Are people getting dumber?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. MAGA is a cult. They’re brainwashed and lost all critical thinking skills. They are America’s worst citizens. They give nothing to America but headaches.

And even worse, people like this posters believes stupidity falls along a political line in the sand.

Technically the leave no child behind started with bush administration. Dude profits off war but he is not maga.

[Anonymous]

Yes - as convenience factor improves in life, ability to process and analyze goes down. Logically, this is true.

Back in the day (I'm 52 also) when you had to give driving directions and following them - you had to pay attention, esp to details. Now, just look at a google map and you don't even know where you are! Just follow instead of think.

It's still the basics that get you through because everything is built on a foundation. As we get "smarter" we give up something and that is typically our creativity or intelligence. If you don't need to use it, you don't ever develop it. This doesn't mean that there are not other human boundaries to explore however. Just not sure we're there in figuring what that is yet...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You all are dumb. No people are not getting dumber. The way brains are being used has dramatically changed in the last 15 years. Some for the worse.

People have been dumb for all of human history. I mean, look back on the 1960s and Vietnam War. Idiot americans lost all ability to reason about that war, and had the audacity to to shut down any criticism of the US at the time -- criticism which was entirely legitimate and turned out to be 100% true, with the passage of time. But like 95% of Americans were so laser focused on their own echo chamber that they wouldn't engage in any meaningful debate about it. I cite that example just because it's recent and so glaring a case of black/white right/wrong answers, but there are tons of examples in history of idiots.

I think you miss the point. I agree that people have changed how they think and that stupidity has existed since the beginning of time. However, exactly because of how we think these days, we have been in certain ways, getting dumber. Basic memorization, the ability to manage complexity is down. We have a lot of automation tools and there's no need to observe, just follow now. A lot of stimulation and duplication of creativity v. original development of ideas. That has always been true no matter what time frame - this one is easier to distinguish however.

It's almost impossible to overlook the obvious signs of texting, car guidance systems, conveniences all around us. That has definitely made an impact on who we are and how we utilize our senses and intelligence. Instead of saying that everyone has gotten dumber I would just say that the stress is on many more people not needing to be smart but there still exists like there always has, creativity and intelligence. It's just more rare and it's used in ways probably that aren't the same as they used to be used because we pay attention to different things in this age. I think humans are wired a certain way and the ones who achieve greatness will continue to follow a certain path - there just will be fewer and fewer of regular people who showcase any talent than in the past however.

[Anonymous]

It is called The Flynn Effect. Human intelligence is on the decline.

Repeated studies have confirmed this as fact.

https://futurism.com/neoscope/human-intelligence-declining-trends

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes - as convenience factor improves in life, ability to process and analyze goes down. Logically, this is true.

Back in the day (I'm 52 also) when you had to give driving directions and following them - you had to pay attention, esp to details. Now, just look at a google map and you don't even know where you are! Just follow instead of think.

It's still the basics that get you through because everything is built on a foundation. As we get "smarter" we give up something and that is typically our creativity or intelligence. If you don't need to use it, you don't ever develop it. This doesn't mean that there are not other human boundaries to explore however. Just not sure we're there in figuring what that is yet...

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes. It's the air freshener, dishwasher soap, dryer sheets etc. They swell the brain.

Covid brain too. Studies abound.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, Trump is President.

Better than Autopen fool

[Anonymous]

Op here requesting not to make this a political thread. I’m just trying to make sense of what I’m experiencing around me. I asked if others also noticed people being unable to do basic life tasks that at one point were fairly routine. IMO technology and the constant stream of content coming through our phones has lead to people forgetting how to read, think, exist. Almost like a societal collapse of executive function + critical thinking and it’s scary to think about where we are headed because most people don’t seem to care that something has changed

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not to sound like a grumpy old person (I’m 52), but is it me or are people getting dumber? It feels like people struggle to follow very basic directions generally and maybe it’s just that no one reads anything anymore, but we belong to a group that has sign ups for classes 4x a year and I’m amazed that families who have been doing this for years suddenly seem wildly confused about the process. Or can no longer navigate to a location without gps even though you give them simple verbal directions (eg Take X road, turn right at the light and we are the second house on the left). Or no longer try to figure something out before searching google/You Tube. Or are so easily sways by whatever they read on the internet, that we have people who are well educated spouting off crazy tunes conspiracy theories. I could go on and on, but I’m starting to feel like I live in the twilight zone.

Of course. Just look at all the people who voted for Kamala.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. I think this every time I get behind some knucklehead at the Costco gas station who can’t seem to work the card reader or the pump properly.

Did you help the knucklehead or do you just come on here to complain about this knucklehead?

PP here. No, I filmed it and put it on Tik Tok so other people could revel in the stupidity.

/s

[Anonymous]

I think all the Covid cases are resulting in brain fog and lots of inflammation for many people.

I've seen the effects at work: two coworkers who were very detail oriented pre Covid cases are now all over the place and are having a hard time.

[Anonymous]

the covid years impacted teaching and curriculum content. I think it was cut by 30% in Moco for the 18 months teaching went online

that is going to impact every single kid

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. It's the air freshener, dishwasher soap, dryer sheets etc. They swell the brain.

Covid brain too. Studies abound.

This.

[Anonymous]

There is a widening schism. Some are still raising smarter and smarter offspring, but most are stagnant, while many are indeed becoming "dumber" as you put it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There used to be a large amount of respect and deference for those who were intelligent, but it’s turned into jealousy and anger. Being dumb isn’t something that people hide anymore.

They were courted as a huge voting block. Why would they hide it?