Good news for Americans: We're not intallectally infearior! [Archive]

Erebus

10-10-2006, 09:13 PM

:)
According to a recent poll, only 1 in 5 Europeans, and 1 out of 10 Brits, know that the EU has 25 countries in it.
Based on responses from around 1,000 people in each country from May 5 to June 11, 52 percent of respondents believed the Union has fewer than 25 members, five percent believe it has more and 20 percent had no opinion.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061010/od_afp/euenlargepoll;_ylt=AuMzMzsSp8yUEABTVPkIo8d0bBAF;_y lu=X3oDMTBjMHVqMTQ4BHNlYwN5bnN1YmNhdA--
Stupidity is universal.

Gene M.

10-10-2006, 09:17 PM

Please. For the love of God. Tell me the thread title was spelled that way on purpose.

Erebus

10-10-2006, 09:21 PM

Please. For the love of God. Tell me the thread title was spelled that way on purpose.
:p ;)
Hahahaha, notice the distict smiley face right off the bat.

ragnarok_2012

10-10-2006, 09:23 PM

Please. For the love of God. Tell me the thread title was spelled that way on purpose.

My thoughts exactly.

How does that poll prove your assertion?

Iangould

10-10-2006, 09:23 PM

:)
According to a recent poll, only 1 in 5 Europeans, and 1 out of 10 Brits, know that the EU has 25 countries in it.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061010/od_afp/euenlargepoll;_ylt=AuMzMzsSp8yUEABTVPkIo8d0bBAF;_y lu=X3oDMTBjMHVqMTQ4BHNlYwN5bnN1YmNhdA--
Stupidity is universal.

The Europeans have a sort-of excuse since they keep adding members.

I tell you, they're worse than the Avengers.

Dan Apodaca

10-10-2006, 09:25 PM

moebius

10-11-2006, 12:02 AM

The Europeans have a sort-of excuse since they keep adding members.

I tell you, they're worse than the Avengers.

Does that make Latvia Silverclaw?

Personally, I can't blame Europeans for not knowing that Malta has been part of an untransparent but absurdly important super-bureaucracy for the last two years.

If you look at voter turnout in elections in European countries, it reads something like:

National: 65-80%
State: 55-70%
Local: 45-60%
European: 25%

Also, they just did a geography survey here, and Americans were failing to properly identify California and Texas on a map. They routinely forget we've had 50 states for the last 45 years.

thehod

10-11-2006, 12:43 AM

I'm wondering about the 20% who had "no opinion".

"Sir, do you know how many members the European Union has?"
"I have no opinion on that."
"I'm sorry?"
"I have no opinion on that."
"Ooo-kay... How about if you just tell me if you think there are more than 25 members?"
"I have no opinion on that."
"Less than 25?"
"I have no opinion on that!"
"So, you're saying that you have no thought, not even a guess, about how many members are in the EU?"
"Didn't you hear me? I have no brain!"

I think it was more along the lines of

"Sir, do you know how many members the European Union has?"
"Do I look like I give a monkey's? I couldn't care less whether there are five or five hundred. I've been working my butt off all day, its time to go home, its pissing down and you've made me miss my bus with your dumb ass questions. Bugger off."

Stellar

10-11-2006, 05:58 AM

heh. that seems more likely.

i remember there was a pole in England last year. when students were asked who the prime minister is, the majority answered....winston churchill.

no joke

Joe Rice

10-11-2006, 06:03 AM

Those Europeans were probably too busy wearing ugly clothes or smelling funny.

Calybos

10-11-2006, 09:42 AM

So, how many Americans knew the number of members in the EU? Just for comparison, you understand.

Hiromi

10-11-2006, 10:44 AM

So, how many Americans knew the number of members in the EU? Just for comparison, you understand.

Not the best one, as it'd be akin to asking how many Europeans knew how many states are in the US, now switch that up a bit(ask americans the number of states in the US), and we'll still lprobably ook equally stupid, but its a more fitting comparisson.

Ray R.

10-11-2006, 11:14 AM

So, how many Americans knew the number of members in the EU? Just for comparison, you understand.

The better question is how many Americans know what "EU" stands for.

50% would say the sound you make when you smell an old gym sock
30% would say it's a large flightless bird
15% would say "I don't understand the question"
5% would say "F-U"

Davideaux

10-11-2006, 11:20 AM

I looking for the US to sweep the Nobel Prizes.

Dreadstar

10-11-2006, 11:23 AM

I looking for the US to sweep the Nobel Prizes.

Screw you.

You want a clean-up crew, hire a f---in' janitor.

Cyke

10-11-2006, 11:28 AM

Then again, we Americans are never quite sure if we have either 51 or 52 states.

Ray R.

10-11-2006, 11:30 AM

I looking for the US to sweep the Nobel Prizes.

I need to set the Tivo. Who's covering them -- E!, MTV or VH-1?

