Christ Jesus we have a country of morons

[dsc]

I am watching Are you Smarter than a 5th Grader? My lord this first constenant is dumb. He didn't know when Columbus day is. He didn't know that Polar Bears and penguins live at opposite poles. He didn't know how to find the area of a triangle. And now, this dufus, with a history degree, thought John Quincy Adams had been impeached. We wonder why this country is messed up, we shouldn't wonder anymore.

[hippiechick]

1. I don't know how to find the area of a triangle ...

... but I dream in German and have aced college classes like 'Brain Functions in Human Behavior' and 'Historial Perspectives on Social Change'.

Does that make me dumber than a 5th grader? :shrug:

[dsc]

3. It is missing all four that is pretty sad

I can see missing one, but all four, and a history major?

[bleedingheart]

6. 1/2 Base* Height..

in case you happen to need to know...

My 5th grader is here...he told me..

[progdonkey]

2. * has a bachelor's in History from Yale...

That's all I'm sayin'. ;-)

[KamaAina]

14. ...and an MBA from Harvard.

K-A, Y'85 cum laude
reminding everyone that Harvard took him knowing what a :dunce: he was
and that Bush** couldn't spell cum laude, much less attain it!

[JuniperLea]

43. He thought it meant something else...

That's when he became a yeller during sex;)

[SammyWinstonJack]

83. Money trumps knowledge. In george's case, that certainly is true.

:evilgrin: It's not like he actually earned that degree through hard werk and study, is it? :rofl:

[skipos]

4. How do you find the area of a triangle? nt

[dsc]

5. 1/2 base times height

where the height is a perpendicular line from the top of the triangle to the base.

[connecticut yankee]

8. I didn't know that either

and I have an MBA.

I don't remember learning that in 5th Grade. I think I learned it in High School math.

[kestrel91316]

23. I learned it in 7th grade, IIRC. Maybe before? But no later.

[muriel_volestrangler]

32. I hope you're joking about when you learnt it

That's definitely 5th grade material in most countries.

[dsc]

33. We continually revamp math here

I can see not learning it until say middle school but admittedly 10th grade is stretching it. Now, most states have it before you leave elementary school.

[JackRiddler]

54. if you think about it all it's saying is that the

triangle covers 1/2 of the area of a rectangle of the same base and height.

[mwb970]

74. You learned the area of a triangle in HIGH SCHOOL?

That's elementary-school math, my friend. Where did you go to school?

[connecticut yankee]

80. I don't remember when I learned it

I'm a lot older than most of you guys, and perhaps my memory slipped a little.

But I'm sure I didn't learn it in 5th Grade.

[uppityperson]

66. ask your kid

[Jonathan50]

7. I don't have a clue when Columbus day is ..

[progdonkey]

11. same here...

though I grew up overseas and went to an international school, where no one really gave a shit about observing the less important US holidays.

[Bucky]

9. "this first constenant is dumb"

hmmm. While we're at it...
Are you Smarter than a 5th Grader should be in quotes and the T in "than" should be capitalized.
There should be a comma after My lord and the L should be capitalized.
Also capitalize the D in Columbus day but don't capitalize the word Polar Bears, fer cryin' out loud!
Remove all the commas from the sentence about John Quincy Adams. Every one of them.
And finally, your last sentence is a run-on.

[frogcycle]

16. not dumb, uninformed

this says nothing about his IQ

[Bucky]

22. My point is that the OP is riddled with grammar errors

It's interesting, if not ironic, to gripe about someone else's lack of education (or lack of retained learning from 5th grade) while displaying that same lack.

[dsc]

25. Actually, it is more typos than grammer.

Incidently errors should have a period after it. Two can play this game.

[progdonkey]

26. "grammar" n/t

[dsc]

28. I admit to not typing well

[progdonkey]

29. Just having a little fun jumping in on the back and forth...

No offense intended. :pals:

[Bucky]

47. !

I only hope the OP knows this is all in good fun! When I correct someone else's grammar online, I'm really making fun of myself for even noticing something so trivial.

