Have We Really Become This Stupid?

[truckster]

I had to change the oil sending unit on one of my newer vehicles because it was leaking like I'd pulled the drain plug. After fighting to get access to the sending unit, I went to put my 25-year-old oil sending unit socket on it, and the sending unit was too long. So I went to O'Reilly's and bought a new Lisle socket, which worked just fine. But as I looked at the socket, it had the words DO NOT USE WHILE ENGINE IS RUNNING stamped in it. My old socket never had anything like that, because that's kind of a no-brainer. Have we become dumber in the last 25 years?

[19673ontree]

Yes their are some that are that stupid YES ,,,

[LONGHAIR]

In general, I would say yes. Critical thinking is not a priority....

But the sad truth to this is that it is a "liability issue". Some doofus does it the sues the company saying "you never told me I couldn't"...

I have always found that warnings like that only come after someone has done something that no one ever expected.

[midnight rambler]

reminds me of mc donalds hot coffee ...

[hugger6933]

I started reading this and knew what it was and thought yep you know somebody tried to sue somebody else because they took out a pressure sender with the engine running and got burned. That is good for a laugh anyway every time you pull it out of the box. It is as good as the one on the fan wrench that say the same thing Don't not use while engine is running!

[imjeff]

Two constants today. Common sense is uncommon and 50% of people are below average intelligence.

[Tc71]

i read this today. its credited to george carlin...


Today we mourn the passing of an old friend by the name of Common Sense.

Common Sense lived a long life but died from heart failure at the brink of the millennium. No one really knows how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.

He selflessly devoted his life to service in schools, hospitals, homes, factories and offices, helping folks get jobs done without fanfare and foolishness.

For decades, petty rules, silly laws and frivolous lawsuits held no power over Common Sense. He was credited with cultivating such valued lessons as to know when to come in out of the rain, the early bird gets the worm, and life isn't always fair.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you earn), reliable parenting strategies (the adults are in charge, not the kids), and it's okay to come in second.

A veteran of the Industrial Revolution, the Great Depression, and the Technological Revolution, Common Sense survived cultural and educational trends including feminism, body piercing, whole language and "new math."

But his health declined when he became infected with the "If-it-only-helps-one-person-it's-worth-it" virus. In recent decades his waning strength proved no match for the ravages of overbearing federal regulation.

He watched in pain as good people became ruled by self-seeking lawyers and enlightened auditors. His health rapidly deteriorated when schools endlessly implemented zero tolerance policies, reports of six-year-old boys charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate, a teen suspended for taking a swig of mouthwash after lunch, and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student. It declined even further when schools had to get parental consent to administer aspirin to a student.

Finally, Common Sense lost his will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband, churches became businesses, criminals received better treatment than victims, and federal judges stuck their noses in everything from Boy Scouts to professional sports.

As the end neared, Common Sense drifted in and out of logic but was kept informed of developments, regarding questionable regulations for asbestos, low flow toilets, "smart" guns, the nurturing of Prohibition Laws and mandatory air bags.

Finally when told that the homeowners association restricted exterior furniture only to that which enhanced property values, he breathed his last.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason. He is survived by three stepbrothers: Rights, Tolerance and Whiner.

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.

[Already Gone]

Thanks for posting that TC71, George Carlin was as usual, right on with his comments.

[jabborabbo]

I kinda think that the difference between the number of stupid folk today and back when can be explained thusly:

Back when, stupid people paid for their stupidity, and some got smarter. In today's sue-happy culture stupid people GET paid for their stupidity, and they stay stupid and encourage others to be stupid.

[68C15]

Originally Posted by jabborabbo

I kinda think that the difference between the number of stupid folk today and back when can be explained thusly:

Back when, stupid people paid for their stupidity, and some got smarter. In today's sue-happy culture stupid people GET paid for their stupidity, and they stay stupid and encourage others to be stupid.

That's beautiful, can I borrow that?

[Ol Blue K20]

Don't forget "never use a blow drier while in the shower or bath tub" .....

[jabborabbo]

Originally Posted by 68C15

That's beautiful, can I borrow that?

Anytime you need it, Sir!

[yote1234]

i would love to see someone try and change a cooling fan while its running!

now thats a true I Q TEST!

[Indian113]

My wife is a ER Nurse the other night a guy comes in with his right hand bundled up and covered with blood. He hands my wife a Index finger and says I hope they can reattach it! My wife says " What Did You Do?" He says - don't laugh but I stuck my hand in a running food blender that was stuck! Needless to say she didn't laugh in his face but all Hexx broke loose later.

