General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsAre We Really This Stupid? the Proof Shows that Sadly, Yes, We Are!
How dumb is the general population? I dare not answer this question, and will instead allow the proof to speak for itself. When Newsweek recently asked 1,000 U.S. citizens to take America's official citizenship test, 29 percent couldn't name the vice president. Seventy-three percent couldn't correctly say why we fought the Cold War. Forty-four percent were unable to define the Bill of Rights. And 6 percent couldn't even circle Independence Day on a calendar. I was sent an e-mail filled with these statistics, and it blew my mind.
ARE YOU SURE YOU ARE READY FOR THIS? The following questions were set in last year's GED examination. These are genuine answers from 16 year olds, and they will one day breed as well as run our country.
Q. Name the four seasons
A. Salt, pepper, mustard and vinegar
Q. Explain one of the processes by which water can be made safe to drink
A. Flirtation makes water safe to drink because it removes large pollutants like grit, sand, dead sheep and canoeists
Q. How is dew formed
A. The sun shines down on the leaves and makes them perspire
Q. What causes the tides in the oceans
A. The tides are a fight between the earth and the moon. All water tends to flow towards the moon, because there is no water on the moon, and nature abhors a vacuum. I forget where the sun joins the fight
Q. What guarantees may a mortgage company insist on
A. If you are buying a house they will insist that you are well endowed
Q. In a democratic society, how important are elections
A. Very important. Sex can only happen when a male gets an election
Q. What are steroids
A. Things for keeping carpets still on the stairs
Q.. What happens to your body as you age
A. When you get old, so do your bowels and you get intercontinental
Q. What happens to a boy when he reaches puberty
A. He says goodbye to his boyhood and looks forward to his adultery
Q. Name a major disease associated with cigarettes
A. Premature death
Q. What is artificial insemination
A. When the farmer does it to the bull instead of the cow
Q. How can you delay milk turning sour
A. Keep it in the cow
Q. How are the main 20 parts of the body categorised (e.g. The abdomen)
A. The body is consisted into 3 parts - the brainium, the borax and the abdominal cavity. The brainium contains the brain, the borax contains the heart and lungs and the abdominal cavity contains the five bowels: A, E, I,O,U..
Q. What is the fibula?
A. A small lie
Q. What does 'varicose' mean?
A. Nearby
Q. What is the most common form of birth control
A. Most people prevent contraception by wearing a condominium
Q. Give the meaning of the term 'Caesarean section'
A. The caesarean section is a district in Rome
Q. What is a seizure?
A. A Roman Emperor.
Q. What is a terminal illness
A. When you are sick at the airport.
Q. Give an example of a fungus. What is a characteristic feature?
A. Mushrooms. They always grow in damp places and they look like umbrellas
Q. Use the word 'judicious' in a sentence to show you understand its meaning
A. Hands that judicious can be soft as your face.
Q. What does the word 'benign' mean?
A. Benign is what you will be after you be eight
Q. What is a turbine?
A. Something an Arab or Shreik wears on his head
More at: http://voices.yahoo.com/are-we-really-stupid-proof-shows-sadly-8404459.html
liberal N proud
(60,335 posts)dipsydoodle
(42,239 posts)seveneyes
(4,631 posts)That's why you can see them!
NCTraveler
(30,481 posts)Second, they apparently have better grammar and spelling skills than many here, myself included.
MissMillie
(38,559 posts)All those 16 year-old boys looking forward to their adultery....
nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)Xyzse
(8,217 posts)Flirtation = Filtration
I can see how easily someone could do a typo or misspell that out of not paying attention.
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)Xyzse
(8,217 posts)Dirty, stinky canoeists and their dead sheep.
Donald Ian Rankin
(13,598 posts)I think the country is in safe hands.
Metatron
(1,258 posts)I'm glad this generation has a sense of humor
I would have been a smart elick too if they made me take that test. You only live once.
ETA having read it again, I don't think they are real questions and answers.
alcibiades_mystery
(36,437 posts)dorkzilla
(5,141 posts)with the exception of the writing skills portion which is an essay. I don't believe they care about the accuracy of the statement so much.
alcibiades_mystery
(36,437 posts)Q. What happens to a boy when he reaches puberty
BULLSHIT.
Q. What is the most common form of birth control
BULLSHIT
Q. What does the word 'benign' mean?
A. Benign is what you will be after you be eight
This is an old RACIST joke. It's not even close to plausible. I mean, honestly. I'm surprised one of the questions wasn't
Q: What is nacho cheese?
A. It's my cheese.
That's how dumb these so-called questions are. It's obviously made up.
I feel sorry for the people who believe this tripe. But I feel even worse for the young adults who have to deal with their condescension.
deutsey
(20,166 posts)Fredo Corleone
(4 posts)In my state, you can't even take the GED until you're 18, so that's wrong right off the bat. The rest of it smells pretty bad, too.
Duer 157099
(17,742 posts)Teens are snarky as shit.
Behind the Aegis
(53,959 posts)The GED answers seem to be a joke. "nature abhors a vacuum" coming from a sixteen year old who doesn't understand the basic concept of tides? Unlikely. Now, sadly, the first paragraph, that I believe.
alcibiades_mystery
(36,437 posts)Behind the Aegis
(53,959 posts)I am amazed at the basic knowledge people lack when it comes to the US and are American. When I lived in New Orleans, I encountered people who though NOLA was the capital of Louisiana.
Archae
(46,328 posts)Walking around, asking simple questions that he'd get some really stupid answers to.
The worst part about this? These people are either already voting, or will be able to vote soon.
No wonder Teabaggers get voted in, far too often.
johnp3907
(3,731 posts)If by "We" you mean people who think this is genuine; Yes.
rock
(13,218 posts)I looked at the first question: Name the four seasons. And I thought, "Wha..! They already have names, you fool!"
Jamaal510
(10,893 posts)I don't exactly know why the Cold War was fought, either. All I know was that Reagan escalated it for some reason. In relation to this, though, I found this video by Thom Hartmann, and it was pretty sad. There are still many Americans out there, apparently, who know diddly-squat about their own government:
Erich Bloodaxe BSN
(14,733 posts)I always figured we fought it because our 'cold warriors' were all terrified of the spread of 'communism!', with a side order of 'let's find more ways to put public money into private pockets'.
Donald Ian Rankin
(13,598 posts)5. The Revolutionary War was fought for independence from:
o Canada
o England
o Spain
o France
(The answer is, of course, "None of the above, it was the United Kingdom" .
Louisiana1976
(3,962 posts)d_r
(6,907 posts)The headline:
Are We Really This Stupid? the Proof Shows that Sadly, Yes, We Are!
OMG! Your Kidding Me, Right?
Your kidding me. Your. Kidding me. Seriously?
ETA and it has been up there for four years!
Here are 286 examples of people copying and pasting this: https://www.google.com/search?q=%22last+year%27s+GED+examination%22