This just in: Americans are obscenely stupid

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CHICAGO - Americans apparently know more about “The Simpsons” than they do about the First Amendment.

Only one in four Americans can name more than one of the five freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment.
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HOLY SHIT!

But more than half can name at least two members of the cartoon family, according to a survey.

The study by the new McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum found that 22 percent of Americans could name all five Simpson family members, compared with just one in 1,000 people who could name all five First Amendment freedoms.

Joe Madeira, director of exhibitions at the museum, said he was surprised by the results.

“Part of the survey really shows there are misconceptions, and part of our mission is to clear up these misconceptions,” said Madeira, whose museum will be dedicated to helping visitors understand the First Amendment when it opens in April. “It means we have our job cut out for us.”

The survey found more people could name the three “American Idol” judges than identify three First Amendment rights. They were also more likely to remember popular advertising slogans.

It also showed that people misidentified First Amendment rights. About one in five people thought the right to own a pet was protected, and 38 percent said they believed the right against self-incrimination contained in the Fifth Amendment was a First Amendment right, the survey found.

The telephone survey of 1,000 adults was conducted Jan. 20-22 by the research firm Synovate and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
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MSNBC

Petition for redress of grievances may not be the most memorable one, but the other four (freedom of speech, religion, press, and assembly) should be no-brainers.

But if you're conservative, the First Amendment doesn't exist! LOL AMIRITE? ofcorsimrite!
 
Not memorizing the first amendment, or any other part of the constitution hardly makes you stupid.

If you can explain how knowing the first amendment is essential to daily life, then you might have a point. But as it is, it's just history/politics bullshit that is meaningless 99.9% of the time. Nobody needs to know what the first amendment says, they can just take for granted that it's about having the right to say whatever you want and believe in whatever you want.

And obviously it makes sense that most people would know more about the Simpsons than the first amendment. The Simpsons is a popular tv show that people are exposed to on a constant basis. People are not exposed to the definition of the first amendment on a daily basis.
 
Uh oh, I can only remember 4.

Freedom of Religion
" of Speech
Right to Assemble
Right to Petition the Government ... what am I missing?
 
Spencerr said:
Uh oh, I can only remember 4.

Freedom of Religion
" of Speech
Right to Assemble
Right to Petition the Government ... what am I missing?
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Press (but speech is close enough =p)
 
J2 Cool said:
Maybe it's not important to recite or think about in our daily life. In that case, we'd simply be selective.
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I would argue that is the case if the average person didn't know all the shit that happens with Paris Hilton or Britney Spears.

It's a paradox. I think people get smarter and smarter about somethings and dumber and dumber about others as I get older. It's quite odd.
 
That isnt a reason to think Americans are stupid. What makes everyone think that Ameircans are stupid are your celebrities such as Paris Hilton who doesnt know that london is in the UK and thinks that all europeans speak French
 
Humans retain information that helps us to survive in our environment. You can most likely take anybody outside the US and ask them basic questions about their country and you'll probably get the same result. I mean, shit, The last i had to study and memorize the Bill of Rights/Amendments was probably middle school/early high school. The fact that anyone would judge the intelligence of another by this survey makes them the idiot, imo.
 
psycho_snake said:
That isnt a reason to think Americans are stupid. What makes everyone think that Ameircans are stupid are your celebrities such as Paris Hilton who doesnt know that london is in the UK and thinks that all europeans speak French
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Then "everyone" is stupid for making that assumption.
 
I don't think this is really a matter of intelligence. People have been and always will be, on the average, stupid. We survive anyway. No big deal.

But not knowing The Constitution is not knowing your basic rights and freedoms. And if you don't know what those are, how will you know when they're taken away? And will you even care?
 
Beararms.jpg
 
BlackMage said:
Then "everyone" is stupid for making that assumption.
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I was only joking. We dont make the assumption that americans think like Paris Hilton or atleast we hope that she is the only American who doesnt know that London is in the UK.
 
