Idiocracy 1

[Steezie]

Ok, I was watching the movie Idiocracy (which is not a great movie, but it has a good message) and it spawned a pair of posts.

This is annother situational.

Say you're hard up for cash one day and someone offers you a load of money to take part in an experiment. You'll be cryogenically frozen for a year then woken up. You say yes, climb in the tank, and go to sleep. The funding for the research gets pulled and the project is forgotten. The building that houses your tank gets knocked down to make way for a gas station and your tank is in-advertantly burried.

Fast-foreward to the year 2507. An earthquake dislodges your tank and subsequently releases you from it. You stand up and look around, the world looks much different.

In 500 years, things have gone down-hill. Intelligence across the country has dropped dramatically. The highest IQ level in the country is 70, currently held by the president. There is advanced technology, but anything that cant be maintained or used by someone with a kindergarten education is either broken or mis-used. The entire society is geared towards the lowest common denominator.

The top grossing movie in the country is a movie that shows nothing but 90 minnutes of someone butt and nothing else. Dysgenics has favored the stupid and the society has molded to reflect that. Farming has become too complicated so it isnt done and as a result, dust storms plauge the country. People rely on food made purely from chemicals with added flavorings. Corporations own or run EVERYTHING and there are zero governmental controls on the economy (Which is in the toilet).

Everything has been simplified so as to bore a first grader. The societal approach to a problem is either "have sex with it", "hit it", or "blow it up" and generally in that order. A severe anti-intellectual atitude is wide-spread, with the general school-yard insults hurled at anyone that can read beyond a first grade level. Concepts of religion, science, mathematics (Any math is done automatically by automatic calculators), literature, art, discovery, and immagination has gone out the window. People are simply too dumb to get it.

As you walk the streets, you are arrested for not having a citizen ID card. Taken to the police station, you are given an IQ test as part of becomming a citizen and getting your ID card. The IQ test would leave a 3rd grader wanting to claw thier eyes out with a pencil from sheer boredom and you easily test well above the highest score in history, making you the smartest person in the country. The president contacts you and brings you to the White House (Or the Wite Howss as it's currently known). He says that since you are the smartest person in the country, you should be president and he turns his office over to you.

You are now president of a country full of people who can barely read or write. The rest of the world is just as bad off as you are. So what do you do to start turning things around?

 

[Steezie]

NOBODDY has anything to say? I find that hard to believe

 

[Mling]

Absolute complete honesty

first: I try to do everything I can to improve the situation.
Too many problems, too widespread, too far gone.
Second: I get frustrated and throw some sort of tantrum.
Third: repeat first.
Fourth: repeat second.
repeat ad nauseum until:
last: I give up. Depending on how frustrated I get, giving up will probably take one of two forms. I either
A): Fling a bunch of prol-feed at them and explore my own interests in the meantime, or
B): Decide that I've got a world full of easily manipulatable slaves at my disposal. Coooool. (Would require severe frustration.)

 

[quatona]

You are now president of a country full of people who can barely read or write. The rest of the world is just as bad off as you are. So what do you do to start turning things around?

Teach them read and write - if they want to.

 

[ScMay]

Try and get as much remaining knowledge about genetics, evolution, genetic modification and IVF as possible. If sufficient technology has survived use it to artificially increase the populations intelligence, otherwise institute MASSIVE economic incentives for the remaining 'smart' people (i.e. the president, you and anyone close) to have children or for people to have children with those smart people, this could make use of artificial insemination to ensure that as many children as possible are born from these 'smarties' (This program would use my own DNA EXTENSIVELY).

If the social and economic situation concerning these people were to much to rectify with this program in the time I am alive then it may be necessary to isolate as many intelligent people from the rest of the worlds population (i.e. use warfare to force out people from an area that can be defended and isolated from the rest of the world) and try to build a culture and technology base there that will encourage further evolution of intelligence. This group would then hopefully expand once their numbers, intelligence and technology was sufficient to overcome the Homo stupidus' beyond their sanctuary/fortress.

How do I justify this, these people and more importantly their ancestors are stuffed if I don't. So they can either be treated harshly and forced into this and have ancestors that survive and do something worthwhile or they can die out or 'evolve' back into just an ordinary animal/ape. Besides in my solution I get to spread my genes extensively and have fun doing it. ;P

 

[RealSorceror]

I become a god. Like Ra or somebody, and wear a sweet helmet. Then I attempt to educate everyone to at least a 1st grade level, and horde all the "smartest" people around me.
Like ScMay said, I'd isolate myself and anyone intelligent from the rest of society.
I've seen the movie as well. The Costco scene was hilarious.

 

[HouseApe]

Simple. I would make a list of the most pressing problems in the country. In order to solve the problems I would first attempt to have sex with the list. If that didn't work, I would try and hit it. Finally, and obviously, if the first 2 options failed, I would blow the list up.

 

[WalkingforHim]

Genocide.

 

[sbvera13]

The only real option is to institute a socialist dictatorship. Through force, economics, or whatever political means available, first you must see that people's basic material needs are met. The economy should be stabilized at the same time (not an economist, heck if I know how I'd do that ). Once that's done, you will have the chance to begin gradual reforms. Given the lack of mental capacity of the general population, you would be unable to complete them in your lifetime but should instead set up a system that will somehow continue working after your death. I suspect a top down approach would be the best option, rewarding the smartest and most capable and putting them in positions of public education. In order to safeguard the system you create, you must also put some kind of checks into government to prevent a future dictator from usurping your work.

 

[WalkingforHim]

I would just clone myself. Problem solved.

 

[levi501]

score with a bunch of hot dumb chicks.

 

[Futuwwa]

Convert them to Islam, and declare myself Caliph.

 

[Steezie]

For those of you who said you'd use your genetic material to create a new breed of smarter people, how do you plan to account for genetic abnormalities and genetic diseases?

Convert them to Islam, and declare myself Caliph.

Keep in mind that most people are too dumb to grasp the idea of religion.

 

[Futuwwa]

Well, of course, it wouldn't happen overnight. I'd have to make it simple at first, then build on to it... the smartest ones would get to be my disciples, who'd get positions of spiritual as well as temporal power in a hierarchy with me at the top.

 

[RealSorceror]

I would just clone myself. Problem solved.

All your clones would be babies. They'd be you, but 23 years younger.

 

[quatona]

I guess, I´d first tell them the story about the one-eyed who is king amongst the blind.