Are You Too Dumb to Vote?
Oct 16th, 2008 | By Just Sayin... | Category: Politics, Perceptions and Points Of View | Visited 1366 times, 3 so far today
Did you watch the debate last night? Did you understand it???
Much has been made of whether Barack Obama is too inexperienced to lead, or whether John McCain is too old to be elected.
But with all of the heated political debate, nobody ever stops to ask the most obvious question… Are Americans too dumb to make that decision?
Seriously… Are you too dumb to vote?
The newest book from National Lampoon, How Dumb Are You? The Great American Stupidity Quiz, contains quiz questions that every American should be able to answer… And yet, most can’t. Proving just how much basic information about the world, and our own country we have utterly failed to absorb.
The results are pretty funny… Well… Pretty funny in a shockingly terrifying, pathetically sad sort of way…
- 59% of Americans couldn’t find Iraq or Afghanistan on a map.
- 74% couldn’t explain what the Dow Jones Industrial Average actually is.
- 43% couldn’t properly identify two… Any two countries in Africa.
- 48% didn’t know which U.S. document begins, “We the people of the United States … “
- 40% couldn’t name a language spoken in Iraq.
- 48% thought the Mojave Desert was located on another continent.
- 71% didn’t know what U.S.S.R. used to stand for.
- 43% couldn’t name the capital of Canada.
- 54% couldn’t even name the president pictured on the dime.
These are the voters who will decide the next leader of the free world… That’s the thought that wakes me up at 3AM in a cold sweat!
Democracy was founded on the notion that the power to rule should rest with the common man…
The only thing is… 9 times out of 10, the common man is a moron!
I’m just sayin’…
I know several intelligent Americans.
It’s just that the stupid ones are often loudmouths as well: they tend to stick out.
As a Swede, I could answer most of the above questions without looking up facts on Wikipedia:
- Find Iraq or Afghanistan on a map:
There, right next to Iran! Now try and find Osama Bin Laden, please…
- Explain what the Dow Jones Industrial Average actually is:
Um… the total average of the value of all stocks and shares that are traded on the U.S. stock exchange? Or something.
- Properly identify any two countries in Africa:
South Africa and Egypt are so easy that even utter morons should be able to… oh, never mind.
- Which U.S. document begins, “We the people of the United States …”
Could it be The Declaration of Independence, i.e. the document which marks the beginning of the USA as a sovereign nation and the revolution against British colonial rule…?
- Name a language spoken in Iraq.
Arabic. Farsi, I suppose. “English” should also be a valid answer, what with all the troops posted there…
- 48% thought the Mojave Desert was located on another continent.
Oh dear. Oh dear. Boy, is your country in trouble.
- What U.S.S.R. used to stand for:
United Soviet Socialist Republics? Or was it “Socialist Soviet”?
- Name the capital of Canada:
Ottawa, is it?
- Name the president pictured on the dime:
I don’t use dimes, so I don’t know. But the stupidest Americans ought to know, since a single dime is all they will end up owning if they don’t get smarter.
How could you be watching the debate instead the baseball game? What is wrong with you? I’m so disappointed I may cry. I care who becomes the next president, but they have already debated a gazzillion times, and you watched that instead of my Phillies win the NL Championship. I’m so sad now
A.R… Ironically I know several unintelligent Swedes. It’s just that the blonde ones are often well endowed so I tend to overlook it…
The Girl Who Isn’t a Cubs Fan… I’m from Chicago, the National League doesn’t do baseball in October in Chicago… Nuff said!
Ah, but you tried this year. My Condolences.