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## Blood Fetish (Sep 16, 2010)

Blaze163 said:
			
		

> As for the net being a couple of decades old, that's exactly the point I was trying to make. You can't invent one thing then just sit and do sod all for twenty years, which is what we as a species seem to be doing right now.


As a network engineer let me say that you have no idea what you are talking about.


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## Blaze163 (Sep 16, 2010)

I'm not saying stem cell research is invalid, I'm saying the fact that people could be so dense as to protest against something with the potential to cure all disease and bring about a golden age of humanity out of fear of something they don't know for sure even exists proves that we as a species are getting pretty dense.

I don't know much about this levitation technology. What specifically are you referring to?

And how exactly has the internet advanced? Sure, it's faster than when it first started and it no longer needs wires, but that's just an upgrade, not a truly mind blowing invention with the capacity to revolutionize the way we live. OK, maybe it now being accessible on cell phones is a small plus, but I maintain that it's simply an upgrade. It's not truly crap-your-pants exciting like when the net first came into being.


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## MelodieOctavia (Sep 16, 2010)

Blood Fetish said:
			
		

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I concur. The Internet has made massive evolutions since it's invention. If you really can't see that, then you may be thicker than I originally thought.


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## Law (Sep 16, 2010)

Blaze163 said:
			
		

> I'm not saying stem cell research is invalid, I'm saying the fact that people could be so dense as to protest against something with the potential to cure all disease and bring about a golden age of humanity out of fear of something they don't know for sure even exists proves that we as a species are getting pretty dense.
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> I don't know much about this levitation technology. What specifically are you referring to?
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> And how exactly has the internet advanced? Sure, it's faster than when it first started and it no longer needs wires, but that's just an upgrade, not a truly mind blowing invention with the capacity to revolutionize the way we live. OK, maybe it now being accessible on cell phones is a small plus, but I maintain that it's simply an upgrade. *It's not truly crap-your-pants exciting like when the net first came into being.*



Downloading 1 GB in less than 20 minutes is pretty "crap-your-pants" exciting compared to how the Internet originally was.

and in terms of technology, everything has improved pretty damn well when it comes to computers.


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## Blaze163 (Sep 16, 2010)

I admit that the net is obviously better than it was, but I maintain that an upgrade to an existing invention or achievement does not carry the same weight as an all new achievement which shakes the ground beneath your feet. Yes, download speeds are pretty damn impressive, as is the ability to play games online against anyone else in the world, but it's not quite up to 'walking on the moon' standards. 

I accept that all these enhancements will eventually lead to something (or least they better do) but when I think about how life changed so radically for people in the past with utterly amazing events like walking on the moon, etc, I think this generation is getting a pretty rough deal in the major advancements department.

Also, anyone offended by my views on the nature of the net, I'm not saying it doesn't take a lot of work or anything, what I'm saying is that it's really not as big as what we as a species are capable of when we pull together.


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## Blood Fetish (Sep 16, 2010)

Practically every single invention ever has been built upon inventions of the past. What, exactly, do you think is brand new and Earth-shattering?


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## Magmorph (Sep 16, 2010)

The internet today is _much_ more complex than the technology that was used to send people to the moon.


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## Blaze163 (Sep 16, 2010)

Blood Fetish said:
			
		

> Practically every single invention ever has been upon inventions of the past. What, exactly, do you think is brand new and Earth-shattering?



That's exactly my point. We don't really have an achievement like that for this generation. When we look back on these last ten or twenty years, what will we remember except terrorist attacks and a huge oil spill? We won't be looking back thinking 'that was when man first walked on Mars' or 'that was when we finally cured cancer' or something. What I consider to be Earth shattering is an invention or achievement which makes everyone stop and think 'damn, thats really gonna change how we live'. Such as if cancer were cured, which would save the lives of hundreds of people every day. That'd be pretty incredible. 

Right now I'd settle for one lunar landing where we leave a sign on the moon big enough for the conspiracy theorists to see through their telescopes with the words 'happy now?' printed in huge letters.


