Mon Nov 19, 2012, 06:48 AM

Are You Dumber than an American?

http://watchingamerica.com/News/184212/are-you-dumber-than-an-american/

Are You Dumber than an American?
Expressen, Sweden
By Ann-Charlotte Marteus
Translated By Grace Olaison
7 November 2012
Edited by Natalie Clager

Sometimes one is a little afraid of the United States. Not because it possesses nuclear weapons or anything along those lines, but because many Americans, beside the brilliant elite, seem so… well… foolish.

How can 46 percent of the population reject the theory of evolution? How can half the people want a rogue like Mitt Romney as president? How can Sarah Palin even exist? How could doubt about Obama's citizenship and religion become a perpetual point of mobilization, despite the total lack of common sense and evidence?

The deep distrust of reason, science and facts that many Americans wallow in today, is purely detrimental to society. You cannot raise a democratic discussion when preposterous lies are given the same credence as truths.

And never have politicians gotten away with so many lies as during the 2012 election campaign. The exaggerated distrust seems paradoxically to have made people so misguided that they have become gullible.

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325 replies	Author	Time	Post
Are You Dumber than an American? (Original post)	unhappycamper	Nov 2012	OP
despite the total lack of common sense and evidence?	Flashmann	Nov 2012	#1
The problem is ubiquitous even on DU.	xtraxritical	Nov 2012	#138
It's not satire and it's not funny	AlbertCat	Nov 2012	#152
maybe it's not funny to YOU- but a LOT of others seem to like it.	BlueMan Votes	Nov 2012	#177
I absolutely agree!	ReRe	Nov 2012	#164
Why can't you choose to simply not watch it and allow those that	EmeraldCityGrl	Nov 2012	#272
Whew.... I hit a nerve...	ReRe	Nov 2012	#274
No, hardly. I'm just tolerant of other	EmeraldCityGrl	Nov 2012	#276
I think you did use the word "petty", no?	ReRe	Nov 2012	#277
P.S.	ReRe	Nov 2012	#278
P.S.S.	ReRe	Nov 2012	#279
Welcome. You have a Happy Thanksgiving as well.	EmeraldCityGrl	Nov 2012	#290
Oh, come on. I'm from the South and I find that hilarious.	redgreenandblue	Nov 2012	#292
what a stupid article. yeah, all americans are stupid except for "the brilliant elite".	HiPointDem	Nov 2012	#2
I think you misinterpreted the description. It isn't that the American elite are brilliant, rather	Egalitarian Thug	Nov 2012	#4
use of definite rather than indefinite article suggests otherwise.	HiPointDem	Nov 2012	#5
It is a translation done by a volunteer from Swedish. But if you want to get all freaked out by it,	Egalitarian Thug	Nov 2012	#10
well then all bets are off. do you read swedish? because all we have is the english	HiPointDem	Nov 2012	#12
I found the original	DFW	Nov 2012	#20
thank you. "av" is what is translated as "beside"? what are the various senses of "av"?	HiPointDem	Nov 2012	#27
"av" means "Of"	Demeter	Nov 2012	#46
google translates the sentence in question as:	HiPointDem	Nov 2012	#52
Point of the article demonstrated above.	liberalmuse	Nov 2012	#84
care to expound on what you find so stupid? or perhaps contribute your own summary?	HiPointDem	Nov 2012	#88
LoPointDem would be a better handle for you.	xtraxritical	Nov 2012	#139
unfortunately, i'm unable to respond in kind. some posters are allowed to	HiPointDem	Nov 2012	#218
be careful with google translate	thesquanderer	Nov 2012	#149
i appreciate dfw's translation, which clarified the passage.	HiPointDem	Nov 2012	#161
"European Sport". Really? All europeans do this?	Lars77	Nov 2012	#72
about as many as there are stupid americans...	HiPointDem	Nov 2012	#97
