From what everyone outside of America sees from the news, we get the impression that you guy's aren't too bright. It's a stereotype that a surprising amount of people hold, and I was just wondering how much truth is in it. I know a lot of Americans via the internet and they all seem to go against this stereotype.

What I want to know is whether most Americans ARE stupid, or whether it's just those not smart enough to find there way onto the internet that give the rest of you a bad name.

I'm completely unbiased on this, I could go either way.

EDIT: Ok, for the sake of argument I mean how stupid they seem, not IQ (which your sort-of born with).

Ooooh yes we have the stupids but maybe only a bit more than other countries (I blame rap/ Hip-hop culture for half of this)

Edit: O wow my first every weee I was the first to post :)

American's aren't more STUPID, I think it's that we're just less educated. And for the sake of argument, if poor education equates to stupidity, then yes, we Americans are probably more stupid when compared to other parts of the western world with superior educational institutions. In American schools it's not uncommon for immigrant students to be studying concepts that they learned 2 or even 3 years ago in their home country.

They're people like everyoe else; They sure have some morons, but there are a lot of good people there too (Al Gore for example)

Americans cannot be as stupid as this question. I hope the thread gets clunked with a big fat lock since it's deeply insulting.

/S, swede

LOOY:
From what everyone outside of America sees from the news, we get the impression that you guy's aren't too bright. It's a stereotype that a surprising amount of people hold, and I was just wondering how much truth is in it. I know a lot of Americans via the internet and they all seem to go against this stereotype.

What I want to know is whether most Americans ARE stupid, or whether it's just those not smart enough to find there way onto the internet that give the rest of you a bad name.

I'm completely unbiased on this, I could go either way.

Most people are stupid, regardless of nationality. It's just that Americans tend to have more access to technology that lets them broadcast how stupid they are.

The only consolation I can offer is that America still has the greatest universities and research institutions out there. As long as you're hiding away in one of these sanctuaries of intellectualism, you'll be fairly well off.

I am pretty sure that the rest of the world sees as as retards is because...

A. Third biggest population, so the amount of said retards is greater then most countries. What the percentage is, I dont know, compared to other developed nations.
B. We have the biggest media influence, so our media properties overshallow what Americans really are. Our retards have a bigger voice then our geniuses.

Mistah Kurtz:
American's aren't more STUPID, I think it's that we're just less educated. And for the sake of argument, if poor education equates to stupidity, then yes, we Americans are probably more stupid when compared to other parts of the western world with superior educational institutions. In American schools it's not uncommon for immigrant students to be studying concepts that they learned 2 or even 3 years ago in their home country.

When I was 15, I was talking to this 18 year old American and he said what he was studying at school and I was like oh? I did that last year.
And from talking to Americans on FFXI it seems that SOME of you are ridiculously ignorant when it comes to history. But this is hardly a representation of the whole of a America. Just what I've observed, which isn't much really.

It's a stereotype. Like Peter Griffin.

From what I've seen, stereotypes are usually be the majority, but it depends how you define it. 20% can be the majority if no other group has more than 20%. It doesn't even have to be; the stereotype can also usually just be a few who represent.

Where I've been (California, Michigan, Ohio), people are really nice. Not dumb at all. Most are willing to engage in discussion, and most will think. Of course, this may be skewed since most of what I've got are university settings. (In fact, I'm in college in Ohio right now)

Also, you can't find stupids on the Internet?! What the deuce, man. Have you never been to Youtube?

everyone's stupid.

Figure that goes for americans too.

Gamer137:
I am pretty sure that the rest of the world sees as as retards is because...

A. Third biggest population, so the amount of said retards is greater then most countries. What the percentage is, I dont know, compared to other developed nations.
B. We have the biggest media influence, so our media properties overshallow what Americans really are. Our retards have a bigger voice then our geniuses.

That's the kind of answer I'm leaning towards.

Also, yeah. consider that America has some of the best universities and colleges in the world. MIT, Duke, Penn, Stanford, Michigan.

I think it is the sheer numbers of us that make it seem like we're ignorant. We've got a large population of students, and a country not willing to take its tax money off the "lol terrorism" fund. What you're left with is an underfunded education system while many families own an internet connection, thus allowing a select few of our loudest to broadcast themselves globally. Also, the association between American and stupid has become so widely accepted over the years, it perpetuates itself without any real input, sort of like the stereotype of blacks being lazy and comical that was so rampant a few decades ago.

PROTIP: Most things you hear about other cultures are generally false. Especially when you hear it from a third party.

GCM:
Also, you can't find stupids on the Internet?! What the deuce, man. Have you never been to Youtube?

Well yeah, but anyone can get on Youtube, I meant people smart enough to actually discuss things.

Everywhere's got idiots. America just has more ways to show it.

The stupid people are the ones most capable of making it into the international news, eldritch put it perfectly.

