WHY ARE AMERICANS SO DUMB?

[cilla4progress]

The q that must be asked.

As Fauci said yesterday: the anti-science contingent looms large.

Are only intelligent people wearing masks?

Is it our public school system???

[BannonsLiver]

1. Dumbest country in the industrialized world

Every day I wish my ancestors had stayed from where they came. I know I’d much rather live there than here.

I think it’s a combo of the school system and the toxic lie we were always taught about American exceptionalism.

[cilla4progress]

4. Where is that?

I ask because I have been so touched hearing AA people refer to their ancestors so much lately. Of course, yesterday, especially. As a white woman, I hadn't noticed that much before. Not listening well enough.

I was fortunate to work in Indian country for several years. There I heard talk of ancestors every day.

☺

[BannonsLiver]

5. Scotland

[cilla4progress]

7. Ahhhh..

my husband i think has some Scottish roots. Would love to travel there some day - seems like a place we would like!

I'm 100% Russian! Good thing my ancestors left when they did or I likely wouldn't be around to complain about shit! 🤣

[BannonsLiver]

8. Yeah I've spent a lot of time in the U.K.

They have their troubles too, and the food is awful, but when I’m there it just feels right.

[cilla4progress]

12. Cool.

I was there on a family vacation in 1975. England and Wales. Retracing my parents' love story with them when they met and married during WWII. Then France, Belgium and Holland

[BannonsLiver]

15. No, THAT is cool!

What a great story!

[Cirque du So-What]

18. My ancestors beg to dffer

I’m a mutt with ancestors from all across Northern Europe. War, famine, disease, poverty, and persecution played various roles in why they emigrated to the new world. For that time, it was the only viable option. Certainly beat dying.

That being said, I wish emigration to just about all of the countries of my forebears were possible now. Times change.

[tulipsandroses]

2. Good question, are there any other countries where wearing a mask is this controversial?

Is this an issue in other places?

[yankee87]

3. Cult

There has always been an anti-science contingent in the country. We actually had a party called the Know-nothings. Now we a cult of personality that is 45 said gravity doesn't apply, some of his cultists would jump off the building.

[Ohiogal]

6. I blame it on

The saturation of the airwaves with stupid. (Fox, OAN, Rush, etc.)

[oswaldactedalone]

13. This

times infinity.

[sop]

22. Without a properly functioning Fourth Estate, keeping the electorate informed and holding

elected leaders accountable, no democracy can survive.

[dlk]

9. There has been a multi-decade assault on public education by Republicans

After all, uneducated people are much more susceptible to propaganda and much more easily manipulated. Strong public schools are the foundation of our democracy.

[cilla4progress]

14. "I love the uneducated."

One of drumpf's statements, purportedly.

[dlk]

17. They are sheep who line up to buy his snake oil.

[cilla4progress]

19. Makes me think of

The Music Man sometimes. Do you know the reference?

[dlk]

21. Yes, I remember the film well

“...Trouble right here in River City...”

[cilla4progress]

27. Flim flam

amirite?

All the Music Man did though was try to get a band started!:

When Harold Hill (Robert Preston), a traveling con man, arrives in River City, he convinces the locals to start a band by purchasing
the uniforms and instruments from him. His intention is to flee as soon as he receives the money. Librarian Marian Paroo (Shirley
Jones) suspects Harold is a fraud, but holds her tongue since her moody brother, Winthrop (Ronny Howard), is excited about the
band. As Harold begins to develop feelings for Marian, he faces a difficult decision about skipping town.

[LastDemocratInSC]

36. Professor Harold Hill promoted the "Think Method" of music education.

So the citizens would deny what's right in front of their noses.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

10. Our schools are at the core.

Not because they are uniformly bad, but because science and history are very poorly taught even in many good schools. All too often the history and science teachers are also known as "coach". I have no idea how it's done in other countries, but here, people take years of education courses and hardly any in whatever field they will wind up teaching. Which strikes me as completely backward. You should major in history or science or math and then take whatever courses will teach you how to do things like make tests that accurately test knowledge.

Add in ignorant religious people who insist that science essentially not be taught. No evolution!

What's astonishing is that at higher levels we have many of the best scientists in the world.

[cilla4progress]

16. Great info and

observation. Thanks!

[dlk]

20. America should have the best public schools in the world-we have the necessary resources

Unfortunately, they are being directed into the pockets of the uber-rich. This is one of the many reasons why voting is so critical and why we need to do a much better job of educating Americans of this fact. If we want to live in a successful democracy, we all have the responsibility to participate. A successful democracy doesn’t happen in a vacuum. When the majority of Americans don’t vote and don’t participate, we end up with pervasive corruption and and disastrous messes like we have now.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

28. Too often people are not willing to pay the taxes needed for good schools.

Old people, or those with no children, will say they shouldn't have to pay school taxes if they have no children attending school. They don't understand that a decently educated workforce matters to all of us.

People will sometimes choose to buy a house where the taxes are lowest, and then have trouble selling the house because no one wants to live in a crappy school district.

Stuff like that.

[dlk]

30. The tax structure to support schools could be reconfigured to be more equitable

We could also choose a completely different funding structure to fund public schools. Looking at all of the taxes we pay to fund endless wars, Americans might want to take a hard look at their funding priorities and what most benefits our society as a whole. What have we gained from our endless wars? What would we gain as a country with a truly well-educated population? There is a lot to be considered.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

33. Yep.

Our way of funding schools seems set in stone.

However, wouldn't it be nice if the Navy had to hold a bake sale or two to purchase a new aircraft carrier, but schools had plenty of money and the cost to attend public college be free or just minimal.

[dlk]

34. There's an idea!

[blaze]

11. FOX NEWS nt

[area51]

23. This goes along with my question

on why Americans put up with not having healthcare as a right, like in 1st world countries.

[dem4decades]

24. For some people the Bible is a textbook.

[jalan48]

25. Magical thinking, especially among religious sects, has replaced science for many.

[RockRaven]

26. George Carlin had a bit on why Americans weren't better informed/smarter

And boiled down to something like "The people who own this country... It's not in their interest."

[Luciferous]

29. I would say a large part of it is the education system

[lpbk2713]

31. GW Bush made stupid acceptable IMO.

He enabled all the other stupids out there.

[Brainfodder]

32. Brainwashed by their news source choices?

Refuse to change the channel and/or seeks out only news that agrees with them?

[NightWatcher]

35. Because religion is pushed on children and education has been defunded for 20+

Make em stoopid and gullible and then it's easier to rule.