Quote:I don't know what you are asking for but here is proof that you are acting like a fuddy duddy:
<a class="bbc_url" href='http://m.mentalfloss.com/article.php?id=52209'>http://m.mentalfloss.com/article.php?id=52209</a>
Couldn't have said it better myself. Thanks.
Quote:Please show me "all the evidence to the contrary" then.
When exactly was this Age of Pericles of which you speak? Is nothing better now? Racial attitudes perhaps.
Maybe you hang around with different people than I do, I don't know, but it's been my experience that there have always been smart people and dumb people, and a whole lot in between.
Quote:"A newcomer can be known by their ideas and actions." And how do those ideas and action become known? It takes money.
Your last paragraph made me all warm inside - but if you want to win an election it takes money. What are you so afraid of? Are you saying you can be bought and you need to be protected from yourself? Are you saying that you don't mind paying taxes and having that money go to candidates you don't believe in? So every politician is bought? Including the ones you vote for? How do you account for the "free money" incumbents now get (i.e., free air time by doing something "official")?
What is it exactly that this money is buying anyway?
Debates, interviews, blog posts, twitter. There many ways to get your message out there should you so desire. You cannot really account for the free air time they get. It's not something you can really do. However, since fundraising isn't a priority anymore the incumbents would be more likely to represent the people that voted for them since they can't just outspend to sway voters their way. If they are failing in office in their voters eyes then the new guy/lady looks a lot better come election time.
It takes money because right now it takes money. Just accepting that is bunk to me. The system is corrupt. The vast majority of politicians are bought. It gets weak regulations and other laws tailored made to the desire of special interests. Political moves are made with campaigning in mind. Speaking of, if elections were publicly funded, fundraising would not be necessary allowing more time for actual work.
What am I afraid of? The apathy towards the corrupt campaign finance system in this country and the continuation of a broken system that leads to a large percentage of politicians not actually representing their constituents but rather the people/groups/companies that grease their palms.
I am absolutely ok with my tax dollars going to a publicly funded campaign system and I could care less if it goes to politicians I do not agree with or support. It doesn't have to be purely publicly funded you could put a limit on donations as well. Say a single person can only give $100 bucks a year to a candidate or something of the like.
Quote:When exactly was this Age of Pericles of which you speak? Is nothing better now? Racial attitudes perhaps.
Maybe you hang around with different people than I do, I don't know, but it's been my experience that there have always been smart people and dumb people, and a whole lot in between.
You didn't answer my question.
Quote:Read some history. Jeez.
That still doesn't answer my question.
I'm not saying that younger generations are less intelligent. I'm saying they're less informed, and that's by design. They're being conditioned to be less curious and to ask fewer questions. Critical thought is being replaced by group think.
You said there was all this evidence to the contrary. You threw that out there. Back it up with facts. Not a blanket "read some history" nonsense.
Quote:That still doesn't answer my question.
I'm not saying that younger generations are less intelligent. I'm saying they're less informed, and that's by design. They're being conditioned to be less curious and to ask fewer questions. Critical thought is being replaced by group think.
You said there was all this evidence to the contrary. You threw that out there. Back it up with facts. Not a blanket "read some history" nonsense.
Cool. I see you've joined TMD and Eric in the conspiracy theory club. It's so much easier that way. Just chalk it up to "them".
Well, good luck with that. I guess you'll go with the theory that you're less critical than your Dad's generation and your kids are less critical than you. Of course you have avoided all this - it's just those "others" who don't have this great insight that you possess.
Looks like that bar stool next to TMD is now occupied.
Quote:That still doesn't answer my question.
I'm not saying that younger generations are less intelligent. I'm saying they're less informed, and that's by design. They're being conditioned to be less curious and to ask fewer questions. Critical thought is being replaced by group think.
You said there was all this evidence to the contrary. You threw that out there. Back it up with facts. Not a blanket "read some history" nonsense.
A republican complaining about groupthink? That's mind-blowing to me considering the fantastical bubble of "reality" you all have managed to encapsulate yourselves in.
