One can spend a week watching through the Sunday political talk shows, the regular news via CNN/Fox/MSNBC, and read through newspapers....to reach what I'd call an era of skepticism, distrust and disbelief.
In simple terms, the general public in the United States has reached a level where they just don't believe news that is dished out to them.
Polls are constructed and don't reflect reality.
Journalists behave like cheerleaders or a fifth-grade class of kids.
Dramatics seem to be the most anticipated part of a 30-minute newscast.
Half of the nightly news people are acting like Richard Burton, Joan Crawford, Robert Redford, or Rock Hudson. A few are in the Will Ferrell category, and could be talking seriously to you about marshmallow diets one minute and Republicans having a higher fart-rate than Democrats the next minute.
Survey and polls are done on an hour by hour basis...to project something....often of no value. The fact that gospel singers prefer Fords over Buicks.....probably doesn't matter. The fact that dogs can't tell the difference between 2-star treats and 4-star treats....probably doesn't matter. The fact that bigger boobed waitresses get better tips than guys.....well, it shouldn't matter.
We are in the age where skepticism is dawning upon people daily, and they seem to question virtually everyone....even their spouse, their local minister, or the local bartender who used to be a 'beacon of light' during chaotic life events.
Where will this lead? Unknown. But it's a segment of the future that is cloudy and full of strange curves. We might go to another reality in 2024, and hype up a former NCAA football coach....to be President. Don't be that shocked.
Tuesday, 24 March 2020
What Happens When You Are Smarter Than the Intellectual
This is one of those thought-provoking essays that I tend to write three or four times a year. So, the question is....what happens when you are sitting there and come to realize that the professor or intellectual in front of you (who used to always have knowledge, wisdom, debate skills, and reasoning ability)....he or she, just isn't much smarter than you.
Thirty years ago, I would have suggested that this would be something of a rare nature to notice....today, I might notice it five times a day. As you span out and view people with university degrees, those awarded professorships, and the intellectual crowd....it's often questionable if they can match up to you, the mere mortal....with your personal wit and normal debate skills.
What really happened over the past thirty years? I will offer three observations:
1. Colleges downgraded the stamina requirements for a degree. Oh, it might still be the same hard situation to be an engineer or doctor, but in most other degree programs.....debate and reasoning have been more or less downgraded....often to the level of a seventh-grade high school class.
2. 'Expert' status used to be a big deal....but between the news media and fake journalism....we'd handed out 'expert' status to literally tens of thousands of Americans, and the bulk really don't deserve the status. There are individuals who had one single remarkable period in the early 1970s for maybe three years of 'expert' status, and we wake up to find this guy being recycled and thrust back into the limelight fifty years later, and noted for 'expert' status. Then three minutes into this Q and A session....we just laughing at the poor judgement of the network, and 75-year old guy dragged in for purely entertainment reasons.
3. Some type of brainwash affect has occurred, where people think four years in some college has given them some gift, and they immediately feel the power of intellectualism makes them 'smarter' than normal people. Never once do they question this behavior.
Are we in for a rough ride? I think so. If you try to use facts with these people.....they get all confused and then resort to illogical arguments, with no real basis for a conclusion.
Thirty years ago, I would have suggested that this would be something of a rare nature to notice....today, I might notice it five times a day. As you span out and view people with university degrees, those awarded professorships, and the intellectual crowd....it's often questionable if they can match up to you, the mere mortal....with your personal wit and normal debate skills.
What really happened over the past thirty years? I will offer three observations:
1. Colleges downgraded the stamina requirements for a degree. Oh, it might still be the same hard situation to be an engineer or doctor, but in most other degree programs.....debate and reasoning have been more or less downgraded....often to the level of a seventh-grade high school class.
2. 'Expert' status used to be a big deal....but between the news media and fake journalism....we'd handed out 'expert' status to literally tens of thousands of Americans, and the bulk really don't deserve the status. There are individuals who had one single remarkable period in the early 1970s for maybe three years of 'expert' status, and we wake up to find this guy being recycled and thrust back into the limelight fifty years later, and noted for 'expert' status. Then three minutes into this Q and A session....we just laughing at the poor judgement of the network, and 75-year old guy dragged in for purely entertainment reasons.
3. Some type of brainwash affect has occurred, where people think four years in some college has given them some gift, and they immediately feel the power of intellectualism makes them 'smarter' than normal people. Never once do they question this behavior.
Are we in for a rough ride? I think so. If you try to use facts with these people.....they get all confused and then resort to illogical arguments, with no real basis for a conclusion.
Just An Odd Story
Years ago (around the early 1990s), I was in the Air Force, and a fair amount of my time each week was consumed with exercise or fitness routines. I won't say I was that positive with the time dedicated to this, it's just that you were kinda forced into the routine of fitness and weight management.
What's curious about this is that you'd arrive at a gym....sometimes at 6 AM, and you'd kinda notice about every ninety days or so....some dramatic injury or accident....requiring a medic or ambulance team.
The first ever that I witnessed....was some old retired guy on the jogging track at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.....around noon one day, with the heat near 115 degrees, and he collapsed. Ambulance folks came out, and carried the guy off....heat exhaustion. He was lucky.
Around six months pass after that, and in the weight-room.....we had some going to lifts with weights, and couldn't handle the weights, with the bar crashing down on his upper chest. Ambulance crew had to come and pick him up. He was lucky.
I was looking at some story this morning, and they brought up this curious number.....114 people dead, from free weights and weight machines.....from 1990 to 2007.
No one says if they were mostly men or 50-50 with women involved. Just taking a humble guess that it's mostly all men.
What's curious about this is that you'd arrive at a gym....sometimes at 6 AM, and you'd kinda notice about every ninety days or so....some dramatic injury or accident....requiring a medic or ambulance team.
The first ever that I witnessed....was some old retired guy on the jogging track at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.....around noon one day, with the heat near 115 degrees, and he collapsed. Ambulance folks came out, and carried the guy off....heat exhaustion. He was lucky.
Around six months pass after that, and in the weight-room.....we had some going to lifts with weights, and couldn't handle the weights, with the bar crashing down on his upper chest. Ambulance crew had to come and pick him up. He was lucky.
I was looking at some story this morning, and they brought up this curious number.....114 people dead, from free weights and weight machines.....from 1990 to 2007.
No one says if they were mostly men or 50-50 with women involved. Just taking a humble guess that it's mostly all men.
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