[progdonkey]

65. oh, I'm totally just being an ass in jest... ;-)

I know what you mean about it being more embarrassing against yourself than the other person. Kind of like with my correction of your comment about the triangles and rectangles: only a truly pathetic math geek like myself would even care to point it out!

It just seemed to me like when you have two people getting into a heated argument over making little mistakes, it's fun to needle them a little when their growing agitation only makes them make even more mistakes. ;-)

[trumad]

75. snarf...

Not another Spell Nazi thread? ;-)

Like I said in my OP--- it's a slippery road when folks criticize your OP for grammatical or spelling mistakes...WHY? Because they usually make them in their own critique.

[krispos42]

85. Spelling Nazi?

Ask and ye shall receive...



This belongs right up there with "Get a Brain, Morans" :rofl:

[frogcycle]

27. agreed - I was just piling on - should have replied one level up I guess

[Matariki]

41. snort!

:rofl:

[JackRiddler]

55. Isn't there also a proper spelling for

doofus?

[krispos42]

86. DUfus? rofl

[TZ]

10. to be fair I didn't know the triangle one myself

and I have a science degree. But I knew the others! But unlike Jeopardy which is LOOKING for smart people I get the feeling that they screen for people who they think are likely to make fools of themselves (ie professionals with college degrees who probably missed obvious questions on a preliminary tests). I think this show is more about humiliation of the contestant than anything else. It wouldn't be as "entertaining" if the contestant knew the answers. That actually really bothers me more so than the idiot contestants.
edited for grammatical mistakes so I at least look smarter than a fifth grader:)

[progdonkey]

18. an "inverted Jeopardy test"...

Yeah, they must make everyone take a test and the better they do, the lower on the waiting list they're put.

I saw the first episode, and the hardest question was "what star is closest to the Earth?" and that's only "hard" because it's more a trick question than a real knowledge question.

[BlueJazz]

38. A REALLY tricky question is: What's the second closest ?

:)

[TZ]

42. second closest star?

Is it Alpha Centauri? I hope somebody knows cause I am really curious now!!!

[dsc]

44. I am pretty sure that is correct

[TZ]

46. yeah for 9th grade astronomy then

cause I think thats where I learned it. Of course being a sci-fi/Star Trek junkie probably helped a little:silly:

[BlueJazz]

59. Alpha Centauri is not the correct answer

[BlueJazz]

58. Sorry...But you're wrong

[progdonkey]

60. Alpha Centauri's the system name...

The closest star outside the solar system is.... (drumroll please) Proxima Centauri.

[TZ]

62. nitpicker!! LOL I was close.....

[progdonkey]

64. ....

(shhh, I had to Google it...) :hide:

To be honest, I did know Alpha Centauri was the system name, but I wasn't sure on Proxima Centauri. ;-)

[krispos42]

87. Well, assuming the Sun is the closest star...

The next-closest star is Proxima Centauri, a very distant part of the Alpha Centauri star system. Third out is either Alpha Centauri A or Alpha Centauri B, which orbit a common center of gravity fairly close together.

Proxima Centauri is currently about a quarter of a light year closer than the common center of gravity of AC-A or AC-B and will be for a few thousand more years to come.

<on edit: Dammit, I really have to scroll down more before I start answering questions! :banghead: lol>

[JackRiddler]

88. Stars

1) Sol, a.k.a. the Sun @ 8 light minutes or 92-94 million miles or 1 A.U.

2-4) Alpha Centauri three-star system (Proxima being the nearest) @ 4.3 light years.

5) Sirius, the Dog Star @ 8 l.y. A big one, compared to the above.

[Bucky]

19. Here's a hint: every triangle is just half of a rectangle.

[progdonkey]

24. no, only two right triangles would make a rectangle (or square)...

Anything else would make diamonds, parallelograms, trapezoids, etc.

[karlrschneider]

34. bucky is right.

;-)

[Guaranteed]

35. Yup. 1/2 bh.

Take out the 1/2, what ya got? bh. That's a fucking RECTANGLE.

