# Society for stupid people. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 4, 2004, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/society-for-stupid-people/238212 "2004-04-04T18:47:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Tinkertoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f19dbf/32.png) [@Tinkertoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tinkertoy)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2004, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/society-for-stupid-people/238212/21 "2004-04-04T22:09:29Z")
Clothes with designer labels made in third world sweatshops. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Gretchen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Miss\_Gretchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Gretchen)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2004, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/society-for-stupid-people/238212/22 "2004-04-04T22:31:38Z")
“rent to own” for things like furniture or electronics. Payday loans - a never ending cycle of being in debt once started. Pre-shredded cheese in a bag. ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/society-for-stupid-people/238212/23 "2004-04-05T00:21:25Z")
> [@Evil Captor](#): > > Email spam. I mean, how fucking stupid do you have to be to respond to one of those things? > > And speaking of which, the stalwart, um, “entrepreneurs” of Nigeria. [Sometimes even the fools get justice.](http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/Northeast/03/31/odd.scammer.reut/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/society-for-stupid-people/238212/24 "2004-04-05T00:40:30Z")
[QUOTE=Miss Gretchen Pre-shredded cheese in a bag.[/QUOTE] My knuckles say PHOOOOOEEEEY on you!!! Seriously though, what do you have against pre-shredded cheese?/ ---
**Author:** ![633squadron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/ee59a6/32.png) [@633squadron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/633squadron)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/society-for-stupid-people/238212/25 "2004-04-05T00:49:37Z")
> [@Lobsang](#): > > Society seems designed to take advantage of stupidity, and it pisses me off. Invasive advertising is just one example. Feel free to pit things that seem to exist solely because there are people stupid enough to make them viable. Telemarketers calling me at _work_ for the love of Pete! Course, does give me the chance to respond with my most chilling rendition of “Excuse me, but unauthorized phone calls to this line are punishable under Federal law. Would you please hold on while I conference in the FBI?” 😛 ---
**Author:** ![angelicate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@angelicate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/angelicate)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/society-for-stupid-people/238212/26 "2004-04-05T01:15:11Z")
I like the shredded cheese in a bag, because I am usually just using a small amount for salad or tacos or wraps or something. I don’t want to have to pull out the cheese grater each time and grate a small amount of cheese, and I guess I could buy a block and shred it right away and put it in a container in the fridge, but I never think about it. Maybe I should start doing that, based on the things I’m about to list that irritate me when I see them at the store. I do think that the bagged cubes of cheese are kind of dumb, and the “cracker slices” are just silly. That only takes a few moments to do, but it makes the cheese cost quite a bit more. I feel the same about peeled and cubed “ready to cook” potatoes. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/society-for-stupid-people/238212/27 "2004-04-05T01:36:41Z")
> [@captaindoesnotlikeyou](#): > > Yes, County, all Bush campaign ads. Perfect example. I haven’t seen any of the ads as I don’t live in the US. but I’d be surprised if county is wrong. Bush being such a fuck-up I can imagine him taking advantage of the stupid of America to win votes. ---
**Author:** ![Steel\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@Steel\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steel_Rat)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/society-for-stupid-people/238212/28 "2004-04-05T01:57:14Z")
I would broaden that brush to any political ad, in the US at least. They’re either, “I’m perfect, vote for me.” or, “The other guy is the root of all evil, vote for me.” ---
**Author:** ![Kneepants\_Erasmus\_the\_Humanist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/54ee81/32.png) [@Kneepants\_Erasmus\_the\_Humanist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kneepants_Erasmus_the_Humanist)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/society-for-stupid-people/238212/29 "2004-04-05T02:11:50Z")
Oh, **Lobsang** , I wasn’t being sarcastic. I totally agree with **County**. And with **Steel Rat** , really. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/society-for-stupid-people/238212/30 "2004-04-05T02:26:20Z")
> [@captaindoesnotlikeyou](#): > > Oh, **Lobsang** , I wasn’t being sarcastic. I totally agree with **County**. And with **Steel Rat** , really. I think some wires are crossed in my brain because lately I see sincerity where sarcasm is meant, and vice versa. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/society-for-stupid-people/238212/31 "2004-04-05T02:34:13Z")
College sports. I understand and appreciate that both of our state university’s teams (the men’s and the women’s) are doing quite well against other school’s teams. Good for them. But, I do not need to see ten minutes out of the half hour of my local news coverage talking about what they are doing in Texas. There are other things happening in the world, folks. Makes me depend even more on the print media. ---
