Is "dumb down" common in our society?

[Glen48]

I fink I know what you are talking about however when CH 9 runs a story about 2 Dolphins stuck in some lagoon we are fighting a loosing battle.
Don't as me I don't no nofink

 

[nioka]

Nioka board kthnxbai.

PLEASE explain??????????

 

[2020hindsight]

A pet hate of mine is the evening news on the FTA commercial TV stations.

Hey focus, but they openly admit that their job and/or intent is not to enlighten - but to entertain.

Sad but true. And those three topics that constitute the "headlines"
a) something international that you've heard every day for the last week (yawn)
b) something ridiculous about the leadership of the XYZ political party (who cares)
c) some sportsman caught with a female kangaroo in a public tiolet etc eek

 

[white_crane]

Intelligence is overrated

 

[Smurf1976]

Another example is the way in which fools who buy property in locations they don't like then grab the headlines trying to stop whatever it is that annoys them.

3 years ago in Hobart we were arguing about nightclus versus local residents. Apparently, those who bought property near a long established large hotel on route from the city to the casino failed to see that it might become a nightclub someday. And it did, for 10 years, until someone built flats all around it and the complaints became too much.

3 years later and those residents might be sleeping well, but for the rest of the community it hasn't exactly worked. We had noise and a mess, that was it. Now we ambulances, hospitals and extra police to take care of what's going on not that far away. Well done...

And now another bunch of locals across the river are whinging that they didn't foresee that the major cricket ground in Hobart might someday have lights installed. It seems that these clowns have never noticed that MCG, SCG, Adelaide Oval etc all have lights and they're shocked that it's planned to install lights here. Yep, the whole community should miss out because a few fools didn't have enough foresight to work this one out before they bought property nearby.

Biggest problem in all this dumbing down is that most of the time it's the dumb ones who end up getting their way. If you're too lazy to research the area and think about what goes on there and what is likely in future then that's your problem, not the whole community's.

 

[2020hindsight]

But smurf, is that dumb or is it cunning? (i.e. move in - then complain about pre-existing and/or fully expected conditions)

I mean the classic had to be Luna Park in North Sydney...

they have a fire and close down for a few years
some nearby real estate changes hands

they reopen with really fun roller-coaster ride etc

newly arrived locals complain > 85dB etc, (especially the sound of kids enjoying themselves on weekends - HEAVEN FORBID) .

Govt and Environmental Protection Agency have no guts to overrule ..

Luna Park closes big Roller Coaster and is emasculated into really lame stuff - teacup rides etc.

 

[chops_a_must]

PLEASE explain??????????

Here:

"I gambled and lost on the stockmarket. The gum mint should do something"

But smurf, is that dumb or is it cunning? (i.e. move in - then complain about pre-existing and/or fully expected conditions)

I mean the classic had to be Luna Park in North Sydney...

they have a fire and close down for a few years
some nearby real estate changes hands

they reopen with really fun roller-coaster ride etc

newly arrived locals complain > 85dB etc, (especially the sound of kids enjoying themselves on weekends - HEAVEN FORBID) .

Govt and Environmental Protection Agency have no guts to overrule ..

Luna Park closes big Roller Coaster and is emasculated into really lame stuff - teacup rides etc.

Claremont Speedway board.

Every pub with live music in Perth board.

Old farts moving back into the city board.

 

[Wysiwyg]

I put my points forward about dumbing-down in the workplace so here are some evidences of in other common areas.

In fact, the evidence for “dumbing down” is everywhere: newspapers that once ran foreign news now feature celebrity gossip, pictures of scantily dressed young ladies, and football; television has replaced high-quality drama with gardening, cookery, and other “lifestyle” programmes; bonkbusters have taken over the publishing world and pop cd’s and internet connections have taken over the libraries. In the dumbed-down world of reality TV and asinine soaps, the masses live in a perpetual present occupied by celebrity culture, fashion, a TV culture of diminished quality and range, an idealisation of mediocrity, and pop videos and brands.

Once again it is up to the individual whether they want this stuff in their diet but in saying that the spread has been gradual so many may not realise that it is happening.The chap from ANZ I spoke to last night when I asked how his shift was going he said "I`m missing out on The Simpsons" but okay otherwise.

This sums up the mass media pretty well.

"What the mass media offers is not popular art, but entertainment which is intended to be consumed like food, forgotten, and replaced by a new dish." W. H. Auden.

Although my point was to show how parts of the working environment are being dumbed-down, it is evident the phenomena exists elsewhere but possibly sourced in training, education and generally helping/teaching each other.

Smurf, in a way, shows us that even though people have foresight and knowledge, there is no way they are going to tell anyone.

 

[Julia]

I think another factor in this debate is the increasing passivity of the populace.

Governments put in place more and more regulations, removing the burden of responsibility from the individual.

Overall, people behave pretty much in line with the expectations placed upon them.

It's easy to participate in a culture of blame and accept the role of a victim, i.e. as already pointed out: "the gummint should....." in any number of areas.
No, the gummint should not.