70 years ago now	treestar	Nov 2012	#96
28 million dead Russians may disagree with your post.	go west young man	Nov 2012	#187
The thing about accusing people who criticise you of having	sibelian	Nov 2012	#263
I married a Swede	Demeter	Nov 2012	#275
Swedish is very easy for an English-speaking person to learn	DFW	Nov 2012	#111
thank you. i appreciate the discussion of the individual words.	HiPointDem	Nov 2012	#117
Nice post!! I just saw it after posting my own attempt at translation through German. n/t	xocet	Nov 2012	#123
Greetings...(now to the "I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet"-segment of the thread)	xocet	Nov 2012	#121
See my dissection above (post 111)	DFW	Nov 2012	#134
Thanks.	xocet	Nov 2012	#159
There are a LOT of similarities in the basics of German and Swedish	DFW	Nov 2012	#162
That is really cool. I need to check out Swedish grammar.	xocet	Nov 2012	#173
Have I ever been to Belgium?	DFW	Nov 2012	#179
You must have a very interesting existence - I won't ask what you do....	xocet	Nov 2012	#217
The Sächsisch dialect is from the area of Leipzig.	defacto7	Nov 2012	#223
just for a note	defacto7	Nov 2012	#224
"Sächsisch" just means "Saxon"	DFW	Nov 2012	#260
I deal with Americans every day. It's rare to find one that can speak in complete sentences	Egalitarian Thug	Nov 2012	#35
what "we do as a nation" has nothing to do with the intelligence of individual	HiPointDem	Nov 2012	#42
You didn't even read it, did you? Enjoy your outrage. n/t	Egalitarian Thug	Nov 2012	#43
your post? i read every word. i'm not outraged. you appear to be the outraged	HiPointDem	Nov 2012	#45
I thought this paragraph made a good point.	Fumesucker	Nov 2012	#47
i think it's pretty easy not to to so. i think israel, as a nation, does plenty of shitty	HiPointDem	Nov 2012	#57
Which one of those nations has a military equal to the rest of the planet combined?	Fumesucker	Nov 2012	#59
none, but that seems to me irrelevant. or perhaps relevant in this way: if they did,	HiPointDem	Nov 2012	#60
And because most hegemons have acted that way it's not amazingly dumbass?	Fumesucker	Nov 2012	#66
how many other places have you lived? it's not that different from anywhere else.	HiPointDem	Nov 2012	#68
Try not paying attention to that stuff and then having social conversation with people	Fumesucker	Nov 2012	#73
i haven't found it such a terrible minefield if i discuss rather than lecture (contrary	HiPointDem	Nov 2012	#80
More listening, less lecturing.	xtraxritical	Nov 2012	#140
yes. as i acknowledge. du is not real life.	HiPointDem	Nov 2012	#143
Or try not watching television and carrying on a conversation with the majority	Egalitarian Thug	Nov 2012	#178
Yeah, that was my point	Fumesucker	Nov 2012	#183
You got me. I skipped over a lot of the rant.	Egalitarian Thug	Nov 2012	#185
That is absurd.	grantcart	Nov 2012	#294
i've heard the "only in..." line from people from every country that i've met.	HiPointDem	Nov 2012	#302
"Only in America" refers to a Horatio Alger type rags-to-riches story. Not generosity.	Romulox	Nov 2012	#309
Are you including yourself and your family in your stereotype?	lalalu	Nov 2012	#87
none of the people on this thread are the dumb ones, of course. the dumb ones	HiPointDem	Nov 2012	#99
I just find it interesting that	lalalu	Nov 2012	#100
If only you could see how far off the mark you are	Fumesucker	Nov 2012	#141
Myself, no. Most of my family, most definitely. n/t	Egalitarian Thug	Nov 2012	#175
No exceptions, this is stereotyping all Americans.	lalalu	Nov 2012	#191
Nice try, but this pathetic attempt to re-write what was written to suit your defense will not fly.	Egalitarian Thug	Nov 2012	#194
You reread.	lalalu	Nov 2012	#197