**Author:** ![Lok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@Lok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lok)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/society-for-stupid-people/238212/32 "2004-04-05T02:35:03Z")
> [@htns](#): > > Credit cards. Tell me why these can’t be replaced with debit cards tied to your checking account? You run out of money, card gets rejected, no debt incurred. If your bank doesn’t already offer this, you may want to change banks. ---
**Author:** ![glass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac8455/32.png) [@glass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glass)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/society-for-stupid-people/238212/33 "2004-04-05T02:55:02Z")
> [@Lobsang](#): > > Society seems designed to take advantage of stupidity, and it pisses me off. Invasive advertising is just one example. Feel free to pit things that seem to exist solely because there are people stupid enough to make them viable. “Society” does not take advantage of stupidity… amoral people do. Further, we are not necessarily talking about stupidity, but more about the nature of trusting people. Now that we got that straight, i will pit message board shills. ---
**Author:** ![htns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ba8739/32.png) [@htns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/htns)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/society-for-stupid-people/238212/34 "2004-04-05T03:03:14Z")
> [@Lok](#): > > If your bank doesn’t already offer this, you may want to change banks. Already have one, thanks. I just think credit cards are irresponsible. Not intrinsically so, but they’re very often used that way. ---
**Author:** ![netscape\_6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/8c91f0/32.png) [@netscape\_6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/netscape_6)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/society-for-stupid-people/238212/35 "2004-04-05T05:58:39Z")
stuff costing “4 easy payments of 39.95”. Thats just 20 cents short of hundred and tweenty dollars. Does’nt seem so easy now, does it bucko? ---
**Author:** ![Nutty\_Bunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d07c76/32.png) [@Nutty\_Bunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nutty_Bunny)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/society-for-stupid-people/238212/36 "2004-04-05T06:40:50Z")
> [@htns](#): > > 2WD SUVs. The SUV was designed for a reason - and that reason is NOT “taking little Tyler to kindergarten” or “picking up Dakota and Destiny from their wind lesson”. If you don’t go offroad, you do NOT need an SUV. It’s the fucking yuppie scum responsible for the 2WD SUV. Come to think of it, those things ain’t SUVs. They’re minivans. You know, I’ve wanted to rant about this for awhile now, but I’m not creative enough to do so. SUV drivers that avoid _manhole covers_!! Yes, you have an SUV (that stands for Sport Utility Vehicle, son) and you can’t let your precious tires roll over a _manhole cover_?!?!? I see this all the time. They’ll swerve to avoid the smallest bump in the road as if there were an infant there instead. Why do you have a goddamned truck anyway?!? If my piece of shit Toyota can take that fucking sinkhole by the Price Chopper, then your fragile, widdle–I’m sorry–_gigantic truck_ can take a fucking manhole cover!! GAH!!! :mad: ---
**Author:** ![guyblond](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@guyblond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guyblond)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/society-for-stupid-people/238212/37 "2004-04-05T06:51:23Z")
Doctors and drug salespersons really mystifies me. If a doc is prescribing drugs that are in your best interest based only on information about that drug…. why do drugs companies pay salespersons to go around to clinics to chat up the docs and staff and hand out gifts? Seems that an information sheet and maybe a sample of the drug is all the doc should need to make a well informed decision. That would be cheaper than a sales person. So docs must fall for the advertising and marketing crap too. ---
**Author:** ![Fugazi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f08c70/32.png) [@Fugazi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fugazi)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/society-for-stupid-people/238212/38 "2004-04-05T06:52:07Z")
The dumbing down of controls for virutally everything. No more do we have words on the knobs, buttons & switches. No, that was too difficult for the average mouth breather to understand. Now we have pretty little pictures. I don’t want pretty pictures, I want words that tell me exactly what the damn button does. ---
**Author:** ![county](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce7236/32.png) [@county](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/county)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/society-for-stupid-people/238212/39 "2004-04-05T10:50:16Z")
> [@Fugazi](#): > > The dumbing down of controls for virutally everything. No more do we have words on the knobs, buttons & switches. No, that was too difficult for the average mouth breather to understand. Now we have pretty little pictures. I don’t want pretty pictures, I want words that tell me exactly what the damn button does. And, the dumbing up of instructions “Do not put your hand in the moving parts” or “blades” ---
**Author:** ![AngelicGemma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/439d5e/32.png) [@AngelicGemma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelicGemma)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/society-for-stupid-people/238212/40 "2004-04-05T11:00:17Z")
> [@county](#): > > And, the dumbing up of instructions “Do not put your hand in the moving parts” > or “blades” If we got rid of dumbing down of instructions you just _know_ that some idiot will stick their hand in the blender and try and sue the company for it. “But it didn’t tell me _not_ to stick my hand into the moving blades!” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/society-for-stupid-people/238212.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/society-for-stupid-people/238212.md?page=3)