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## Blood Fetish (Sep 16, 2010)

Perhaps I was not sufficiently clear. Give me an example of a brand new, Earth-shattering invention. Something that did not build upon older ideas.


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## Law (Sep 16, 2010)

Blaze163 said:
			
		

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How would THAT be a new achievement?

As for right now, this generation, I don't really see much to go for, other than maybe space travel, but there isn't really anywhere to go yet anyway. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Everything happens in it's own time, you can't force something to be invented if nobody knows what "the coming thing" could even be.


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## ether2802 (Sep 16, 2010)

all of this problems that you find, they all come from the same start point..........PARENTS!! I've heard the phrase "...don't want my kids to suffer the way I did it" so many times, that I began to think like that for a while, after my GF got pregnant with my 2nd kid, that's when I realize.....I can walk with my kids, but I can't walk for them, they need to "suffer" (yeah right, who with a roof, a glass of water and food can really suffer..??) their own way into life, if I start getting rid of the thing they don't want, they can become spoiled and lazy; no one tells us how to be a parent, and when you become one, you don't like somebody telling you where your mistake is, deep shit I'm telling ya', the only thing you can do is to be better and better everyday, if you smoke...quit smoking, if you don't do much sport, start walking, if you don't cook, learn, and so on....maybe with the time you help as an example to somebody...!!


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## Uncle FEFL (Sep 17, 2010)

Blaze, you have successfully hurt my feelings. Is my argument so inadequate that you can't even respond to my points? Have you chosen the other route, defeat, and decided not to argue with me at all? Or, did you just skip over me?

Argue with me, brah.

EDIT: Because if you would read it, your questions would be answered. 

TASTE OF DA ARGUMENT: Technology grows faster and faster, however, that does not make incredibly complex concepts less complex. Going to Mars permits the same challenge it did six thousand years ago, and even before that: It's too far.

Also, do you honestly think that once we harnessed electricity that it became an instant help to us as people? If so, you're sorely mistaken. The Internet is an awesome invention and grows at the same pace, if not faster, than other technologies. Saying that the Internet "isn't as good" as other inventions such as the plane is just...naive.


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## Blaze163 (Sep 17, 2010)

I never said the internet wasn't as good an invention, at least that wasn't my intention. Perhaps what I said was badly worded, I apologise. However, I still think that the net doesn't really belong to the current generation, it was invented a while back and has been updated ever since. Yes, it is a very impressive tool and certainly a world changing invention, but what I meant was that we in this current generation haven't really achieved much along the same sort of lines as the initial idea of the net. Making something better is of course essential, but when was the last time we saw an all new concept rock the world? That was what I was driving at.

However, I just looked up graphene on wikipedia. Looks to me like this might be damn useful stuff. Perhaps even one of the technologies we need to one day walk on Mars. So I tip my hat, or at least I would if I actually owned a hat, to Uncle FEFL for bringing that to my attention. 

Don't get me wrong, I can appreciate the value of many modern refinements to the way we live. As has been pointed out, the vast improvement to the net stands as a good example. But you also say these technologies are all working towards something bigger. We haven't had anything bigger for a while. That's what bugs me. I want to start a family one day, and would like to be able to say to my kids the same sort of things my old man said to me. Stuff like 'I was there when mankind first walked on the moon' or something like that. While all the modern advancements we make are of course valuable, they don't quite carry the OMG impact of bigger events. That's my pet peeve, the lack of said big events. Or at least the lack of positive events. Moments that will be remembered throughout history as some of the defining moments in human history.


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## Blood Fetish (Sep 17, 2010)

I think you have a good idea, but the wrong perception. There is no such thing as a new, Earth-shattering idea. Everything builds upon the things that came before it. You say that the Internet was this amazing new concept, but it is just part of a very long evolution of ideas. The world wide web as you know it evolved from the Internet, which evolved from ARPANET, which evolved from government and university research, which evolved from telephone networks, etc etc. This stuff traces back hundreds and even thousands of years in some cases.