And another fail from the outraged illiterate.	Egalitarian Thug	Nov 2012	#199
When you can't defend your position then personal attacks are all you have.	lalalu	Nov 2012	#202
I provided the evidentiary quotation in the reply.	Egalitarian Thug	Nov 2012	#221
How ironic that you are the one behaving like a dumb American.	lalalu	Nov 2012	#234
I know you are, but what am I?	Egalitarian Thug	Nov 2012	#235
I just told you what you are.	lalalu	Nov 2012	#236
I know you are, but what am I?	Egalitarian Thug	Nov 2012	#237
It's "rare" to find an American who can speak in complete sentences? What does that say about	cherokeeprogressive	Nov 2012	#215
do you read swedish	AlbertCat	Nov 2012	#153
hardly. it's a function of location and economics, nothing to do with intelligence.	HiPointDem	Nov 2012	#158
Swedish is tricky with its articles	DFW	Nov 2012	#14
Here you are.	Egalitarian Thug	Nov 2012	#36
The Scand. languages have also conveniently simplified verb conjugations	Jackpine Radical	Nov 2012	#124
Verbs are a joy for sure, no conjugation at all	DFW	Nov 2012	#136
I was gonna mention the subjunctive	Jackpine Radical	Nov 2012	#151
Oh, yeah.	DFW	Nov 2012	#156
I was sorta aware of ðat.	Jackpine Radical	Nov 2012	#165
If you can really read the runes, kudos	DFW	Nov 2012	#168
I wrote this:	Jackpine Radical	Nov 2012	#169
OK, now I'm REALLY impressed!	DFW	Nov 2012	#171
Making their point indeed!	elleng	Nov 2012	#145
Brilliant people are not necessarily	FlaGranny	Nov 2012	#17
My reply was badly worded, or at least not specific enough.	Egalitarian Thug	Nov 2012	#41
What exactly are you pissed about?....	OldDem2012	Nov 2012	#15
i'm not pissed. i think the article's stupid, at least the title & excerpt i read in	HiPointDem	Nov 2012	#49
I too have lived and	billh58	Nov 2012	#69
i understand where it comes from as well. it comes from selective media reports,	HiPointDem	Nov 2012	#76
Right you are	brush	Nov 2012	#83
Exactly	lalalu	Nov 2012	#98
That is not what was said.	gcomeau	Nov 2012	#110
You may be right. However, in which country is it that average citizens don't	HiPointDem	Nov 2012	#119
None of them. Not the point at all.	gcomeau	Nov 2012	#132
sweden 1st ventured into neoliberalization decades ago, and not just in ed. not something new, e.g.	HiPointDem	Nov 2012	#160
You quibble and miss the big picture:	Bernardo de La Paz	Nov 2012	#144
Martin Bashir has a commercial where he basically says:	Whisp	Nov 2012	#252
smug and stupid article.	cali	Nov 2012	#3
She said in a sweeping generalization	Fumesucker	Nov 2012	#21
really? so you actually think that sweeping generalizations are an intelligent way	cali	Nov 2012	#25
And Palestinians are violent	Fumesucker	Nov 2012	#31
Really? I don't see Cali making that assertion & I don't see her name on the link you provided.	whathehell	Nov 2012	#89
The link I provided was to a DUer calling Palestinians "naturally violent"	Fumesucker	Nov 2012	#91
Um, yeah, whatever.	whathehell	Nov 2012	#127
I had it to start with and I think you're wrong	Fumesucker	Nov 2012	#128
I think not, and even if what you say about Cali is true,	whathehell	Nov 2012	#189
Example of sweeping generalization by cali	Fumesucker	Nov 2012	#324
"rarely" is a qualifier.	HiPointDem	Nov 2012	#29
It's still a sweeping generalization	Fumesucker	Nov 2012	#33
however, it has the merit of truth value. which the propositon that americans are	HiPointDem	Nov 2012	#37
I just find it humorous that cali of all people denounces sweeping generalizations	Fumesucker	Nov 2012	#44
hmm. you may have a point there.	HiPointDem	Nov 2012	#50
+1. Ironically, it's one of those OPs that	sufrommich	Nov 2012	#40
LOL.	whathehell	Nov 2012	#81
Agree 100%	lalalu	Nov 2012	#203
