People shouldn't have opinions or something

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the implications of a video that features individuals signing a petition to end women's suffrage, raising questions about public awareness and the nature of democracy. Participants explore themes of political literacy, sensationalism in media, and the perception of intelligence among the general population.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express concern about the general public's understanding of democratic principles, questioning whether people truly think critically about political issues.
  • There are claims that individuals who sign such petitions should not be allowed to vote, reflecting a belief in the need for informed citizenship.
  • Several participants note that the video is an example of sensationalist media tactics, similar to other pranks or misleading campaigns that aim to highlight perceived ignorance.
  • One participant mentions that the video could be seen as proof of a lack of awareness among the public, while others argue that it may not accurately represent the overall intelligence of the population.
  • There is a discussion about the statistical interpretation of intelligence, with references to average and median metrics, indicating a misunderstanding of these concepts among participants.
  • Some participants find humor in the situation, while others express discomfort with the tastelessness of the video and its implications.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally disagree on the implications of the video and the broader question of public intelligence and awareness. While some find the video humorous, others view it as a troubling reflection of societal issues. There is no consensus on whether the actions depicted in the video are indicative of a larger problem.

Contextual Notes

Limitations in understanding the statistical concepts of average and median are noted, as well as the potential for sensationalism to skew public perception. The discussion also highlights the challenge of discerning the true level of awareness among individuals approached in such videos.

Pengwuino
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http://www.ebaumsworld.com/videos/suffrage.html

And you see this stuff all the time! :smile: :smile: :smile: :smile: :smile: :smile:

Do people just want to pretend they are apart of something? This has been done with a lot of things. Tricking hippies into signing a ban on water is a big one. So what's with people? Do they ever think? That's what needs to be asked here. Does a majority of human beings on this Earth actually think? Is democracy really the answer?
 
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Such people shouldn't be allowed to vote
brilliant video though :smile:
 
And you see this stuff all the time!

Yeah, its called "lobbying".

Such people shouldn't be allowed to vote

Such people are known as "lawmakers".
 
That was painful. So very, very painful. Why don't the schools teach people how to operate a democratic government? That's what they're there for... right?
 
What is it? My work filter says it's tasteless and won't let me see it.
 
What is it? My work filter says it's tasteless and won't let me see it.

"Please sign my petition to end womens' suffrage"

repeat.
 
TheStatutoryApe said:
What is it? My work filter says it's tasteless and won't let me see it.
I haven't looked yet, but given the responses, it probably is tasteless, and you're probably better off not seeing it. :smile: Your work filter gets a chuckle out of me every time you mention it. That said, I'm now going to have to look and see what it is. :biggrin:

Edit: It seems I can't view it either. It's a windows media player file, and I don't have it installed on this computer. It'll have to wait until I overcome inertia and view it on another computer.
 
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enigma said:
"Please sign my petition to end womens' suffrage"

repeat.
Ah yes, definitely tasteless then...

Moonie said:
Your work filter gets a chuckle out of me every time you mention it.
Well I'm glad that it still makes someone laugh because it just annoys me now. :wink:
 
TheStatutoryApe said:
Well I'm glad that it still makes someone laugh because it just annoys me now. :wink:
You need to find someone who knows enough to hack into it and change the messages it gives...preferably to something tasteless to make up for all the other tasteless stuff you're missing out on. :biggrin: (Yeah, I know, if you knew someone who could do that, you'd have them remove it, not just change the messages.)
 
  • #10
Moonbear said:
You need to find someone who knows enough to hack into it and change the messages it gives...preferably to something tasteless to make up for all the other tasteless stuff you're missing out on. :biggrin: (Yeah, I know, if you knew someone who could do that, you'd have them remove it, not just change the messages.)
There's nothing bad in the video. MB, you've got to see it.

This guy ges to a Women's College and asks women to sign a petition to "end women's suffrage" and they all sign it, having no clue that it's what gave women the right to vote. :bugeye:
 
  • #11
It's the same sort of sensationalist videos that the DHMO people do. Go around, ask people to sign something rediculous. Edit out the people who knew what was going on. Viola... 'proof' that people in _insert locale_ are stupid.

Jay Leno's Jaywalking does the same thing, and so does the video which asked the people "which country should we invade next and can you point to it on a map?"

Heck, I've even seen cretinist propaganda which uses the same ploy.
 
  • #12
enigma said:
It's the same sort of sensationalist videos that the DHMO people do. Go around, ask people to sign something rediculous. Edit out the people who knew what was going on. Viola... 'proof' that people in _insert locale_ are stupid.

I don't think they were trying to prove much. I got to say though, i saw one of those DHMO things where they actually got thousands of signatures when the attendance numbered slightly over 10,000. That one was definitely proof of something seeing as someone can only make it so far through a crowd getting the attention of so many people.
 
  • #13
enigma said:
It's the same sort of sensationalist videos that the DHMO people do. Go around, ask people to sign something rediculous. Edit out the people who knew what was going on. Viola... 'proof' that people in _insert locale_ are stupid.

Jay Leno's Jaywalking does the same thing, and so does the video which asked the people "which country should we invade next and can you point to it on a map?"

Heck, I've even seen cretinist propaganda which uses the same ploy.

I'm sorry, but if I could find ten women at a women's college willing to sign a petition to end women's suffrage...I don't care how many other people said no, those ten are stupid.
 
  • #14
Here sign this petition to recall the governer and elect Arnold Schwarzenegger instead.
 
  • #15
Jonny_trigonometry said:
Here sign this petition to recall the governer and elect Arnold Schwarzenegger instead.

except this time it wasn't a show of stupidity :smile: :smile: :smile:
 
  • #16
Evo said:
There's nothing bad in the video. MB, you've got to see it.

This guy ges to a Women's College and asks women to sign a petition to "end women's suffrage" and they all sign it, having no clue that it's what gave women the right to vote. :bugeye:
Doesn't have to be bad to be tasteless. :-p
 
  • #17
franznietzsche said:
I'm sorry, but if I could find ten women at a women's college willing to sign a petition to end women's suffrage...I don't care how many other people said no, those ten are stupid.

It might alarm you, but 50% of the population is below average intelligence. :-p
 
  • #18
enigma said:
It might alarm you, but 50% of the population is below average intelligence. :-p


Yes but almost everyone is a moron in my experience.
 
  • #19
enigma said:
It might alarm you, but 50% of the population is below average intelligence. :-p

not necessarily...

for example, 99+% of people have more than the average number of thumbs
 
  • #20
rhj23 said:
not necessarily...

for example, 99+% of people have more than the average number of thumbs
Enigma's "average" is a median, yours is a mean.
 
  • #21
enigma said:
It's the same sort of sensationalist videos that the DHMO people do. Go around, ask people to sign something rediculous. Edit out the people who knew what was going on. Viola... 'proof' that people in _insert locale_ are stupid.

Jay Leno's Jaywalking does the same thing, and so does the video which asked the people "which country should we invade next and can you point to it on a map?"

Heck, I've even seen cretinist propaganda which uses the same ploy.
Of course it's sensationalistic ... and impossible for the viewer to tell how many girls had to be approached. It's always funny until someone loses an eye.

The video was made by some boys from a Delaware Catholic boy's school. They visited the local Catholic girl's school to do the video. Here's the backlash from the video: http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060403/NEWS/604030341/1006

Pranks like that are totally tasteless. (They're still funny, though).
 
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  • #22
Gokul43201 said:
Enigma's "average" is a median, yours is a mean.

really? thanks so much for clearing that up - i genuinely didn't understand the point he was making..
 

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