Tommy

10-11-2006, 11:31 AM

Then again, we Americans are never quite sure if we have either 51 or 52 states.
Gaum is not a state! However Samo is.

Davideaux

10-11-2006, 11:31 AM

Screw you.

You want a clean-up crew, hire a f---in' janitor.

The janitor has been out-sourced. American hands never touch brooms.

Ed Cunard

10-11-2006, 11:34 AM

The better question is how many Americans know what "EU" stands for.

50% would say the sound you make when you smell an old gym sock
30% would say it's a large flightless bird
15% would say "I don't understand the question"
5% would say "F-U"

What about the ones that don't have an opinion?

Ray R.

10-11-2006, 11:49 AM

What about the ones that don't have an opinion?

An American doesn't have an opinion about something? Even something they don't know anything about?

Blasphemy.

Ray R.

10-11-2006, 11:51 AM

Then again, we Americans are never quite sure if we have either 51 or 52 states.

Are you including or not including the United Kingdom and Israel? And I think Israel is classified as a protectorate, while the United Kingdom is a territory with Commonwealth status.

Dan Apodaca

10-11-2006, 11:45 PM

An American doesn't have an opinion about something? Even something they don't know anything about?

Blasphemy.

I have no opinion about this!

Rachel Grey

10-12-2006, 12:59 AM

The janitor has been out-sourced. American hands never touch brooms.

Dunno about that. American women need something to satisfy them. :p

TheTen-EyedMan

10-12-2006, 07:44 AM

The janitor has been out-sourced. American hands never touch brooms.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a172/Drtzintzin/tZIN%202/poster87529935.jpg

Phrozen

10-12-2006, 08:41 AM

Technically, the United States has 49 states and 1 Commonwealth.

Stellar

10-12-2006, 09:40 AM

The janitor has been out-sourced. American hands never touch brooms.

hell, even the brooms aren't american made anymore.

can you say 'made in china' ?

Alan2099

10-12-2006, 10:07 AM

The better question is how many Americans know what "EU" stands for.
Expanded Universe! ... I think it's a Star Trek reference.

Then again, we Americans are never quite sure if we have either 51 or 52 states.
I refuse to except Rhode Island as a state.

Dreadstar

10-12-2006, 10:08 AM

Technically, the United States has 49 states and 1 Commonwealth.

46 and 4.
.

Ray R.

10-12-2006, 10:14 AM

46 and 4.
.

I know two of the Commonwealths -- Virginia and Pennsylvania.

What are the other two?

Ed Cunard

10-12-2006, 10:15 AM

I know two of the Commonwealths -- Virginia and Pennsylvania.

What are the other two?

The commonwealth of denial and the commonwealth of grace.

Dreadstar

10-12-2006, 10:16 AM

I know two of the Commonwealths -- Virginia and Pennsylvania.

What are the other two?

Mass and Kentucky.

Dreadstar

10-12-2006, 10:19 AM

The commonwealth of denial and the commonwealth of grace.

Like I said...

SOGG

10-12-2006, 10:30 AM

Knowledge isn't really intelligence. I mean, a hard drive can store uptillions of bytes of information and I don't think anyone here would call a hard drive smart.

I'd say that intellectual superiority/inferiority is better measured by application of knowledge. Completing sudoku, crossword puzzles, even the instinctive knowledge of how high your bike will go when jumping roots on a mountain -- this is all intelligence.

So I'm not really sure why it's important that US Citizens know what the EU stands for.

Slam_Bradley

10-12-2006, 10:31 AM

Mass and Kentucky.

Those of us in honest-to-God states should go and kick their "Commonwealth" asses and make'm change.

Puma

10-12-2006, 10:33 AM

So I'm not really sure why it's important that US Citizens know what the EU stands for.

maybe on the off chance they hear, or read, EU on the news or in the papers they'll know what it stands for?

SOGG

10-12-2006, 11:02 AM

maybe on the off chance they hear, or read, EU on the news or in the papers they'll know what it stands for?

Sorry, I should have added "...in order for them to know that they're not intellectually inferiour."

I mean, knowledge is good too, but just because you don't know fact X doesn't mean you're intellectually inferiour.

Typo Lad

10-12-2006, 11:07 AM

SOGG

10-12-2006, 11:20 AM

SOGG dahlink, ignorance of the world around you does make you less intellectual than one who is aware. We're not talking knowledge for knowledge's sake here: We're talking about knowing who the world powers are that affect your life every day via their policies.

Oh, I'm definitely behind making people more informed. Then I wouldn't have my blood pressure rise so much when people tell me that Palestinians are anti-semitic.

I guess I could see how it would preclude you from being an intellectual (the noun), but I'm still iffy on whether or not it should exclude you from being intellectual(the adjective).

For some reason, the only example coming to my mind now is Bruce Lee. I doubt he knew how money worked or what a confidence interval was. However, his instinctive knowledge of mechanics and ability to apply it in very inventive ways did not only make him one of the greatest martial artists ever, i think it also made him intellectual.