Dangerous Ideas and Criminally Stupid College Students

(This is from my blog on Blogger: http://www.furioustoaster.blogspot.com.)

I don't typically post blogs that serve to degrade or criticize a group of people (I prefer to degrade and criticize you people one submission at a time). I don't like to generalize or stereotype, but I feel like I need to right now.

Lately, I can't help but notice how lazy and uneducated the vast majority of college students I've met are. Normally, I would blame this on Florida's pathetic education system, but I've recently met several other people from other colleges located around the country and I have to say, I'm shocked and disappointed.

I'm currently on a flight from Pennsylvania to Florida, seated next to two students from the University of Georgia. The guy seated next to me asked me, "Yo, what book is that?" I told him, "It's called What Is Your Dangerous Idea, it's basically a compilation of essays and theories on what today's leading scientists, geneticists, and thinkers consider to be dangerous ideas and why." He asked, "What do you mean, dangerous? How can an idea be dangerous?" I said, "Darwin, for example, had a dangerous idea. His theory of evolution completely changed the way we thought about the origin of our species. His idea is dangerous because it challenges the existence of God."

Then...I shit you not...his response was as follows:

"Dude, like, I was like, totally homophobic until sophomore year when I, like, realized they were like, legit human beings."

To which I replied "...word." ...and went back to my book.

He continued discussing different types of alcohols and their various effects on him with his girlfriend, who spent the entire time staring at him adoringly with wide-eyes, giggling at him and saying, "OMG," occasionally. (People who speak in internet short-hand irritate me. It'd be an understatement for me to say that I wanted to rip her hair out just so I'd have something to strangle her with.)

After spending two excruciating hours overhearing the conversation between the two of them, I'm shocked that they graduated high school. I've attended college, but I have yet to graduate. I don't even have my A.S. However, I feel fairly confident that I'm more educated right now then either of these fucktards will be in another 3 years. It makes me sick that these are the caliber of people that are getting accepted into our universities. To me, it seems like their goal isn't to attain a higher education, it's just to prolong high school.

It has also occurred to me that the majority of "dangerous ideas" in my book aren't dangerous at all. In order for these ideas to be 'dangerous' they require a different society. They require motivated, intelligent people. People that have the desire to attain as much knowledge as they can and have the ability to apply that knowledge. Most people don't think or learn for themselves. Why would they? There are devices and search engines available to do it for them.

So, while considering the dangerous ideas of others, I've discovered my own dangerous idea...that in this age of technology and information (and perhaps because of it), motivated, intellectual people will eventually cease to exist.

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Comment by Mafia on May 12, 2009 at 8:30pm: Until we completely release ourselves from our energy dependence, which will never happen, we'll be forever vulnerable. I'm not a psychotic naturalist or anything, but I think it would be best to prepare for the possibility of a massive solar storm or attack on our resources.

I never saw the movie, lol. I'm more of a book person. I don't even have cable. Not because I'm against the media or whatever, I just can't afford to pay for something I never use. Besides, the constant propaganda bothers me. But the capping of the oil wells reminds me of the diamond cartel. I read that there are TONS of diamonds being stored, but if they were released, the price of diamonds would go down.

I think I'm too tired to be able to form a legible response right now, lol. I worked twelve hours today. I'll give a better answer tomorrow after my first court date for my divorce. Ugh.

Comment by Jack Frost on May 11, 2009 at 10:46pm: I am also glad to see that you value knowledge...after all "Proverbs 14:15 The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going."
I find that the most dangerous ideas stem from pride and arrogancy. Take Hitler and his quest for creating a superior race for example.
Even today there are hard core "card carrying" atheists that consider themselves to be the "enlightened ones", the "superior tribe” of man higher up on the evolutionary scale than everyone else, who think that "survival of the fittest" dictates that they will one day purge mankind of "unenlightened" Bible believing Christians and other religions which, as they see it, hold mankind back from attaining true supreme enlightenment and superiority (godhood). If you think I am exaggerating, you can check it out for yourself at http://www.rationalresponders.com/forums. Obviously, if you ask them if they are little “Hitlers”, they will say "Of course not!", but if you really dig through their forums, and if you have the knowledge to pin them to the wall for a wholly truthful answer, then you will find that their true attitudes are extremely dangerous.
When you think about the result of plasma balls spewed from the surface of the sun and how it could affect the power grid, consider what a few bombs from our enemies could do to solar panels we set up in the desert and wind mill farms in the Midwest, hydropower dams and nuclear power plants. No matter which way we go to come up with alternative forms of energy, we wind up immensely more vulnerable to our enemies!
Also, concerning doomsday scenarios, I wonder if you have seen the movie “A Crude Awakening”. It concerns our looming oil crisis. I tend to agree with a recent comment of Donald Trump on this one point, that when the economy finally comes around the demand for and the price of oil will skyrocket again. That’s a big problem for typical suburbia in the good ole’ USA, and will probably throw us right back down into a depression. I see us in war after war over oil in the near future. Lately, I have heard a number of people say that we have lots of oil in the US in wells that have been capped for no reason other than that fact that it was not cost efficient enough at the time to continue running those particular wells (because they were paid under the table by OPEC to cap them).