Does this mean that Croatians are even more stupid than Americans, because on average they don't know any of the five freedoms guaranteed by the first amendment? :D

(Actually, given how mind-numbingly obvious the freedoms mostly are, I'd be surprised if most people who'd never even heard of the first amendment couldn't guess at least a couple of them...)
 
Yeah, its not like these "freedoms" apply to everyone anyway. Remeber that guy who got shot by police 40+ times for pulling his wallet out of his back pocket? Why remeber something you dont have. ;)
 
I think it depends on how the survey was written. If the question was "what are the rights stated by the first amendment" then I can see people getting it wrong because it's asking more about memorizing the language of the law. Most people probably lump all of the bill of rights into one big pool and don't differentiate that much between the amendment number (which is why you see people mixing up the fifth with the first). Also, some people probably lump the Bill of rights with the declaration of independence. People thinking they have the right to earn a pet are probably interpreting it as a right to pursue happiness (which is up to interpretation, if not a right given by actual amendments).

It's not as if people don't know they have the right to free speech and assemble. It matters in how you as people the question. Ask someone simple yes or no questions (Do you have the right to free speech? Do you have the right to assemble?) and I bet you'll see that more people know their rights but not necessarily how they are organized by the Constitution.
 
Sukahii16 said:
I think it depends on how the survey was written. If the question was "what are the rights stated by the first amendment" then I can see people getting it wrong because it's asking more about memorizing the language of the law. Most people probably lump all of the bill of rights into one big pool and don't differentiate that much between the amendment number (which is why you see people mixing up the fifth with the first). Also, some people probably lump the Bill of rights with the declaration of independence. People thinking they have the right to earn a pet are probably interpreting it as a right to pursue happiness (which is up to interpretation, if not a right given by actual amendments).

It's not as if people don't know they have the right to free speech and assemble. It matters in how you as people the question. Ask someone simple yes or no questions (Do you have the right to free speech? Do you have the right to assemble?) and I bet you'll see that more people know their rights but not necessarily how they are organized by the Constitution.
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i'm glad someone has some sense.
 
Well I only know the first basic constitutional law of Germany ('human dignity is inviolable') other than that I could not tell you any more....
Does that make me a stupid german? (well I know some more, but I could not write them down in the words they are written, I know the jist of some)
 
Sukahii16 said:
I think it depends on how the survey was written. If the question was "what are the rights stated by the first amendment" then I can see people getting it wrong because it's asking more about memorizing the language of the law. Most people probably lump all of the bill of rights into one big pool and don't differentiate that much between the amendment number (which is why you see people mixing up the fifth with the first). Also, some people probably lump the Bill of rights with the declaration of independence. People thinking they have the right to earn a pet are probably interpreting it as a right to pursue happiness (which is up to interpretation, if not a right given by actual amendments).

It's not as if people don't know they have the right to free speech and assemble. It matters in how you as people the question. Ask someone simple yes or no questions (Do you have the right to free speech? Do you have the right to assemble?) and I bet you'll see that more people know their rights but not necessarily how they are organized by the Constitution.
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[/damage control] ;)
 
With the increasing level of specialization required to get a job these days, Americans seem to be coming idiot-savants.

I'm not very knowledgeable about politics or history because I don't have too much time to study it, and unfortunately, I wasn't paying too much attention to it in middle school and up.

It's strange. Even though we speak the same language, with all of this specialization and jargon that comes with it, it's getting harder and harder to communicate with each other.
 
Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Amendment II

A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.

Amendment III

No soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

Amendment IV

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Amendment V

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
 
...

I'll hold my breath for you to recite the declaration of independance, of course people are going to remember things like the Simpsons names and popular jingles. You see and hear those all the time. When was the last time a commercial came on reading your first amendment rights to you.
 
SyNapSe said:
...

