Hi Reverse:

Hello----are you a really fellow Alaskan? I thought in an earlier post you said you lived in Rio?

(PS---If you've recently moved to Alaska then please check a map because you are exhibiting archtypical American stupidification about some basic geography facts. Every Alaskan should know that the Iditarod doesn't start in the Matanuska Valley---The race stages a ceremonial start in Anchorage, and then the race re-starts from a small town in the Suisitna River Valley.)

I definately agree that as a nation, our intelligence is collectively declining.

As a former teacher, I would consider the following to be some of the reasons:

1) Capitalism/ society has created an environment in which our every whim and desire is attended to. There is always a company to provide every little device and gadget so that we don't have to think anymore (GPS systems for the car instead of reading a map). Then we have companies creating needs for us and herding us towards buying products to meet these supposed needs. Look at the crap such as "foot detox pads" and weight loss pills. We want the easy way out. Also, it's not cool to be a scientist, and funding for real science is short changed. You can (*could*) make more money being a salesman without even bothering to go to college!
A person's personality is much more important than being smart in the workplace. Outgoing people are rewarded while hard working "nerds" are deemed as not being "team players." It's who you know vs. what you know.

2) Many "parents" are doing a horrible job these days. They are too busy with work or whatever to see that their kids have help with homework, or even a single book in the house. TV is the babysitter beginning in infancy. (have you seen the kid cartoons these days? Rapid flashing pictures and constant advertisements. No wonder attention spans are measured in seconds). Discipline is too much hassle, so kids call the shots. When I was a first grade teacher, I don't know how many parents said to me " I don't know how to control little Johnny. What do you recommend?" There were no consequences at all. No desire to do well on a test. Just a desire to put forth the minimal effort and do the time.

3) Back in the old days, before TV, DVD, iPods, texting, people actually had to read books and play parlor games to occupy themselves. These games required the use of the mind. Now we just sit in front of the tube. No one bothers to go outside and look at the stars or walk through the woods to collect rocks. Kids are trapped in their suburban homes with nowhere to play.
We are bored unless we are bombarded with stimulation. This is a major problem. The average person can't sit still and just think for more than 2 seconds. Kids in school want to be entertained.
I remember going to the home of one of my former bosses (a woman who made $120,000 at that time) and a crow landed beside her patio door. She turned to us and said 'Is that a bald eagle?" People are clueless.

Well, I could go on but I have a bad cold today and am probably rambling. I think the only hope for us is some kind of AI implant... LOL

Oh don't worry if Johnny can't read, we've got Sylvan. I think their commercials are an insult to education.

Have you seen the movie "Idiocracy" with Luke Wilson? When I was watching it the movie's premise sounded hysterical...now it seems almost like the course we're heading.

Hello all.
This is my first post, but have been lurking for a bit. I have learned much and enjoyed many of your posts, but
I have to comment about this. All this talk of stupidity and maybe I've missed something, but has no one even noticed that "stupidification" is not a word? Does anyone see the irony in this whole thread? Maybe we all need a little smartification before we label a whole nation of people stupid.

Superpoodle

I love it.

I live in a condo for the upper-middle class in Warsaw (with managers, artists and enterpreneurs). This place is completely deserted of human soul. Neighbours don't know each other, kids don't know kids from the other condo (we have fences everywhere), and parents working in corporations really don't have much time for their children.

Social exclusion happens when kids are about 12-14, when they start to compare themselves by the income of their parents, gadgets they have, clothes they wear - and on that level they create hierarchy... Anyway - is it connected with "what you know?" - not.

Our public system of education until the end of 90s was quite good, and then it was "reformed". We create groups and classes in public schools looking at parents' personal wealth, and it's normal; we don't look at the grades they get.
We slashed requirements to pass tests from 50-60% to 30%. And our system produce narcissistic idiots, violent subcultures or just bored kids who wait for fun. ADHD is a plague, and monitor is sometimes the only one connection with world, and the only teacher.
Parents more often want the school to raise their children, not only educate, but raise them... and this clearly shows that many people shouldn't have children in the first place.

What we observe is transition in values. There is no sympathy, solidarity, emotional adulthood in these people.
I just can't wait to move from this place in January.

I lived in Rio as a boy, my dad was in International Banking with Chase Manhattan in the 60s.

I live in Alaska now, and everyone around here refers to where we live as "the Mat Valley" , even though it includes both the Matanuska and Susitna Valleys. To be slightly more precise, I live somewhere between the Matanuska and Susitna Valleys Close enough to the trailhead of the Iditarod to ride my bike to it. More precise I don't need to get. The Iditarod is of course about the only thing anyone recognizes about Alaska other than the Oil on the North Slope and in the ANWR.

