Oh Dear!

[YT2095]

this is incredible! http://video.stumbleupon.com/#p=3xdgkays4k

 

this Has to be a setup surely!???

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

 

Canadian TV did a series called Talking To Americans (that's what the links are to) where Rick Mercer convinced various government officials in the US that Canada had recently switched from a 20-hour day to a 24-hour one, that global warming was melting the igloo that the Canadian government meets in, and so on.

 

It's not always a setup, but they probably pick only the dumbest answers for TV.

[ParanoiA]

oh my god that's hilarious

 

i had no idea the religion of Israel was Israeli...

[ecoli]

I wonder if they cut out any intelligent answers on this one.

[Reaper]

I've already seen this one before. Not surprising actually....

[ecoli]

 

HAha... Huckabee's in this one. I wonder if he said that on purpose as a laugh for the camera. I doubt even Huckabee is that stupid.

[Reaper]

I wonder if they cut out any intelligent answers on this one.

 

Well, this is a show on how dumb Americans can get, so I will guess yes they probably cut out any intelligent ones they run into. The polls and statistics that I've read about related to this subject show that the smart ones are in the minority though.

[insane_alien]

Well, this is a show on how dumb Americans can get, so I will guess yes they probably cut out any intelligent ones they run into. The polls and statistics that I've read about related to this subject show that the smart ones are in the minority though.

 

i'm willing to bet its just the smart ones that don't take part in such polls. and statistics gathering. otherwise how the USA even managed to get a plane off the ground nevermind sending someone to the moon, i'll never know.

[Reaper]

i'm willing to bet its just the smart ones that don't take part in such polls. and statistics gathering. otherwise how the USA even managed to get a plane off the ground nevermind sending someone to the moon, i'll never know.

 

Might be. But the things you described happened quite a while ago. Since then, education and critical thinking have declined quite a bit, and scientific research in all major fields (this includes space research) is beginning to move out of here as well (Japan already leads in computers and A.I. for example; it's very amusing now to read about M.I.T's "advances" in that field). So, I wouldn't be surprised if the statistics were actually representative of the general population.

[Pangloss]

Jay Leno does a weekly segment along the same lines called "Jaywalking".

 

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=jaywalking

 

I don't think it really means anything, it's just good comedy.

[iNow]

One would think that these people wouldn't be so easy to find if our populace was properly educated and aware of current events. I really DO think it's more than comedy, and does have some sort of meaning (whatever that may be).

[Pangloss]

Well, to be fair, "easy to find" is a conclusion based on facts not in evidence. We don't know how long he took to find acceptably stupid responses, how many questions each participant answered correctly, etc. It just isn't a controlled environment.

 

But I share your concern and your suspicion that it may be a valid clue. Could this be a reflection on how we teach? We throw 1000 facts and dates at students, a technique that's hardly any better than the "great man" theory, and if half the students can remember 700 of them we toss them a "C" and call it a day. Should we really be surprised, then, if half of the walkers-by can't answer 30% of our questions?

[iNow]

Agreed. We seem pretty well aligned on this one. Reading your post, one of my first thoughts was... maybe it's too easy to get a C.

[thedarkshade]

It's freaky hilarious! Cool post YT!

 

Hi5 for America's Educational System!

[YT2095]

the KFC question was the funniest I reckon

[thedarkshade]

Also the one about Al-Qeada when the guy said "Everyone knows!"

:D:D:D:D

[Phi for All]

There needs to be a test to get a passport so we aren't sending these misrepresentatives abroad to give foreigners the wrong impression. Either that or we need to start monitoring who those clever Aussies talk to when they visit.

 

Maybe Bush can come up with a new law that says nobody's allowed to say anything bad about us. Especially that we might be, you know, stoopid.

[JohnB]

Either that or we need to start monitoring who those clever Aussies talk to when they visit.

Don't worry, we have our fair share of silly people, but we call them "Victorians".

[mooeypoo]

I think this is semi-sad and awefully funny, but this reminded me also of the "skit" Penn and Teller did where they sent volunteers to convince people to sign a petition against "Dihydrogen Monoxide" (H2O).

 

I'll try to find the episode, but it was hilarious..

[insane_alien]

i think i have that episode on DVD somewhere. i'll get back to you with the name if i can find it.