It is easy for you to look to the past and just imagine that the Internet went *poof* into existence, but that isn't how it worked. Nor is that how practically any "revolutionary" thing has ever worked.


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## Blaze163 (Sep 17, 2010)

Very well, I shall concede that my logic regarding the nature of inventions is flawed. However, my logic regarding milestones in human achievement still stands, I think. We're nearing the end of the 'noughties' now, and what will they be remembered for? What exactly was the crowning achievement for the last ten years?

And we also seem to have glossed over several other areas of world stupification. Namely the butchery of the English language, the rising rates of teenage pregnancy, etc.


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## Depravo (Sep 17, 2010)

Blaze163 said:
			
		

> We're nearing the end of the 'noughties' now


They already ended. We're in the tens/teens now.

EDIT: I'm not picking on you on purpose


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## Blaze163 (Sep 17, 2010)

Depravo said:
			
		

> Blaze163 said:
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You're quite right. We have indeed finished with that decade. Further proof that the world is getting dafter, it's starting to affect me. Point still stands though, what was the defining achievement of the last decade? Something on par with the lunar landings, curing a disease, etc.


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## Uncle FEFL (Sep 17, 2010)

Blaze163 said:
			
		

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To be fair, diseases are rarely cured. When they are, the disease is already pretty much gone (first example that comes to me is Polio). I don't know of any time a disease was cured during a peoples' time of need (ie, when people were still commonly getting the disease).

What happened in 2000-2010? On your grand scale, nothing. But then again, what happened from 1894-1904? As far as I know, nothing on a grand scale. It wasn't until the next year that Einstein submitted his theory of relativity. Things don't have to happen every decade. They don't have to happen every fifty years, or any century. In I think both of our opinions, they just have to happen. The issue is that we want to experience one in our lifetime. Who wouldn't?


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## Depravo (Sep 17, 2010)

Uncle FEFL said:
			
		

> But then again, what happened from 1894-1904? As far as I know, nothing on a grand scale.


Powered flight in 1903 springs to mind.


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## Thoob (Sep 17, 2010)

Quote of today from someone at school:


			
				Thick Shit said:
			
		

> Yeah, but an anchovy is the same as an avocado.


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## ether2802 (Sep 18, 2010)

are LCD and PLASMA TV's from this decade...??


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## Uncle FEFL (Sep 19, 2010)

Depravo said:
			
		

> Uncle FEFL said:
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I am a prime example of the point of this topic, lol.

Forgot about the Wright brothers. >.


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## Shinigami357 (Sep 24, 2010)

Blaze163 said:
			
		

> Shinigami357 said:
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1.  uh, x-rays are also considered particle accelerators? last time i got x-rayed, the thing didn't explode and turn me into the thing, lol.
2. Magnetic LEVITATION train THIS
3. wait, someone listened to BUSH?!? OMG, pack your bags, we're goin back home to mars!!!
4. you wouldn't, but that guy (on ripley's i think) who got his face mauled by a grizzly prob would think facial reconstruction is the best thing since sliced bread.


Avian flu KILLED THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE. That should be enough to make it a viable threat. The strain of the particular virus (?) didn't last long, but people died from that, so discounting it would be really shallow.


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## Shinigami357 (Sep 24, 2010)

Blood Fetish said:
			
		

> Perhaps I was not sufficiently clear. Give me an example of a brand new, Earth-shattering invention. Something that did not build upon older ideas.




this is a misconception. it is nigh-on impossible to just invent something that wasn't at the very least based on a pre-existing concept. technology is really just humans finding better things to do their work for them (indeed, evolutionism theory says that human ancestors prob started with sticks and rocks, then on to tools, etc). technology doesn't have the "quantum jumps" where it ascends from one state to a higher one, there's always a progression.


PS

how do i merge posts? or multi-quote at least? i hate to double post, lolz.


