Aibu to worry about general public intelligence

[Collectivethoughts]

Aibu to be worried about the intelligence of the general public?
I know intelligence is generally a bell curve with most people falling in the middle with minoritys falling either side.
Im in no way saying im extremely intelligent because im not but I would say i use critical thinking.
For example hearing other people in the supermarket over the weeks. People swearing at each other, stopping dead in the centre of an aisle so no one can get through and actually being oblivious to themselves blocking others. Some of the conversations I hear.
Then in my job, having to tell people how to parent when thats not really my job. Parents actually being clueless on what to do I.e seeking further help.
Recent political things. Some people think if they just shout loud it means they're correct without any critical thinking and weighing up sides, policies and mandates.
Im finding the general public harder and harder to be a part of and overly frustrating to be apart of as in finding most dont want to engage with any critical thinking.
Aibu?

Anyone who has ever worked in retail, hospitality or any other customer facign role will tell you a big section of the general public are thick as shit.

You are just transposing your own political views and values on others. And judging them if they don't comply with what you see as best for them. Perfectly normal. I find women supporting a party that doesn't know what they are, counter-intuitive for example. Or someone voting for a breast hypnotist who wants open borders and legal heroin.

I find sectarian politics the most scary for the UK rather than Reform actually. What do you think about the wisdom of Muslims voting for the Gaza Independents? On one hand sectarian politics would be hugely damaging to the UK social fabric and therefore an unwise vote. On the other hand, a Muslim may wish to have an MP chosen according to their faith (Islam being political as well as social) and feel it a completely wise choice.

I have no problem with people being ignorant but I have a real problem with people being proud of being ignorant

Is Google an authoritative source?
(History is written by the winners and all that.)

@Hoardasurass I respect your opinion,I'm left wing to a degree but there are issues in Britain that need dealt with.
Sturgeon was in a class of her own with her deluded musings it was definitely her way or the highway.
So much things got swept under the carpet during her tenure.
Far too many too list.

Anonymity and lack of real life accountability?

I think common sense is getting less and less common. I had to explain the difference between wood and plastic yesterday.

I don't think there's sufficient emphasis on achieving proper competence in literacy and numeracy in schools. Prior to 1973, primary schools concentrated almost entirely on the three Rs. Pre-decimalisation (and yes, it was sensible) everyone had to understand the rudiments of mental arithmetic to work in retail, or calculate how many fence posts and yards of wire were needed, or be able to follow plans and diagrams, even to measure twice and cut once. Now all that is generally unnecessary.

The Uk has gone up massively in the World league tables for English and Maths so hopefully the crop of kids coming up from school will raise general standards!!

Bloody hell🤯🤯how's that even possible!!
Not that I don't believe you ,it just makes we wonder how we arrived at this stage?

Thank you so much for not pointing out spelling mistakes, well done. I hate it when people do this, it's a bit sad on their part.

I think this could be one of the most ridiculous posts I've ever read on here,and that's saying someting!
So stopping dead in the aisle of a supermarket is a sign of stupidity?!!!
Your comment about parents seeking advice on how to be a parent....?
That depends on your job role and your level of empathyŕ?
I would assume that your job title would give these people confidence to ask for your help,and you sneering at them and saying "that's not my job",probably makes them feel great!
Even if it isn't "your job", these people are reaching out to you as they think you are in a position to help them. It may be an inconvenience to you,but your attitude is awful. And even if you're not able to help,if this is a question you're asked often, why don't you Google a few local places that ARE able to help,so you can give out details,when asked?
Even if it's not in your job description, it doesn't cost anything to be a decent human being.

The vast majority of us humans were always just happy, average bumblers leading small lives.

There's less tolerance of that now we're all fed a diet of social media, advertising and 24 hour news designed to make everything seem urgent and important.

Everything is whipped into a frenzy, we're all meant to be experts, everyone is in a rush. Political agitators and the commercial world create a spin and the ordinary person struggles to keep up (however much they think they're 'in the know where the people they look down on aren't).

