Are you smarter than a 5th grader?

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AI Thread Summary
The recent episode of "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" sparked significant discussion after a contestant incorrectly answered a question about the height of two boys standing on each other's shoulders, mistakenly claiming they were 352 feet tall. This led to broader concerns about the general knowledge of contestants, with many expressing disbelief that someone could not know basic measurements like feet in a yard. The host's comments about the contestant's educational background, including being home-schooled, added to the scrutiny of the show's format and the intelligence of its participants. Viewers criticized the show for potentially selecting less knowledgeable contestants to enhance entertainment value, suggesting that the premise highlights ignorance rather than actual intelligence. The conversation also touched on the implications of such ignorance in a democratic society, where these contestants could be voters. Overall, the episode raised questions about educational standards and the portrayal of intelligence in media.
  • #51
dontdisturbmycircles said:
I found a video of the episode Evo mentioned here:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5825625767496547673&q=smarter+than+a+5th+grader&total=181&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=9
Yes! That's it!
 
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  • #52
Holy Cow! The producers must have to scour the countryside to find people that are actually that stupid. I can see the banter, now "Well, she presents herself well and she'll clean up nice, but she is dumb as a post - perfect!"
 
  • #53
:smile: The expression on Jacob and Spencer's faces should have given away how wrong she was if nothing else did! :smile:

But, hey, maybe she has a really big house and her yard really is 352 feet long. :biggrin:

Oh, wait, I can top that...
They do say everything's bigger in Texas! :-p

(I can't let Ivan claim all the groaners. :rolleyes:)
 
  • #54
Old Mainer/Texan Joke:

A Texan stops at a potato farm in Aroostook county to buy some spuds at the farm stand and asks the farmer how big his "spread" is. The farmer says "Well I own the land between here and that ridge yonder, and all the way back to the river." The Texan says "I could get in my pickup and drive all day and never get to the far side of my ranch." and the potato farmer replies "Had a truck like that myself, once."
 
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  • #55
Moonbear said:
They do say everything's bigger in Texas!
They say eggs are so big in Texas that seven of them make a dozen so perhaps there are 352 feet in a yard there after all.
 
  • #56
me said:
This begs the question -
jimmysnyder kindly corrected me on my misuse of this phrase. Thanks jimmy.

BEGS THE QUESTION
An argument that improperly assumes as true the very point the speaker is trying to argue for is said in formal logic to “beg the question.” Here is an example of a question-begging argument: “This painting is trash because it is obviously worthless.” The speaker is simply asserting the worthlessness of the work, not presenting any evidence to demonstrate that this is in fact the case. Since we never use “begs” with this odd meaning (“to improperly take for granted”) in any other phrase, many people mistakenly suppose the phrase implies something quite different: that the argument demands that a question about it be asked—raises the question. If you’re not comfortable with formal terms of logic, it’s best to stay away from this phrase, or risk embarrassing yourself.

I suppose I should have said - "this provokes the question".

For a useful resource on the misuse or perhaps proper use of English words and phrases - http://wsu.edu/~brians/errors/errors.html

My wife bought me this book. I guess I need to read it.


I just realized that I edited this post (and unintentionally replaced the previous text) rather than quoting it and replying with the above text. :rolleyes: It appears that I was not fully awake.
 
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  • #57
Oh my God... I can only hope that they searched high and low before finding her.
 
  • #58
Ivan Seeking said:
Oh my God... I can only hope that they searched high and low before finding her.
I'm afraid that they could have found her mental equivalent in any shopping mall or public gathering. It's scary, especially since we are living in a representative form of government that allows people like this to vote.
 
  • #59
Ivan Seeking said:
Oh my God... I can only hope that they searched high and low before finding her.
Low is more like it.

Do they intentionally try to find people without education?

And isn't there a more entertaining program like College Bowl? http://www.collegebowl.com/index/campusprog.asp
Does anyone watch this anymore? I had some friends participate in it, but that was 30 years ago.

Even Jeopardy would be better.
 
