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Post by Spongemom Scrappants on Oct 3, 2021 17:33:25 GMT
I was volunteering at the hospice thrift store last week when someone asked if a framed print was "two feet by three feet." Another volunteer asked if I had a tape measure. I said no, but the craft department had yardsticks. To which she replied, "Oh no thanks. I don't want to measure it in yards. I want to measure it in feet."
And then today I was browsing online to buy a new postal scale for shipping. This was a review on one I looked at: "ONLY improvement I could see they could add to this device would be an added option to display weight in lbs and fractional lbs, like 4.25 or 4 1/4 lbs. But instead, in the "Lbs" readings setting, it DOES list the weight in lbs... But the pound fractional portion of weight is measured in OUNCES so the user needs to know that 1 pound IS 16 ounces, 1/4 lb is 4 ounces, and be able to mentally figure or have calculator or spreadsheet to tell him how many ounces to look for in the weight reading if their item desired measured weight is specified by the product manufacturer as something like 3 7/8 lb., which would work out to 3 lbs. & 14 ounces."
Are people just really this dumb now?
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Post by ShesaRenegade on Oct 3, 2021 17:40:40 GMT
Yes, yes they are.  |
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Post by playingcinderella on Oct 3, 2021 17:44:07 GMT
I am on year 14 in the classroom and I spend more time than ever teaching students to read a ruler/tape measure in my class. These are high school students who need to be able to measure in feet and inches and do basic addition.
Are people getting dumber? I don't know but I an concerned about out reliance on technology, education system and overall basic skills.
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Post by Delta Dawn on Oct 3, 2021 17:47:00 GMT
Omg very.
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sueg
Prolific Pea
Posts: 8,047
Location: Munich
Member is Online
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Post by sueg on Oct 3, 2021 17:50:23 GMT
Um, I have worked in metric measurements since I was about 10 - and that's a long time ago - and even I could convert ounces to fractions of a pound. I do agree with playingcinderella - I think many people have become too reliant on technology always being there and no longer think, or want to think, for themselves. |
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RedSquirrelUK
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,737 
Location: The UK's beautiful West Country
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Post by RedSquirrelUK on Oct 3, 2021 17:56:44 GMT
I think they are too. And as people increase in idiocy, I have to increase in kindness and patience. 5 years ago I would have explained exactly what a yardstick was, and not necessarily in a tolerant way. Now I'm so used to explaining why a bruised finger is not life-threatening, or how earwax will not kill you before tomorrow morning, that I would just let Ms Yardstick carry on her uneducated way.
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quiltz
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,707
Location: CANADA
Jun 29, 2014 16:13:28 GMT
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Post by quiltz on Oct 3, 2021 18:03:51 GMT
Yes, people are getting dumber and relying on the technology to do simple math, stuff that we (I am over 50) learned to do in our head. Having a cashier give back change can be a painful experience, especially if the item is (eg.) $16.25 and you give them $21.25, wanting a $5 bill back. They simply cannot do it. So frustrating.
OR Directions -- using their tech rather than look at a simple map, and going from there. Maybe the map thing is something that I am really good at, since I have a very good sense of direction, even when travelling to places that are new to me. I like paper maps as they give me a better over-view of the area. I like N, W, E, S directions.
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tincin
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,368
Jul 25, 2014 4:55:32 GMT
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Post by tincin on Oct 3, 2021 18:06:14 GMT
I think people are losing every day skills. Such as measurements, cents in a dollar, how to sew on a button, basic cooking, etc. I’m not sure why but when my kids were in school they were amazed at how few of their friends could do these things. That was 20 years ago and I don’t think it’s gotten better.
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Loydene
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,639
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico
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Post by Loydene on Oct 3, 2021 18:06:25 GMT
Yes -- but they have always been there. They just feel empowered to speak now ... secure in their idiocy.
