As of tonight, I am proud of my nation.
I can -- and will -- fly our flag without doubt. Without qualm. Because tonight, my nation elected a man whom I believe will truly -- truly -- do his best to follow and fulfill the ideals that this country once represented.
Once again we can be a beacon to the world. Thank you, president-elect Obama.
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Monday, February 18, 2008
Confirmed: 70% of Americans are misguided buffoons
[Yes, I know I haven't posted anything in forever -- it takes something like this to get me here these days]
Dietram Scheufele recently (Feb 15) made a presentation at the University of Wisconsin-Madison which has truly horrifying implications. Here's the article: Religion colors Americans' views of nanotechnology.
And here's the nut: "In a sample of 1,015 adult Americans, only 29.5 percent of respondents agreed that nanotechnology was morally acceptable."
What. The. FUUUUUUUUUDGE is WRONG with these people? Okay, some of the credit has to go to either the ones who composed the questions or the folks who are summarizing the results, but -- technology is not, in and of itself, morally ANYTHING! It's only the USE of technology that can be subjected to moral discussion! Otherwise, the entire scientific method is out the window!
And to quote Scheufele: "They are rejecting it based on religious beliefs. The issue isn't about informing these people. They are informed."
No, they AREN'T informed. They (SEVENTY PERCENT OF RESPONDENTS) fail to understand that all of human existence has been about creating things that don't occur in nature! A human being is a TOOL-MAKING animal. "God" didn't touch the dust and give us the spear, the seed bag OR the combine harvester. And it's not about drawing the line, either -- we've been manipulating genetics since WAY before we understood them, so obviously THAT'S okay. Or is the AKC morally unacceptable? [Actually, I think they are, but not for the same reasons that I'm suggesting that the survey respondents are. And that's for another post.]
So: Two-thirds of this country I live in believe that an entire realm of technology -- an area of STUDY, not an application of that study -- is morally wrong. No wonder we have the idiot in the White House that we do -- and that we elected him not once but TWICE. I had my doubts, but I was giving Diebold and a biased Supreme Court more credit than they were due, apparently.
Talk about a slippery slope. "Nanotech? Nope, can't study that. Solar power? Against God's will. Electricity? Work of the Devil. Did you know Thomas Edison was a satan-worshipper? And Tesla! Satan incarnate!"
Okay -- I've managed to talk some sense into myself: obviously 70% of us aren't THAT stupid. But they're still wrong.
Dietram Scheufele recently (Feb 15) made a presentation at the University of Wisconsin-Madison which has truly horrifying implications. Here's the article: Religion colors Americans' views of nanotechnology.
And here's the nut: "In a sample of 1,015 adult Americans, only 29.5 percent of respondents agreed that nanotechnology was morally acceptable."
What. The. FUUUUUUUUUDGE is WRONG with these people? Okay, some of the credit has to go to either the ones who composed the questions or the folks who are summarizing the results, but -- technology is not, in and of itself, morally ANYTHING! It's only the USE of technology that can be subjected to moral discussion! Otherwise, the entire scientific method is out the window!
The catch for Americans with strong religious convictions, Scheufele believes, is that nanotechnology, biotechnology and stem cell research are lumped together as means to enhance human qualities. In short, researchers are viewed as "playing God" when they create materials that do not occur in nature, especially where nanotechnology and biotechnology intertwine, says Scheufele.
And to quote Scheufele: "They are rejecting it based on religious beliefs. The issue isn't about informing these people. They are informed."
No, they AREN'T informed. They (SEVENTY PERCENT OF RESPONDENTS) fail to understand that all of human existence has been about creating things that don't occur in nature! A human being is a TOOL-MAKING animal. "God" didn't touch the dust and give us the spear, the seed bag OR the combine harvester. And it's not about drawing the line, either -- we've been manipulating genetics since WAY before we understood them, so obviously THAT'S okay. Or is the AKC morally unacceptable? [Actually, I think they are, but not for the same reasons that I'm suggesting that the survey respondents are. And that's for another post.]
So: Two-thirds of this country I live in believe that an entire realm of technology -- an area of STUDY, not an application of that study -- is morally wrong. No wonder we have the idiot in the White House that we do -- and that we elected him not once but TWICE. I had my doubts, but I was giving Diebold and a biased Supreme Court more credit than they were due, apparently.
Talk about a slippery slope. "Nanotech? Nope, can't study that. Solar power? Against God's will. Electricity? Work of the Devil. Did you know Thomas Edison was a satan-worshipper? And Tesla! Satan incarnate!"
Okay -- I've managed to talk some sense into myself: obviously 70% of us aren't THAT stupid. But they're still wrong.
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