lack of critical thought in american culture has me down

I'll leave it to your imagination.

 

Wouldn't it just be better to turn on Goldfinger or Pirates?

Sam Elliot? Ew.

 

hey, not my crush. i've just heard things.

 

q

 

Islam has the only true critical thinkers.

 

Don't accept that this is how people are, let em know there is a whole world out there that they don't even think about.

Obviously evolution is true... *obviously*... this has been proven to no end, why not accept that and move on to the next question? What debate is there to truth?

When you debate truth with a lie that was formed to solve a question that is now answered... you accept ignorance and mental stagnation.

The problem here is that it is difficult to un-brainwash people... and its especially difficult to tap into a system that continuisly creates more brainwashed people... because the brainwashers and brainwashed alike have no problem using violence to protect their beliefs. Of course god exists, if you say otherwise I'll kick your ass.

What we have here is a forum like this... full of people who see lies for what they are, right next to the brainwashed folks that still don't know it... people who have in their mind "proved" lies, and don't care that they have giant holes in their story.

And this is something that must be addressed... critical thought isn't as much the problem, its the will to figure out lifes questions for *yourself*. Schools don't teach how to think, they teach what to know and the teachers/parents/ministry teaches what never to question... by never questioning things, you learn to be complacent... you learn to accept whatever you are told, and not even question it. Thats where it stems from.

Its up to this generation to teach the next generation *how* to think, and its up for everyone on this planet to spread this knowledge and delete the fear of knowledge.

Yes, evolution exists... yes what we do to this planet effects it in some way we have observed... yes there is tremendous corruption in goverment and yes we can oust said corruption by simply being informed ourselves.... no a sky daddy of whatever name you wish to call him isn't going to come down and "rescue" us, no he's not in control, no he does not speak through any man, yes the very concept of such things we definitevily know to be absurd.

Its up to those who know such things to let our voices be heard, and tell those who have that natural doubt to such lies that they may also raise their voice and open their minds. Its not about all at once having a giant rally, and then dwindling into history as a good try (the hippie revolution).... its about everyone who doesn't follow the system into slavery letting everyone they can possibly know about such ideas, so that these ideas may spread, to eventually become the majority.

These sorts of posts are what we need, we need this type of discussion on *every* online forum, every off-topic section... this sort of discussion must happen, in the eye of doubt and fear may come one more person who opens their mind, who may allow another, and another... etc etc...

Nothing is fleeting, to get the ideas out discussed in this post we just need to DO IT and NOT accept that "some people are stupid"... or "just leave it alone"... the very existence and advancement of humanity is at stake, nothing is more important.

 

the romantacizing of aggressiveness creates conditions ripe for economic intrests to exploit. the same economic intrests that control the media that romantacizes aggressiveness.

begining and end of circular illogic of it.

everyone romantacizing aggressiveness is kissing the ass of those intrests by doing so. whether they realize it or not and no matter how much they may try to deny to themselves doing so.

=^^=
.../\...

 

a

 

I agree completely that people are having too many kids without thinking.

 

thinking makes my head hurt

 

The pain of thinking is preferable to the pain of not thinking.


x

 

Maybe you should all become culture warriors like good ol' Bill

 

Same happens with Romania today. I live in Romania and I'm having almost the same thoughts as you do...

 

It is a sad thing, because to know where we came from in History,,,we can know better where we are going, into the future. I am not knocking the younger people, it is totally not their fault.

The Responsiblity lies "I think" in the link of the tale end of the 70`s, maybe the beginning of the 80`s.

I graduated from high school, 1981. Thought I was on my way to grabbing the world by the tail. Went to college,,,for Journalism. Found out that I didn`t want to be responsible for ruining someones life across the front page of the news. Then my advisor asked me if I was illiterate, because I had no concept of what the hell "Body Language" had to do with Communications class. so I told her, to basically go to hell. And spent the rest of the year, PARTYING!!!!!!

That bit of education, turned into a 4,000 dollar a year, party. Only went one year.
Decided, that I wasn`t mature enough for college. So I left.