[karlrschneider]

50. Doesn't even have to be a rectangle! Same for a parallelogram.

:D

[Guaranteed]

36. Every triangle can be split into two right triangles.

Which, in turn, have their own rectangles.

[TZ]

40. okay now I am convinced

that I have a deliberate mental block agaisnt geometry. I don't remember ANY of this!:blush:

[Porcupine]

79. How often do you use it?

Another useful thing to know is that any triangle with a ratio of 3-4-5 will be a right triangle. It allows you to make a perfect right angle in the field with just a measuring tape and a string.

[progdonkey]

63. yes, but that's not what bucky said....

He said, that "every triangle is just half of a rectangle." While I understand where he's getting that from (bh=area of a rectangle, and a triangle is half bh), it is actually incorrect and could prove confusing to people who have problems with geometry.

What he wrote clearly implies that, given any triangle, if you add it to an identical one (ie. double it), you'll end up with a rectangle, which is false. Indeed, what you wrote is exactly the reason bucky is incorrect: a non-right triangle is not half of a rectangle, but rather two right triangles put together that are themselves halves of two separate rectangles (which is, after all, the whole reason bh/2 works). Or rather, "every triangle is two combined triangle halves of two rectangles."

And, as I said before, the fact remains that you can only create rectangles by doubling right triangles. Before you can make any rectangles, you must first break a given triangle down into its component right triangles and construct rectangles from them, because if you're still working with an acute or obtuse triangle, you'll only end up with other types of quadrilaterals, but no rectangles.

[Guaranteed]

72. Two non-separate rectangles, which form one larger rectangle.

So Bucky is correct. A triangle forms 1/2 of "a" rectangle. It's just a matter of pointing out the rectangle.

[progdonkey]

82. brain fart!

I was just looking over my posts from last night, and damn, I need to avoid the beer when posting. :dunce:

And I went to math camps when I was younger! (Which is probably just typical: mix a math geek and some alcohol, and you end up with someone who has confidence in math, but temporarily no ability. ;-) )

[lumberjack_jeff]

49. Mmmm.... sorta.

The largest triangle that will fit within a given rectangle is half the rectangles area.

"Half of a rectangle" is a contiguous piece. So is the other half.

Are three randomly selected pizza slices taken from one cut in sixths "half"? I dunno, half in area - sure but when I ask for "half pepperoni, half olives" I anticipate that the halves will be delimited by a straight line through the center.

</pedant mode>

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

12. If You Think The Definition Of Being Smart Is Partly Comprised Of Knowing Those 4 Answers,

then I would have to assume you are not so wise yourself; with all due respect.

[dsc]

15. He majored in history

I am sorry but if you major in history, you should know who was and who wasn't impeached. I also think you should know when Columbus day is, though that might be arguable.

[lumberjack_jeff]

45. Then what *is* it comprised of?

I'm reminded of the movie "The Breakfast Club" when Anthony Michael Hall is asked why he's depressed.

'Cause I'm stupid...'cause I'm failing shop. See we had this assignment, to make this ceramic elephant, and um...and we had eight weeks to do it and we're s'posed ta, and it was like a lamp, and when you pull the trunk the light was s'posed to go on...my light didn't go on, I got a F on it. Never got a F in my life... When I signed up, you know, for the course I mean. I thought I was playing it real smart, you know 'Cause I thought, I'll take shop, it'll be such an easy way to maintain my grade point average...
BENDER
Why'd you think it'd be easy?
BRIAN
Have you seen some of the dopes that take shop?
BENDER
I take shop...you must be a fuckin' idiot!
BRIAN
I'm a fuckin' idiot because I can't make a lamp?
BENDER
No, you're a genius because you can't make a lamp...

The guy in the OP has a degree in lamp making. He was asked a question about (being charitable here) 7th grade history, another about 6th grade math and another about 6th grade geography. He failed them all.

It calls into question the value of a college education.

[GreenZoneLT]

90. "Composed of"

"Comprised of" is incorrect. The parts comprise the whole, the whole is composed of the parts.

