Healthranger observes that most people have no idea about how the world functions - or why it's that way.
While I am blessed to be able to interview some of the smartest people in the world, I remain aghast at the utter lack of knowledge among the "ignorant masses."
- Most people don't know a thing about food ingredients.
- They don't know where energy comes from.
- They don't know where their own organs are located in their own body.
- They don't know how mechanical things work, not even at a basic level (like combustion engines).
- They don't know basic first aid or emergency medicine for self-treatment.
- They are completely clueless when it comes to geography.
- They don't know what money is. (And they certainly don't understand compounding interest.)
- They don't know how computers work, or how storage devices function.
The average person is a walking biological shell of cognitive emptiness. And their lack of fundamental curiosity prevents them from ever making the effort to learn anything that matters.
But they are total experts in fashion, sports and celebrities, of course. They know all the latest trends pushed by shallow influencers, but they have zero knowledge of what's happening in the world and why their life is becoming more difficult by the day.
There's more at the link, and in the comments that follow. Worthwhile reading.
I've noticed the same thing (although not among most of my readers, who wouldn't waste their time on my scribblings unless they shared my interest in when, where, who, how, why, etc.). It really is frightening to listen to some of the terminal inanities spouted by some of our politicians (on both sides of the aisle - Republicans have idiots among their number, just as Democrats do). That applies particularly to the Kumbaya school of international relations . . . "If we just leave Iran/Russia/China/North Korea/wherever alone, they'll leave us alone! After all, everyone wants peace!" Yeah. Riiiiight.
What to do about it? There's the rub. I have no idea how to make people understand when they're not interested in understanding. All one can do is "preach to the converted", sharing ideas and concerns with those who are prepared to think for themselves, and then take whatever steps are possible to protect ourselves from the ignorance of others. On the other hand, that stores up troubles of its own. Remember Aesop's fable about the ant and the grasshopper? Jim Quinn updated it to reflect modern times. I suspect his is more accurate than the original!
Peter
19 comments:
My wife and I have been researching different things, but we're coming to the same conclusion. The experts are getting the answers wrong every time. I've been researching food and health for 3 years and experimenting on myself - what works and what doesn't. Satan hates God's creatures and through greed and other motivations has flooded us with lies. Use your common sense and many lies will start to appear.
The unfortunate reality is you must be your own expert on your body and your health. AND anything important to you in your life. That does mean you need to understand money & currency without being greedy, cooking without being gluttonous, etc.
Sleep and eat well to get healthy; Get healthy so you can get fit. Mind, body and spirit are linked. There is a reason suicides have increased.
I suspect the first thing is to force them into doing their own *active* critical thinking instead of emoting through life. And to that extent we need to respond to dumb utterances with "That's interesting. Why do you say that?" and force them to at least know why they said what they said.
But yeah, Jesus said "you are like sheep" for very good reason.
The older I get, the more I realize I don't know as much as I thought.
A major thing I think people don't understand is that when Congress passes a law and The President signs it into law it goes over to some administrative branch (like the EPA) that interprets it into Rules and Regulations which are actually what gets enforced. They create and enforce rules that are not in the law.
Another subject is how many people have no idea how the differential or CV joints work. Without differential action civilization would collapse and most people have no idea what I'm even talking about.
I write and speak to try to bring awareness to interested third parties / observers.
I have found that trying to convince the ignorant and wrong of their errors is like trying to teach a pig to sing.
It wastes my time, and annoys the pig.
John in Indy
I find most people are just trying to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table. Most people are not trying to be trendy no matter what the style reporters from Vogue or the Today show may want to crow about.
This is very well said. I have begun to realize that the medical establishment is hostage to Big Pharma, to some extent, and the protocols that doctors are expected to follow are not necessarily in our best interest, but more about realizing financial gains.
Rather than trying to ascertain what is best for each individual patient, they are expected to apply the same protocols to each patient. Statins are a good example of this.
In the yesteryears, by the time we left the 8th grade we had been introduced to algebra, could calculate the areas of a circle, square , triangle and do square root. We also had to calculate the cost of a $10,000 house using simple and then compound interest. We also had to fill out IRS form 1040(the simple version), write a check and fill out the check register and balance the moneys. We knew our ounces, pounds, pints, quarts, as well as inches, feet, miles and even acres. In short, we had an education. I also remember how upset the 'professional' educators were over having to teach us all that 'extra' stuff. My kids were upset when we required them to learn the same stuff from us, as the school sure didn't.
People have been fully educated on what to think instead of how to think logically for over a century. A failing education system would be a step up at this point.
Critical thinking...
Remember: an IQ of 100 is average. For every person who has an IQ some points over 100, there is another person with an IQ that many points under 100. So while we might have some bright stars, we have an equal number of dim bulbs.
Ned, I agree 100%. Having been in and out of hospitals and tertiary medical treatment for the past 22-odd years, I can't possibly estimate how many times doctors and nurses have told me to take this pill because "it's protocol" for my condition. I startled and offended one nurse who was being particularly insistent by telling her to "bugger protocol!". This, apparently, was not a properly medical response . . .
Those people are walking examples of the success of the "public school system." Which has nothing to do with education, and everything to do with indoctrination and propaganda.
Nothing new under the sun. Bread and circuses. Flop on the couch, click on the wide screen, check the score. Lions 5, Christians 0.
About the only time I have ever found inanity experts to be interested in truth is when they are scared shitless.
So much of this and the comments are true in general but be careful applying it to specific people.
In general I do find the ignorance of people to be frightening, and they want to be ignorant. I deal with computers, what i make a living working on. My opinion in the late 90's and early 2000's was that a large part of my job would go away with the next generation of computer literate kids and people. I was right and wrong. a lot of what I did for people back then was setup their computer and make sure it connected to the internet and that they could use it to get email and knew how to browse the web. Basic home user stuff. The average person today is more ignorant that that user back then. However what I did for people in that situation back then is done by the computer itself now.
Computers are so easy to use now that you don't need to know anything about them to use them for basic stuff and as far as I can tell no one teaches anything beyond how to use MS office in school anymore. I know programmers that are totally ignorant about the inside's of the computers they use to program with.
As to all the other areas of life, it is frightening to me. They know of to post on X or twitter and Facebook, but how to cook, clean, health, first aid, handle money, make change, how their checking account works, how to buy big ticket items like cars or houses and not get taken to the cleaners with interest and crazy terms. Not a clue.
Whats even scarier is that ignorance is easily fixable with a quick search and a little logic to keep you from believing the craziest shit people post. No one is taught logical thinking anymore.
God help us if it ever falls in the shit because they outnumber everyone else. The old joke about zombies comes to mind.
I have had several Big University students as fellow caregivers. Many wanna be doctors. One completely screwed up filling out an ordinary check, another couldn't read an analog clock. One had shoes with velcro fasteners; tying shoelaces was beyond her. I am not exaggerating. The outlier is a 30yo non-student who doesn't drive "because it's dangerous", yet commutes to work at night on his bike barefoot and shirtless ; he usually leaves work around 3am when every driver is probably at their most alert. At least he uses a bike light.
Read a little Michael Hudson and you can explain why Empire forces deindustrialization and currency dilution. Then explain the difference between Empire and Democratic Republic.
And finish with why the death of the first between is
Good thing people get smarter the more they depend on AI.
So,...we are a clever species...but not an intelligent one.
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