# Underestimating the number of stupid assholes in America **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 8, 2012, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underestimating-the-number-of-stupid-assholes-in-america/634057 "2012-09-08T01:24:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2012, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underestimating-the-number-of-stupid-assholes-in-america/634057/21 "2012-09-08T12:05:22Z")
> [@grude](#): > > It isn’t limited to america. Tell me about it! It IS possible for people to ignore a global economic crisis and bleat on about how things were better under the previous “government”. How do they know? They heard it on the opposition radio station. Under the previous government we didn’t even have a non government-propaganda radio station. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2012, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underestimating-the-number-of-stupid-assholes-in-america/634057/22 "2012-09-08T12:19:50Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Be patient. Give it time. [61% of “Staunch Conservatives” are age 50 or older,](http://www.people-press.org/2011/05/04/typology-group-profiles/) and their children and grandchildren will not replenish their ranks – it’s a generational-culture thing. Remember the “Silent Majority” Nixon spoke of and depended on? Well, he was right about that, at the time; but, at least they’re not a majority any more, and never will be again. Richrd Nixon said that 40 years ago. People who were 50 or older 40 years ago are now mostly dead. On many, many issues, people get more conservative as they grow older. This isn’t true for everything; acceptance of gay rights is an absolute inevitability. But on other issues, people go rightwards. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2012, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underestimating-the-number-of-stupid-assholes-in-america/634057/23 "2012-09-08T12:19:54Z")
If it’s any comfort, I have increased my estimate by one. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2012, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underestimating-the-number-of-stupid-assholes-in-america/634057/24 "2012-09-08T12:23:24Z")
My wife and I LOVED the DNC convention and were THRILLED that the base was so excited because thank GOD this election is about the BASE. If it were not for the base, I think we too would be very pessimistic about Obama’s re election. Here is why it would be much harder a if it WERE about the undecided voters. We were watching someone on PBS conduct a focus group of voters who are now undecided, and who voted for Obama 4 yrs ago. Here is a list of reasons these knuckleheads are undecided: 1. Obama’s plans are not specific enough when it comes to the economy (this is based on what they heard from his DNC speech on Thursday) 2. He is a traitor because he makes pro-life Cathiolic voters feel like they have to choose abortion ( we have NO IDEA what the heck she meant) 3. Obama has not given us ideas on how HE will tame Congress??? ( I think they want us to have a dictator as a president) 4. He is still only making promises just like 4yrs ago (these people OBVIOUSLY did not listen to the speech properly or have not heard about what he HAS accomplished which is A LOT considering the NASTINESS of congress!) 5. One guy, when asked if he is still undecided after Obama’s DNC speech, said this: “I am married. 4 years ago, I went with my wife and knocked on doors for Obama with my wife, but this year, I will not do that”. We have no IDEA why he brought up marriage, and it seems that he’s still undecided. So-- we have now decided that calling undecided voters knuckleheads is an UNDERSTATEMENT! And, this isn’t the only example of such sentiments among undecideds following Obama’s speech. GO FIGURE! ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2012, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underestimating-the-number-of-stupid-assholes-in-america/634057/25 "2012-09-08T13:18:21Z")
I n ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2012, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underestimating-the-number-of-stupid-assholes-in-america/634057/26 "2012-09-08T13:18:30Z")
All those who don’t agree with me are stupid. And poopyheads. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2012, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underestimating-the-number-of-stupid-assholes-in-america/634057/27 "2012-09-08T13:26:25Z")
I never underestimate the number of dumbards, just like I never doubt that some pseudo-intellectual asshat will always come out of their clock and make some sort of justification for asshattery, thinking they’re William F. Buckley the Third, then proceed to step on their dicks because they’re used to spouting their horseshit in more credulous environments. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2012, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underestimating-the-number-of-stupid-assholes-in-america/634057/28 "2012-09-08T13:42:23Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Richrd Nixon said that 40 years ago. People who were 50 or older 40 years ago are now mostly dead. There’s a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Mostly dead is slightly alive. ---