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## Blood Fetish (Sep 24, 2010)

Shinigami357 said:
			
		

> this is a misconception. it is nigh-on impossible to just invent something that wasn't at the very least based on a pre-existing concept. technology is really just humans finding better things to do their work for them (indeed, evolutionism theory says that human ancestors prob started with sticks and rocks, then on to tools, etc). technology doesn't have the "quantum jumps" where it ascends from one state to a higher one, there's always a progression.


I realize this, and it was the focal point of my post. If you read my other posts you will see that I explicitly state continuous evolution as the march of progress.


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## em2241992 (Sep 26, 2010)

QUOTE said:
			
		

> People seem to be getting quite alarmingly stupid. Not everyone, in fact I'm sure the smart people are getting smarter. But the dumb people just seem a lot dumber than they used to.


I completely agree. The one example that just irritates me the most is the racial tension in the US, that is nothing more than naive and foolish. For example, in my region in NY State, there is an argument over Police and Fire Dept. examination standards. It is believed that their are not enough minorities in these fields(by the minorities) simply because the tests are too hard, so to make it fair we should lower the test difficulty to allow more minorities. First, by lowering the standards of these exams, we are lowering the quality of support by these two institutions putting the public welfare in greater jeopardy, second if the tests are easier, there is no guarantee that more minorities would get it, dumber Caucasian's could end up passing as well. 
This is just one example that comes to mind. This is a clear example of stupidity if you ask me. We should move forward as a society, not segregate ourselves because of issues such as this.


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## Blood Fetish (Sep 26, 2010)

While there is still plenty of bigotry in the US, it is far less than even 50 years ago. People are more tolerant, better educated, more literate, etc. In no possible way are people "thicker" now than they were in the past.


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## zeromac (Sep 26, 2010)

People are just getting more stupider as we live in the information age


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## Blood Fetish (Sep 26, 2010)

zeromac said:
			
		

> People are just getting more stupider as we live in the information age


What the hell does that mean? The rapid adoption of the Internet has greatly increased the general public's access to information. People as a whole are far more informed now than they have ever been.


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## monkat (Sep 26, 2010)

Blood Fetish said:
			
		

> zeromac said:
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Intelligence is different from knowledge.

Although we have the world's information at our fingertips, it makes it effortless to learn things, so when it comes time to actually use and apply information, all you have are facts.

Instant gratification is never a good thing.


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## Blood Fetish (Sep 26, 2010)

I strongly disagree with your assertion that instant access to knowledge and current events is *never* a good thing. The entire concept of a democracy requires an informed public to function.


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## monkat (Sep 26, 2010)

Blood Fetish said:
			
		

> I strongly disagree with your assertion that instant access to knowledge and current events is *never* a good thing. The entire concept of a democracy requires an informed public to function.



I'm so proud of my little Fetish here! He realized that 'never' almost never means 'never'! You must be all the rage in school! I mean, wow, talk about ahead of the curve - I bet you even know that hyperboles aren't literal, huh?

God, don't be a fucking nitpicker.


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## Canonbeat234 (Sep 26, 2010)

Damnit Tempers!! Why each time I want to blog about my topics, I see something that catches my eye! 

On topic: I remember txting a good 2 hour lecture about why we are stump when it comes to being more than we are now. It comes to my conclusion that you have to care. No one is going to teach you how to be responsible nor to make a living.


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## Blood Fetish (Sep 26, 2010)

monkat said:
			
		

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Don't get hostile with me because you worded your argument poorly. I would say instant access to information is a benefit in the vast majority of situations. I was not simply finding a single example to invalidate your use of the word "never", I was inferring that you were completely off-base.


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## Uncle FEFL (Sep 26, 2010)

zeromac said:
			
		

> People are just getting more stupider as we live in the information age


More stupider...? Haha, I can't really talk shit though, using my analogy a page back or so as evidence to my own mistakes. My mistake would be funnier though, because I looked up the Wright brothers at most ten minutes before I made that post, lol.


That's not because we live in the age of information. In my opinion, it's the exact opposite. People are just wussies and are too easily persuaded and brainwashed to make any useful opinion for themselves.