I'll hold my breath for you to recite the declaration of independance.
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ok dipshit

The declaration of independence is just that, it’s not the constitution or the law of the land

The CONSTITUTION gives you the rights, declaration of independence declares the country to be independent and that all men are created equal ... except for blacks
 
SyNapSe said:
...

I'll hold my breath for you to recite the declaration of independance, of course people are going to remember things like the Simpsons names and popular jingles. You see and hear those all the time. When was the last time a commercial came on reading your first amendment rights to you.
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I pledge allegiance
To the flag
Of the United States of America
And to the republic
For which it stands
Our nation
Under God
Indivisible
With liberty and justice for all

amirite? I don't think I've used it in 10 years but I still remember at least most of it.

Edit: Okay, it's "one nation." I made one little boo-boo.
 
skrew said:
ok dipshit

The declaration of independence is just that, it’s not the constitution or the law of the land

The CONSTITUTION gives you the rights, declaration of independence declares the country to be independent and that all men are created equal ... except for blacks
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and? They are both documents most American's studied in middle school and haven't seen since. I had to memorize the Gettysburg Address in school too, and I couldn't even attempt to recite it now. The fact that most American's could tell you the Simpson cast member names, or who is the starting QB for the patriots instead of information within the bill of rights has nothing to do with intelligence.
 
SyNapSe said:
...

I'll hold my breath for you to recite the declaration of independance, of course people are going to remember things like the Simpsons names and popular jingles. You see and hear those all the time. When was the last time a commercial came on reading your first amendment rights to you.
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That's true. However, something like schoolhouse rock put things into jingles that, 30 odd years later I can still recite. Such as the preamble to the Constitution. :)
 
The Pledge of Allegiance is the most backwash crap ever. Yeah the whole under god thing is crap but what really pisses me off is "with liberty and justice for all." Bullshit.
 
sonarrat said:
I pledge allegiance
To the flag
Of the United States of America
And to the republic
For which it stands
Our nation
Under God
Indivisible
With liberty and justice for all

amirite? I don't think I've used it in 10 years but I still remember at least most of it.

Edit: Okay, it's "one nation." I made one little boo-boo.
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and the "under god" line wasn't introduced till the 1950s.
also, that line reads "One nation under god." the comma most people throw in there isn't present in the official writing of the pledge.
 
Linking memorization of the Amendments to intelligence is stupid to begin with.

Everyone knows a little bit of something. No one knows everything.

It is a shame that many don't know Bill of Rights by heart, but that makes people stupid somehow?

Your analysis sucks.
 
People are stupid for allowing themselves to be so ignorant of the fundamental rights of US citizens and principles upon which the US state was founded. They then simultaneously preach about how "free" the US is compared to the rest of us and allow politicians to take those rights and erode those values away on a whim.

This survey just demonstrates the ignorance which facilitates the stupidity. And don't think the Americans are alone, the same shit is going on in the UK, where Blair and the elected MPs (who are ignorant fucks) have eroded fundamental British legal and moral principles that have stood for 400 years. And the people of the UK let that happen because they didn't have a clue what was going on and what was being given away.
 
MrSardonic said:
People are stupid for allowing themselves to be so ignorant of the fundamental rights of US citizens and principles upon which the US state was founded. They then simultaneously preach about how "free" the US is compared to the rest of us and allow politicians to take those rights and erode those values away on a whim.

This survey just demonstrates the ignorance which facilitates the stupidity. And don't think the Americans are alone, the same shit is going on in the UK, where Blair and the elected MPs (who are ignorant fucks) have eroded fundamental British legal and moral principles that have stood for 400 years. And the people of the UK let that happen because they didn't have a clue what was going on and what was being given away.
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Ignorance of something doesn't necessarily make someone stupid though.

Intelligence can exist while the individual can still be ignorant of things.

Everyone is ignorant of something. People should be aware of their rights, but calling someone obscenely stupid, I believe, is taking it too far.

But this is GAF, the place where everyone thinks they are smarter than everyone else.
 
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