Went to work, retail, paper-mill, retail, nucular alarm assembly plant, health services for mentally and physically challenged people,,,still there, an`t got nothing better to do till I get south (Kentuck)

Trying to bring my 5 boys, up to know as much as possible about common sense, curtisy (spelling?), and caring for people as people, we are all the same, we all have feelings. We all have "wounds". We all need to treat each other with respect, and that includes, "thinking and KNOWING A FEW THINGS IN THIS WORLD!!!"

 

wow double post again... what am i smokin.

not much critical thought I suppose

 

No, the "good ole days" are gone, now its time to sit back and watch it burn... or so is the goal of popular media...
"here is what you need to know - tv and movies"

So wrapped up, so distracted... there are more important things in life than wasting in front of a TV...

But it is up to the people, thats where all the power lies... either accept that this is the world or know it can be infinitely better...

Today we look back at how great things were, shining eutopia of the 50's... "people" were so much better. Its the same people, but a world that has been molded by few who don't care for the interests of the many... and the last century handed them the country on a silver platter... and now nobody even pays attention.

Let people know, thats the only way. On any scale possible... people must wake up before its too late to change things.

This here is a start ... there are lots of little groups here and there, but everyone really just has to come together and work toward fixing *everything*. There is no small victory... the entire system is completely out of hand...

Its not ok to live and let live when you allow people without that mentality to go on their way... oppression cannot be tolerated because of a "live and let live" mentality... it accomplishes nothing in the end because victory goes to those who have the will to kill the other side, but no society can last indefinitely when it is built on war - just like no gladiator could live a full life.

That is the long term direction of the human race, those who are warlike will eventually kill themselves... and perhaps everyone... unless the people turn this around.

its just that simple... if everyone in the world could just agree to peace, then go on with life as usual... we'd be fine... isn't that the most reasonable path? Or should our kids all be soldiers in a global war that never ends? What victory is there in war?

 

I don't think that all people are lacking critical thought-- in fact, if anything, MORE people are thinking critically now than ever before.

The problem isn't a lack of critical thought, the problem is the overwhelming complexity and, in a lot of cases, incoherence of our environment. The problem is that everything is moving too fast, too brightly, and too noisily for anyone to understand or trust what's going on.

Most people are either paranoid, terrified, distant or otherwise cut off from the world around them-- because there is no solution to it, we all have to go with the flow, and hope that we understand things better someday. But really, most of us including myself have absolutely no idea what's going on around us.

If you look at nature, it's all very simple. You hunt, you eat, you try to stay alive.

But human beings have gotten to a point where they don't need to hunt, they can always eat, and they can usually live very long lives without worrying about tigers or bears. So we have all this free time to dedicate to thinking and trying to understand things, or to dedicate to creating things, or talking to people on the Internet, or making dumb jokes, or getting high, or worrying about terrorists and conspiracies and plots to take over the world.

We are all victims of too much free time.

 

So, you are one person, I am one person, we can bond together to get it going, got any ideas?

 

People in the states have gotten to a point that they wish to make changes as long as they dont have to do anything different themselves. Easy to preach hard to live by.

 

Everyone talks about making changes but no one knows what to do, and chances are what you do won't make so much of a difference either-- if there's one thing the Bush presidency has shown us, it's that you can stay in power if you stick to your guns, as it were... even if half the people end up protesting, half the people will get behind you because at least you've taken a stand.

And when it all comes down to it, nobody here is really in any position to make the kind of big, sweeping changes they're picturing. So they talk about it, lay blame, feel guilty, or attack others.

Suddenly anyone who does nothing is irresponsible, and yet they do nothing but attempt to motivate others because they haven't a clue what to do themselves, but by trying to motivate others they get to feel like they've done something and so alleviate themselves of their guilt, albeit temporarily.

But really, what CAN you do? Unless you're the leader of the country or at least influential in some way, you really can't do anything to change anything... and if you try, then you still have to answer to all the people who are going to disagree with your ideas.

Even if you do somehow manage to get some power, then chances are you won't be able to sort things out any better than the last guy or girl... because you wanted the power but suddenly when you're responsible for everyone, you haven't got a clue what to do. There is no easy solution, because the problems are so complex.

Best to just look after yourself.