Are people getting more dumb?

[QuietM4]

It seems to me that people in general, and not necessarily the younger generations, are getting more dumb.

By "dumb", I mean;
1. A complete lack of a logical thinking process
2. An inability to research any topic by themselves, regardless of the MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF EASILY ACCESSED resources available to EVERYONE ON THIS PLANET, e.g. The Internet
3. Cannot complete a very simple task that they haven't performed before, coupled with and a flat out refusal (or it never occurs to them) to 'figure it out' for themselves
4. ZERO self-reliance and 100% reliance on other people/professionals/skilled people to complete the easiest of tasks.

If I need to accomplish a task that I have never done before, e.g. patching a small hole in drywall, I know there are several ways to accomplish this:
a. Google "how to patch drywall".
b. Search YouTube for videos about "how to patch drywall".
c. Ask friends/family/coworkers who may have knowledge in this area
d. Hire a handyman/contractor to patch the hole.

I would never consider skipping A-B-C and just go directly to D. Yet, I see more and more people who just go directly to D...not becuase they attempted A-B-C, but because A-B-C never occurs to them.

I suppose this may simply be the inevitable conclusion of creating a society that is so spoiled for choices, services, etc., that there is simply no real need to "do it yourself". I am baffled by people who are constantly using DoorDash/GrubHub type services to deliver food...that is never hot, fresh, exactly what you ordered, delivered on time, etc...despite living less than a few blocks or miles away from the restaurant. Those same people who I see with daily DoorDash orders are also the same people who constantly whine about "never having enough money", and also show up to work with a Starbucks coffee in their hand, in their brand new car they lease, etc....

Rant over.

 

[smithers599]

Is that even possible?

 

[kenpoprofessor]

It seems to me that people in general, and not necessarily the younger generations, are getting more dumb.

By "dumb", I mean;
1. A complete lack of a logical thinking process
2. An inability to research any topic by themselves, regardless of the MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF EASILY ACCESSED resources available to EVERYONE ON THIS PLANET, e.g. The Internet
3. Cannot complete a very simple task that they haven't performed before, coupled with and a flat out refusal (or it never occurs to them) to 'figure it out' for themselves
4. ZERO self-reliance and 100% reliance on other people/professionals/skilled people to complete the easiest of tasks.

If I need to accomplish a task that I have never done before, e.g. patching a small hole in drywall, I know there are several ways to accomplish this:
a. Google "how to patch drywall".
b. Search YouTube for videos about "how to patch drywall".
c. Ask friends/family/coworkers who may have knowledge in this area
d. Hire a handyman/contractor to patch the hole.

I would never consider skipping A-B-C and just go directly to D. Yet, I see more and more people who just go directly to D...not becuase they attempted A-B-C, but because A-B-C never occurs to them.

I suppose this may simply be the inevitable conclusion of creating a society that is so spoiled for choices, services, etc., that there is simply no real need to "do it yourself". I am baffled by people who are constantly using DoorDash/GrubHub type services to deliver food...that is never hot, fresh, exactly what you ordered, delivered on time, etc...despite living less than a few blocks or miles away from the restaurant. Those same people who I see with daily DoorDash orders are also the same people who constantly whine about "never having enough money", and also show up to work with a Starbucks coffee in their hand, in their brand new car they lease, etc....

Rant over.

No, people are not getting "dumber", they're getting LAZIER than ever before, both physically and mentally. Why learn how to do it when you can hire someone? Why drive anywhere if you can have it delivered? Why do anything if you can pay someone to do it for you? The old adage of "work smarter, not harder" tends to reveal their mindset. They don't think about it when it's "smarter" to have someone else do it. Yes, I see it more everyday, people can't think for themselves, they need someone to "help" them do pretty much anything. Schools are guilty for teaching this mindset, and so are many parents.

Have a great, gun carryin', Kenpo day

Clyde

 

[Doc]

Higher education and intelligence are inversely related.

It’s science.

 

[smithers599]

People have a right to drywall without holes. It's a right, damn it! There should be a US Dept. of Drywall, paid for (like all departments) by taxes on The Rich. Hole in the drywall? Call a Community Organizer, who will help you fill out the paperwork to apply for Drywall Benefits. The Drywall Committee will review the application, and if they approve, and after payment of appropriate and completely reasonable fees, will schedule an appointment with a Drywall Repair Special Agent.

 

[QuietM4]

People have a right to drywall without holes. It's a right, damn it! There should be a US Dept. of Drywall, paid for (like all departments) by taxes on The Rich. Hole in the drywall? Call a Community Organizer, who will help you fill out the paperwork to apply for Drywall Benefits. The Drywall Committee will review the application, and if they approve, and after payment of appropriate and completely reasonable fees, will schedule an appointment with a Drywall Repair Special Agent.

I'm old enough to remember the '93 Drywall Riots. I was just a kid, but I remember watching them on TV with my parents. Few survived.

It's not just home improvement tasks...it's the easiest, simplest tasks, like washing your windshield at a gas station. Last month, I was gassing up my motorcycle at a QT. I watched the girl at the pump in front of me, about 25-30 years old, attempting to wash her windshield with the gas station washer/squeegee. She was trying to remove the dirty water on the glass with the sponge side :doh: . I watched her, in awe of her stupidity, as I pumped my gas. Just as I was getting back on my bike, she looked over at me and asked "do you know how this works?". "Flip it over and use the other side", I replied. She then turned it over...and was now holding the sponge/squeegee part in her hand, instead of the wooden grip portion. :roll:

 

[Doc]

People have a right to drywall without holes. It's a right, damn it! There should be a US Dept. of Drywall, paid for (like all departments) by taxes on The Rich. Hole in the drywall? Call a Community Organizer, who will help you fill out the paperwork to apply for Drywall Benefits. The Drywall Committee will review the application, and if they approve, and after payment of appropriate and completely reasonable fees, will schedule an appointment with a Drywall Repair Special Agent.

I'm old enough to remember the '93 Drywall Riots. I was just a kid, but I remember watching them on TV with my parents. Few survived.

It's not just home improvement tasks...it's the easiest, simplest tasks, like washing your windshield at a gas station. Last month, I was gassing up my motorcycle at a QT. I watched the girl at the pump in front of me, about 25-30 years old, attempting to wash her windshield with the gas station washer/squeegee. She was trying to remove the dirty water on the glass with the sponge side :doh: . I watched her, in awe of her stupidity, as I pumped my gas. Just as I was getting back on my bike, she looked over at me and asked "do you know how this works?". "Flip it over and use the other side", I replied. She then turned it over...and was now holding the sponge/squeegee part in her hand, instead of the wooden grip portion. :roll:

We need a new thread “you won’t believe what I saw today”

In college I sought out these women. I told them it made their teeth whiter.

IYKYK

 

[paulgt2164]

I have noticed in the sample size of those around me (work, being out in public, etc) that people are getting more stupid, lazier, and more self-centered. Don't get me started on "social etiquette." I check my observations against the emergency room patients admitted at work - and the math checks out.

There seems to be a sharp decline in critical thinking, common sense, and common courtesy. Not only are they doing stupid/thoughtless stuff - they get irrationally angry when you don't immediately accommodate their stupidity, even at your expense (time, effort, etc.)

The amount of times I think "what were you thinking???" after witnessing some inverse-Einstein maneuver increases daily.