Television, the drug of the nation. Breeding ignorance, fear, and anti-intellectualism. n/t	Egalitarian Thug	Nov 2012	#6
Yep. No country in the world has the superior marketing strategies of the U.S.	BlueCaliDem	Nov 2012	#63
and I guess no other country in the world has television either.	whathehell	Nov 2012	#82
And you guessed wrong.	BlueCaliDem	Nov 2012	#104
Oh my. I guess I should remember that sarcasm thingy.	whathehell	Nov 2012	#109
they have it, but they never watch it. well, not very much. oh wait -	HiPointDem	Nov 2012	#106
have you seen commercials in other countries? they do just fine. they have all the	HiPointDem	Nov 2012	#103
Yes, actually I have seen commercials in the other countries of the world. Lived in some of.	BlueCaliDem	Nov 2012	#108
there may be a real journalism still alive in europe, i actually don't know. but the right	HiPointDem	Nov 2012	#113
Wage slaves in Europe	BlueCaliDem	Nov 2012	#122
....	HiPointDem	Nov 2012	#163
There's a difference between Guest Workers and your average German employee.	BlueCaliDem	Nov 2012	#251
Love the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy reference. nt	OnyxCollie	Nov 2012	#135
There aren't many of us that recognize that, although since LCD displays have become nearly	Egalitarian Thug	Nov 2012	#174
I've got the four song EP/maxi single	OnyxCollie	Nov 2012	#182
I'm thinking of Theodore White's first book:	ewagner	Nov 2012	#7
+1 nt	laundry_queen	Nov 2012	#8
Indeed we have become consumers instead of citizens.	mountain grammy	Nov 2012	#107
I was hoping this was a TV show. -nt-	DireStrike	Nov 2012	#9
LOL! +1	Egalitarian Thug	Nov 2012	#11
No, because I grew up in Massachusetts, or as the Tea Party calls it "The most liberal Country in	pam4water	Nov 2012	#13
DURec	x2 vancouverite	Nov 2012	#16
I love this country.	brokechris	Nov 2012	#18
Re: Palin--the "exist" wasn't meant to be taken literally	DFW	Nov 2012	#133
I didn't know you wrote the article	brokechris	Nov 2012	#180
I didn't know you read Swedish	DFW	Nov 2012	#216
I'm actually much smarter than the average American	tavalon	Nov 2012	#19
if you long to be a Canadian	brokechris	Nov 2012	#23
Because I'm poly with an autistic child	tavalon	Nov 2012	#30
if they want you and you can	brokechris	Nov 2012	#39
I spent years trying to find that way	tavalon	Nov 2012	#195
"poly" = ?	Bernardo de La Paz	Nov 2012	#146
While it's currently going to hell in a handbasket,	tavalon	Nov 2012	#192
Ah, thanks. Know of polyamory; please use the word not the abbreviation except in contexts	Bernardo de La Paz	Nov 2012	#230
Yeah, you're right	tavalon	Nov 2012	#232
Vancouver is wonderful...	BobTheSubgenius	Nov 2012	#222
Currently living in one of the most expensive places in the US	tavalon	Nov 2012	#233
If they don't want your family, why would you want to move there?	Dr. Strange	Nov 2012	#258
discussion groups are poor places to explain the intricacies of a situation such as mine.	tavalon	Nov 2012	#267
.Well, thanks for telling us that, Tav, especially since it's not especially apparent.	whathehell	Nov 2012	#105
Please... for the love of all that is good and just... be joking.	ElboRuum	Nov 2012	#118
Yes, I had hoped for the same	whathehell	Nov 2012	#126
Vancouver specifically	tavalon	Nov 2012	#196
I doubt that will be far enough.	ElboRuum	Nov 2012	#205
Does my expressing an opinion offend you in some way?	tavalon	Nov 2012	#207
Well, I guess it depends on how you express it, now doesn't it?	ElboRuum	Nov 2012	#243
Did you not get the part where it's merely a pipe dream and not going to happen?	tavalon	Nov 2012	#268
"Pipe" dream. Ah, clever...	ElboRuum	Nov 2012	#280
Well, you are bright if not kind.	tavalon	Nov 2012	#308
