Hey, I'm an American, and I find this video hilarious (true). I know not all Americans are this dumb (true). But, many are (true).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJuNgBkloFE

AAaaaah, I just love this.
C'est formidable.

Hell, maybe France still needs the USA after all... .

That video has to be staged. No one is that stupid.

As for Americans? You got smart ones and you got dumb ones, same as anywhere else. Even if that video wasn't just a huge troll, you can't take the six or so individuals and attach that level of inanity to the entire continent.

I don't know; I think the ratio of smart Americans to stupid Americans is about 45% versus 55%. :P

Stupid people don't outnumber smart people too much, but there's still plenty of them to cause plenty of damage...

Yeah, I think this is true. Also, there is a real criticism leveled at Americans that they don't know much about the rest of the world. I believe it's partly true and, from what I could see, somewhat down to just how local the news is. I remember the first time I went to Boston, there was a concorde crash in (I think) France. It was pretty major. But the news in Boston was mostly about a fire in a shop that did a bit of damage to property. I found it tough to get more than a few snippets of world news.

But, the thing is, the US is pretty damn big. Many other countries are really small by comparison. And the US is a major power. So, for a country like Ireland, where I am, it makes perfect sense that many of us would know more about the world. We only have to drive a couple of hours and we hit the edge of our country. And many world events will affect us more than they'd affect the US. There's really not as much reason for many Americans to know as much about some other countries. There's more than enough in the US alone to keep you guys busy. So I don't think it's entirely a fair criticism.

Wowza. Had me cracking up a few times. I always wonder how many people do answer correctly, and have to be weeded out. I'd be very surprised to run into someone who actually doesn't recognize Australia; that's gotta be rare. All you have to do is see it on a map once, and you can't forget it. Anyway, I'd label this as ignorance. Willfully ignorant. Like I am about dates in history. I think it's good to be familiar with major events, and the general timeline of world history, but I couldn't care less about specific dates. Memorizing them doesn't benefit me in any way except to make me look "smarter."

Case in point: Republicans.

Is the joke that Americans wrote the subtitles?

One of my co-workers didn't know that the space outside of our atmosphere is called a "vacuum". Upon further questioning, she didn't have any notion of the distances in space, or know the difference between a solar system and a galaxy. I regard her as "pretty smart", because she's one of the few people I can talk to about biology. Most people are clueless about DNA, but she has her facts straight.

All of those so-called "stupid" people could probably ace certain categories and flunk others. For example, some of them might know a great deal about working on engines or installing drywall, which could stump so-called "smart" people.

On the other hand, is there a country known for being generally smart?

I have an impression that people in Northern Europe are (UK, German, France are also included, If anything) but nowadays I basically don't want to generalize. After all, we should look at individuals.

That video was certainly not meant to be taken at face value. Clearly not all Americans are dumb. I do have to disagree with Jodo

"All of those so-called "stupid" people could probably ace certain categories and flunk others. For example, some of them might know a great deal about working on engines or installing drywall, which could stump so-called "smart" people."

While in general it's true that people are often good at 'what they do' and have weaknesses (history, math, etc), I do believe that some people are just dumb and not because they were born handicapped, but because they choose to be. In other words, I don't see how someone who doesn't know that a triangle has three sides could possibly work on an engine! However, do be fair, I'm sure you can find people like that all over the world. It simply happens that the US is relatively wealthy, and thus you would think everyone would get a decent education (after all, education through high school is free in the US and then there are state colleges that offer very low tuition)! However, clearly that is not the case. I also think Jay's point is entirely accurate. However once again, if you have a high school education (really an elementary school education) you should know where Australia is! At least, that's how it used to be...

Well, I knew an actuary, who should be relatively skilled at understanding money, but who made incredibly poor personal spending choices (like taking out a line of credit on his condo, and using the money for a time share).  I knew another actuary that didn't know that green bananas and yellow bananas were the same fruit.    I knew an MIT student that thought that an "armadillo" was a place where you hang your clothes.  You'd be surprised what people know and don't know.

Good point Crash. Sometimes people make poor decisions, but I don't think that's the same as lacking basic elementary knowledge that people typically learn in grade school.  I can actually see people not knowing that green bananas and yellow bananas are the same, since there are different types of bananas. As for an MIT student not knowing the word armadillo, was this student foreign? I know it's often hard for foreign students to know "uncommon" words, and you don't hear armadillo every day. Still, I bet all those people know that a triangle has three sides and where Australia is on a map

Good points here. Way back during my very brief stint in university, I met many maths geeks who were incredibly smart when it came to mathematics, like on a whole other level of existence. And many, if not most, were complete idiots. Harsh accusation, I know, but true. It's like all that amazing brain power came at the expense of common sense and very basic knowledge. And yet they could think in ways I couldn't even begin to understand.

The whole experience fed both my inferiority complex and my superiority complex all at the same time.

Well, if you want to get political about it...

...you can't blame that healthcare fiasco on us.

If you ask me, a lot of the tax money that the government spends on education is wasted; you can't MAKE children WANT to learn, no matter how many "Tools" you give them. I find that it's a matter of a person's innate personality.