Yeah, I know, the wishy washy dictionary will back up either usage, but I've got both the AP stylebook and Strunk and White on my side, so nyeah.

[alcibiades_mystery]

78. Incorrect use of a semicolon

Just sayin'

[dkofos]

13. I watched that show last night for the first time.

I was impressed with the kids.

[dsc]

17. Yes, they are quite smart.

For all of them to know that Andrew Johnson was the first President impeached is quite impressive.

[oldtime dfl_er]

20. 4 questions

that frankly, i don't much care if a fifth grader learns. What I want is for 5th graders to learn the truth about our history, to learn to think for themselves, and to learn to be critical thinkers. I want 5th graders who question why there's a holiday named after Columbus.

[phusion]

30. Is that you Howard Zinn?

:toast:

[nolabels]

95. What they said!

:woohoo:

Our high school had the best history teacher for us uncultured. I for one knew going through grade school i would never be able to remember all the crap they were trying to cram into my head. The history teacher i refer back to didn't use textbooks and the like, just cheat sheets. He and his good friend, the art teacher next door were busy all the time telling all of us kids how much they were being lied to on so many levels. They were way too cool and intellectually way past the other faculty members. They were the only good reason for going to school for me and many of my friends. On some things, at some levels, some of us thought our two counter culture teacher friends might be wrong, but as one gets to look back it is quite obvious they were more correct than they knew. The rest of world was lies stacked on lies and it's still kind of scary now as then.

[KamaAina]

21. When are they having "Celebrity 'Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader'"?

Tonight's contestants: Jessica Simpson, Keanu Reeves, and George W. Bush!

[RC Quake]

37. Did you steal that from a radio show?

The one I listen to did a skit this morning with exactly those 3 people on exactly the same name "Celebrity 'Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader'"?

Coincidence?

[KamaAina]

39. I most certainly did not!

It took me a couple of minutes to come up with Keanu. I was gonna use K-Fed but then realized he'd already been on "1 vs. 100".

What radio show? Do they need writers?

[RC Quake]

48. I'm almost embarrassed to say.

I'm a country music fan. Please forgive me. I listen to KFRG, which is in Southern California. Occasionally they have a piece that is right on the mark, but for the most part they are in desperate need of someone with actual humor to write for them.

[childslibrarian]

31. They say about librarians...

We don't KNOW everything, but we know where to find the information about everything..
Why does it matter if you can remember these facts off the top of your head, as long as you know how to find the information to solve the problem?

[nealmhughes]

51. Echoes my witticism/observation on my noble profession:

"We academic librarians, collectively, may not find it odd that a coworker keeps 17 rescue cats in a studio apartment or that another can calculate Stardates by the NextGen formula, and we find nothing strange about wearing a necktie with Birkenstock clogs and an old school Izod Lacoste croc emblem acrylic sweater, but by God the next time you want to know the nuances of how an ordinarily secondary or tertiary source can be a primary source, you had better come in on bent knees! Amd put that damned phone on vibrate, or I'll shove it up your ass, I've got tenure now!"

[Lydia Leftcoast]

57. The trouble is that most people don't bother to look for answers

They just base their ideas on what they heard on TV or heard from friends.

Facts have their place. It's hard to "learn to think" if you don't have anything to think ABOUT.

[lonestarnot]

52. Why are you watching "Are you Smarter than a 5th Grader?

Do you wonder?

[dsc]

61. I admit to getting taken in by the hook

They surely are playing fast and loose with the grade levels on some things. 1st graders knowing how many e's are in pledge of allegance for example. But, frankly it is pretty sad some of what college educated people just didn't know.

[annabanana]

53. This is a "trick" show. . .

There's all kinds of stuff that you get tested on in the 5th grade (and that you have just learned) that you will NEVER USE AGAIN. .

That said, something ought to have been retained.. even if just as an arcane remnant. (Like the names of the Capitols, or the 5 biggest rivers. .

[12string]

56. what I remember from the 5th grade

is which girls were already wearing bras.

