63 percent predicted astronauts will land on Mars, 53 percent said ordinary people will travel in space and 50 percent said we will find evidence of life elsewhere in the universe.

http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/pew-future-poll-world-war-iii-cancer-cure-are-on-the-way/19526759

This is interesting. In many ways, it shows me how out of touch Americans actually are with what is going on in our country.



Space tourism is only years away. Mars is decades at the earliest, and that's if we actually do something, not go in the circles we are in now. With the current state of our spaceflight program, with politicians dictating the game, we'll be lucky to be there by then...and that depresses me. Yet people expect it to happen.

And people really think we'll find extraterrestrial life in the next 40 years? While I'm sure it exists, the universe is a huge place, and frankly, we're not searching that hard.

Wake up, America. Maybe if everyone had a clue, we would solve a lot of problems that we're facing. It's not just this specific part, there's a lot of other stats in that article that are shocking.

Now, I know anything can happen - if someone were to say in 1929 that we would land on the moon in 40 years, everyone would laugh at them. But these are alarmingly high numbers and expectations given the current state of affairs.

81% of people think computers will converse with each other? Well duh, they already do. Oh wait, you mean human-like traits? I don't think these people understand the fundamentals of binary logic, and that humans don't operate on it but computers must.

But hey, almost half believe Jesus will show up in the next 40 years.

Are we really that...dumb? Living in fantasy?

Exactly...it looks as if American adults think like elementary schoolers. There's nothing wrong with dreaming...but dammit, if you want these things to actually happen, do something!

I'm proud to say that I live in (what some internet site) has deemed 'americas smartest city.'

http://www.thedailybeast.com/galleries/ ... ge=1;item=

I disagree that people are dumb. I think that people in nature are fearful of what we don't know. So we tell ourselves things that make not knowing easier. Like that Jesus will rise from the dead, and bring us all salvation. I'm not here to start a holy war, maybe he will, maybe he wont. But if it helps someone get through the day, having hope that Jesus will come and save them, I don't see a reason why they can't believe that.

I find it a rather slanted view to view the general public as dumb, and individuals as the enlightened. If that were the case, why not just find the smartest guy in the world, and allow him to rule as a dictator. It would be by far and away safer, because let's face it, the general population is stupid, so one guy of superior intelligence would save us all from our ignorance.

Are there stupid people, yes of course. Do they wind up on TV? Yes, they do, it's entertainment, and ratings go up when you put some yuppy idiot on TV and parade them around. (Are you listening Lindsey Lohan?)

I think the general population as a whole is pretty damn smart. Sure ignorance, and stupidity may seem like they reign supreme, but think about it this way, do you ever hear about the guy who goes through the motions of his daily life on the news? No you dont, you hear about 2 things. Extraordinary acts, and extraordinary stupidity.

In general most people do get their entertainment, and cultural ideals from the media these days, and so it's really easy to call the American public stupid, after all that is 99% of what you see on the news. But keep in mind, those are individuals or groups, not the general population.

Think of it this way, look around the boards, do you really think we just got lucky and found roughly 100 people who are marginally intelligent? I don't I think this is a pretty good survey of the general population. Sure we have a few members that are a bit "derka derka", but for the most part, people on here are fairly smart, and function perfectly normal.

Summing what this rant is all about. People aren't stupid, but the people you hear about, and those that are wasting their time on these surveys, typically are.

http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/pew-future-poll-world-war-iii-cancer-cure-are-on-the-way/19526759

This is interesting. In many ways, it shows me how out of touch Americans actually are with what is going on in our country.





But hey, almost half believe Jesus will show up in the next 40 years.

Really? You have to bring religion into this and bash anyone that doesn't believe what you believe? Now I don't think Jesus is going to show up, but there is no need to put this comment in here. Especially since I take offense to it.

Yeah, figuring out this gravity thing is a lot more of a bitch than we thought it'd be.

I watch the Fifth Element a couple times a month, with my fingers crossed that one day; just ONE DAY, I can be Corbin Dallas.