**Author:** ![Peanut\_Gallery](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/838e76/32.png) [@Peanut\_Gallery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanut_Gallery)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2012, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underestimating-the-number-of-stupid-assholes-in-america/634057/29 "2012-09-08T14:04:12Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Be patient. Give it time. [61% of “Staunch Conservatives” are age 50 or older,](http://www.people-press.org/2011/05/04/typology-group-profiles/) and their children and grandchildren will not replenish their ranks – it’s a generational-culture thing. Remember the “Silent Majority” Nixon spoke of and depended on? Well, he was right about that, at the time; but, at least they’re not a majority any more, and never will be again. > [@Oakminster](#): > > Then how come [College Republicans](http://www.crnc.org/about/) outnumber [College Democrats](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/College_Democrats_of_America) by about 250,000 to 100,000? > [@RickJay](#): > > Richrd Nixon said that 40 years ago. People who were 50 or older 40 years ago are now mostly dead. > > On many, many issues, people get more conservative as they grow older. This isn’t true for everything; acceptance of gay rights is an absolute inevitability. But on other issues, people go rightwards. Here, underlined, **BG** demonstrates what I am talking about. **BG** , I’d love to believe that, but I have met enough young evangelicals that I have to side with **Oak** and **RickJay** on this. A ton of these stupid assholes die every day, and yet somehow they are still half the country. I can only conclude they ARE in fact being replaced by more stupid assholes. And it’s not only that. The stupidity has gotten soooo much deeper in the last 12 years, so the bar gets higher (the level of bullshit one must buy to still vote R), and their numbers still hold up. That combined with the “they’re dying off” theory should have decimated them by now, but it hasn’t. I’m fine with other people disagreeing with me, and fully respect that there are more than two ways to run a country. I’d love to live in a country where different realistic viewpoints for governance existed. But that ain’t America today. A comedian described it this way … while we should have a tug-of-war between right and left with the middle of the rope staying somewhere near the center, instead we have a tug-of-war with Ds pulling on the left, and Rs _trying to unwind the rope_! (and still enjoying 50% support!) **Omg, bandit, Shodan** : thanks for representin’ ---
**Author:** ![Peanut\_Gallery](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/838e76/32.png) [@Peanut\_Gallery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanut_Gallery)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2012, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underestimating-the-number-of-stupid-assholes-in-america/634057/30 "2012-09-08T14:11:30Z")
> [@Rachellelogram](#): > > - O, m, g! > Easy as 1, 2, 3! > We’re talkin’ 'bout do, re, mi! > O, m, g! > 1, 2, 3! Baby you and me, girl!\* While normally, **Vinyl Turnip** has the wittiest one-liner in a thread, **Rachel** wins this time. I will be hearing that every time I read one of **Omg** ’s posts from now on. It wouldn’t be hard to write some code that would auto-generate his posts. Maybe that’s what’s really behind the [DCL Theory](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=664713)! ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2012, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underestimating-the-number-of-stupid-assholes-in-america/634057/31 "2012-09-08T14:31:56Z")
I blame home schooling. It’s hard to develop critical thinking and a wider world view, when you’re being instructed by one person. You pretty much get told what they think is important, and only their world view. Discipline runs high often, critical thinking skills would only interfere with that, so it gets left behind. Force every child to attend public school for 3yrs, between 1st grade and 12th. While they are still impressionable, so they can see the real world as it is, good and bad. I choose to believe a lot of Christian’s do believe it’s hateful to deny SSM rights, etc. And I’d be willing to bet a fair number of staunch anti abortionists (for themselves), have been glad it was available to someone they knew. I think a lot of Republican’s won’t speak up to the issues they disagree about, but may secretly vote Obama, for such reasons. Of course a lot of endless polling is driven by the twenty four hour news cycle. If it’s clear Obama’s going to walk away with it, what will fill their time? Real news? Easier to manufacture non news, tempests in teapots. Fanning the flames of whatever stupid surfaces, ever driving the two sides further apart. And all to feed a 24hr news cycle and provide advertising income. It’s really hard not to believe the media is the problem. There isn’t any idiot they won’t put a mic/camera in front of. There doesn’t seem to be anything they think too stupid or unrepresentative to take to air. They stand right beside the stupid and never bother to ask the obvious questions, seek clarity, or challenge outright lies. I don’t like to paint them all with the same brush, but at some point the whole lot just get covered in the same scum of incompetence, when there is never any sign of caring that their entire profession is being seriously degraded, while they all just pretend not to see or care. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2012, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underestimating-the-number-of-stupid-assholes-in-america/634057/32 "2012-09-08T14:50:05Z")
> [@Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](#): > > Yes, and most of them for the guy or girl with a D in front of their name. [Here’s](http://www.google.com/imgres?q=douche+bag&start=49&hl=en&sa=X&rlz=1C1PRFB_enUS488US488&biw=1680&bih=925&addh=36&tbm=isch&prmd=imvns&tbnid=1DzvjSNBGhQD5M:&imgrefurl=http://madmikesamerica.com/2012/02/douchebag-manufacturers-protest-santorum-association/&docid=1ZqfanxWXHVr0M&imgurl=http://madmikesamerica.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/douche_bag.jpg&w=800&h=593&ei=0VpLULvIOu33igKzn4GgBQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=1245&vpy=294&dur=5856&hovh=193&hovw=261&tx=135&ty=101&sig=107730519458142086965&page=2&tbnh=128&tbnw=173&ndsp=55&ved=1t:429,r:34,s:49,i:27) an interesting website you might relate to. ---