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Post by Zee on Oct 3, 2021 18:06:31 GMT
I think they are too. And as people increase in idiocy, I have to increase in kindness and patience. 5 years ago I would have explained exactly what a yardstick was, and not necessarily in a tolerant way. Now I'm so used to explaining why a bruised finger is not life-threatening, or how earwax will not kill you before tomorrow morning, that I would just let Ms Yardstick carry on her uneducated way. I would explain it in a nice way. I do this (explain things that may be obvious to me, but not to everyone) every day for a variety of things so it wouldn't be a hardship for me to tell someone that yard sticks also have feet and inches on them. I haven't personally seen one in a long time so maybe they just don't realize. And as for the ounces, I kind of get the complaint. If you have to do math to figure out what 5 ounces is in pounds, it's a pain in the ass and leaves room for error. We should all just switch to the metric system. But yes, people are horribly stupid sometimes. I don't think they're dumbER, we're just evolving different skill sets and losing ones not used as often--that's human evolution. |
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Post by Zee on Oct 3, 2021 18:07:02 GMT
Yes, people are getting dumber and relying on the technology to do simple math, stuff that we (I am over 50) learned to do in our head. Having a cashier give back change can be a painful experience, especially if the item is (eg.) $16.26 and you give them $21.25, wanting a $5 bill back. They simply cannot do it. So frustrating. OR Directions -- using their tech rather than look at a simple map, and going from there. Maybe the map thing is something that I am really good at, since I have a very good sense of direction, even when travelling to places that are new to me. I like paper maps as they give me a better over-view of the area. I like N, W, E, S directions. I hope that was a typo 😂 |
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Post by crazy4scraps on Oct 3, 2021 18:10:37 GMT
People have been getting dumber for decades. I remember being frustrated by that fact when I was in grade school, annoyed by it when I was in my 20’s and now that I’m in my 50’s I honestly don’t know how some people are surviving basic day to day life.
IMO it’s not the easy access to information that’s causing it because they don’t seem to even have the most basic research skills needed to quickly or easily find the information that is readily available if they only knew how to search. Apparently Google isn’t your friend if you are too dumb to use it.
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Post by scrapmaven on Oct 3, 2021 18:14:27 GMT
I think that the internet has made us lazier as a society. We don't have to measure. Now we can just google things. It annoys the poopy out of me that young people can't count change. Yes, the cash register tells you to give me $5.62, but you should be able to count out the change just in case the cash register breaks or the computer makes a mistake. If I hand you a $10 bill then you count from $5.62 while handing back my change, 63, 64, 65, 75, $7, $8, $9, $10. How complicated is that?
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Post by crazy4scraps on Oct 3, 2021 18:19:02 GMT
I think that the internet has made us lazier as a society. We don't have to measure. Now we can just google things. It annoys the poopy out of me that young people can't count change. Yes, the cash register tells you to give me $5.62, but you should be able to count out the change just in case the cash register breaks or the computer makes a mistake. If I hand you a $10 bill then you count from $5.62 while handing back my change, 63, 64, 65, 75, $7, $8, $9, $10. How complicated is that? Agreed, but they do still teach kids this stuff in school. My kid was taught how to “count up” in second or third grade (public school). Maybe all schools aren’t created equal. |
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Post by Restless Spirit on Oct 3, 2021 18:20:16 GMT
Dumber? Maybe. And I am one of them. I have a kitchen and bathroom scale that uses 10ths of pounds and not ounces. So if I weigh something to repackage it (like ground beef) the scale will say 1.3 lbs I know .5, but I never can remember the other 10ths to convert them to ounces. Doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things. My DH can rattle that stuff off, so if he’s around I just ask him. The scale does have grams, so I use grams for baking because it’s more accurate. My bathroom scale will say I weigh xxx.7 lbs so I just round up. So I’m going with dumb or maybe too lazy to learn or remember. Ha.
