Comments on: People are really stupid http://www.yourish.com/2007/08/30/3618 Cutting straight to the point Mon, 13 Feb 2012 02:14:35 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.1 By: John M http://www.yourish.com/2007/08/30/3618/comment-page-1#comment-28255 John M Tue, 04 Sep 2007 22:51:51 +0000 http://www.yourish.com/2007/08/30/3618#comment-28255 I, for one, am glad that I am so superior to 99% of the population. Hubris is not a problem. I, for one, am glad that I am so superior to 99% of the population. Hubris is not a problem.

]]> By: Michael Lonie http://www.yourish.com/2007/08/30/3618/comment-page-1#comment-28224 Michael Lonie Sat, 01 Sep 2007 04:41:46 +0000 http://www.yourish.com/2007/08/30/3618#comment-28224 A friend of mine, formerly a corporal in the USMC, once commented that real discipline was doing what you are supposed to do even when someone else isn't looking and making you do it. Similarly, real character and integrity consists of doing the right thing even if doing the wrong thing is profitable, easy and safe. In this case we have some jerk cheating people out of money by threats, which is both illegal and immoral. The person of good character and integrity wil eschew such schemes, out of a regard to his own character, and not just because he might be caught. A friend of mine, formerly a corporal in the USMC, once commented that real discipline was doing what you are supposed to do even when someone else isn’t looking and making you do it. Similarly, real character and integrity consists of doing the right thing even if doing the wrong thing is profitable, easy and safe. In this case we have some jerk cheating people out of money by threats, which is both illegal and immoral. The person of good character and integrity wil eschew such schemes, out of a regard to his own character, and not just because he might be caught.

]]> By: Joanne http://www.yourish.com/2007/08/30/3618/comment-page-1#comment-28216 Joanne Fri, 31 Aug 2007 21:34:15 +0000 http://www.yourish.com/2007/08/30/3618#comment-28216 This reminds me of a famous study that was done, I think at Yale, sometime in the early 1960s. A subject would be seated at a panel with buttons indicating increasing levels of electrical power. The subject was then told by a "scientist" in a white jacket that he would have to give electrical shocks to another subject who was on the other side of a divider, out of sight. The man in the white jacket assured the subject that the person behind the divider would never be hurt, no matter how high the shocks went. And then he started to order to subject to administer shocks, very gentle ones in the beginning. As the shocks grew in intensity, the subject would start to hear groans of pain from the other side of the divider. There was no other subject behind the divider, of course, just an actor who pretended to be suffering more and more. Once the groans got a bit serious, subjects would often look at the scientist questioningly. And here is the point of the test. The "scientist" would keep reassuring the subject, using his apparent authority. The upshot: Reassured by the white-jacketed scientist, most subjects went all the way to the maximum intensity. Most did not say, "I don't care what you're telling me, I'm not buying this." Most chose to believe "authority." I heard that the few who didn't cooperate all the way tended to be countercultural types who easily questioned authority figures. You say that people in this society are stupid. I wonder how it is in other countries. Are there countries where people generally think more clearly in unaccustomed situations? I don't know. It just goes to show you that it's not a matter of respecting authority or not respecting authority. It's a question of having just the right amount of respect balanced with a good dose of skepticism and independent thinking. This reminds me of a famous study that was done, I think at Yale, sometime in the early 1960s.

A subject would be seated at a panel with buttons indicating increasing levels of electrical power. The subject was then told by a “scientist” in a white jacket that he would have to give electrical shocks to another subject who was on the other side of a divider, out of sight.

The man in the white jacket assured the subject that the person behind the divider would never be hurt, no matter how high the shocks went. And then he started to order to subject to administer shocks, very gentle ones in the beginning. As the shocks grew in intensity, the subject would start to hear groans of pain from the other side of the divider.

There was no other subject behind the divider, of course, just an actor who pretended to be suffering more and more.

Once the groans got a bit serious, subjects would often look at the scientist questioningly. And here is the point of the test. The “scientist” would keep reassuring the subject, using his apparent authority.

The upshot: Reassured by the white-jacketed scientist, most subjects went all the way to the maximum intensity. Most did not say, “I don’t care what you’re telling me, I’m not buying this.” Most chose to believe “authority.” I heard that the few who didn’t cooperate all the way tended to be countercultural types who easily questioned authority figures.