When you consider that the public school system is little more than daycare for older kids - and is really only there to keep kids off the streets, and from causing trouble - one can't help wondering that the nation might be more prosperous if non-academic people spent more time learning a trade or vocation, rather than reading shittons of facts and trivia that they'll probably never have to use outside of a TV game show.

My experience has been that analytic thinkers (scientists, engineers) are typically both smart and intelligent. While an undergraduate at College I was thoroughly impressed by my physics professors who would talk about politics, philosophy, arts, literature as readily as about complex physical problems. Sadly, most people who studied politics, philosophy, literature, and (especially) art would get this glassy-eyed look when confronted by numbers or science. I always thought that was a pity, since there's no reason that most anyone can not learn math or science if they tried (to a limit of course, it's not like everyone has to understand differential equations). As for pure mathematicians, I have to agree with Jay. My experience with them is that most (but not all) are indeed living in a dimension of their own, and they study abstract problems that even most scientists and engineers have difficulty tackling.

It's possible for the same reason that someone who does know a triangle has three sides could not work on an engine.

You mean the bill that had some absolutely awesome provisions in it until it was completely neutered with "compromises"?  The bill that Republicans are now challenging the constitutionality of because of language *they* demanded be added to the bill (yeah, no coincidence there...)?  The bill Republicans disingenuously tried to smear with ridiculously false propaganda and phrases like "death panels", all in an effort to preserve the gross profits of the insurance companies who donate money hand over fist to their political campaigns?

Yeah, you're right, Republicans can't be faulted for any of that.

Though, to be fair, many Democratic votes were bought by the insurance companies in the same way.  Disgusting and shameful.

Death panels your hiney; I'm not worried about that.

The way I look at it, the healthcare reform, I'll be paying tax for some person's healthcare, who doesn't really deserve it, e.g., so they can get nose lift or whatever, but when it comes time for me to need some serious surgery, I'll be denied, so I'd rather nip that little weed in the bud, before we're all bled for money that we shouldn't have had to pay.

I'm sure that plenty of people will be abusing it, that people will wisen up, and eventually decide to do away with it, anyway.

You can toss candy to a crowd of people without suffering too much repercussions (cavities for the masses, maybe?) but not so for healthcare, especially when the stuff's damn well expensive.

The way I've always seen it, you're compensated monetarily according to the contributions you make to society; the more you contribute to society, the more money you make; henceforth, the more you'll be able to pay for healthcare; in other words, you're taken care of well, because you contribute so much to society, and vice-versa.

Obama wants to do so much to just bypass the entire capitalistic system, it wouldn't surprise me if resources (food, healthcare, etc.) were just rationed out to people after awhile. But guess what, we already have a system of rationing or proportioning resources to people: Our own capitalistic system. You may argue that the capitalistic system isn't fair, but it's still a hell of a lot more fair than someone deciding arbitrarily what you do or don't deserve.

I mean, let's be fair, you wouldn't want to have to pay for me, if I need a lung or kidney transplant now, would you?

A person needs to work hard in life, if they want to earn the money so they can live longer.

And that's another thing: People wouldn't be scrambling for healthcare, if they didn't have the notions that they were supposed to live forever, or because they're afraid of death.

I feel like I'm repeating myself on all of these accounts...

Nose lift is considered a healthcare operation in America? What the hell?

Also, can someone answer me how in the hell americans managed to screw their whole healthcare system so badly that insurance companies basically dictate your health.

Maybe americans should start fixing the apparently horrible state of public school system. Again one thing I just can't understand how it has managed to go into such shitty state. Too much money into military I guess, which is funny when there isn't a country which could even try to invade America.

Thought, some of the problems might be in the fact of America being bit too big probably for it's own good. Maybe someone should just drop republicans out and let them make their own nation.

That second part is a joke, right? I mean, I feel the first reflects an idealized version of capitalist society versus the far more complex reality of who is contributing what and deserves what in return, but....you really would be surprised if we had government-mandated rationing for those things, right?

I don't see how anyone can argue that we have a broken health-care system that needs fixing. People who bad-mouth Obama's plan... I wonder if they've actually looked at it? Can they actually tell me what Obama's Health Care Plan actually entails? My guess is no, that many people are just against it because Obama is a democrat. Furthermore, the economy is in shambles thanks to Bush, but it's easy to blame Obama. I'm not saying his plan is perfect, but at least look at it and think about it before issuing a blank check saying "No, it sucks man"... consequently, American spends billions of dollars on people who hit the ER with NO medical insurance. A hospital can not turn away someone whose life is in danger, regardless whether this person has insurance. Therefore a hospital will pay tens of thousands of dollars to operate and recuperate someone who has an emergency, and in the end it's really the taxpayer who gets to cover that bill. On the other hand, insurance companies will try to find as many loopholes as they can, so that they don't have to treat people WHO ACTUALLY HAVE INSURANCE! It's easy to say "hey, I work and have health insurance, if you don't then you're not working which is the American way"... but that is not true. Many Americans that work very hard don't have the coverage that they deserve, despite the fact that the US has the best medical facilities in the world. Read this:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world … 51651.html

As for why are American public schools so messed up, that's an entirely different ball game...