We're not less intelligent, we're more intolerant (for no reason) and you have to question what has actually improved.

Years ago humans would have a nice little chat in the queue at the local shop.
Now we're seething FFS if Doris talks to Mavis and blocks the dairy aisle.

I don't know your parents obviously, OP, but have you considered that your parents beliefs reflect their experiences? Which are probably differernt than your own experiences?

One of the things I notice is that there are quite a lot of people who look down on people like your parents, people who like to read the Guardian, for example, which has become a really completely poor quality news publication, but don't seem to be able to think outside their own bubble. That maybe different experiences have a lot to do with why different demographics tend to skew toward different politics.

I'm not sure that isn't, at least in part, to other nations going down.

Nope.

@quantumbutterfly The reading ages attributed to newspapers is not new. It’s clearly about who buys them and depth of language used within the papers. They are quite different so attract different readers.

My big issue is critical thinking in this country is woeful. We have too many pushing an agenda but no understanding of what might happen in the future. A classic one was RR increasing NI for employers. It’s never going to stimulate employment or growth. She says she wants both. Rhetoric and understanding of the wider topic must go together but too many people don’t do the latter. It makes no one worthy of my vote. Yet, most people seem happy with rhetoric and we get Brexit, Boris Johnson and Starmer! I can only summise that we aren’t the brightest and our politicians are woeful,

We have Reform supporting “friends”. Friends no more really. Way too easy to point out problems, as they see them, far more difficult to have workable solutions. We have knee jerk policies from loud politicians. We are fools to believe it, but people do. So yes, much more dangerous than supermarket aisles. We need much higher calibre politicians because they wield power,

To my mind publications like The Telegraph and Guardian are writing for the average age 9 - 11 so obvious and grating is their slant. Anyone with any comprehension is bored by the relentless drumming home of a message by the second headline.

Relevant in this particular case though, no?

It is due to the education reforms. They didn't extend to Scotland hence why England's standards rose but Scotland's haven't.

The Telegraph has definitely dumbed down of late. I am reluctant to end my subscription having fond memories of reading Dad's copy as a child. But I may have to soon, particularly due to the obsession with flattering Meghan Markle stories. AND that they kept that horrendous picture of Andrew MW on the top of their website for two days!! Only to replace it with a picture of Mandleson in his underpants.

Rant over.

I displayed lack of critical thinking when I wrote the last paragraph about the spelling. Or rather, I let my ego get the better of my desire to engage in good faith, which is worse. So - I'm sorry OP.

I told myself I was trying to show intelligent writing has nuance and subtext. Interestingly I wrote "...than me" because it's heaps more felicitous these days. Then I changed it to the formally correct "I" which sounds pompous because I thought the sort of pompous person I was writing as would do that, and people would pick up both that the OP wasn't that clever, and also that it's not clever to pick on people for SPAG.

Actually it was cakeism, because although I know damn well that spelling isn't an indication of intellect, (especially now I am taking care of my ND children), I'm still a recovering high achieving high-status-show off-wanker. So I'm sorry for just taking that easy route to showing off.

I also think self awareness is important and it's pretty funny that OP has irregular verbs - I just haven't time to think everything through, I'm busy
you aren't paying attention in the supermarket and have no care for others
they lack critical faculties and there's no hope for 'em

:)

However - I would say the things I've just done in my post are bigger problems for society- lack of being vulerable and engaging in good faith, and a desire to come out on top rather than seeking to understand others. So I'm the problem it's me.

Let me guess. You don’t like Reform. Whenever people are criticising lack of other people’s critical thinking, then use examples like ‘they just accept whatever (insert media source / political source etc they dislike here) say!’
You never get left leaning people criticising how Guardian readers just accept whatever the Guardian says, for example.

If you want to examine if people are thick/ can’t think, you need to make a better case than ‘some people have views or listen to people I don’t like’.

You might want to apply the critical thinking skills you are proud of to your own thinking.

I agree with this.

If you work in a school but have contempt for struggling parents, you perhaps need a different job.

Good post.