I've found that people who talk like that,	Union Scribe	Nov 2012	#214
+ 10	whathehell	Nov 2012	#316
Home schooling	BlueinOhio	Nov 2012	#22
You said it, and you said it well!	mountain grammy	Nov 2012	#92
As long as our News Media is allowed to	oldbanjo	Nov 2012	#24
no more so than any other nation. you have the educated and uneducated. the curious,	seabeyond	Nov 2012	#26
yep. no difference. i heard palinesque stuff 30 years ago from a pair of canadians	HiPointDem	Nov 2012	#32
Oh, so now you think anecdotal evidence proves sweeping generalizations. Logic much?	Bernardo de La Paz	Nov 2012	#147
not at all. where did i say such a thing? but you know, there's a logical gap from "half the	HiPointDem	Nov 2012	#172
The half that voted for Romney sure do drag the average down severely.	Bernardo de La Paz	Nov 2012	#176
Thank you. Like many others here, I get very tired of the obligatory Five Minutes of Self Hate.	whathehell	Nov 2012	#193
Appealing to America's ignorance and gullibility	The Wizard	Nov 2012	#28
yep. most of the memes come from the "brilliant elite" themselves, and are used	HiPointDem	Nov 2012	#34
Fundamentalist Christians	BlueinOhio	Nov 2012	#38
I've tried to make it through watching Idiocracy, but never have, one of my failings in	RKP5637	Nov 2012	#54
A barely mediocre comedy staring Luke Wilson.	Dash87	Nov 2012	#181
You're right, as a comedic film it is awful. But, as a social commentary, and possible	Egalitarian Thug	Nov 2012	#186
Perhaps Ms. Thug .	whathehell	Nov 2012	#286
None taken, and I have always, on occasion, enjoyed a little pain. n/t	Egalitarian Thug	Nov 2012	#305
So you're a masochist?	whathehell	Nov 2012	#306
Hey, I'm a really left liberal, intellectual, and a member of DU.	Egalitarian Thug	Nov 2012	#312
Hmm...	davidthegnome	Nov 2012	#48
Years before my wife and I got together	chemenger	Nov 2012	#51
you know something?	brokechris	Nov 2012	#55
"Stupid and self-centered"?	whathehell	Nov 2012	#125
I can't disagree with anything you've stated in your response, however	chemenger	Nov 2012	#129
I find most of humanity pretty stupid, so I don't think America has the only leading role when	RKP5637	Nov 2012	#53
+1000000 It's not an American issue...	dionysus	Nov 2012	#204
Ah, yes, the sensible Swedes, for whom child porn was legal until 1999.	WinkyDink	Nov 2012	#56
To paraphrase George Carlin. . . .	ncgrits	Nov 2012	#58
and where do you stand in this hierarchy of smartness? as you are standing back	HiPointDem	Nov 2012	#65
HA! I would like to think that I am in the top 1/2, but doing so probably qualifies me	ncgrits	Nov 2012	#130
Forgive me	Arcanetrance	Nov 2012	#61
No "forgiveness" needed	whathehell	Nov 2012	#190
For all the consternation the Swedish author is causing in this thread, I have to get a	CTyankee	Nov 2012	#62
The author makes a very smart point.	Barack_America	Nov 2012	#74
I thought so too. I just can't understand the utter outrage here about what she wrote in this	CTyankee	Nov 2012	#77
If she had inserted "conservative" in the title we'd all be applauding this.	Barack_America	Nov 2012	#79
I tuned in on precisely that vibe from her.	CTyankee	Nov 2012	#86
Rather than ask "where to begin", you might want to aks "Where to end".	whathehell	Nov 2012	#259
It's great that we have elected a person of color to President, yes and good for us!	CTyankee	Nov 2012	#262
Yes, it is and of course I know that it's not "everything", and as a progressive democrat	whathehell	Nov 2012	#264
I feel that we are "evolving" on the social programs faster than we have on the	CTyankee	Nov 2012	#266
People vote where they think they're given an actual choice	Fumesucker	Nov 2012	#273
that observation gripped me too.	BlancheSplanchnik	Nov 2012	#154