And don't blame the meedja too much. They are offering what their market research tells them the reading/watching/listening public wants.
Boycot the meedja sources which don't meet your expectations, rather than complain about what we don't like.

I stick with the ABC, both radio and TV. Have few complaints.

 

[chops_a_must]

Another "dumb down" is making teachers solely responsible for students’ progress.

Another being the tendency to 'train' rather than 'educate' our kids from a young age, which I think is what most Australians, given the anti-intellectual mob we are, fail to grasp on a large scale...

 

[white_crane]

Governments put in place more and more regulations, removing the burden of responsibility from the individual.

Which is what people want.

The chap from ANZ I spoke to last night when I asked how his shift was going he said "I`m missing out on The Simpsons" but okay otherwise.

Some people might say that The Simpson's is a social commentary, making fun of society with regard to some of the very issues discussed here.

 

[chops_a_must]

Some people might say that The Simpson's is a social commentary, making fun of society with regard to some of the very issues discussed here.

I'm buying pumpkin stocks this October...

 

[Wysiwyg]

Some people might say that The Simpson's is a social commentary, making fun of society with regard to some of the very issues discussed here.

Good point crane, some people yes, if one can see that message from the images performing stupid acts.The latter being humour to most people.

 

[Wysiwyg]

Although my point was to show how parts of the working environment are being dumbed-down, it is evident the phenomena exists elsewhere but possibly sourced in training, education and generally helping/teaching each other.

Smurf, in a way, shows us that even though people have foresight and knowledge, there is no way they are going to tell anyone.

Last post.There is power, control, influence and money by keeping people in the dark.

Think about that.

 

[deadset]

I think it started in the early 90s when the expressions "whatever" and "too much detail" became an attitude pushed by the mass media. Though typically the media has always appealed to the "lowest common denominator" as my mum would say.

Doing the bare minimum, just the answer to the particular question and not the underlying principle seems to be what is desired.

I saw a joke on 2 and half men the other day, where the father says to the kid, "why aren't you studying?", "the pass mark is 67%, anything above that mark is overexertion of study time", except its funny when they say it.

Wether attitudes have actually changed or wether certain attitudes have become more acceptable thereby lowering the desire to strive, I'm not sure.

There must be some economic/educational/theoretically decided principle at work here, because I notice that the stuff coming out of most HR departments is that they only want to train staff to the bare minimum, anything beyond the bare minimum is skills that they can take to other jobs.

So you can see the pattern emerging, you'd be advised to stay informed.

 

[2020hindsight]

I saw a joke on 2 and half men the other day, where the father says to the kid, "why aren't you studying?", "the pass mark is 67%, anything above that mark is overexertion of study time"..

spot on deadset, lol.. funny show that..

Wether attitudes have actually changed ...

btw - if that typo means you're saying "weather attitudes have changed" ?
then the question is "whether weather attitudes have changed fast enough" ..

 

[Smurf1976]

But smurf, is that dumb or is it cunning? (i.e. move in - then complain about pre-existing and/or fully expected conditions)

I mean the classic had to be Luna Park in North Sydney...

they have a fire and close down for a few years
some nearby real estate changes hands

they reopen with really fun roller-coaster ride etc

newly arrived locals complain > 85dB etc, (especially the sound of kids enjoying themselves on weekends - HEAVEN FORBID) .

Govt and Environmental Protection Agency have no guts to overrule ..

Luna Park closes big Roller Coaster and is emasculated into really lame stuff - teacup rides etc.

And just think how many tourists go to Luna Park. Or how many might watch night cricket games in Tassie (or simply go out clubbing on Friday or Saturday night). Or how many would go to motor races etc.

Fair enough that they might not go to that city just for one reason, but they'd quite likely spend an extra day there if there's more to do. I've never lived in Sydney but I've been to Luna Park, likewise many others would be the same.

This nonsense is costing us all an outright fortune in lost business etc so that a small minority can profit. Sadly, that seems to be how the whole economy is being run these days and it's why we're getting into so much trouble.

It's no longer a case of taking your slice of the pie. Now some steal the ingredients, break the oven and then still take as much as they can get of whatever ends up being cooked. And they're the first to whinge that the pie's no good.

I see someone's building a new road not far from me to access their property. I'd hoped that land wouldn't be developed but it's private property not a national park. I did my research before buying in the area and knew that development was possible so I won't be complaining.

Some of this is people being, or at least pretending to be, dumb. But quite a bit is something else - greed.

 

[Spanning Tree]

The failure of the public school system.

American English usage.

Technology.

This is especially evident in schools not teaching students how to form complete sentences.

 

[Calliope]

Our lawmakers in their wisdom decided that crocodiles are a protected species. This means if a croc wants to eat one of us it is perfectly legal for it to do so. It is ironic that when a croc decides to avail itself of this privelege there is quite an outcry for it to be punished.

 

[Smurf1976]

This is especially evident in schools not teaching students how to form complete sentences.

Are you being serious? Are schools really not teaching basic reading and writing these days?