How Did Some Americans Become So Stupid?

Page 3 of 20 [ 318 posts ] Go to page Previous 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 ... 20 Next

Previous topic | Next topic

Cornflake
Administrator

Joined: 30 Oct 2010
Gender: Male
Posts: 70,444
Location: Over there

25 Aug 2023, 11:59 am

TwilightPrincess wrote:

I would find “we” less offensive because it wouldn’t be about a single nationality.

Makes no sense - if "Americans" refers to the people on one continent "we" refers to the people on any/all continents.
Besides, there's still the YouTube titling.

_________________
Giraffe: a ruminant with a view.

Cornflake
Administrator

Joined: 30 Oct 2010
Gender: Male
Posts: 70,444
Location: Over there

25 Aug 2023, 12:00 pm

TwilightPrincess wrote:

Cornflake wrote:

TwilightPrincess wrote:

I have watched the video.

The title is still an attack. Saying that Americans are stupid IS an attack, not a criticism. Saying that there are serious issues with American education, on the other hand, is a criticism.

And if you'd only view the title within the context of the video instead of plucking it out of any context, you'd reach the same conclusion as you gave above.

The title for a thread in PPR and the title for a video aren’t equivalent.

Indeed so - they're one and the same thing.

_________________
Giraffe: a ruminant with a view.

TwilightPrincess
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 28 Sep 2016
Age: 41
Gender: Female
Posts: 32,174
Location: Hell

25 Aug 2023, 12:02 pm

Bashing Americans has become acceptable these days. I don’t think we need more of that here.

I suppose you could add “satire” to the title or something like that, but I don’t think saying that Americans are stupid is appropriate or in keeping with the guidelines.

TwilightPrincess
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 28 Sep 2016
Age: 41
Gender: Female
Posts: 32,174
Location: Hell

25 Aug 2023, 12:02 pm

Cornflake wrote:

TwilightPrincess wrote:

Cornflake wrote:

TwilightPrincess wrote:

And if you'd only view the title within the context of the video instead of plucking it out of any context, you'd reach the same conclusion as you gave above.

The title for a thread in PPR and the title for a video aren’t equivalent.

Indeed so - they're one and the same thing.

YouTube videos don’t have to follow WP guidelines, and they aren’t meant to be a discussion.

Cornflake
Administrator

Joined: 30 Oct 2010
Gender: Male
Posts: 70,444
Location: Over there

25 Aug 2023, 12:04 pm

But it's not bashing Americans - the video delivers a considered and detailed criticism of the American education system and what it produces: uneducated Americans.

_________________
Giraffe: a ruminant with a view.

Cornflake
Administrator

Joined: 30 Oct 2010
Gender: Male
Posts: 70,444
Location: Over there

25 Aug 2023, 12:05 pm

TwilightPrincess wrote:

I suppose you could add “satire” to the title or something like that

It's not satire - it's a criticism.

_________________
Giraffe: a ruminant with a view.

TwilightPrincess
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 28 Sep 2016
Age: 41
Gender: Female
Posts: 32,174
Location: Hell

25 Aug 2023, 12:05 pm

Cornflake wrote:

But it's not bashing Americans - the video delivers a considered and detailed criticism of the American education system and what it produces: uneducated Americans.

Okay, but that’s not what the title says.

The title is an obvious attack against people, not an institution.

Cornflake
Administrator

Joined: 30 Oct 2010
Gender: Male
Posts: 70,444
Location: Over there

25 Aug 2023, 12:07 pm

TwilightPrincess wrote:

YouTube videos don’t have to follow WP guidelines, and they aren’t meant to be a discussion.

They aren't? I didn't know that - especially as they're often posted here and... discussed.

_________________
Giraffe: a ruminant with a view.

MaxE
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 2 Sep 2013
Gender: Male
Posts: 6,082
Location: Mid-Atlantic US

25 Aug 2023, 12:07 pm

TwilightPrincess wrote:

Cornflake wrote:

But it's not bashing Americans - the video delivers a considered and detailed criticism of the American education system and what it produces: uneducated Americans.

Okay, but that’s not what the title says.

The title is an obvious attack against people, not an institution.

I'm American and I don't f*********g care.

_________________
My WP story

TwilightPrincess
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 28 Sep 2016
Age: 41
Gender: Female
Posts: 32,174
Location: Hell

25 Aug 2023, 12:09 pm

Cornflake wrote:

TwilightPrincess wrote:

YouTube videos don’t have to follow WP guidelines, and they aren’t meant to be a discussion.

They aren't? I didn't know that - especially as they're often posted here and... discussed.

Yeah, sure most can be discussed here but WP guidelines/rules still should be followed.

TwilightPrincess
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 28 Sep 2016
Age: 41
Gender: Female
Posts: 32,174
Location: Hell

25 Aug 2023, 12:11 pm

Many people are not going to watch the video and would engage with the title only.

MaxE
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 2 Sep 2013
Gender: Male
Posts: 6,082
Location: Mid-Atlantic US

25 Aug 2023, 12:20 pm

TwilightPrincess wrote:

Many people are not going to watch the video and would engage with the title only.

Well by posting so many comments, you have successfully prevented people from noticing the very clever videos I posted.

_________________
My WP story

naturalplastic
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 26 Aug 2010
Age: 70
Gender: Male
Posts: 35,189
Location: temperate zone

25 Aug 2023, 12:21 pm

Like this better?

https://youtu.be/nDKDBd22lNM

The_Walrus
Forum Moderator

Joined: 27 Jan 2010
Age: 30
Gender: Male
Posts: 8,878
Location: London

25 Aug 2023, 12:24 pm

I can understand the frustration about "America bashing". Yes, my view is that the title is, at face value, an attack on a group. Some of the discussion on the first page doesn't seem to be responding to the funny video, which doesn't actually seem to be especially related to the title of the video.

With a lot of things, we as moderators have to consider both the content and the context. In theory, it's certainly possible - easy, even - to imagine "Americans are stupid" to be an unacceptable attack on a group of people. But when considering the context slightly more broadly - the content of the video, and by extension the OP - it becomes a different matter. The actual point being made isn't "Americans are all idiots". It doesn't even seem to really mention the US education system (other than in the context of Bayer's advert).

Perhaps a better title would be "Neil DeGrasse Tyson mocks mathematical and scientific ignorance".

Cornflake
Administrator

Joined: 30 Oct 2010
Gender: Male
Posts: 70,444
Location: Over there

25 Aug 2023, 12:25 pm

TwilightPrincess wrote:

Cornflake wrote:

TwilightPrincess wrote:

YouTube videos don’t have to follow WP guidelines, and they aren’t meant to be a discussion.

They aren't? I didn't know that - especially as they're often posted here and... discussed.

Yeah, sure most can be discussed here but WP guidelines/rules still should be followed.

Not changing the title of the video itself makes changes to the thread's title utterly pointless. Divorcing the thread's title from the title of the video is a futile gesture, and attempting to strictly apply guidelines to the thread title alone would be quite unnecessarily strict here.

If adults congregate anywhere on WP they congregate in PPR. Changing the title in a slavish implementation of a forum guideline is not something I believe is necessary in this case.

_________________
Giraffe: a ruminant with a view.

TwilightPrincess
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 28 Sep 2016
Age: 41
Gender: Female
Posts: 32,174
Location: Hell

25 Aug 2023, 12:26 pm

^^ I would like that title more.

Page 3 of 20 [ 318 posts ] Go to page Previous 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 ... 20 Next

Jump to:

How Did Some Americans Become So Stupid? Post Reply New Topic

How Did Some Americans Become So Stupid?