Republican Politicians = Moral Authority
Scientists = Liars
Infotainment = Knowledge
If your only source for opinions are republican mouthpieces, it's not surprising to me that you've fallen prey to the groupthink, but to think someone else is the true victim is hard to understand.
In regards to people who don't singularly subject themselves to the republican talking points, there is actually a bevy of information at our finger tips via the internet, which has only been around since Clinton or so. People are more informed than ever. It's what we are seeing that makes us apathetic. We can see how politicians work for themselves and their defense contractor buddies but not the average American. We turn away from it because it disgusts us.
So what we have today are either people who buy the republican lie (you) or everyone else. The "progressives" and "liberals" and everyone else who votes democrat are people looking for a political home. There are no precise talking points like you have coming from the right. We just want people to act like people.
Quote:Cool. I see you've joined TMD and Eric in the conspiracy theory club. It's so much easier that way. Just chalk it up to "them".
Well, good luck with that. I guess you'll go with the theory that you're less critical than your Dad's generation and your kids are less critical than you. Of course you have avoided all this - it's just those "others" who don't have this great insight that you possess.
Looks like that bar stool next to TMD is now occupied.
Doesn't surprise me you'd lump everyone you disagree with into one group. I guess you're just ignoring the differences in all our opinions, it's establishment or the loony been!
Quote:A republican complaining about groupthink? That's mind-blowing to me considering the fantastical bubble of "reality" you all have managed to encapsulate yourselves in.
Republican Politicians = Moral Authority
Scientists = Liars
Infotainment = Knowledge
If your only source for opinions are republican mouthpieces, it's not surprising to me that you've fallen prey to the groupthink, but to think someone else is the true victim is hard to understand.
In regards to people who don't singularly subject themselves to the republican talking points, there is actually a bevy of information at our finger tips via the internet, which has only been around since Clinton or so. People are more informed than ever. It's what we are seeing that makes us apathetic. We can see how politicians work for themselves and their defense contractor buddies but not the average American. We turn away from it because it disgusts us.
So what we have today are either people who buy the republican lie (you) or everyone else. The "progressives" and "liberals" and everyone else who votes democrat are people looking for a political home. There are no precise talking points like you have coming from the right. We just want people to act like people.
The Democrats are just as guilty of group think as the Republicans. To say its the Republicans and then everyone else is lazy at best.
Quote:A republican complaining about groupthink? That's mind-blowing to me considering the fantastical bubble of "reality" you all have managed to encapsulate yourselves in.
Republican Politicians = Moral Authority
Scientists = Liars
Infotainment = Knowledge
If your only source for opinions are republican mouthpieces, it's not surprising to me that you've fallen prey to the groupthink, but to think someone else is the true victim is hard to understand.
In regards to people who don't singularly subject themselves to the republican talking points, there is actually a bevy of information at our finger tips via the internet, which has only been around since Clinton or so. People are more informed than ever. It's what we are seeing that makes us apathetic. We can see how politicians work for themselves and their defense contractor buddies but not the average American. We turn away from it because it disgusts us.
So what we have today are either people who buy the republican lie (you) or everyone else. The "progressives" and "liberals" and everyone else who votes democrat are people looking for a political home. There are no precise talking points like you have coming from the right. We just want people to act like people.
The democrats walk in lock step all the time. Far more than republicans. Otherwise, we wouldn't see liberal talking heads telling the GOP what they need to do in order to deal with the Tea Party and other factions of the party. You never hear them telling the democrats to get control of the far left of their party because in the end, they all walk together.
You'd be quite surprised where my sources reside. I don't rely on "republican mouthpieces" to generate my thoughts. But, based on your retorts in this thread, it's pretty clear you've been spoon fed all the good leftist talking points, and you've regurgitated them like a good little lemming should.