  • #60
The one time I watched that show (on Tivo or I never would have made it through the whole thing) the guy that was on there supposedly got a perfect on his SAT in the math section. If that is true, then the producers are definitely making the contestants dumb down for the show. This guy was taking 10 minutes to talk through the most basic questions. I guess that's what they need to do to eat up an entire hour.

It is, indeed, the closing of the American mind.
 
  • #61
The one episode I caught on TV and watched some of, I didn't realize it was a real game show, which is why I kept watching. I saw Jeff Foxworthy and thought it was one of his redneck skits poking fun at game show contestants. Only when it dawned on me that it was a real gameshow and that people really were that stupid, and that it wasn't going to end soon (I agree with the others who say it's to sssssllllllllllooooooooooooooooowwwwwwwww), I turned it off and never had any interest in watching again. I just can't stand the idea of a show that rewards people for being dumber than a post.
 
  • #62
Moonbear said:
:smile: The expression on Jacob and Spencer's faces should have given away how wrong she was if nothing else did! :smile:

But, hey, maybe she has a really big house and her yard really is 352 feet long. :biggrin:

Oh, wait, I can top that...
They do say everything's bigger in Texas! :-p

(I can't let Ivan claim all the groaners. :rolleyes:)

You also would think that the audience laughing at her numbers would have given it away as well...:smile:
 
  • #63
What really gets me is the "NASA rocket scientist." If he had really wanted to do well, you would think he would have picked the math and science questions first, instead of stumbling over geography and history. Despite his assertion that he didn't used to like math in elementary school, one would hope he would have no problem handling this sort of math *now*. It made me wonder if it wasn't really all rigged after all. I mean, his reactions (e.g. to getting a question wrong) seemed over the top, as if he were (over)acting. Not only that, but when he looked into the camera and said, "I'm a rocket scientist, but I'm still not smarter than a fifth grader!", he seemed to have this mischievious/delighted grin on his face. I think the show really just wanted the gimmick of a rocket scientist not being smarter than a fifth grader.

Finally, the whole premise of the show is flawed. The issue is not whether one is "smarter" than a fifth grader (although you do wonder about the intelligence of some of the contestants), but whether one is as knowledgeable as a fifth grader, in as many areas as those taught to fifth graders in school. That the the majority of the American public does not seem to meet this criterion does not surprise me one bit.
 
  • #64
I guess what I'm trying to say is that ignorance is not quite the same thing as stupidity, and what is on display in this show is mostly ignorance, with the occasional bout of stupidity thrown in for entertainment value.
 
  • #65
I have to question not only how it is possible that grown men and women are incapable of compute 2.5*3, but also why we are teaching so many other less useful topics (such as the location of Mt. Everest) to fifth graders when there are grown men and women out there who can't compute 2.5*3.
 
  • #66
Its 7.5 right? Somebody check my arithmetic
 
  • #67
I've a home version. I get to watch my older brother educate his girlfriend's son that Mt. Everest is shorter than K2, that there is no South Magnetic Pole, and that a googolplex is 1 followed by a million zeroes. :frown:

I have him frenzied over my suggestion *cough* that the North Magnetic Pole is in the south. :biggrin:
 
  • #68
I also agree with the show being too slow. I watched it twice and that's it.
 
  • #69
Are You Smarter than 5th Grader? I apparently am not!

http://www.squidoo.com/are-you-smarter-than-a-5th-grader/

I don't think the contestants are the only stupid ones.
 
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  • #70
Hurkyl said:
Of course: Texas.

why are u american guys always mocking with texan dudes?:biggrin:
 
  • #71
jonegil said:
why are u american guys always mocking with texan dudes?:biggrin:
The host asked her where she went to school and she said Texas.
 
  • #72
Evo said:
The host asked her where she went to school and she said Texas.

Yeah...but I've heard many times American people makin fun of Texan guys n sayin dat they r crazy, why?
 
  • #73
Visit Texas and find out for yourself!
 
  • #74
mattmns said:
Visit Texas and find out for yourself!

thank you for the explanation:wink:..it seems very logical
 

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