Spoiler



"What subjects do you hate?" 
"Science, math, and history mostly. O-oh and English sometimes, usually during grammar lessons, 'cuz i totaly knowz mi stuffs, yooo."

"OK. What subjects do you like?"
"Uh...P.E. because we don't really have to do shit! lolololol."

"*sigh* What do you like to do in your freetime?"
"Hangout."

"What's your opinion on being educated?"
"I don't know what you mean by that. School sucks though."

"What is your religion?"
"Christian. (Child was _raised_ that way)

"If you're involved in politics, what is your opinion on it and why?"
"Republican/Democrat because my dad says Democrats/Republicans are pansies/idiots."

"Where's [insert country here] on this world map?"
"I dunno."



Kids are becoming more and more apathetic towards everything these days. I'm sure it's because things are easier nowadays, but not because we're in the information age itself. Throughout time each generation of people become more apathetic than the last.


PS: How do you add titles to spoilers? I always forget. >.


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## DeliciousRice (Sep 26, 2010)

It's not that people are getting stupider permanently, it's just that a majority of people - in the United States at least - don't bother or even dare pursue the knowledge that is available to them. In this new modern age being uneducated, uninformed, and lazy has become a side effect of being trendy. People are extremely focused in fitting into popular society above everything else. When, of course, someone actually bothers to become educated, they are often labeled as "nerdy" and most of the time have trouble blending into modern niches. Being social creatures, most people don't attempt to question the superficial nature of people in the 21st century in fear that they might be ostracized for criticizing the norm. Thus, a large portion of our society has joined a communist party run by the people to enslave the people. This party has an agenda that often forces their civilians to be either uninformed towards or simply not having any acceptance towards contradicting doctrines. The people who obey the norm to the greatest extent are seen often as popular, while the people who disobey and question, or attempt to be different, are generally forced into the bowels of society's untold class system. I find Stephen Hawking to be a great example of this. Despite being considered a genius in the field of theoretical physics, by simply expressing his opinion on the controversial topic of the creation of the universe, he was automatically demoted by a majority to be a crazed fool. Some of his critics even went as far to attack him for being confined to a wheelchair. Hawking was an example of a person who defied the religious aspect of the communist party -  he stated that the existence of a god is unnecessary for the formation of the universe - but religious beliefs aren't the only part of life whose statuses are forcibly imposed by the great restriction of the 21st century. Anything from type of music interests to book preferences could have an accepted norm that most people are afraid to defy. It is because of this fear that radical, new changes in science and art are restricted and extremely rare. We are essentially stuck in an decade of forced complacency.

However I sincerely believe that we can break out of this cage. Society has always been known to alienate those who are different. From the beginning of known history, people being have always been forced into the norm, only to break free from the cage eventually. Two examples on the top of my head would be during the Roman era, the Jews were often persecuted for there beliefs, and during the dark ages, most of Europe was expected to obey the unquestionable Catholic Church. Despite these restrictions, the Jewish people were still able to live on with their beliefs, and the people of Europe were eventually able to break free form the grasp of the Vatican to form many denominations in religion. So while currently we are stuck in the age of the thick headed ideals of the 21st century, we probably will one day find the incentive to further progress. But no matter what we do, we can also probably never completely drop our "thick" members in society. The population of thick, ignorant people in society fluctuates during ages of knowledge and ages of darkness. If we plot their population on the xy axis, I would expect the result to be much like the graph of sin(x); while we are currently in a domain where their population increases, we will eventually hit a point in which their population will drop. 

So in conclusion, yes, people are getting thicker as of now, but that will probably stop soon and reverse it's trend as time goes on.


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## Zerousen (Sep 26, 2010)

Uncle FEFL said:
			
		

> zeromac said:
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People are getting dumber, but then again, not everyone is. I lived in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and it was perfectly fine there, intelligent kids, kind people, but now I live in Georgia, and I hear more things about drugs and [censored] on the news, murders everywhere, when I barely hear such news in my area in Michigan.