Not all of us are stupid, but you wouldn't know it if you worked in retail... Anyway, our media does make us seem like uptight snooty stupid d*ckholes, but that's only some (or alot) of us. I'm sure it doesn't help our cause that we had George Bush as our president TWICE... Gluttins (spelling?) for punishment we are, being tricked by our government like an ex that we keep running back to, always wanting to believe what they say because they are supposed to provide security, but then they f*ck us in the a** when we have our backs turned. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that our next president can speak well. I'm not saying the stupid stereotype came exclusively from the last 8 years, but he is the one you all see most often, besides maybe Bill O'Reilly *cringe*

I once saw a video on Youtube (which ironically happened to be titled 'Stupid Americans') which did in fact proove that when it comes to stupidity, America does it best.

Some Americans I've met have turned out to be very well educated and insightful, but a satanically large number of the population let them down on one or both of those qualities (but then again, every country has its best and worst).

i spend the summer on staten island and those eteryotypes are very wrong

Yes the vast majority of americans are stupid......extremely stupid....and fat....
I am american and not stupid....im a minority....

I thought of a number of ways to address this post.

But I'll just ask: why, oh why did we need another anti- U.S. thread? When does it end? Even Americans can only put up with it for so long...

I figure it's a numbers game when you think about it this way:

1. The percentage of upper-class Americans can breeze through school on their money, therefore not needing an education with the prospect of living off their parents' money.

2. The percentage of lower-class Americans who live in bad neighborhoods, often with teachers who don't care, school violence, and crime.

3. Miss Teen South Carolina.

And of course, not everyone in middle-class America winds up as geniuses, but I think they fare the best. But hey, I also figure since the majority of the U.S. has at least one computer in the home and access to the Internet, it's easier for for idiots to find some social outlet these days, MMOs to say the least.

But hey, I can't say anything. I'm Asian and bad at math. :P

nah, Americans aren't stupid just ignorant, some don't relise theres a world outside of their country

All of this arguing is giving me headick.

The people of America are as proportionally stupid as any other population.

However other countries seem intent on pointing at the American equivalent of a "Chav" and saying, "look how dumb Americans are." Where as Americans don't even give a shit about a chav, what the word means, or who the hell uses it.

Our school system teaches us that we're the best country in the world, so by default we have no regards or concerns about how dumb or smart we are comparitively to other nationalities. Basically, other than the French, Americans don't really poke fun at nationality differences nor do we care about them.

To sum it up, we're too arrogant to give a damn about who's smarter and other people are probably so insecure that they have to take pot shots at Americans.

Every country has dumbasses. It's just easier for Americans to get on TV.

Portkins:
All of this arguing is giving me headick.

I'm not going to touch that one.

I'm incredibly disfunctional, but got a 1500 on the SAT, and am attending Georgia Tech towards a Mechanical Engineering degree. Thus, it's very easy for me to judge the general public as being, well, dumb. All the same, I tend to find that local redneck populations make up in native intellect what they lack in sophistication. Thus, your typical suburbanite who makes fun of hillbillies? They're overcompensating

Ahem, back on topic, are Americans dumb? Hell yes. Are they dumber than other countries, on average? Probably not greatly. Oh, and it's fashionable today to avoid knowledge to your last breath. That probably doesn't help.

The Iron Ninja:
Every country has dumbasses. It's just easier for Americans to get on TV.

And it doesn't help that Los Angeles is a magnet for all of America's dellusional egotistical asshats which tends to be what gets filtered out to other countries. But come on, I never thought that Britain was just a giant Benny Hill episode.

BallPtPenTheif:

The Iron Ninja:
Every country has dumbasses. It's just easier for Americans to get on TV.

And it doesn't help that Los Angeles is a magnet for all of America's dellusional egotistical asshats which tends to be what gets filtered out to other countries. But come on, I never thought that Britain was just a giant Benny Hill episode.

I've read (in more than one book) that about one third of all Americans have been on TV at some point. It's probably even higher now that we have youtube and all that. (that is if you count things like that as television, the point is they are broadcasting themselves out to us fellows, and we think "what will those dumbass Americans do next?")

The truth is that as with all countries the majority are actually intelligent as individuals but together they're one giant band of sh*t-for-brains morons. The difference between America and other countries being that our president is one of those morons because of the "lesser of two evils" elections we've been having since the only decent candidate we've had to choose from for several long decades was Clinton, and even he spent most of his time in office banging interns.

Well where are you from? Im sure here are some uneducated stereotypes about you, but that certainly doesnt make it true. There are idiots everywhere in the world, and though there are ALOT of stupid annoying people here, PLEAAAAASE dont think we are all that way. It definitely sucks to have the whole world assume your stupid because of where you were born, ya know?

Bored Tomatoe:
Yes the vast majority of americans are stupid......extremely stupid....and fat....
I am american and not stupid....im a minority....

Somebody needs his elipses license revoked.

John Galt:

PROTIP: Most things you hear about other cultures are generally false. Especially when you hear it from a third party.

You are a gentleman and a scholar.

To the OP: The USA is not a country of morons. It would be unfair to judge any country based on the subset of the populace that spends most of their time on the internet, commenting on things.