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Post by voltagain on Oct 3, 2021 18:20:28 GMT
I was volunteering at the hospice thrift store last week when someone asked if a framed print was "two feet by three feet." Another volunteer asked if I had a tape measure. I said no, but the craft department had yardsticks. To which she replied, "Oh no thanks. I don't want to measure it in yards. I want to measure it in feet." And then today I was browsing online to buy a new postal scale for shipping. This was a review on one I looked at: "ONLY improvement I could see they could add to this device would be an added option to display weight in lbs and fractional lbs, like 4.25 or 4 1/4 lbs. But instead, in the "Lbs" readings setting, it DOES list the weight in lbs... But the pound fractional portion of weight is measured in OUNCES so the user needs to know that 1 pound IS 16 ounces, 1/4 lb is 4 ounces, and be able to mentally figure or have calculator or spreadsheet to tell him how many ounces to look for in the weight reading if their item desired measured weight is specified by the product manufacturer as something like 3 7/8 lb., which would work out to 3 lbs. & 14 ounces." Are people just really this dumb now? I tend to think dumb but in all reflection it may simply be untaught or taught in a theoretical way that they don't know the "old technology" exists like a yard stick. I was taught how to make change in school. But it was not using money (not even fake coins) It was my grandparents and parents that bridged the gap in paper excises from school and using actual bills/coins. How many kids have grown up in a house without a yard stick so they don't know it also shows feet and inches? They grew up with a tape measure that is easier to store and most of the time easier to actually use. The yard stick is an old technology that is falling out of use. Same with a slide rule. |
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Post by Zee on Oct 3, 2021 18:20:58 GMT
Math is hard for some people, so are directions. Like I can spell anything but don't ask me to do more than the most simple math in my head. I'm creative, I can paint and draw well, I'm a good writer (I've been told), etc. but I can't navigate my way out of a wet paper bag and forget fractions or story problems or formulas.
We all have our strengths. Mine are not algebra or directions. I try to have a little grace with people who don't know the things I find obvious.
Also, just try needing to do something new on your phone or computer and get back to me on how "dumb" kids nowadays are.
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Post by Spongemom Scrappants on Oct 3, 2021 18:21:49 GMT
Ha, I really just typed this thread out as a mini-rant. But it would appear I'm not alone in my frustration. Is technology truly bearing most of the blame for this?
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Post by Spongemom Scrappants on Oct 3, 2021 18:24:50 GMT
I tend to think dumb but in all reflection it may simply be untaught or taught in a theoretical way that they don't know the "old technology" exists like a yard stick. I was taught how to make change in school. But it was not using money (not even fake coins) It was my grandparents and parents that bridged the gap in paper excises from school and using actual bills/coins. How many kids have grown up in a house without a yard stick so they don't know it also shows feet and inches? They grew up with a tape measure that is easier to store and most of the time easier to actually use. The yard stick is an old technology that is falling out of use. Same with a slide rule. The woman who made the statement about the yardstick is in her sixties. |
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Post by voltagain on Oct 3, 2021 18:30:11 GMT
I tend to think dumb but in all reflection it may simply be untaught or taught in a theoretical way that they don't know the "old technology" exists like a yard stick. I was taught how to make change in school. But it was not using money (not even fake coins) It was my grandparents and parents that bridged the gap in paper excises from school and using actual bills/coins. How many kids have grown up in a house without a yard stick so they don't know it also shows feet and inches? They grew up with a tape measure that is easier to store and most of the time easier to actually use. The yard stick is an old technology that is falling out of use. Same with a slide rule. The woman who made the statement about the yardstick is in her sixties. I am surprised then that she didn't know a yard stick also show feet and partial inches. |
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seaexplore
Prolific Pea
Posts: 8,423
Apr 25, 2015 23:57:30 GMT
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Post by seaexplore on Oct 3, 2021 18:30:13 GMT
As a 23 year veteran math/science teacher.....