[dysfunctional press]

67. there's a whole lot of irony in your subject line.

nt

[BlooInBloo]

68. Given what? That's it's a *right* triangle? Only the lengths of its sides? LOL!

[dsc]

69. He was given the area and the base

and was asked for the height.

[BlooInBloo]

70. Ah. Was it specifically said that it was a right triangle?

[dsc]

89. It wouldn't matter

by definition the height is a perpendicular line from the vertex of a triangle to the opposite base.

[Bigmack]

71. "Idiocracy" .... see it!

Netflix... and your local tape store has it.

[ecstatic]

73. As a math person, I know the answer to the triangle question (who knows how much longer)

At the end of the day, when real bills come in and we enter the real world, a lot of that somewhat useless information is forgotten. It's not that we didn't know it at one time, it's just that we never have a use for the information again (besides, of course, when watching or playing trivia games).

Now if you tell me that someone doesn't know who the VP is; or, that someone doesn't know basic information about our Constitution, then I would agree that that sort of ignorance is bringing our country down.

[trumad]

76. Perfectly said.

I love this new show because I sit and watch it with my kids. I'm all cocky and boast that I'll get all answers right. I get about 50 percent right and mostly by guessing.

But challenge me with current events, especially political---and I'll kick those little 5th graders asses. LOL

It's the Jay Leno/Howard Stern ask people on the street questions that get me depressed about how dumb we are as a country. NOT what 1/2 of a triangle is?

[rasputin1952]

77. There are some fundamental things people should know...

The area of a triangle is one of them, as is figuring square footage, the volume of a cube; some stuff you'll most likely never need in math/geometry in daily life, like how to figure the area of a cone or
the whole, "if a train leaves Chicago at......."

I have two people in my family that have amazing math skills, I would like to know 1/8 of what they know. One uncle was a chemist who could figure calculations in his head like we use a calculator, but he could not hold a conversation about anything other than math/chemistry. Ask him about current events or discuss the dog, and he went blank.

I have a cousin that worked for NASA, incredibly brilliant mathematically, and he can discuss some other aspects of life, but Columbus Day was far from anything cared about. The only time he brought up history was to show that mistakes had been made, and we should try to be better in the future by using past mistakes as a guide.

My own trouble with math is apparent, and I have to work at it, but History, Sociology, English, Biology, Politics, Art History, Geology and a host of other subjects fall into the 4.0 range. For whatever reason, my "math center" needs to be tuned up, it just happens that way sometimes to some people.

I'm not ashamed of my lack of math skills, I just need to work a little harder.

FWIW, I know Dr's that have oodles of framed documentation, the calligraphy is amazing on these, but a good many of them are as dumb as a box of rocks. Just shows me they are educated morons.

[NDP]

81. Columbus Day? Please. Of course he didn't know that, or the thing about Polar Bears and Penguins

Columbus Day is not on the same "date" every year. It may be on the same "day," but if there is no set "date" for it, of course most people aren't going to know when it is. Besides, it's not a day off of work, so no one is going to mark their calendars for it.

[B Calm]

92. I might be a dumb old truck driver, but even I know Oct 12th is Columbus Day!

[krispos42]

84. Damn, I got it wrong, too.

I thought it was in September.

:banghead:

The polar bear/penguin thing I remember since it was a critical clue in one of the Encyclopedia Brown mysteries.

The triangle thing I can't fathom. ¹/₂ b*h

[GreenZoneLT]

91. When IS Columbus day?

I know it's in early October, and it seems like it's one of those "first Monday after the first some other day" deals, but I couldn't tell you EXACTLY when it is without consulting a calendar. And I sure as hell didn't know when it was when I was in fifth grade; the only people who pay much attention to Columbus Day are Italians, pissed-off American Indians and federal employees.

[0rganism]

93. observed 2nd monday in October, commemorating Oct. 12 1492 (nt)

[Perky]

94. The best line was about the Camo Lamborghini

You want to take that expensive car and paint it so that no one can see it... You "might" be a redneck??????? YOU ARE A REDNECK!!!!!