another stupid
Gary BasemanI've been troubled by comments in a recent posting in mock_the_stupid. The initial posting was a mock-worthy stupid: (Reuters) 4 repeat-offender teenagers in Winnipeg stole a car in -40° weather to attend court-ordered program for chronic car theives. The poster mentioned that -40°C and -40°F are equivalent. The problem is in the first comment, from lilshutterbug, who knows that temperatures °C and °F are different, but has no comprehension of how the scales work ("I don't understand... explain how that's true? I was always taught that there was a huge difference."), and suggests that we should be mocking the poster for thinking the temperatures are the same.
As you might expect, anyone who posts or comments in mock_the_stupid is also subject to mocking, should his/her comments also be stupid. I don't expect that every educated person knows the C/F conversion forumula, but someone who is given the equation (°F = (°C * 9/5) + 32) and still has no clue how to get from °C to °F ("You do realize that means absolutely nothing to me, right? I'm not mathematically inclined.") doesn't meet my definition of educated, or even functionally literate. So of course lilshutterbug got mocked.
Here's my problem - it's not lilshutterbug's ignorance/cluelessness (although it does suggest another major failing with our educational system). It's that some of the people functioning at this level vote. They elect our school boards. They elect our congress-critters. They elect our president.