A nation of ignorance

(Apologies for the picture quality. This is what you get when all you have on hand is a four year old camera phone.)

I’ve been wondering about whether or not the average American has become dumber recently. This sign really seemed to symbolize what I am seeing much too often. It was on the elevator at the Shop Rite near my apartment and no, I don’t know why a grocery store requires an elevator. I was stunned when I saw it because the terminology used could only imply one of two things: 1) the author did not know the phrase “Out of Order” or 2) the author realized that most of the people in the store would not understand what “Out of Order” meant and had to describe it instead.

Is it me or this one of the most depressing things that you have ever seen? I mean, we are not talking about high level reasoning here. We are not looking for the use of integral calculus or a well thought out critique on the role of Ophelia in Hamlet. Just a three word sign indicating that one elevator is not operating properly. Yet even something that simple, something so basic that I cannot recall a time where I would not understand the phrase, seems completely beyond the comprehension of the typical Delaware resident.

I am seeing this more and more often. It is almost as though the logic in the movie Idiocracy is coming true. Evolution is now working in reverse. Instead of a continual striving towards excellence we are in a race towards the bottom. Intelligence is no longer a desired trait. It has become an evolutionary disadvantage.

It really does bother me how society really does have a negative view towards intelligence and reason. I still remember the first time I saw the “My kid beats up your honor student” bumper sticker. Given that I was an honor student who had to work to avoid his share of beatings I really can’t stand things like this. Striving to be smart, to do well in school and being excellent in your endeavors is something that should be applauded. If I am the best in my school on the football field I am a hero. If I am the best in the classroom I am the jerk who ruined the curve. In school people really did yell at me for doing my best on a test and making them look bad. Imagine if I told the quarterback to suck more so I would look better in comparison. What do you think the reaction would be then?

Some people may say that I am being silly and using high school as an analogy for the rest of my life but I really feel that this hatred of knowledge is perpetrating all aspects of society. How many people are afraid of vaccinations because they believe that it is all some sort of scientific plot? They’d rather risk their lives or the lives of their loved ones than trust knowledge and reason. How many people cling to beliefs that are really no more than superstitions? Walk down the store aisles, watch the infomercials and see how the market plays on people’s ignorance and fear. News coverage on all fronts has become little more than fear mongering. It really makes me worry about the state of our society. I don’t want to be part of the last generation of people who can truly consider themselves to be intelligent.

Now excuse me, I have to go watch my tape of Sex Rehab with Dr. Drew.

Defining intelligence

On a night where our lack of knowledge regarding The Office and animals in children’s literature was well on display, we somehow came away with a trivia victory. Honestly, of all the games that we have won this was simultaneously our best and worst game. It was our worst as there were entire categories where we couldn’t even hazard a guess on the questions. It was our best in that we answered multiple questions that no one else knew, including one that I want to use as an example as to how my brain works.

The category was historical blunders and the toughest question was “Where was Amelia Earhart trying to land on her ill-fated journey?” Now, for some bizarre reason Nova had a special on Amelia Earhart on Monday night. I’m not quite sure why I watched it over watching pro wrestling. I had flipped it on, saw that they had Gore Vidal giving commentary and was just too lazy to change the channel. Still, forty eight hours later I was able to immediately recall that she was heading towards Howland Island. I’m not sure why that stuck in my brain. I can’t remember the details of the conference call that I was on for work yesterday but random pieces of historical geography are etched in my mind.

It might not interest anyone else but this has always fascinated me. It’s tied to the argument that I have had regarding whether or not I am actually smart. For some reason, I’m the one who is constantly arguing that I’m not smart. This is probably due to the fact that I see myself on a regular basis and can detail every dumb ass thing that I’ve ever done. Just look at my closet, what’s hanging up there are not the decisions of an intelligent man. (That and the collection of Voltron DVD’s, though that just makes me a victim of the Peter Pan syndrome.) But what I can do is recall pieces of information from way back in my memory banks and most people view that as intelligence.

I don’t because that’s just a trick of genetics. I have neurons that interconnect in a way that lets me remember the names of the four Banana Splits even though that knowledge is completely worthless. To me, intelligence is equal to creativity and insight. While I’m creative I don’t know if I have ever been able to have one of those “a ha!” moments of genius. Basically what I am best at is taking a whole bunch of data, analyze it, find the interconnections and report on it. But I always need the data to begin with. Is there a degree of intelligence there? Probably but I’ll still consider it mainly being good at math.

Still, if people want to view me as smart more power to them. As I’ve always said, I’ve collected a lot of pieces of paper over the years that claim that I am intelligent. To me, I’ll look at a writer or an artist, someone who takes nothing and turns it into something and always go “Wow, I have no idea how you do that.” And that’s smart in my book.