How can we ever hope to win back our country when stupidity is rampant?

[revree]

I cannot believe the out and out lies, stupidity and ignorance going on here in San Diego county, where Republican assholes are doing their best on radio and TV to convince the mindless masses that Democrats are to be blamed for these awful, deadly fires. They don't care that people died, homes were lost...all they care about is being Republican and blaming everyone other than themselves.

But the real problem we face is not them, it's the stupid, ignorant and gullible masses that BUY INTO THIS SHIT. Intelligent people in my own family are repeating this bullshit, and they don't take the five or ten minutes to look into something to make sure it's true before THEY pass it on to a dozen more mindless idiots.

HOW DO WE FIGHT STUPIDITY AND DENIAL OF RESPONSIBILITY? Seems these are far more powerful enemies than terrorism.

People I know are dead. And all the Republicans care about is making sure they come out on top.

Help me. I have lost all faith in my own species.

[L.A.dweller]

1. Listening to talk radio today, KFI,

and the host totally denounced the claims that Repub's are making about Davis letting the fires get out of control on purpose. This radio host is a conservative himself and he was calling out Republican's turning this state emergency into something political.

I am shocked that the Republican's would out right lie about what Davis has attempted to do for the state. Oh wait a minute they already have lied and somehow got that meathead to replace Davis.

[qwertyMike]

2. Education system sucks

Teachers should make $100K/year and be highly qualifed, not so much academically as in teaching ability.

[info being]

4. Maybe...or just untie their hands and let them teach

Hire free-thinkers and critical thinkers who will pass that along.

It will never happen.

[forgethell]

13. I disagree

not about the money, but I would rather my children be taught by someone who knows what they are teaching. If they are teaching nonsense competently, they are still teaching nonsense. As one of my daughter's current teachers falls in this category, I know whereofI speak!!

[qwertyMike]

21. The qualifications are a given in teaching

Of course they should have the knowledge. But their teaching ability should be screened.
100K/yr is reasonable to educate our kids

[forgethell]

32. The qualifications

are NOT a given. there are many, many teachers out there that do not KNOW their subjects.

[elfwitch]

3. Rampant Stupidity

I think it is more a case of personal responsibility. People don't want to take responsibility for themselves. It is much easier to blame other people for your misery than it is to take the blame yourself. It is everywhere. My kids aren't learning, it's the education system's fault. I've lost my job, it's the unions fault. Television is too violent, it's Hollywoods fault. And so on.

Republicans know that this is basic to human nature and feed upon that. Joe and Jane Public want to blame somebody else. They don't want to think that maybe if their life is screwed up, that it is their own fault. They don't want to get involved in the process because when the process turns on them (as it often does to us) they feel even more helpless and disenfranchised.

It's kinda like those people who think that if you never fall in love that you will never get hurt. It is easier to let things happen to you than it is to make them happen.

[Bluzmann57]

5. How can anybody politicize this tragedy?

That is an absolute disgrace that the repubs, Democrats or anyone else is trying to blame the other party. Don't those republican bastards have ANY conscience(sp?) at all? I hope the people of California see through that kind of stuff and throw the bums out!!!!!!And please, keep the faith in humanity and above all, STAY SAFE!!!!!

[terrya]

6. Remember how Newt Gingrich blamed the Susan Smith episode on the Democrats

With repugs...anything is possible, my friend.

[cyr330]

7. People who Believe such lies. . .

I hate to say it, but people who buy into that kind of shit deserve what they get. Unfortunately, the rest of us have to ride along with them on the road to destruction.

[soupkitchen]

8. When did the democrats become the party of unwise development and

urban sprawl?

[denverbill]

9. Republicans could control EVERY branch of govt at every level.

And they'd still blame somebody else for the problems they create. Liberals, Muslims, gays, Jews, Catholics, Mexicans, communists, socialists. Trust me, they'll always find someone to blame.

[tom_paine]

26. Well, at least for the moment that's all they are doing

Just what do you think the Freepers/Dittoheads/Brownshirts are going to do if they and their Bushevik masters succeed in turning America into a Orwellian-Totalitarian Empire?

Can the Busheviks just deprogram their minions at the drop of a hat? Even if they wanted to the answer is no.

And we all know, historically speaking, where demonization and dehumanization inevitably lead...it's just a question of when.

"Adolf builds a bonfire, Rush Limbaugh plays with it..."

[sandnsea]

10. Bush didn't fund urban interface protection

That's the basic truth of it. We're in a drought and Bush has underfunded firefighting in general, both city and wildland, and urban interface protection programs. Couple that with the development and urban sprawl, mentioned above, and this is what we've got.

This is just one more example of Republicans winning the rhetoric war, I knew it was going to happen as soon as the first fire started. Until we figure out that they WILL politicize everything and get out ahead of them, we're doomed.

[GOPBasher]

11. "I have lost all faith in my own species."

You and me both, my brother (or sister). :-)

[1songbird]

12. Rampant Stupidity

I am so sorry to hear about what's happening in California. My prayers go out to you guys. I can't even imagine what you all must be going through.