Scientists aren't inherently liars. I've never said anything of the sort. I've said the global warming alarmists are hiding or destroying the data they've used to develop their calculations, and they refuse to accept any form of skepticism on the subject. There are plenty on that side of the aisle who have done so for one reason. Global warming gets grants and money to perpetuate their studies. Admitting they've at the very least miscalculated for years the severity of the situation would be a costly move on their part.
I'm not sure what infotainment I've referred to, but I do know that you haven't really brought a single fact to the table beyond the same old tired rhetoric that libs love to trot out, and when facts question their positions, resort to attacking the messenger, not the message.
So, your theory is that people are so well informed that they've grown apathetic? Mmm okay. Yes, there's a ton of information out there for anyone to find if they have even a remote interest in doing so. Still, the vast majority of people in this country allow their views to be spoon fed to them through the magic box with the HD picture. They're more concerned about keeping up with the Kardashians (sp) than they are monitoring what idiotic thing their own representatives in government are up to. We've got a world of information, but people have become so detached that they focus on trivial crap and not what truly matters in their lives.
No talking points coming from the left? That's one of the richest lies I've seen on here in quite a while.
Quote:Cool. I see you've joined TMD and Eric in the conspiracy theory club. It's so much easier that way. Just chalk it up to "them".
Well, good luck with that. I guess you'll go with the theory that you're less critical than your Dad's generation and your kids are less critical than you. Of course you have avoided all this - it's just those "others" who don't have this great insight that you possess.
Looks like that bar stool next to TMD is now occupied.
And still, no facts backing up the claim. Just more of the same old deflection when facts aren't readily available. Better dig up that lefty playbook.
Quote:The democrats walk in lock step all the time. Far more than republicans. Otherwise, we wouldn't see liberal talking heads telling the GOP what they need to do in order to deal with the Tea Party and other factions of the party. You never hear them telling the democrats to get control of the far left of their party because in the end, they all walk together.
You'd be quite surprised where my sources reside. I don't rely on "republican mouthpieces" to generate my thoughts. But, based on your retorts in this thread, it's pretty clear you've been spoon fed all the good leftist talking points, and you've regurgitated them like a good little lemming should.
Scientists aren't inherently liars. I've never said anything of the sort. I've said the global warming alarmists are hiding or destroying the data they've used to develop their calculations, and they refuse to accept any form of skepticism on the subject. There are plenty on that side of the aisle who have done so for one reason. Global warming gets grants and money to perpetuate their studies. Admitting they've at the very least miscalculated for years the severity of the situation would be a costly move on their part.
I'm not sure what infotainment I've referred to, but I do know that you haven't really brought a single fact to the table beyond the same old tired rhetoric that libs love to trot out, and when facts question their positions, resort to attacking the messenger, not the message.
So, your theory is that people are so well informed that they've grown apathetic? Mmm okay. Yes, there's a ton of information out there for anyone to find if they have even a remote interest in doing so. Still, the vast majority of people in this country allow their views to be spoon fed to them through the magic box with the HD picture. They're more concerned about keeping up with the Kardashians (sp) than they are monitoring what idiotic thing their own representatives in government are up to. We've got a world of information, but people have become so detached that they focus on trivial crap and not what truly matters in their lives.
No talking points coming from the left? That's one of the richest lies I've seen on here in quite a while.
And still, no facts backing up the claim. Just more of the same old deflection when facts aren't readily available. Better dig up that lefty playbook.
Ok, so what are the left wing talking points?
Quote:There's more to it than apathy.
Americans are less educated about their options today than they were even 2 or 3 decades ago. They don't know the history of this nation, and they don't understand their role. If they are voting, they're not doing any sort of research to determine what or who they should be voting for. They become sheep who are spoon fed snippets and sound bytes and they use that to make their determinations.
People don't take their rights seriously, and as a result, they're far too willing to sacrifice them.
Good points.
Quote:
Show me one generation who has ever said - "you know, these kids today are a lot more concerned and smarter than we were." I don't think you'll find one. It's just human nature to think "we" are more worthy than the "sheep" that exist today.