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## Mewgia (Sep 26, 2010)

zeromac said:
			
		

> People are just getting more stupider as we live in the information age



genius


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## Infinite Zero (Sep 26, 2010)

Uncle FEFL said:
			
		

> More stupider...? Haha, I can't really talk shit though, using my analogy a page back or so as evidence to my own mistakes. My mistake would be funnier though, because I looked up the Wright brothers at most ten minutes before I made that post, lol.
> 
> 
> That's not because we live in the age of information. In my opinion, it's the exact opposite. People are just wussies and are too easily persuaded and brainwashed to make any useful opinion for themselves.
> ...


GAWD. The spoiler is real. I hear those EXACT words. A lot of teens don't care much about learning and the importance of education. We just spend only 12 years of studying in our lives and after those 12 years... it will be the result of what you did. (Less intelligence = Fuckin' low grades so it means less opportunities for that person)

I got off topic 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



IMO People are not as smart unlike before. But not ALL, there are still people who have lots of juice in their brains and make use of it.


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## Shinigami357 (Sep 26, 2010)

Infinite Zero said:
			
		

> there are still people who have lots of juice in their brains and make use of it.




Bravo.


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## Blood Fetish (Sep 26, 2010)

For everyone who claims the general public is not as smart as "before": on what are you basing this? Are you old enough to remember the intelligence of the populace in decades past, or are you basing this on historical accounts (news clips, history books, and the like). If the latter, then do you think these recounted stories give cover the million "common" people for every great historical figure such as a general, leader, scientist, etc?


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## Blaze163 (Sep 26, 2010)

The thing of it is that I can see a LOT of stupid people in my local area. I encounter even more of them at work. I'm not saying that this is new, I'm sure there were always stupid people in every point in human history. I will even concede that the smart people in the world are getting smarter. But that doesn't make up for the stupification of the masses. Here's some recent examples.

- Someone came into work a few days ago asking where we keep the building site hard hats. We're a branch of JJB Sports. Why the hell would we carry hard hats? I see a LOT of dumb people come into the store asking for things that it should be obvious we won't have. Like the guy who asks me for a pencil case. 

- Based on the actions of my little brother, his friends, and the other children in the community, I can say with some certainty that either people are getting stupider or parents are getting lazier. I get tirades of hysterical abuse from one of the local kids  because I don't have Halo Reach. Apparantly I'm too poor. Evidently failing to notice the £550 pay check in my pocket, eh? Parents these days let their kids run riot. My brother's ex's kids are in serious danger of being taken into care because they're constantly in trouble with the police.

- The constant and obvious butchery of the English language.

- Mankind's continuing obsession with celebrity culture. We're somehow content to be sat around waiting for news of who's sleeping with who in Hollywood, or even worse on some dumb soap opera. Focussing on problems constructed by the media to rob us of a few more coins rather than dealing with our own problems, or doing anything useful.

Maybe I should re-evaluate my position. Perhaps it's not so much a lack of intelligence I'm noticing so much as a lack of moral fibre. People becoming content to be nothings instead of striving to leave their mark on history. The general 'cant be bothered' attitude we seem to have adopted. To me that's a sign of decreased intellect, but perhaps I'm mistaken and it's a sign of moral decay.

Based on what I know of the previous generation, my dad's era, children were scolded when they did stupid things and acted up. Parents retained some control over their children and kept them on the straight and narrow, or at least mostly. Look at the youth of today. Gang culture, knives, abusive attitude and a total lack of respect for anything even though 'respect' is the word they seem to utter more than any other. Again, I'm sure there have always been problematic kids, but it seems to be reaching epidemic levels at the moment. ASBO's may as well come in different colours for different areas of the city, kids these days seem intent on collecting the whole set anyway.

These gangs of what police radio reports tend to call 'youths' are roaming the streets, causing chaos wherever they go, making this city in particular unsafe to walk around at night. I'm perfectly capable of defending myself under most circumstances but even I'll struggle against a gang of drugged up teens with knives, I have the scar to prove it. All this going on while the parents just give up, watching the latest banal mind numbing television (looking at you, Jeremy Kyle) while their daughters get pregnant before they find work. What the hell happened? Sure, this must have been going on before but why is it so prevalant now?