[68gmsee]

We have gotten to the point where we have to be protected from everything either by the local, state or federal governments because some don't have any common sense.

example:
(Note that the report says some operators try to unclog the blade while it's spinning. ???)

Annually, there are 77,000 reported injuries resulting from use of power lawn mowers, according to the commission. Such a design would prevent injury when an operator attempts to unjam the cutting blade, but would not impose the inconvenience of having to stop and restart the motor. Convenience is important, according to the commission, because most injuries occur when an impatient operator tries to unclog the cutting blade while it is still spinning.

[cdowns]

yes people have become that lame// they cant even figure out how many bolts it takes to bolt something together by counting the number of holes than figureing that one bolt for one hole?? nope they need a kit with instructions and diagrams

[prairewolf]

... often enough I have given my self a verbal warning and it has kept me safe. ... I can lean a ladder against my house and say to myself, ... '' This is not the part where you climb to the top and fall off and break both legs, and lay on sidewalk doing the carp flop till help comes ''. ... If I think through the outcomes I get more careful. ....................good topic.

so far so good,kent

[special-K]

The more warning and safety devises we develop,the more vulnerable and dependent society has become. It seems the mentality is,"If there's no warning or devise I don't need to be careful". It's like so many don't realize they are responsible for their own safety and well being.

With all the safety built into cars these days,it seems people are managing to wreck worse and find new ways to die. Are any less dieing on our hiways? They are driving faster and more carelessly,as if their "safe" car will protect them. I'm not into statistics,but it sure doesn't seem there are any less. Seems like more,unless the news is just covering them more.

[PanelDeland]

I agree with what's been said above.I just want to add to the "are we this stupid list".I read a list of warnings on power tools a while back.The one I remember best was on a chainsaw;

"Do not stop chain with hand or genetalia"


Sometimes all you can do is shake your head and wonder.....

[67ChevyRedneck]

Originally Posted by PanelDeland

"Do not stop chain with hand or genetalia"


Sometimes all you can do is shake your head and wonder.....

Maybe they should remove that 2nd part and we'd all be a little better off?

[ERASER5]

Originally Posted by 67ChevyRedneck

Maybe they should remove that 2nd part and we'd all be a little better off?

Sorta like cholrine in the gene pool eh?

[Rochlow]

In the news today.

An Ohio high school student has already been jailed and kicked out of school for having a pocket knife in his car, and now he fears he could lose his dream of serving in the Army.

Jordan Wiser, a student at Ashtabula County Technical School in Jefferson, is finishing up his senior year from home after school officials searched his car in December and found the folding knife and an Airsoft gun. School officials called police, who charged him with illegal conveyance of a weapon onto a school ground based on the three-inch knife.

“I declined to allow them to search myself or my car and that I wanted to talk to my lawyer or my father,” Wiser told FoxNews.com. “They told me it wasn’t an option.”

Wiser, an EMT trainee who hopes to become both a police officer and a soldier, spent 13 days in the Ashtabula County Jail following the incident. The knife, which Wiser said is part of his first responder's kit and can be used for slicing an accident victim's seatbelt, was found tucked inside his EMT medical vest in the trunk of the car. The Airsoft gun, which fires non-lethal pellets, was not illegal and was used by Wiser in a shooting club he belongs to, he said.

School officials told FoxNews.com that possession of the pocket knife was a violation of the school’s zero tolerance policy for bringing weapons on campus and that based on a message he posted on an online forum, they had probable cause to search Wiser and his car. They also insisted Wiser consented to the search.

“When we asked, he had said, 'okay,'" school Superintendent Jerome Brockway said.

Brockway said the district is obliged to motion for expulsion once a student is found with banned items on campus, and said the student handbook states that officials have the right to search a student and his or her vehicle if they have probable cause.

“We indicate that we have the right to search, and he was aware of the policy,” he said, adding that the decision to pursue criminal charges was left to police and prosecutors.

Wiser has a court hearing on April 1. He is hoping for a favorable disposition to put his career plans back on track. He has been kicked out of the Army’s Future Soldier Training System program, and his plans to enlist in August are now in jeopardy. He says he is seriously considering filing a lawsuit.

“It is definitely an option,” said Wiser, who must enroll in a special online program to complete his education.

[Ol Blue K20]

An airsoft and an ordinary pocket knife are bad? My god Carlin was right common sense is dead

[dieseldawg142]

Originally Posted by LONGHAIR

I have always found that warnings like that only come after someone has done something that no one ever expected.

yup, aint that the truth

[68Stepbed]

Any time I see something like this. I always think of Jeff Foxworthy telling about the warning label on a tube of Preparation H. It said not to take orally.