How could they say that? lol...
Quote:29 and I'll tell you it's all down hill. It's not an old man thing, it's a reality thing. Welfare dependence up, Work down, Government bigger = down hill.
The people who don't want to see it simply won't.
Quote:And if you listen to anyone under 30, you'd think they're the smartest generation ever to come along.
Especially true today...
Quote:You're just an old soul, I guess (lol).
....and what exactly makes that a
bad thing??
"Old souls" are generally much more intelligent, respectful and ethical than the new punks littering the landscape these days.
Quote:Good points.
How could they say that? lol...
The people who don't want to see it simply won't.
Especially true today...
....and what exactly makes that a bad thing??
"Old souls" are generally much more intelligent, respectful and ethical than the new punks littering the landscape these days.
You're wrong about that. Millennials (aka "new punks") are
more tolerant and respectful of people not like themselves than previous generations, score
higher on intelligence tests, are
less likely to try and force people into specific gender roles, and are
more likely to pursue and attain higher education. This isn't just me making random claims like you are either, this is
research done by research centers, universities, and numerous journals.
Just watched a Meet the Press segment on Rand Paul performing pro bono eye surgeries in Guatemala. Being the typical biased MSM, they pass at no opportunity to leverage it into criticism. Some of it fair, most of it pure pettiness. Were this Hillary Clinton, MTP would have had harp music playing on a sound track as they framed her as the Greatest Person Who Ever Lived. And they wonder why their ratings are tanking. I commented a couple of weeks ago, before the replacement of David Gregory was announced, that MTP panelist Chuck Todd was unabashedly biased (I believe I said he hand washed Obama's underwear). Well guess who was named as Gregory's replacement?
Is it too much to ask for a media that attempts objectivity?
Quote:Just watched a Meet the Press segment on Rand Paul performing pro bono eye surgeries in Guatemala. Being the typical biased MSM, they pass at no opportunity to leverage it into criticism. Some of it fair, most of it pure pettiness. Were this Hillary Clinton, MTP would have had harp music playing on a sound track as they framed her as the Greatest Person Who Ever Lived. And they wonder why their ratings are tanking. I commented a couple of weeks ago, before the replacement of David Gregory was announced, that MTP panelist Chuck Todd was unabashedly biased (I believe I said he hand washed Obama's underwear). Well guess who was named as Gregory's replacement?
Is it too much to ask for a media that attempts objectivity?
Network news is just cheerleading and propaganda for different sides. I'm not sure they even know how to present news without an agenda anymore that goes for all of them.
Quote:Network news is just cheerleading and propaganda for different sides. I'm not sure they even know how to present news without an agenda anymore that goes for all of them.
I agree with the above. Theres just more liberal news stations than conservative ones. But yes, they are all pretty much propaganda for either side.
Quote:I agree with the above. Theres just more liberal news stations than conservative ones. But yes, they are all pretty much propaganda for either side.
I don't even consider them liberal or conservative it's democrat and republican propaganda
Quote:
"Old souls" are generally much more intelligent, respectful and ethical than the new punks littering the landscape these days.
<p class="">This is nothing new. I read this today:
<p class="">
<p class="">"It is a wretched thing that the young men of today are so contriving and so proud of their material possessions. Men with contriving hearts are lacking in duty. Lacking in duty, they will have no self-respect."
<p class=""> --"Hagakure" by Yamamoto Tsunetomo, published in 1716
Quote:You're wrong about that. Millennials (aka "new punks") are more tolerant and respectful of people not like themselves than previous generations, score higher on intelligence tests, are less likely to try and force people into specific gender roles, and are more likely to pursue and attain higher education. This isn't just me making random claims like you are either, this is <a class="bbc_url" href='http://www.uschamberfoundation.org/millennial-generation-research-review'>research done by research centers, universities, and numerous journals</a>.
I only skimmed over the first few paragraphs, but from what I read the report aligns with my experiences from people I know across several generations. I definitely have to sit down and read this over. Interesting stuff.