You say that people in this society are stupid. I wonder how it is in other countries. Are there countries where people generally think more clearly in unaccustomed situations? I don’t know.

It just goes to show you that it’s not a matter of respecting authority or not respecting authority. It’s a question of having just the right amount of respect balanced with a good dose of skepticism and independent thinking.

]]> By: Michael Lonie http://www.yourish.com/2007/08/30/3618/comment-page-1#comment-28202 Michael Lonie Fri, 31 Aug 2007 05:02:06 +0000 http://www.yourish.com/2007/08/30/3618#comment-28202 Actual lemmings are smater than that. Actual lemmings are smater than that.

]]> By: Mark http://www.yourish.com/2007/08/30/3618/comment-page-1#comment-28200 Mark Fri, 31 Aug 2007 04:40:32 +0000 http://www.yourish.com/2007/08/30/3618#comment-28200 Perhaps the title should read *People are like Lemmings* Perhaps the title should read *People are like Lemmings*

]]> By: wringley http://www.yourish.com/2007/08/30/3618/comment-page-1#comment-28199 wringley Fri, 31 Aug 2007 03:42:12 +0000 http://www.yourish.com/2007/08/30/3618#comment-28199 it just shows how afraid people are of confrontation, in the yahoo article the phone was given to someone else, i'm guessing this changed was sex based not rank based, it's disgusting yet tragic in it's own right, this was probably the work of someone hard up for money and smart enouph to not go try to rob a 7 11 at 3:30 at night, bravo i say, in all honesty, it's really not as difficult as alot of people tend to think it is to break the law these days and gain from it without being caught, whoever gave the money must feel like an idiot, at least we can all sit back and lauph and not take it so seriously, i forget when exactly the loss of currency becomes offensive, but 3k definantley isn't within the border of this plane when pit against someones life, far be it a group of lives, some kid probably scored alot of candy lol it just shows how afraid people are of confrontation, in the yahoo article the phone was given to someone else, i’m guessing this changed was sex based not rank based, it’s disgusting yet tragic in it’s own right, this was probably the work of someone hard up for money and smart enouph to not go try to rob a 7 11 at 3:30 at night, bravo i say, in all honesty, it’s really not as difficult as alot of people tend to think it is to break the law these days and gain from it without being caught, whoever gave the money must feel like an idiot, at least we can all sit back and lauph and not take it so seriously, i forget when exactly the loss of currency becomes offensive, but 3k definantley isn’t within the border of this plane when pit against someones life, far be it a group of lives, some kid probably scored alot of candy lol

]]> By: Sabba Hillel http://www.yourish.com/2007/08/30/3618/comment-page-1#comment-28185 Sabba Hillel Thu, 30 Aug 2007 17:27:11 +0000 http://www.yourish.com/2007/08/30/3618#comment-28185 Consider the research of <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=oM1hYrj79U0C&dq=&pg=PP1&ots=vZ6giai8Ao&sig=K-KYnDJmecVRyy6K2g5wm51oZ3U&prev=http://www.google.com/search%3Fclient%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla%253Aen-US%253Aofficial%26channel%3Ds%26hl%3Den%26q%3DThe%2Bman%2Bwho%2Bshocked%2Bthe%2Bworld%26btnG%3DGoogle%2BSearch&sa=X&oi=print&ct=title" rel="nofollow">Stanley Milgram</a> who found people would do almost anything when told by an <i>authority figure</i> That is why we had actors wearing a white coat perform on commercials. People actually reacted as though they were doctors and buy the snake oil. Consider the research of Stanley Milgram who found people would do almost anything when told by an authority figure That is why we had actors wearing a white coat perform on commercials. People actually reacted as though they were doctors and buy the snake oil.

]]> By: Ryan Frank http://www.yourish.com/2007/08/30/3618/comment-page-1#comment-28183 Ryan Frank Thu, 30 Aug 2007 16:09:32 +0000 http://www.yourish.com/2007/08/30/3618#comment-28183 This reminds me of the McDonalds employee that had strip searched a teenage girl on the demands of a phantom caller who claimed to be a cop. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15504125/ God people are retarded. This reminds me of the McDonalds employee that had strip searched a teenage girl on the demands of a phantom caller who claimed to be a cop.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15504125/

God people are retarded.

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