It is absolutely atrocious for anyone to assign blame other than to those who set the fires themselves. It's almost as if many Americans have just gone crazy. I blame conservative talk shows for the overwhelming stinch of hate and stupidity. It is definitely clear that America is becoming dumber. This is why many Americans have such a problem with really intelligent,well-spoken presidential candidates. It points out their inadequacies.

Hang in there and stay safe.

[SpaceCatMeetsMars]

14. What on Earth are they telling people? What are your relatives repeating?

My imagination can't even stretch far enough to think how they could be blaming this on the Democrats.

I am sorry to hear about what an awful disaster this is for you guys out there. The pictures on TV are horrible.

[Brewman_Jax]

15. Yesterday's poll

on NPR, local report, here in Atlanta showed that 51% would vote for Bush* again. Another round of job cuts has happened at one of the major area banks (I have a friend who works in the IT dept. of said bank). The people are getting hosed over again and again, and won't vote in their best interest.

My dad is a freeper. He whines of how his health coverage plan is changing, not for the better, but he thinks that GW* is doing a great job, and that the French are slackers.

I agree, and I'm tired of reasoning with or trying to convert the willfully ignorant. I get my information, load up, and hold out.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

16. Well Georgia is not voting for a Democrat!!!

It's the deep south and they will keep voting Rethug for a long time!

Now states like Louisiana, Arkansas, and Virginia can be Democratic states if we give them a reason to vote for us!

[info being]

17. That's exactly how I feel

I wonder if we couldn't start some kind of "cool" after-school program that teaches critical thinking and awareness to willing participants.

[Mairead]

18. Well, if you have some ideas, DU would be a good sandbox to test them in

Because there are a lot of people at DU who also cling to fantasies, repeat lies, and are generally willing--nay, eager--to pull the chain that will flush us all down the sewer.

[TreasonousBastard]

19. Heh!

No, it's not really funny.

But, last night I had the Abrams Report on, waiting to see the last showing of Reverand Al with Tweety, and he had the on DA who was prosecuting the schmuck who set off the flare that started one fire. DA said he's going to put the asshole away.

Then, he had some little dork allegedly representing the NRA view. This kid has a rightwing talkshow in Memphis, but I didn't catch his name. He sez the his fellow asshole with the flare did nothing wrong. "How would he know a fire would start?" "He didn't really mean to start a fire." And so on...

I about threw the TV out the window, and the DA was almost dumbstruck at this fool. Could they have had this schmuck on just to give the NRA a black eye? If so, he did a pretty good job of it.

Later, Scarbrough, who is one of the few people on earth I really get the urge to strangle, started on about environmentalists being the cause of the fires.

I should have been watching one of the lame horror movies, or at least some decent porn.

(I was reading a book, though, and didn't want anything actually interesting on.)

[av8rdave]

20. I was stuck...

in Santa Ana yesterday for 10 1/2 hours trying to take off - the terminal radar facility had been evacuated due to the fires, and we were facing long delays between departures. I remember thinking "how long will it take them to blame Clinton for this?"

I wasn't too far off the mark!

av8rdave

[Adjoran]

22. You seem to think that stupidity is something new

It isn't. The stupid and uninformed have always been in the majority.

Even in the American Revolution, only about a third of the colonists supported independence. Another third remained loyal to the British Crown, and the remaining third didn't care one way or the other.

It's always been out there. Successful movements fight through, educating some, but mainly by mobilising and energizing their base of support.

[sangh0]

23. If they're really that stupid

maybe the Dems should promise to "super-size" the War on Terror. :-)

[leyton]

24. Not by saying things like that...

We probably won't win by saying anything remotely close to "But the real problem we face is not them, it's the stupid, ignorant and gullible masses that BUY INTO THIS SHIT." I mean, calling the masses gullible isn't going to make them think, "Gee, he's right."

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

25. No but they still are stupid gullible asswipes..next point?

[newyawker99]

31. Hi leyton!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Silverhair]

27. Calling the general public stupid won't win them over.

Instead the conservatives will use that type of attitude at proof of the "snobishness" of progressives. People don't like being looked down on. In those conversations, listen to what they are saying and what their points of concern are, and speak with them, not at them. Show them how progressivism concerns itself with the same things and meets those concerns. And don't try to change them on all issues at one time - that's overload. Your conservative family are PEOPLE too. Remember the high price that some liberals have paid for being arrogant. Hillary's comment about cookies is still used against her. And Sally Homemaker, who stays home because she loves being with her small children and thinks they need a mother instead of another paycheck, got really offended when Hillary seemed to be putting down being a mother & homemaker.

John & Jane Middle Class may not be up on all the issues, but they have a quite good feel for when they are being insulted, and the conservatives will make sure that the insulting things that liberals say will get to them.

Remember, (If you are old enough.) when Carter said that the American people had a "malise". Then Reagan ran his campaign that praised the ordinary American. Look who won.

[Beaker]

28. I guess we should pat them on the back-

for continually cutting their own throats at the ballot box.

[Karenina]

29. And everyone else's

while they're at it.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

30. Well somebody please tell those rocket scientists to THINK before they

vote.

Yes, we all know stupid people don't like to be called stupid.