Reverse Engineer

The Mat-Su is a wonderful location, I'm envious. I peruse the over-priced real estate in the Talkeetna area every so often to escape into a pleasant dream.

Real Estate prices here are dropping like a stone, like everywhere else. There are also plenty of folks looking to sell out because they are in financial trouble. I have friends who are trying to unload a cabin in Peters Creek as they are currently underwater on their mortgage on their primary home. Too far from work for me though, and besides I think the real estate market has a good ways to still fall. Quite a ways off even dirt roads though, you gotta get there by snow machine in the winter and 4 wheeler in the summer. When the gas runs out, cross country skis, off road bicycle or horseback to get there.

Rentals are abundant and dirt cheap though, I rent my place for $650 including NG heat. I spend all of around $20/mo on my electric bill from the energy coop I am a member of.

Its going to be interesting to see how it plays out up here when TS REALLY HTF. As I have written in other posts, most folks I know have quite a bit of stored food themselves, anybody who hunts and fishes has a freezer full of meat going into the winter. You end up giving most of it away going into the next hunting season these days, as who really wants to eat 2 year old meat if you don't have to? However, that abundance is only because in reality most food is shipped up here. If we actually had to subsist on this stuff, I really don't know how many people it can support. Similar with our local farms, there is a decent amount of produce coming out of them but its by no means the main source of produce, most is either shipped from CA, WA or Mexico.

Far as energy goes, the Slope still has oil, but Tesoro as a refiner is very marginal. I imagine they will be Nationalized however, so what their profit margin is really doesn't matter all that much.

Besides the Slope driving the total economy, the other main employer up here is the Military. Alaska is basically a modern Fort. As long as the Military gets some funding of some sort, we have an economy running. Strategically, due to the location on the Globe, Air Force bases here have access to all of Russia, Sweden, Norway and Finland over the Polar Route. Geopolitically, Alaska is a very valuable piece of real estate because of that.

I'm lucky to be here, I didn't plan it because of Peak Oil, it just turned out that way. I honestly cannot think of any other place I would rather be though to try to ride this thing out, including New Zealand, which would be my second choice. Still, by no means do I think its going to be a picnic up here when TSHTF. People really aren't prepared for just how tough it will be to make our area self-sustaining. How fast they adjust to it will be interesting to say the least.

Reverse Engineer

Pssst......Reverse.....hey!..... Please Stop telling people how nice it is. Do you want to get overrun with zombies when the die off starts?

Yes, don't ruin what will be our second biggest province someday before we even get it, Reverse.

Forgive my ignorance, but how do you grow food up there? Isn't it all short days and cold temperatures? The plant hardiness zone seems unfavorable as well...

Not being a susbsistence farmer myself, I really don't know the precise proceedures and variables, but its not all short days, actually in the summer growing season its daylight almost all the time. Shorter growing season since you can't plant anything until the ground unfreezes, but a few crops seem to do OK up here. At the Alaska State Fair the farm exhibit had the usual competitions of any State Fair for big vegetables, 4H Club Fat Pigs, etc. The main local produce they had there was Red Potatoes, Squash, Rhubarb, and Carrots.

Mainly, I think susbsitence up here will come from the fishing industry. Since we have our own supply of oil and our own refineries and plenty of fishing boats, as long as there are still fish in the ocean we should be OK. Keeping my fingers crossed anyhow.

Far as advertising it too much, well if anybody wants to move here, I'd advise having plenty of money because jobs right now aren't all that easy to come by. However, if you have a gazillion dollars you want to invest, I can show you some excellent locations for a good Doomstead, and I'll introduce you to a few of my friends on the State Police so you have a reasonable chance of holding onto the place Just remember on a Goobernmental level I am a Tribalist and strict Darwinist. Once you cannot contribute to the society productively, you are Bear food. No Greedy Capitalists or Namby Pamby Communists allowed.

Reverse Engineer

Please don't be so modest. You are exactly right.....it is far too cold and the days are generally short and almost always so unpleasant so that virtually none of the standard crops will grow.

So far all the reasons for the decline in America's intelligence by the teachers and previous teachers is right on!

This is a different thought on the same subject...

My Father, who died on January 1, 1969 talked about war causing America to weaken - in all areas. He felt that the 'draft' chose our best men to send to war - mostly to be killed or maimed - and left the weak at home to breed our future.

I was seven years old when I heard this, but have often wondered if it played out at all as he thought....