It would be awesome if we could come up with a system in which votes are weighted according to the intelligence of the voter, amirite?

do you even know what democracy is?

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Wait, are we talking amirite or America?

by Anonymous 12 years ago

America.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Oh, ok... I was thinking amirite.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Being intelligent doesn't make you any better than someone else. Nor does it make your opinion more valid.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

True, but a smart person is more likely to make the better decisions. If there is a group of 100 idiots and two geniuses stuck on an island, the group would have a better chance of survival if te geniuses made all of the decisions, right? I'm just applying that to politics. I know it would never work, just a nice idea.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Of course someone of higher intelligence is more likely to make better decisions, but voting based on that would go against majority rule. But wilderness survival has nothing to do with intelligence, I know plenty of people of low intelligence who could survive indefinitely were your smartest college professor wouldn't last a week.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I wouldn't say it has "nothing" to do with wilderness survival. Someone that usertands basics of physics is better able to construct a shelter, for instance. And yes, it would go against majority rule, that's why I said I know it would never happen.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I can see some truth behind that, but no matter how well you understand physics you could easily build a better shelter if you have training or prior experiance with wilderness survival.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Yes, but most smart people understand how to build a shelter, most dumb people haven't had survival training.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Youd be surprised how difficult it is to build a shelter. Your average person of above average intelligence probably could not build an effective one, or if they could it would be mediocre at best.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

You're right. But I think we're getting a little too involved in the metaphor. My point is that intelligent people are more capable of making good decisions and running a country than unintelligent people.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

yeah my thoughts as well. I agree completely, but that doesn't mean the opinions of the less intelligent are an less valuable than the intelligent. although the sheep of this country really could do with a lesson in politics.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Haha yes they could.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Understands*

by Anonymous 12 years ago

No. There was already an amirite homepaged previously about this topic. It's a horrible plan and constitutes that people who have higher intelligence matter more than people who don't.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

No, it doesn't. It constitutes that people with higher intelligence are able to run a country more effectively than stupid people.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

You said votes. You didn't say there had to be a certain limit of intelligence for politicians, so you're saying dumb people's opinions don't matuter as much. Everybody has a say in who runs the country, regardless of their intelligence.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

The opinions of idiots don't matter as much as the opinions of intelligent people. Because the intelligent people are usually right and the stupid people are wrong.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

That's messed up to say. Even the stupid people deserve to have the right to decide who runs their country. And the fact you don't agree is disheartening.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I do agree, of course they have the right to decide who runs the country. That doesn't mean that they will make a good choice. All I'm saying is that intelligent people are more likely to make a good decision.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I will agree with that. I dont agree with the part of your post that states that their votes won't have as much weight as those who are deemed more intelligent.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

That's why I said that I know that would never work. That just isn't how democracy works, I know that. My point is that a country would be better off if intelligent people made the important decisions.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

That kind of thinking is the reason things like racism and other discriminations exist. I guarantee people who are against homosexuality and people of other races think they are more intelligent even though they are not.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Define intelligence. Albert Einstein had a high IQ. So did Charles Manson.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

True, I didn't consider crazy people with high levels of intelligence.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Truthfully, I think that there are a lot of things you didn't consider. Like the fact that a high IQ doesn't guarantee good sense and a low IQ doesn't forbid it. Look, a lot of really "smart" people do really stupid things. You can't just make assumptions about a persons character or ability based on test scores because in reality those types of things rarely matter. That's why an idea like this could never work, you're only taking into account stereotypes of "smart" and "dumb" people.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

What do you mean by these things rarely matter in reality?

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I mean having good test scores doesn't mean you're automatically capable of making good decisions, or even if you are capable, it doesn't mean that you will choose to do so. Smart people can be selfish, cruel bastards just like anyone else. There's so much more than just textbook intelligence that determines a persons worth.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I'm not talking about people that get good grades in school and on tests. I mean people that have good thinking skills and high IQ's. Anyone can study math and science and be smart according to school standards.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Well that brings me back to my original question, which was how you define intelligence. I disagree with you though. I don't think having a high IQ and good thinking skills means that you won't be blinded by selfish motives or prejudices. There are just as many smart assholes in this world as there are stupid ones.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I'm not saying that the smart people would be saints. Newt Gingrich is smart, but he is a political snake.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

You do know that when we vote it doesn't truly count right? Even if every citizen in the country voted for one person there is still a possibility they would not win. There is a group of proffesional voters (i forget the name of the organization) that decides in the end, whether the country likes the outcome or not.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Electoral college?

by Anonymous 12 years ago