Comment by Mafia on May 10, 2009 at 11:56am: Oh god...Rebecca, we're soul ninjas. I love physics.

Have you ever read The Quantum Brain by Jerry Satinover? It's more about quantum mechanics and how they apply to the brain and neurological processes than quantum physics, but still. Basically, Satinover discusses whether we really have "free will" or whether what we consider to be our "choices" and "personalities" are just a product of chemical processes in the brain and the firing of neurons. He also talks about how they've created artificial brains that not only mimic ours, but may even surpass ours.

For most people, it's pretty hard to keep up with, but if you have a basic understanding of quantum theory and neurobiology, you should be able to follow it pretty easily. Satinover makes it easy to digest, lol.

You should also read this, but I'm guessing you've probably already heard of it and probably already read it: www.edge.org

The guy that owns that site has edited together a few books that are AMAZING. What is Your Dangerous Idea (the book that spawned the instance that this blog was based on, lol) is literally, the best book I've ever read.

Comment by Rebecca Trekkie on May 10, 2009 at 11:22am: I have to agree with you. Your response to those buffoons was highly appropriate...although I myself would have been a little more wordy with my rebuttal. Most of the high school and college students nowadays are there "just to party", at least from what I'm told. I'll be mighty embarrassed if that's how my college turns out, at least by the time I'm ready to pursue my doctorate.

High school and college students are farces. At least, the majority of them are. Being a freshman in high school who reads up on D-brane string theory in public, I often am taunted and teased by guys with vocabularies approximately 12 worlds long, and half are variations of the f-word.

Also, I don't necessarily agree with the general degradation of intelligence being centered on the internet. While it is true that the WWW is a bit of a distraction and contains much useless and inappropriate material (porn, gang sites, drug deal arrangements), it also can reveal a wealth of information that can improve knowledge, understanding and even one's lifestyle in general. It's not what's on the internet necessarily, but how you use what's on the internet.

Mafia, you're right. These kids need some general meditation. I've tried it myself for a few hours or so, and it's incredible what the mind creates in solitude. Maybe they'd start realizing the futility of their uneducated, unrefined ways and shapen up a bit.

Comment by Mafia on May 10, 2009 at 8:02am: LMAO, Joe, that is priceless. However, there is one part of your plan that is a fail: "No permanent injury but enough to get their attention and make them suffer and have time to think about themselves."
...sadly, this will never happen.

I thought it might be a good idea to spend 24 hours in complete isolation (meaning: no books, no TV, no cell phones, no internet, no people...period). Have any of you ever spent 24 hours completely alone? I'm going to do this one day, and spend the entire day just thinking and see what I come up with. Philosophers used to do this regularly. So, sometime after my upcoming court date (I'm getting divorced, nothing criminal, lol), I'm going to try it out.

Comment by R56 on May 9, 2009 at 10:03pm: I completely agree with you. I'm 20 and in college as well and I just cannot understand how 80% of these people even got out of high school. I walk through the library expecting to see other students researching and studying, yet I am always presented with them updating their facebook status and commenting on their friends drunken photo.

As much as I love how much technology has advanced, the simpler minded of people have gotten hooked on little ideas and are stuck their, wasting their lives telling people what they just did rather than living it and doing more. The great thinkers of the world would have never come up with such strong ideas if they were keeping everyone posted on what they were doing, which losses their train of thought. This technology age really is the demise of the brain and motivation if people allow themselves to get caught in it.

Whatever happened to figuring out how something works or what it is the good old fashion way rather than "Google it"

Comment by Joe Stretch on May 8, 2009 at 8:17am: I am offended by these people continuously and I have decided to do harm to them. No permanent injury but enough to get their attention and make them suffer and have time to think about themselves. The Answer www.safenetnow.com">Cheap Pepper Spray. That is the actual brand name too. It works like a charm....it's legal and cheap.
I won't put up with anymore. I am not a violent person....just the opposite but I finally figured out how to deal with these people and other dangerous situations. I bought it from a friend....it's easy to get. I Love not having to feel threatened anymore because I do look like a geek and get picked on a lot. My www.safenetnow.com">cheap pepper spray is my hero and levels the field.

Comment by Bob Ress on May 8, 2009 at 7:20am: I taught HS for two years, and I have to say, it's only getting worse.
Kornbluth was right, we're heading for the age of the "Marching Morons"

Comment by Mafia on May 7, 2009 at 9:14pm: Lol, they're oh so cute, but oh so stupid.
Speaking of lemmings, I totally found out that they don't commit mass suicide. Actually, that was something Disney made up. Omg, I have to blog about Disney. Be are bee.

Comment by Aaron Tanner on May 7, 2009 at 8:31pm: Mafia.. Are you me?!

Glad to have found someone who understands!

hey, at least lemmings as fun ;)