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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM

Aprilla Since: Aug, 2010
#96476: Jul 12th 2015 at 6:24:05 PM

acting takes charisma, not brains

Please do not throw thespians under the bus. Acting may not be on the same level as brain surgery or network security, but it takes quite a bit of study and fine tuning.

Besides, as it was noted earlier, smart, skillful people can proliferate really stupid ideas all the time, including the aforementioned Orson Scott Card. See: Richard Dawkins.

edited 12th Jul '15 6:26:10 PM by Aprilla

LeGarcon Blowout soon fellow Stalker from Skadovsk Since: Aug, 2013 Relationship Status: Gay for Big Boss
Blowout soon fellow Stalker
#96477: Jul 12th 2015 at 6:28:09 PM

Being under buses makes me sad.

But yeah, people can be smart and stupid at the same time.

Oh really when?
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#96478: Jul 12th 2015 at 6:31:51 PM

That's sort of what I meant. The kind of education and training needed to act does not necessarily involve the critical thinking skills necessary to evaluate scientific data.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
LeGarcon Blowout soon fellow Stalker from Skadovsk Since: Aug, 2013 Relationship Status: Gay for Big Boss
Blowout soon fellow Stalker
#96479: Jul 12th 2015 at 6:33:26 PM

Well now that's assuming they actually bother to evaluate the data. Reality denial is a really annoying trend in American everything nowadays.

Oh really when?
Aprilla Since: Aug, 2010
#96480: Jul 12th 2015 at 6:33:50 PM

All things considered, Fighteer's basic point still holds. You spend enough time making lots of money pretending to be someone you're not, publishing entertaining books, playing a sport, being sexy and really good looking or developing a compelling political philosophy, and some of the resulting fame can lead you to overestimate your intellectual reach.

For our purposes, this can and does have deleterious effects on political discourse up to and including butchering proven scientific principles.

EDIT: The reverse is true as well. Some of the worst advocates of things like sexism, racism and outdated cultural values can have backgrounds in computer science, electrical engineering and cardiology. Having said that, I'd rather not play the game of having a who's-smarter competition between the humanities and the STEM fields. That's a really annoying debate that doesn't do anyone any good.

edited 12th Jul '15 6:39:14 PM by Aprilla

TheHandle United Earth from Stockholm Since: Jan, 2012 Relationship Status: YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA
United Earth
#96481: Jul 13th 2015 at 2:51:59 AM

If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree...

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Silasw A procrastination in of itself from A handcart to hell (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
A procrastination in of itself
#96482: Jul 13th 2015 at 5:07:01 AM

Nobody is disputing the fish's ability to swim, we just don't want to to be making decisions on tree climbing.

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
TheHandle United Earth from Stockholm Since: Jan, 2012 Relationship Status: YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA
United Earth
#96483: Jul 13th 2015 at 6:35:32 AM

I was just responding to Aprilla's final paragraph.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Silasw A procrastination in of itself from A handcart to hell (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
A procrastination in of itself
#96484: Jul 13th 2015 at 6:39:58 AM

Oh sorry I thought the answer to that is clear, it's the hard Humanities of things like Politics that are the smartest. tongue

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#96486: Jul 13th 2015 at 6:45:50 AM

"Nobody's paying attention to me and my ego is an empty hole of shattered dreams. I know... I'll run for President!"

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
TheHandle United Earth from Stockholm Since: Jan, 2012 Relationship Status: YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA
United Earth
#96487: Jul 13th 2015 at 6:49:47 AM

Why do dreams always shatter? Can't they, you know, just wither, or go flaccid, or erode, or something?

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
speedyboris Since: Feb, 2010
#96488: Jul 13th 2015 at 6:55:37 AM

Just stop. We have more than enough GOP candidates. I beg you, just stop.

On the same subject, Donald Trump. Apparently he got huge crowds in Phoenix over the weekend. People are actually taking this guy seriously? Yikes.

Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#96489: Jul 13th 2015 at 6:57:59 AM

He speaks directly to the undercurrent of hate in the Republican base. It's no accident that he's popular. All the other candidates have learned how to talk around the hate — allude to it without coming right out and saying it. Trump's mouth is an open wound oozing the sewage of the GOP.

To the extent that he refuses to censor the stupid, he has the distinction of complete honesty, a rare trait in a candidate and something that people respond to no matter what the content of the message is.