Yes. Society is getting dumber. I blame technology and education in general. Math has been dumbed down, expectations have been lowered, I used to give 20 problems a night for homework practice and now I give 10 (of the same caliber) IN CLASS. When I first started teaching, the kids busted ass and got it done. Now, kids can't be bothered to do it in class when they will just pull up an app, snap a picture, copy it down, turn it in. That is if they even bother to attempt it and I'm expected to give passing grades when students earn less than 60%.
It's horrible.
Watch the movie "Idiocracy"- it's no longer fiction, it's a documentary.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Oct 3, 2021 18:37:17 GMT
Math is hard for some people, so are directions. Like I can spell anything but don't ask me to do more than the most simple math in my head. I'm creative, I can paint and draw well, I'm a good writer (I've been told), etc. but I can't navigate my way out of a wet paper bag and forget fractions or story problems or formulas. We all have our strengths. Mine are not algebra or directions. I try to have a little grace with people who don't know the things I find obvious. Also, just try needing to do something new on your phone or computer and get back to me on how "dumb" kids nowadays are. I understand that different people have different strengths. But I think in general a good number of people seem to not even know *how* to look for whatever information they lack. Couple that with a good dash of laziness and here we are. It’s so much easier for someone to go on a message board and say, “Hey, what’s the answer?” than it is for them to actually look it up on Google or YouTube and figure it out for themself. |
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Post by crazy4scraps on Oct 3, 2021 18:41:02 GMT
I tend to think dumb but in all reflection it may simply be untaught or taught in a theoretical way that they don't know the "old technology" exists like a yard stick. I was taught how to make change in school. But it was not using money (not even fake coins) It was my grandparents and parents that bridged the gap in paper excises from school and using actual bills/coins. How many kids have grown up in a house without a yard stick so they don't know it also shows feet and inches? They grew up with a tape measure that is easier to store and most of the time easier to actually use. The yard stick is an old technology that is falling out of use. Same with a slide rule. The woman who made the statement about the yardstick is in her sixties. I used to teach stamping and scrapbooking classes back in the day, and in almost every class there was some full grown adult person who didn’t know what line represented 1/8”, 1/4” or 3/4” on a standard ruler. Most people could figure out what 1/2” was, but that was about it. Anything more specific than that and they’d be deep in the woods.  |
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Post by voltagain on Oct 3, 2021 18:41:03 GMT
Yes, people are getting dumber and relying on the technology to do simple math, stuff that we (I am over 50) learned to do in our head. Having a cashier give back change can be a painful experience, especially if the item is (eg.) $ 16.25 and you give them $21.25, wanting a $5 bill back. They simply cannot do it. So frustrating. OR Directions -- using their tech rather than look at a simple map, and going from there. Maybe the map thing is something that I am really good at, since I have a very good sense of direction, even when travelling to places that are new to me. I like paper maps as they give me a better over-view of the area. I like N, W, E, S directions. Head math and directions given as compass points are both beyond me. I face north always. If I turn around north moves too. I can read a paper map for a route but I can't follow the map to get to where I want to go. Both of my parents know what direction they are facing all the time. They have tried and tried to teach me both skills. But it is as if that part of my brain doesn't retain information at all. |
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 16, 2024 5:24:04 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2021 18:42:50 GMT
I used to think the same, but lately I’ve been playing Elevate and they have a game where you need to match fractions with percentages or pie charts and I’m a lot slower now. I can only imagine what I’ll be like in 10 years so please be patient with some of these people.  Regarding the scale, I wonder if that person was hoping to also use it for purposes other than postage where weights like 2 1/3 pounds vs. 2 lbs 5.33 ounces is easier to read? |
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Post by Eddie-n-Harley on Oct 3, 2021 18:44:51 GMT
Math is hard for some people, so are directions. Like I can spell anything but don't ask me to do more than the most simple math in my head. I'm creative, I can paint and draw well, I'm a good writer (I've been told), etc. but I can't navigate my way out of a wet paper bag and forget fractions or story problems or formulas. We all have our strengths. Mine are not algebra or directions. I try to have a little grace with people who don't know the things I find obvious. Also, just try needing to do something new on your phone or computer and get back to me on how "dumb" kids nowadays are. The language arts aren't faring a whole lot better. If you only occasionally use it's when you mean its, I'm willing to accept that you've made a typo. But if you always use it's, no matter the context, well, I have to assume you actually do not know the difference. I'm also seeing an increase in "your welcome" and it makes me want to throw my phone. |
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Post by claudia123 on Oct 3, 2021 18:58:37 GMT
I disagree with the majority here, I don't think people are getting dumber, young people just often have a different skill set as the world is rapidly changing and what people need to know is changing with it. Learning how to do fractions in your head is less useful these days than learning how to code, or how to effectively search the internet for information, or even how to use basic programs such as word or excel which many older people struggle with.