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## Deleted User (Sep 26, 2010)

I forgot who posted it, but due to genetic selection, stupid/thick people don't use condoms and reproduce faster, and so passing the stupid/thick gene. So the world, due to cushy comforts and the PS3/Xbox/Wii are getting more stupid. One day, we will not be able to make things anymore due to our terminal stupidity.


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## Blood Fetish (Sep 26, 2010)

Idiocracy is not a documentary.


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## Blaze163 (Sep 26, 2010)

jet™ said:
			
		

> I forgot who posted it, but due to genetic selection, stupid/thick people don't use condoms and reproduce faster, and so passing the stupid/thick gene. So the world, due to cushy comforts and the PS3/Xbox/Wii are getting more stupid. One day, we will not be able to make things anymore due to our terminal stupidity.



I don't think people are genetically stupid, that's more a matter of environment. But the teenage pregnancy epidemic sure worries me. I'm not against the idea of having kids, hell as a joke me and my best friend Amelia once picked out names for our potential future kids to kill a boring afternoon. But that's a bridge I'll cross when I'm ready. Financially and emotionally stable enough to support a child. That's how parenthood should be. A calculated decision based on the quality of life you'd be able to provide the child. Not the product of a poor upbringing, a bottle of vodka and a dirty alleyway. Imagine the sort of things the new generation will hear as the grow up.

'Mummy, who's my daddy?'

'Fucked if I know.'

And so on.


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## omgpwn666 (Sep 26, 2010)

People are turning more dumpid. But I just let it happen and try to stay normal.

lol Dumpid.


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## elmoreas (Sep 26, 2010)

@Blood Fetish: I made my claim that people are becoming less intelligent based on several conversations I had with my Great Grandmother on the subject and how she felt things had changed over the course of he 93 years. I then added some of my own observations to it and came to a conclusion. BTW I wish I could ask here what she thinks of things now as she passed away in 1999.

PS Just so I don't get what did you have a commune with the dead joke, no. The conversations happened back in the late 1990's.


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## Blaze163 (Sep 27, 2010)

I think given what I just saw on the news it's safe to say that common sense is no more. There are kids in Brighton who are being trained how to ride a scooter. I'd have thought it'd be pretty self explanatory. They have to be taught how to use the brakes, how to turn, etc. The parents are getting behind it because they're afraid of the kids hurting themselves when they fall down. I'm no expert but given that a scooter is only about 2 inches off the ground, the force of impact if you fell off wouldn't be all that different to just plain falling over, even if you were travelling at speed. Besides, kids need to learn these things for themselves.

I guess what we're lacking is balance. Parents these days seem to be either insanely over protective, or they're the teenage mothers who don't give a shit if the baby's crying because Loose Women's on.


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## Talaria (Sep 27, 2010)

How to you measure Intelligence/Thickness?

Who's smarter, a guy who crafts beautiful, intricate furniture out of wood or a physicist working in an area of the String Theory?


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## Blaze163 (Sep 27, 2010)

Talaria said:
			
		

> How to you measure Intelligence/Thickness?
> 
> Who's smarter, a guy who crafts beautiful, intricate furniture out of wood or a physicist working in an area of the String Theory?



They're both smart. Especially in comparison to the bibbling masses sat with their fingers up their arse watching mind numbing tv while their kids are out getting either pregnant or arrested.


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## heavyknight (Sep 27, 2010)

People are dumbing down, and it only gets worse as time passes. Them minds only continue to narrow.

These days, no one tends to even think anymore. 
It's all about: 



Spoiler



A list of experiences around me, some are personal, some are just there.
*Sex* : They're already pregnant by Jr. High. Males who think they're so high and might and so pro by having sex. You think that makes you a man? That's the common way to think, that's their common thought process. I even heard the 'tard say something about getting laid. Aside not needing to know, it's annoying. We don't need more children from idiots who can't even handle them properly. You shouldn't need help from mommy to take care of *your* kid, as in, she has to financially put out.