What many under a certain age don't realize is that this idiocy, this "rejection of science", etc.	whathehell	Nov 2012	#310
Very true	treestar	Nov 2012	#101
Stupid people do the bidding of the plutocrats.	Barack_America	Nov 2012	#114
Oh, that apocalyptic dialect, really gets me	ElboRuum	Nov 2012	#142
lol. yeah, it's all those stupid people serving as worker bees and managerial personnel in the	HiPointDem	Nov 2012	#170
You might consider reading the post I was responding to...	Barack_America	Nov 2012	#184
+1000	noiretextatique	Nov 2012	#167
I was wondering why the Frisbee was getting bigger.	aandegoons	Nov 2012	#64
LOL	RKP5637	Nov 2012	#67
Stupid sells.	Barack_America	Nov 2012	#70
Only in America is the film Idiocracy not considered a satire. nt	valerief	Nov 2012	#71
Americans aren't "stupid"	Liberal1975	Nov 2012	#75
i agree with the general thrust but i'd just like to say that america never scored	HiPointDem	Nov 2012	#102
Thanks	Liberal1975	Nov 2012	#120
"I stand by my theory that we are much more disillusioned than stupid." I agree.	HiPointDem	Nov 2012	#166
US became most powerful economy in large part by attracting highly educated intelligent immigrants.	Bernardo de La Paz	Nov 2012	#148
Interesting discussion, lots of defensiveness.	Maineman	Nov 2012	#78
Lighten up!	denvine	Nov 2012	#85
Margaret Thatcher, Sarkozy, soccer riots, Greek rightwing extremists,	lalalu	Nov 2012	#90
Thank you. Although I've learned to expect a lot of knee-jerk anti-Americanism	whathehell	Nov 2012	#323
It is due to our misguided belief that disputation and argument lead to the truth	FarCenter	Nov 2012	#93
Funny...	ElboRuum	Nov 2012	#115
Customers rather than citizens	treestar	Nov 2012	#94
We are ... (both)	Maineman	Nov 2012	#95
Oh, dear. More of this shit...	ElboRuum	Nov 2012	#112
Maybe you missed this	valerief	Nov 2012	#131
Quite amusing that...	ElboRuum	Nov 2012	#137
...	Fumesucker	Nov 2012	#188
Always enjoyed that one...	ElboRuum	Nov 2012	#201
I guess it's a good thing we don't have a democracy then.......	Burma Jones	Nov 2012	#116
If you make one ethnic slur, you are embracing and tolerating ALL ethnic slurs	melody	Nov 2012	#150
Correct, and the dummies eagerly embracing this self-hate shit sandwich would be excoriating	whathehell	Nov 2012	#198
Exactly, well said.	melody	Nov 2012	#220
Thank you. n/t	whathehell	Nov 2012	#256
I'm allowed to point out the flaws of my own ethnicity	Fumesucker	Nov 2012	#206
You're still a bigot	melody	Nov 2012	#219
Aww, I love you too	Fumesucker	Nov 2012	#229
We must question our prejudices	melody	Nov 2012	#239
What part of "popular culture" do you fail to understand?	Fumesucker	Nov 2012	#240
Believe what you need to believe	melody	Nov 2012	#245
I'm rubber and you're glue your words bounce off me and stick to you..	Fumesucker	Nov 2012	#247
I wasn't trying to be mature or logical -- simply concise and honest	melody	Nov 2012	#250
No, "American" is not an ethnicity. It's a nationality. They are not the same thing.	Spider Jerusalem	Nov 2012	#227
An ethnic quality or affiliation resulting from racial or cultural ties	melody	Nov 2012	#238
Nope	Spider Jerusalem	Nov 2012	#242
My background is in cultural anthropology	melody	Nov 2012	#244
Congratulations	Spider Jerusalem	Nov 2012	#246
That's right, anthropoloogy and dictionaries are wrong ... you are right	melody	Nov 2012	#249
Show me an anthropologist who defines "American" as an ethnic group.	Spider Jerusalem	Nov 2012	#254
In regard to Melody's point, It's a distinction without much of a difference	whathehell	Nov 2012	#257
Thank you once again n/t	melody	Nov 2012	#270
You're very welcome, Melody	whathehell	Nov 2012	#281