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J u l e e
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,531
Location: Cincinnati
Jun 28, 2014 2:50:47 GMT
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Post by J u l e e on Oct 3, 2021 19:10:20 GMT
Math is hard for some people, so are directions. Like I can spell anything but don't ask me to do more than the most simple math in my head. I'm creative, I can paint and draw well, I'm a good writer (I've been told), etc. but I can't navigate my way out of a wet paper bag and forget fractions or story problems or formulas. We all have our strengths. Mine are not algebra or directions. I try to have a little grace with people who don't know the things I find obvious. Also, just try needing to do something new on your phone or computer and get back to me on how "dumb" kids nowadays are. The language arts aren't faring a whole lot better. If you only occasionally use it's when you mean its, I'm willing to accept that you've made a typo. But if you always use it's, no matter the context, well, I have to assume you actually do not know the difference. I'm also seeing an increase in "your welcome" and it makes me want to throw my phone. When I see consistent use of your instead of you’re (especially here where we talk about this at least twice a year) I think that person is just one of those people who cannot recognize the difference and all the explanations in the world won’t stick. Then I think, they’re probably also one of those people who will kick my ass at math done in my head. |
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peabay
Prolific Pea
Posts: 9,613
Jun 25, 2014 19:50:41 GMT
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Post by peabay on Oct 3, 2021 19:10:59 GMT
You can't blame technology for some people's inability to make change - I have a Ph.D. and am generally considered an educated and worldly person - and I can't make change to save my life. My brain just doesn't compute numbers quickly. I wish it did; I work on it all the time - but it doesn't.
Now, if we're talking about the younger generation and communication skills? And that technology has ruined that? I'm on board.
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Post by Zee on Oct 3, 2021 19:11:32 GMT
Yes, people are getting dumber and relying on the technology to do simple math, stuff that we (I am over 50) learned to do in our head. Having a cashier give back change can be a painful experience, especially if the item is (eg.) $ 16.25 and you give them $21.25, wanting a $5 bill back. They simply cannot do it. So frustrating. OR Directions -- using their tech rather than look at a simple map, and going from there. Maybe the map thing is something that I am really good at, since I have a very good sense of direction, even when travelling to places that are new to me. I like paper maps as they give me a better over-view of the area. I like N, W, E, S directions. Head math and directions given as compass points are both beyond me. I face north always. If I turn around north moves too. I can read a paper map for a route but I can't follow the map to get to where I want to go. Both of my parents know what direction they are facing all the time. They have tried and tried to teach me both skills. But it is as if that part of my brain doesn't retain information at all. Lol at always facing north! I get it! I never know what direction I'm going unless the sun is setting (that's west, of course) or if my car tells me. I find a compass confusing, although I can read a map. I used to know by where I was in relation to the river, in the area I grew up, but not anymore. Any time I go someplace new it's an adventure! Oddly, I can remember pretty much any McDonald's I've ever been to. They're like the only landmark I can navigate by. |
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