*Drugs* : This is mostly self explanitory. People smoking pot, getting high, and then doing retarded things. Smoking pages out of religious books, for example. The fact that...that guy was a lawyer, made me die inside. How could someone like that be a lawyer? He's also just some self-proclaimed atheist, not a real one.
Then there are other drugs, such as anti-depressants. Faking your own happiness will only hurt you, it's best to face your problems and sort out your emotions.

*Dumbed down shows* : MapleStory gained an anime, a show meant for kids, yet (mostly American) teens couldn't even comprehend the show. And then everything on TV nowadays is based on sex, and high school, and all that crap.
Where the hell are all the good values at now? Even Family Guy is usually all about sex or drugs now. And I find that funny when you hear the opening song.
People are entertained by the 'worst' things ever...I can't comprehend how. For example, the Jersey Shores, I don't get how people could watch that. Same with Gossip Girls, and Entourage, and...the like.
We could use shows that aren't blatant generic crap, like Bones, or House. I can't think of anything else here.

*Overuse of swearing* : Learn to use other f'ing words.

*Bad English* : is it really -that- hard to say WHY and not Y?! No freaking excuses. Easier? Shorter? I can understand if it fits because of stuff like twitter's 140 limit, but most things ain't twitter. That's only one of more than a hundred. I can find many examples over the net. Even foreign people make effort. They make effort more than those who are supposedly 'native' to the English language. How is that possible? 

*Horrid parenting* : Parents aren't even paying attention to their kids anymore. I've seen so many immature...bluntly put...dumbasses on the net, and even at school. Is it -that- hard to keep them from doing stuff? You don't have time? What kind of lame excuse is that? Parent, my ass.

The solution isn't yelling or hitting, or even ignoring.
Is it really -that- hard? You -did- make the child after all. Then it goes up for adoption, and someone else would 'clean up' the mess. I'm not saying orphans and the like are bad, I'm just saying that some of them come from people who are idiots. Because of that, someone else ends up cleaning up the mess. There are others with circumstances, but that's different from just getting knocked up.

I'll be honest, with my own parents, I'd love a father-son or mother-son type of bond, them deep meaningful ones, but that just ain't gonna' happen here. I won't let my child miss out on that. 

*Stereotypes* : People tend to back up stereotypes by doing stupid things. A lot of black people tend to be gang members. A lot of Mexicans are Mexicants. There's a lot more, and I'm pretty sure a lot of you know them well.
Note : A lot, if you take offense, learn to read first. 
Now that, you can take offense to.

*Gangs* : These people make me laugh. They act all tough, but they're pitifully weak. For starters, getting your 'homies' to take out one person shows you can't do it alone. When you're in a losing battle, they end up jumping in. You're certainly a man. The weak gets hunted. Not to mention the mentality of the mass majority. Shooting at a car because you feel like it? Hell, when they kill kids, some act like they did something cool, but even gangsters have a few morals here and there.

I saved that for last, because it'll go well in conjunction with the parent topic, about what a 'man' is. Simply put, it's someone responsible, with the 'right' values. The way teens are now, and the way they talk, I feel sorry for the life made by pitiful lowly 'humans'.

And lastly, there are people who keep acting like the -only- victims of things. These people need to get over themselves, and think about others for a change. How hard is it to shut up about yourself for 1 minute and let someone else do the talking?
It happens all over, and it's annoying.



Even more to add, I remember something on one of them judge shows on TV, about this one guy who married someone and slept with another woman or two, and said stuff about how it was 'fine' because she's just a wife and how she just needs to do things.
The funny part was : the guy was still leeching money from his mom to do things. He said stuff about 'being a man' and all that.
If you still need mommy's money, you can't say anything about that.
And that's not all of it...much more to say.

Other than that, nothing but rants and bronze coins.


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## redact (Sep 27, 2010)

i get thicker as i eat more


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