**Author:** ![wedgehed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8edcca/32.png) [@wedgehed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wedgehed)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2012, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underestimating-the-number-of-stupid-assholes-in-america/634057/33 "2012-09-08T14:50:41Z")
It’s pretty easy to spot all the assholes around you, but your only hope of improving things is to recognize the asshole looking back from your mirror. ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2012, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underestimating-the-number-of-stupid-assholes-in-america/634057/34 "2012-09-08T14:57:49Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > So-- we have now decided that calling undecided voters knuckleheads is an UNDERSTATEMENT! And, this isn’t the only example of such sentiments among undecideds following Obama’s speech. GO FIGURE! I feel the same way. Whenever they hand an undecided person the mic, I brace myself for the nonsense that inevitably will reveal itself in all its ignorant splendor. A while ago on NPR, they interviewed this one public employee in Wisconsin. He was angry with all the anti-union policies of recent and talked about how it appalled him how badly people wanted to treat government workers. Then in the next breath, he said he was against Obama’s healthcare plans because, and I paraphrase, “if people want healthcare, they should just pick a job that gives them that as a benefit. That’s what I did.” He then went on to say that he decides who he votes for right up until the day of the election. That’s when he googles the candidates and learns everything he needs to know about them. The vast majority of undecided are people who are too lazy or apathetic to form an educated opinion. Many of them lack the sense to see this as an embarrassing flaw instead of something to be bragged about on national airwaves. And their beliefs and philosophies also often lack internal consistency, which may be why they find it difficult to identify with one political party moreso than another. Undecideds are the true laughing stock of the nation. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2012, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underestimating-the-number-of-stupid-assholes-in-america/634057/35 "2012-09-08T15:40:05Z")
> [@Alice\_The\_Goon](#): > > It’s disheartening enough to see it on the Dope, but what about on Facebook, where you’re forced to admit to yourself that these people are actual friends of yours, and members of your family?? That’s what gets to me. I can’t put half my friends and family on ignore. Oh Cone-traire. I just posted this in a Mac-centric forum, in response to someone who said “I’ve had to block everyone who throws wild political claims around.” > [@](#): > > That’s how it starts… then you unfriend the “Look how cute my Baaaaayby is!” friends, Then the “Puppppies!” people, and the “Kittttehs!”, and before you know it, you’re getting along without F’book at all. > > Do you have any idea how much free time I have now? They don’t know how much time I wast..spend here. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2012, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underestimating-the-number-of-stupid-assholes-in-america/634057/36 "2012-09-08T18:22:03Z")
You’re all wrong - the enemy are the lobbyists. The political party in power makes no difference. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2012, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underestimating-the-number-of-stupid-assholes-in-america/634057/37 "2012-09-08T18:31:21Z")
> [@Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](#): > > Yes, and most of them for the guy or girl with a D in front of their name. Only on Fox News. ---
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2012, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underestimating-the-number-of-stupid-assholes-in-america/634057/38 "2012-09-08T18:59:07Z")
As I never get tired of saying: Half the population is dumber than average. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2012, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underestimating-the-number-of-stupid-assholes-in-america/634057/39 "2012-09-08T19:05:29Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > All those who don’t agree with me are stupid. And poopyheads. No, no, you’ve got it wrong. We’re not saying that everyone we disagree with is a stupid poopyhead; we’re saying we don’t agree with stupid poopyheads. There’s a subtle yet important difference. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2012, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underestimating-the-number-of-stupid-assholes-in-america/634057/40 "2012-09-08T19:39:49Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > You’re all wrong - the enemy are the lobbyists. The political party in power makes no difference. Horseshit. The Dems are influenced by lobbyists, sure. But the Pubs take their orders from them. If you think both parties are equal, you’re either not informed, or trying to delude yourself because you want the Republican party of your youth to not have fallen so very far. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underestimating-the-number-of-stupid-assholes-in-america/634057.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underestimating-the-number-of-stupid-assholes-in-america/634057.md?page=3)