!dev

is it just me or are others also noticing that our society is getting similar to the one seen in Idiocracy [the movie]?

I mean... I'd understand one or two dumb things: people do it, realize how stupid it is and move on. But now it's more like the other way around: people do something smart, realize it, undo it and move on.

Has anyone else seen Idiocracy?

Great satire! And sadly true

Stupid people have more kids.

Also: with welfare, etc. rewarding those who do not work, and increasing those rewards with each child they have... we're genetically selecting against intelligence and for dependence.

These point to a bleak future indeed.

I'd you notice, the birthrate in developed and prosperous nations is very low, while the birthrates in poorer (and awful) countries is insanely high. Simple math paints a terrifying picture. So: if you're intelligent, have more children. Vote for laws that reward intelligence and ambitions, and against those that reward the reverse. Why? You get what you reward.

@Root so u suggest that people in poor countries r dumb? 😒

Actually in poor country there is no wellfare. Therefore people fallback to a simple strategy: my children r gonna take care of me when I’m old. As in poor countries child mortality rate is pretty high too, the only way to increase ur chances for said caretaking is to have many children.
The actual problem is our that we in the developed countries dont care about our children anymore and let them be raised by television and media. Thats the reason why they society is getting dumber all the time

A coleague of mine once said: "Intelligent people have better things to do than waste time for raising kids. People lacking intelligence, however, seem to be experts in reproduction".

However harsh this sounds it actually makes sense. Doesn't it?

So.... If things are already going south there's not much left we can do... all the polls/elections will be decided by majority - those who reproduce quickly and pass their mindset to their offspring.

@netikras well than obviously they r not THAT intelligent ...

No one is born intelligent or dumb are they, it's what they are exposed to or the people they are around that determine wether they end up smart or stupid.

@thevariableman No. It's their choices that determine who they will be. If I'm dumb it doesn't mean it's my rommate's fault. It's my fault - it's me who decided spend time for other things than learning

@thevariableman No. Not at all.

Intelligence is largely (though not entirely) genetic. It's almost entirely nature, not nurture nor environment.

Intelligent people are more likely to have intelligent offspring because they have genes that produce intelligence. DNA (genes, etc.) are code, and that code largely determines your features and abilities.

Environment determines what you learn to do / how you adapt. It can also negatively (but not positively) affect your development.

@Root

Goddamn spicy comment there. 🌶🌶🌶

@monzrmango People hate the truth when it doesn't benefit them 🙂

@netikras If one has a roommate they are already past the childhood etc. So yes, there flaws, are not the the roommates fault, obviously. But I see many children becoming similar to their parents or the way they are raised. Meaning if an intelligent person is raised stupid it will act stupid, unfortunately the other way round is only partially true.

@Root the French president said that and he got slammed hard. Many educated families mastera and PhDs from both wife and husband with 5 kids or more.

Middle class have less kids because the want to pay good college or invest in their kids so they reach a higher social step. Therefore having usually 1 to 3 children.

@Santaclauze People hate the truth when it isn't in their favor.

Also, genetics is always a touchy subject because it's basically saying some people are objectively superior to others. Everyone is flawed to some degree, but the number and severity of flaws differs considerably.

Imagine if libraries/frameworks were humans. WordPress, Flask, Symfony, Rails, React, Vue, Knockout. And WordPress reproduced much faster.

„Intelligent“ people r often more ruthless arrogant or selfish. R these properties that should be reproduced? I dont think so

The one main question is, which properties increase the chances to survive in case of desaster. It‘s not just about intelligence. Intelligent people are more likely to be cowards (because they know too much). Less intelligent/educated people r more likely to fight for what they believe in, even if its a stupid reason.

My point is there is a reason why less intelligente people have not died out yet and never will/should.

Superiority can not be determined by looking ant one property! If it is this is the first step towards racism...

@mojo2012 Selfish? Everyone should be selfish, though that doesn't mean they need to act it.

Altruism is destructive: you give away everything you have, and unless everyone else is also 100% altruistic, which never happens, the spoils go to those who are not, e.g. the greedy. Also, all of your efforts go to benefitting others; you see no progress or direct benefit for your efforts, no matter how monumental. This discourages personal productivity, and others benefitting for no effort on their own encourages laziness; stagnation quickly ensues. This is why communism fails.

If everyone is selfish, they seek to gain as much as they can, and keep what they want. This of course does not mean they must act selfish, because if they do, people will avoid them and they lose out. The selfish person still helps others because they benefit most that way. It is not only social, either, as it applies equally to mutually beneficial trades/arrangements. Furthermore, the selfish person directly benefits from all of their actions, to the extent of their effort and its success. This encourages productivity.

So, altruism discourages productivity and mutual benefit, while "selfishness" encourages both.

Seems counterintuitive, but it's true.

@Root I'm not talking about altruism. Im talking about fairness. Give those a chance who can't work themselves up by their own.

Take me for example. Grown up in a rather poor family (not starving or anything, but still not wealthy). Here in austria eductation is more or less free (not entirely but neglectable). I was able to study and work my way up. I now earn three times what my parents earned together.

In a country like the US I would most likely not have been given this chance. Or I would be so high in debt, that I would have to pay back the next 20 years ...

And btw the "real" communism was failing because it was a planned economoy run by an oppressive regime. That had nothing to do with what marx had in mind and it wasn't altrustic either ;-)

@mojo2012 College here is expensive; it is also bloody pointless, especially for programming. But anyone can learn and better their situation; that's the founding principle of America: equal opportunity and freedom for everyone, regardless of background, situation, etc. That's gotten a little muddied thanks to politics, but it's finally getting back to normal.

Our school system does suck, though. It's much better to teach yourself. Also, you should learn about money, debt, financial freedom, etc. I recommend reading Robert Kiyosaki.

@Root Imho the US of A is one of the few western countries where people don‘t have equal opportunities. Without money ur screwed.
I‘m all for teaching urself (taught myself visual basic back in the days when I was a kid) but it‘s not all about programming. What about higher education? Noones gonna hire a self-taught mechanic, doctor, lawyer ...

@mojo2012
a) you don't live here. People can go from homeless to millionaire in a few years given enough financial knowledge and effort. Everyone can go from welfare to middle class with honestly pretty minimal effort.

b) you're talking programming, not medicine or law.

@Root a) if ur lucky ...

@mojo2012 No.

Though I suppose luck helps. but luck without effort is finding a quarter in the street.