I remember telling someone back in high school about UK (United Kingdom), he had no idea there was such place...

paid 5 figures in health insurance premiums last year and didnt use it even once,, but im sure someone did...

Qualifies as surgery. There's a number of reasons that a person could justify using tax payer dollars to get cosmetic surgery; people already abuse medical benefits for this kind of thing.

It'd be naive to think that people wouldn't abuse government-provided healthcare for that sort of thing.

America's too busy policing the rest of the damn world, doing charity cases, and trying to keep everyone happy, so they don't have an excuse to blow us up. That's where our military budget goes.

I always wondered why the U.S. didn't just split in half, Liberals on one side, Conservatives on the other; the parties really undermine each other from getting anything done, rather than providing a balance that benefits each other.

I knew someone who thought the UK was a theme park along the lines of Disney World. I had to tell him, that's the "MAGICAL" Kingdom... (-_-);

Only people on America would probably abuse, but I haven't much heard people abusing goverment provided healthcare anywhere else. And Americans only because their oddly fixation for idiotic cosmetic surgeries, which almost should be banned unless you rellay do need a surgery, like skin transfer or fixing a nose after incident.

Really? Do you believe in what you just wrote? Maybe the idiotic world police attitude is causing other countries to see America in negative state.

Thought I don't mean that America shouldn't intervene, their actions on WW II did help, even they did join the party after Japan decided to attack them. Heck, getting rid of Hussein (even after the fact that you guys did help him the eighties), was a good thing, but it was done under lies. Biological weapons in my ass.

And really, what countries would even have the capabilities to blow you guys up, especially in a way it wouldn't bite them back.

I have those too.

Osama bin Laden. 9/11.

Wankers might be able to blow you up, and will, even if it means they'll still get bitten in the ass in the end, just to try and prove a point - thinking they're sacrificing themselves for the greater good, but sometimes, they DO get away.

Just to clarify, no it is NOT considered a health care operation, that is just Bernhardt spouting bull****.

No, Adam, I don't consider getting a nose lift to be a healthcare operation.

But, depending upon how the law is written, someone probably COULD get away with covering frivolous cosmetic surgery using tax payer dollars, no matter how many controls you put in place, there's always loop holes.

That's the point I'm trying to make.

Easy solution for that, make people pay healthcare for their own decaying body matter.

Why WOULD you want healthcare to be run by the government? They can hardly keep roads repaired, or run a postal system as it is...

I was talking about countries, not terrorist groups. And seems that most of the suspected / confirmed terrorist acts have been domestic. At least wiki and the source it's citing says so. Also, talking about bin Laden, it's somewhat odd that all the amount US does wastes into military, they still haven't found him, nor they did find any biological weapons.

Well, healthcare, roads and postal system works in here just fine, but then we do have bit over 5 million people in here so that probably does help. And I think healthcare in America could be run by government just fine, but it would require a lots of things to change, probably even change state laws.

And to answer the original topic questions, I think most of the americans are smart, in someway, even if they would be republicans who voted for Bush. But as usual, the bad apples do smell worse and are easier to pick up.

Roads are the responsibility of state government, not federal. The USPS is a pretty fantastic service though, I don't know what you're talking about there.

Yeah, the U.S. should emulate Europe...nevermind that the economies in many European countries are faltering as they are.

What was that I heard about the economic states of Ireland and Greece not too long ago?

Yeah, but I'm talking about government in general, federal, state, municipal, what-else-have-you. You ask me, things just seem to run more smoothly, when they're operated by institutions that're private/separate from the government. I guess that's just my opinion.

People expect the government to do way too damn much for them; spread services way too thin over a vast population, and service is going to be poor for everyone.

Republicanism works...when people are actually willing to take responsibility for themselves.

Liberalism is for people who've lost faith in humanity, and believe that someone (the government) has to step in, and prevent people from doing stupid, self-destructive things.

Must just be my own local post office, then; 'cuz everything just seems to suck in my town, or my state, or post office workers really are as disgruntled in general as I think they are, between losing my mail and packages, or just outright pilfering the stuff; it's happened before, especially when you consider how much stuff I receive, and ship.

Probably because for ten years I've lived in a country where health care is "run by the government" (not the best term but at least more applicable than "run by insurance companies"), it has treated me well despite very reasonable costs, has done the same for friends who have undergone fairly serious treatments, and apparently does for the population surrounding me as well as I rarely if ever hear them complaining about health care.

Have a read if you like.  If you consider the source publication too liberal feel free to offer up an article of your choice and I'll take a look.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co … 9102805439

And the U.S. isn't?

As I understand it their current woes were caused mainly by the financial and housing sectors, excessive borrowing, and/or deregulation, so I don't see what it has to do with their health care systems (which aren't necessarily the ideal ones anyway).

Yeah that worked great for the financial sector.  Has been working wonders for the health care sector this past decade or so as well.  Provided you're a major bank exec or insurance company executive that is.

Nobody would have ever even halfway considered using the word "smoothly" to describe the U.S. health care system until a president from an opposing party decided to improve it.