Do you ever wonder?

Question

Ok, so i've been around Answers for awhile now and it just amazes me how people come up with some of these questions. I know there's NORMALLY no such thing as a stupid question but DAMMIT it amazes me that some of these people ever survived childhood. I even saw a question from somebody that asked about the cheese on the moon!

I have also noticed that, especially now, a lot of questions are from students who are stuck on some problem or another. Others are just asking intelligent questions to compare theories with other people. Nothing wrong with that; in fact it's the best way to learn things and think up new ideas. But some of these doofuses are asking some of the silliest questions I ever heard. How did they ever graduate? Are they related to Dubya? Do they REALLY not know that stars are really, really hot? Do they REALLY not understand that petroleum comes from the ground and we have to drill holes to get it? Do they actually believe that the moon is made of cheese?

I hate to be critical of others but it just amazes me sometimes how people can go through our educational system and still not have basic knowledge of how things work. Is our system really that bad? When I was in school we could at least find the state we lived in on a map. Check the statistics on THAT one!

And another thing, there was a question just a few minutes ago in astronomy and space. I think it was supposed to be English but it was some dialect I didn't understand. What has happened to our language? Is it so difficult to speak so others can understand you?

I am enraged at the state of our youth. They don't speak properly, they seem to have a dislike for education and knowledge, and there are no signs of it getting any better.

Answer 1

Hey, there's a lot of very young people here, and none of us were born knowing that stars are hot or that we have to drill to get oil. And there is a large foreign population here to whom English is a second language.

BUT!!!!! The number of moon hoax posts here really amazes me! Now how the hell can a kid get through high school and have doubt about the greatest technological feat ever accomplished? WTF is going on in schools? It can't be the kid's fault if they had teachers who themselves had doubts about it.

Answer 2

Er, I don't think all the questions are entirely serious. I don't think some folk think before they type.

I'm reasonably certain that a lot of askers are no more than 10 or 12 years old. At least they are asking. Think of the hundreds of thousands who are not. Frightening, really.

For some people, English is a second language and not all the people on the site are in the USA or even Canada. I'm not, though English is my first language.

And I'm reasonably sure that if the primary/elementary "educators" spent a few hours looking through the questions they would get a nasty surprise. Not just the content of the questions and answers. Perhaps even worse is the dreadful grammar. "Does there an atmosphere on Mars?". "Is the Mercedes-Benz has a diesel engine?"

Answer 3

There's one on here now about "who was fistt woman to walk on Moon". I couldn't even think of smart a s s answer to such a stupid question. I'm amazed at how these people spell and use all those obnoxious abbreviations they learned while text messaging like ppl for the word people. Then they turn around and use it in a question. I like most people wish I'd done better in school but compared to some of these people I'm like and Einstein. In the aircraft forum every other question is from some kid wanting to know how to become a pilot and how much money are they going to make. Men's health is all about kids wondering if their little wa-hoo is big enough. I've just about had it with this forum

Answer 4

I think a lot of these people sit up at night thinking of really stupid questions to post, to get under our skin. They are socially stupid, but may know more than they let on.

Some of the garbled, gibberish questions fall into the same category.

But there really are adults who don't know why the sky is blue or whether they can get pregnant when they are having their period. Things they should have learned by the sixth grade.

And I do believe education has fallen into a pit, compared with what it was like 50 years ago. I think this is a function of conservative politics, in a land in which conservative politicians work for greedy rich people who want to own and control the world. They believe that a stupid population is easier to control by fear and meaningless pseudo-reasoning.

And it seems to work. Just look at the goof-bunnies that voted for GWB. TWICE!!!! That takes some big-time foolishness.

I think it's easy to "dumb-down" education because people are greedy and short-sighted at heart. They want something that feels good, and they want it RIGHT NOW. That makes it easy for the Reagan era politicians to sap the strength of education.

Just look at the decline in the quality of popular thought from the 1950s to the 1990s.

Having said all that, what really bothers me is not stupid questions, but STUPID ANSWERS!!!

Read through the "science and mathematics" sections any evening and see all the people who have posted incorrect and in many cases completely MINDLESS answers to people's serious questions, without seeming to understand that there are right and wrong answers and that they should not post answers unless they know what they are writing about.

It's the full flower of Reaganomics. We can only cure it by voting intelligently in all future elections, which please do!

Answer 5

Interesting question - I think you are articulating the frustrations of many who are lucky enough to have obtained a good education. But consider:

1. I really think most of these members are kids.
2. Many of them may be third world kids who are lucky enough to find their way here on a computer that someone bought for them. This is a good thing.
3. The ones that are not serious or are derisive are not worth answering.
4. The level of grammar is generally directly proportional to the level of the technical background behind the question being asked.

The bottom line is, this may be one of the best ways to help these kids. Kids learn by example. This is one way we can make a difference. Remember that more people read the answers than just the asker.

Answer 6

hiya, Hippie!... you and I are the same age, out of the same time frame.... we were taught, at the expense of our backsides... we learned all kinds of things, not just what would get us to pass the state 'tests'....

I come here to try to help those who are really looking for help on the things that I do know a little extra about... but I read other places here, just to be amazed at the questions that are being asked and how they are being asked, to sorta get an idea of the state of the future that 's coming.... and I'm scared, pal..... these are those who will be in power and taking care of us when the really old age hits!!!.... and they don't know an improbability from an outright hoax... even at TWENTY or so!!... I don't blame all the 'odd' questions on the twelve year olds, either!!...and the language IS being 'text-ed' to death.... shorthand was never like this, was it?....

I know there are younger folks, too, that paid attention, looked up stuff on their own and actually have the common sense we were given at birth, working..... but what happened to the rest?.... if what's on these forums is a statement of the state of the nation, we're in deep doo-doo, folks............

Answer 7

It takes all types to make the world - you gotta accept it and live with it. Have your moments of mirth when you see "doofuses" and remember that they were made for your entertainment.
Y! A gives everyone a place to 'ask what no man and you never dared to ask" !!

Answer 8

The expression is "It takes all sorts...". It doesn't say "Unfortunately there are all sorts...".

You deal with it because that's who humanity is made up of. And do as I did; don't have a stroke trying to make the world a smarter place through Yahoo Answers. Just have a good laugh sometimes.

Answer 9

Good point
"infinitus est numerus stultorum" - "infinite is the number of fools" :)
Question is, do we need idiots for society to function?
Hmm maybe it's essential :)

Answer 10

so, what is the question? yes, i completely agre with you- and it drives me crazy!!!!