We don't have just one ethnicity	melody	Nov 2012	#261
Yep.	whathehell	Nov 2012	#283
Learn to read pls	Spider Jerusalem	Nov 2012	#319
You learn to read pls	whathehell	Nov 2012	#320
Brilliant elite?	louslobbs	Nov 2012	#155
GOP try to wisen up	BlueinOhio	Nov 2012	#157
The National Democrats/Sweden Democrats hold seats in their government	lalalu	Nov 2012	#200
You're correct, lalalu, but the drooling europhiles here will likely ignore that	whathehell	Nov 2012	#285
Yea, yea....dumb Americans....	paleotn	Nov 2012	#208
I'm a danger to myself and others.	Deep13	Nov 2012	#209
Damn Swiss!!!	grantcart	Nov 2012	#210
We should invade them	billh58	Nov 2012	#291
Sweden is not Switzerland.	MichaelMcGuire	Nov 2012	#296
No, I meant Switzerland	billh58	Nov 2012	#301
You mean Swedish.	MichaelMcGuire	Nov 2012	#297
It's like fishing. You put out a little bait and eventually one will bite.	grantcart	Nov 2012	#303
It's ok I'm allowed a slow day every once in a while.	MichaelMcGuire	Nov 2012	#321
no harm no foul, done it many times myself	grantcart	Nov 2012	#322
Flip side of idiotic emotionalism is rugged individuality.	McCamy Taylor	Nov 2012	#211
47.59% are dumb in my book	bluemarkers	Nov 2012	#212
And, what? You imagine that a majority of the rest of the world's populations are Brilliant?	whathehell	Nov 2012	#288
that's what you take away from my post? lol!!	bluemarkers	Nov 2012	#304
knr	spanone	Nov 2012	#213
We're probably all in the same boat.... Kind of a happy start to the season!	defacto7	Nov 2012	#225
Hypocrites.	leftlibdem420	Nov 2012	#226
Sweden: Pot calls kettle black	lbrtbell	Nov 2012	#228
"Dumb" is exactly the wrong word here. The right word is "ignorant."	eridani	Nov 2012	#231
Yes, and I'm sure there is no "ignorance" in Sweden where, as another poster pointed out	whathehell	Nov 2012	#265
I'm not understanding you. Are you saying that...	CTyankee	Nov 2012	#269
No.	whathehell	Nov 2012	#282
Here's the sense in which the article is true:	Lydia Leftcoast	Nov 2012	#241
I just recently watched the Helen Mirren Prime Suspect series, from the early 90s	valerief	Nov 2012	#253
And they let Helen Mirren's character age, too	Lydia Leftcoast	Nov 2012	#255
Is this your first and perhaps only experience with Euro TV?.	whathehell	Nov 2012	#287
Bwahahahaha! Well, I've been duly finger-wagged over an issue I really don't care about.	valerief	Nov 2012	#289
Oh, I'm sure you "really don't care about" it..	whathehell	Nov 2012	#295
Wow, I didn't realize Euro TV was so damn important. Why it is, I don't know.	valerief	Nov 2012	#298
Apparently it was "important" enough	whathehell	Nov 2012	#299
My point about Prime Suspect being a good series? You don't think it was? nt	valerief	Nov 2012	#300
No, I think your point was that	whathehell	Nov 2012	#307
Wow, you must really feel guilty about finger-wagging me over such a petty issue. nt	valerief	Nov 2012	#311
Wow. How did you arrive at such a bizarrely erroneous conclusion?	whathehell	Nov 2012	#313
This message was self-deleted by its author	valerief	Nov 2012	#314
Well, it looks like the youngster has blocked me, but here's my message.	valerief	Nov 2012	#315
Wrong again...You didn't think it was "only tv" when you wrote a rather lengthy post	whathehell	Nov 2012	#317
No, Val...I haven't blocked. you. Check and see if you're sending your post to the right person.	whathehell	Nov 2012	#318
I never grow tired of these articles	4th law of robotics	Nov 2012	#248
I don't even have to click on your link to know what you said is true. It's axiomatic.	randome	Nov 2012	#293
Media propaganda	upi402	Nov 2012	#271
No, wait, I am an American.	Rex	Nov 2012	#284
Sadly, I partially agree with this article...	frostfern	Nov 2012	#325

