No wonder the Taliban fears democracy. It’s easier to lop the head off “stupid people” than to let them keep thinking. Perhaps that’s America’s problem: Stupid people are not only allowed to think, they’re allowed to vote. Problem is, I might be part of that demographic.
Okay, so I’m reading my own conclusions into these statistics. But, according to this article in The Onion: 38 Percent of People Not Actually Entitled to Their Opinion.
CHICAGO—In a surprising refutation of the conventional wisdom on opinion entitlement, a study conducted by the University of Chicago’s School for Behavioral Science concluded that more than one-third of the U.S. population is neither entitled nor qualified to have opinions.
“On topics from evolution to the environment to gay marriage to immigration reform, we found that many of the opinions expressed were so off-base and ill-informed that they actually hurt society by being voiced,” said chief researcher Professor Mark Fultz, who based the findings on hundreds of telephone, office, and dinner-party conversations compiled over a three-year period. “While people have long asserted that it takes all kinds, our research shows that American society currently has a drastic oversupply of the kinds who don’t have any good or worthwhile thoughts whatsoever. We could actually do just fine without them.”
All right, so it’s political parody. Still, I can’t help wonder if it reflects current opinion — that is, elite opinion. Jefferson foresaw that the strength of any republic is dependent upon an “informed electorate.” But, depending on who’s doing the “informing,” you could find yourself in the “Dumb” demographic.
Let me guess: People with high IQ’s. . .
- Believe in evolution
- Support gay marriage
- Calculate their carbon footprint
- Respect a woman’s “right to choose”
- Will see Michael Moore’s new film
Could this explain why the academic elite are notoriously liberal, why intelligent design is not “intellectually viable” among the scientific community, and why religious people are often portrayed as stupid, narrow-minded morons? Oh well, perhaps I am part of that “38 percent.” But until the Taliban takes charge, I can continue to express my stupid opinions.
My first thoughts when I started reading the clip was “and just how do they determine whose opinion is relevant? And what makes a person qualified or entitled to having an opinion?”
My first guess was that it was determined by some self-proclaimed “intelligentsia.” Lo and behold I was not far off.
I probably fall in the low IQ category along with you… no offense intended.
;-D
Yep. That’s the crux. WHO Decides what is “the right opinion.” Lots of atheists are all militant now, and religion should be BANNED.
Gee, didn’t the communists already try that? And the Islamists do it for religion other than theirs. So, who are they keeping company with? Stalin and Osama. Nice.
Mir
define “dumb”
define “stupid”
we must be using contrary definitions 😉
I’m definitely NOT seeing Michael Moore’s new film. I don’t believe in evolution OR gay marriage. If that makes me dumb, then so be it.
I’ll agree on one thing: People who don’t know what they’re talking about tend to look foolish when they try to act like they do…and fail.
Of course, I always joke a writer’s prerogative is to pretend to know everything when they really know nothing. My dad’s right: Act like you know what you’re doing — People assume you do.
More to the point of the entry…The thing about people who accuse others of being narrow-minded is that they tend to themselves be narrow-minded. The whole “I tolerate everything but intolerance” idea.
It could be worse. They could be trying to educate us. Oh…wait… 0=)