Three in Four Americans Are Dumb

[Platypus]

Three in four americans didn't vote for Bush in 2000, so maybe not.

Then again, 3/4 americans didn't vote for Gore either.

Doesn't it kinda suck to have Presidents elected with so little support? even a 'miraculous' turnout of about 60% means you have a President with less then a third of the voting population's votes.

[angus]

http://gallup.com/poll/content/login.aspx?ci=16915

A recent Gallup survey shows that just about three in four Americans hold some paranormal belief -- in at least one of the following: extra sensory perception (ESP), haunted houses, ghosts, mental telepathy, clairvoyance, astrology, communicating with the dead, witches, reincarnation, and channeling. There are no significant differences in belief by age, gender, education, or region of the country.

let's see:  The world is flat.

some guy says:  you know, it may be spherical.  let's find out.

Forum response:  dummy.  you challenge conventional wisdom?  you're "dumb"

bet you don't believe in photons either.  or the expanding universe.

I'm quite certain clarivoyance exists.  I suppose that like police departments all over the country, I'm dumb.  And I know ESP exists as well.  there's no biochemical or physical reason to think our perceptions are limited to the five senses, is there?  (By the way, dumb means you can't speak, so there's no irony in the fact that "extrasensory" acceptance would be assosicated with dumb, since those who really are dumb would "believe in" the speakers, who have some sense that they don't.) 

cool with me.  I'm tolerant of all sorts of low-brow types, but you really shouldn't brag about how narrow-minded and unimaginative youze guys are.

actually, I'm pretty sure there's no correlation between mathematical ability and imagination.  I know lots of really smart guys, hell some are nearly as smart as I, who are dullards and leave no room for the possiblity that there are modes of communication yet to be discovered.  That said, most of the really smart guys I know openly accept the possibility of ESP, extraterrestrial life, and clarivoyance.  Ghosts are fundamentally different, as they do defy the laws of physics.  I think you're getting into the spiritual realm.  I'm not gonna touch that.  Not too spiritual or superstitous myself, but I don't think spirituality is related to this intellectual capacity either.  I know of no serious study which attempts to scientifically correlate spirituality and mathematical ability, or lack thereof. 

[Inverted Things]

One thing I do know - 50% of Americans are below average.

Not necessarily true. A good percentage could be exactly average. Say, 10% could have the average IQ, then 45% below and 45% above.

Or, 1/3 of americans could have IQ's of 120, while the other 2/3 have IQ's of 90. Thus the average would be 100, but 2/3 of the people would be below average.