Comments on: Are You Smarter Than an Average American?

By: Smoth

Smoth — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 09:03:08 +0000

I’d say they don’t know for this simple reason:

No one ever tells them (they have to find out for themselves).

By: boiler1117

boiler1117 — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 02:00:42 +0000

I can see why people don’t know that. They have given up on our politicians, and for good reason. There is more to life than politics. Most people also don’t follow politics for a living.

Also, those questions are not a measure of intelligence, although saying it is may be…..

By: app

app — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 22:23:13 +0000

What is really sad is the percentage of Americans that don’t know the first line in our national anthem but know the first line in Canada’s.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 18:25:55 +0000

Yes.

By: Abu Nudnik

Abu Nudnik — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 18:10:52 +0000

Some people are more informed than others about politics, others are more curious. “Smartness” isn’t directly tied to those two things. Lots of smart people never read a newspaper: they’re too busy trying to figure out how to make their kids happy for example. Picasso knew nothing of politics but he was a genius. (He joined the Communist Party when he was older, courted by the Communists. He said they made him feel young and wanted. When he gave a speech at one of their meetings he talked about color. Everyone fell asleep!)

You know, all this “smartness is knowing the stuff I know about” is just so much snobbery.

By: James

James — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 17:46:29 +0000

1. I don’t know HALP MEH NOE MY NAME!

2. Ummmmm…

3. Don’t care, but obama’s a socialist and McCain’s a fascist OMGZ!!!

The findings are troubling. The media’s a whole is a shell of it’s former self, dissolved to sound bites, sensational and repetition type propaganda, thanks to 24 hour news cycles. it also doesn’t help that logic and critical thinking is completely out the window these days. Really frightening.

By: Jimmy the Dhimmi

Jimmy the Dhimmi — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 17:35:09 +0000

1. What is your name?

2. What is your favorite color?

3. What is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?

By: Gaucho Politico

Gaucho Politico — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 17:24:50 +0000

as a test of how informed people are those questions are pretty pathetic. that npr listeners are that uniformed is moderately disappointing. it just proves that people in this country are generally uniformed. there are some other surprising numbers there

Just 44 percent of BBC viewers identified the prime minister correctly.
CNN: 59 percent, 48 percent, 29 percent

people who watch cnn are second only to the national inquirer in missing these questions. what does that say about the media in this country?

By: Michael

Michael — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 16:15:49 +0000

1. Patrick Leahy
2. Angela Merkel
3. Labour Party

By: bubbles

bubbles — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 15:48:01 +0000

Okay try this quiz. Get the answers right and you’re probably smarter than 99% of Americans.

1. Who is the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee?

2. Who is current the Chancellor of Germany?

3. What party controls the British House of Commons?