Response to unhappycamper (Original post)

Mon Nov 19, 2012, 06:56 AM

Flashmann (2,052 posts)

1. despite the total lack of common sense and evidence?

The 3 decade plus long and still ongoing,concerted dumbing down of America......

Are You Dumber than an American?

1. despite the total lack of common sense and evidence?

138. The problem is ubiquitous even on DU.

152. It's not satire and it's not funny

177. maybe it's not funny to YOU- but a LOT of others seem to like it.

164. I absolutely agree!

272. Why can't you choose to simply not watch it and allow those that

274. Whew.... I hit a nerve...

276. No, hardly. I'm just tolerant of other

277. I think you did use the word "petty", no?

278. P.S.

279. P.S.S.

290. Welcome. You have a Happy Thanksgiving as well.

292. Oh, come on. I'm from the South and I find that hilarious.

2. what a stupid article. yeah, all americans are stupid except for "the brilliant elite".

4. I think you misinterpreted the description. It isn't that the American elite are brilliant, rather

5. use of definite rather than indefinite article suggests otherwise.

10. It is a translation done by a volunteer from Swedish. But if you want to get all freaked out by it,

12. well then all bets are off. do you read swedish? because all we have is the english

20. I found the original

27. thank you. "av" is what is translated as "beside"? what are the various senses of "av"?

46. "av" means "Of"

52. google translates the sentence in question as:

84. Point of the article demonstrated above.

88. care to expound on what you find so stupid? or perhaps contribute your own summary?

139. LoPointDem would be a better handle for you.

218. unfortunately, i'm unable to respond in kind. some posters are allowed to

149. be careful with google translate

161. i appreciate dfw's translation, which clarified the passage.

72. "European Sport". Really? All europeans do this?

97. about as many as there are stupid americans...

96. 70 years ago now

187. 28 million dead Russians may disagree with your post.

263. The thing about accusing people who criticise you of having

275. I married a Swede

111. Swedish is very easy for an English-speaking person to learn

117. thank you. i appreciate the discussion of the individual words.

123. Nice post!! I just saw it after posting my own attempt at translation through German. n/t

121. Greetings...(now to the "I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet"-segment of the thread)

134. See my dissection above (post 111)

159. Thanks.

162. There are a LOT of similarities in the basics of German and Swedish

173. That is really cool. I need to check out Swedish grammar.

179. Have I ever been to Belgium?

217. You must have a very interesting existence - I won't ask what you do....

223. The Sächsisch dialect is from the area of Leipzig.

224. just for a note

260. "Sächsisch" just means "Saxon"

35. I deal with Americans every day. It's rare to find one that can speak in complete sentences

42. what "we do as a nation" has nothing to do with the intelligence of individual

43. You didn't even read it, did you? Enjoy your outrage. n/t

45. your post? i read every word. i'm not outraged. you appear to be the outraged

47. I thought this paragraph made a good point.

57. i think it's pretty easy not to to so. i think israel, as a nation, does plenty of shitty

59. Which one of those nations has a military equal to the rest of the planet combined?

60. none, but that seems to me irrelevant. or perhaps relevant in this way: if they did,

66. And because most hegemons have acted that way it's not amazingly dumbass?

68. how many other places have you lived? it's not that different from anywhere else.

73. Try not paying attention to that stuff and then having social conversation with people

80. i haven't found it such a terrible minefield if i discuss rather than lecture (contrary

140. More listening, less lecturing.

143. yes. as i acknowledge. du is not real life.

178. Or try not watching television and carrying on a conversation with the majority

183. Yeah, that was my point

185. You got me. I skipped over a lot of the rant.

294. That is absurd.

302. i've heard the "only in..." line from people from every country that i've met.

309. "Only in America" refers to a Horatio Alger type rags-to-riches story. Not generosity.

87. Are you including yourself and your family in your stereotype?

99. none of the people on this thread are the dumb ones, of course. the dumb ones

100. I just find it interesting that

141. If only you could see how far off the mark you are

175. Myself, no. Most of my family, most definitely. n/t

191. No exceptions, this is stereotyping all Americans.

194. Nice try, but this pathetic attempt to re-write what was written to suit your defense will not fly.

197. You reread.

199. And another fail from the outraged illiterate.

202. When you can't defend your position then personal attacks are all you have.

221. I provided the evidentiary quotation in the reply.

234. How ironic that you are the one behaving like a dumb American.

108. Yes, actually I have seen commercials in the other countries of the world. Lived in some of.