Imagine Romney launching his campaign with this message: "I've got money, I've got rich and powerful friends, we run this country, and there's not a damn thing you can do about it. Romney 2012. 'Fuck the Poor.'" You know that poor whites would still vote for him.

edited 13th Jul '15 7:17:11 AM by Fighteer

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
TheWanderer Student of Story from Somewhere in New England (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: Wishfully thinking
Student of Story
#96490: Jul 13th 2015 at 6:58:06 AM

[up][up][up]Dry up like a raisin in the sun?

edited 13th Jul '15 6:58:39 AM by TheWanderer

| Wandering, but not lost. | If people bring so much courage to this world...◊ |
speedyboris Since: Feb, 2010
#96491: Jul 13th 2015 at 7:39:34 AM

[up][up] Which is more than a little worrisome, considering one of his big platforms has been anti-immigration. I can't pretend to know why Trump has a devoted following but I wouldn't be surprised if a large part of it is straight up racism.

JackOLantern1337 Shameful Display from The Most Miserable Province in the Russian Empir Since: Aug, 2014 Relationship Status: 700 wives and 300 concubines
Shameful Display
#96492: Jul 13th 2015 at 8:10:28 AM

[up] I try to maintain enough belief in humanity to think that most people who support him are doing it solely because he is entertaining in his bigoted buffoonery.

I Bring Doom,and a bit of gloom, but mostly gloom.
Silasw A procrastination in of itself from A handcart to hell (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
A procrastination in of itself
#96493: Jul 13th 2015 at 8:20:43 AM

The latest poll I can see has Trump in 2nd amongst likely Republican primary voters, but that's 10% of them.

10% of the group that vote in republican primaries back him, they represent only a part of the Republican party which represents only a part of the nation as a whole.

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
TheWanderer Student of Story from Somewhere in New England (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: Wishfully thinking
Student of Story
#96494: Jul 13th 2015 at 8:33:39 AM

And it also depends on what the margin of error is in the poll. As I heard the other day on NPR, many of these early polls have a HUGE margin of error, often between 3.5 to 5% or more, meaning any values in them could be off either way, for any of the candidates listed by that much.

In a field of 32 candidates, not only is it all about name recognition at this point, but a swing of + or - 5%, when the percentages are being diced up between so many people, makes the poll essentially meaningless.

| Wandering, but not lost. | If people bring so much courage to this world...◊ |
TheyCallMeTomu Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
#96495: Jul 13th 2015 at 9:41:57 AM

I wouldn't worry about Trump becoming president, or even the nominee. Things are proceeding pretty much how they did last time.

TheHandle United Earth from Stockholm Since: Jan, 2012 Relationship Status: YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA
United Earth
#96496: Jul 13th 2015 at 9:42:57 AM

Imagine Romney launching his campaign with this message: "I've got money, I've got rich and powerful friends, we run this country, and there's not a damn thing you can do about it. Romney 2012. 'Fuck the Poor.'" You know that poor whites would still vote for him.

I believe they would. After all, they aren't poor, they're temporarily embarrassed millionaires.

edited 13th Jul '15 9:43:13 AM by TheHandle

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Know-age Since: May, 2010
#96497: Jul 13th 2015 at 10:48:16 AM

is it too late for me to register as a republican and still have time to vote for trump in a primary?

LeGarcon Blowout soon fellow Stalker from Skadovsk Since: Aug, 2013 Relationship Status: Gay for Big Boss
Blowout soon fellow Stalker
#96498: Jul 13th 2015 at 10:49:24 AM

Nah, go for it. Make Bernie's win easier.

Oh really when?
Keybreak (Long Runner)
#96499: Jul 13th 2015 at 4:46:28 PM

I don't really think you can run for the Republican Party nomination now unless you're already as well-known or more well-known than who's already in the race.

...Chuck Norris is a Republican, isn't he?

edited 13th Jul '15 4:47:06 PM by Keybreak

You gotta believe me when I scare you away, all that I wish for is that you would stay
LeGarcon Blowout soon fellow Stalker from Skadovsk Since: Aug, 2013 Relationship Status: Gay for Big Boss
Blowout soon fellow Stalker
#96500: Jul 13th 2015 at 4:47:41 PM

Yeah, he's actually a real scumbag apparently.

Really bummed me out when I heard about it.

Oh really when?

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