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>outcomes we collectively agree upon. lol, what are the chances? The average Joe is interested in Dem vs Rep or what the latest show on Netflix. The average

>outcomes we collectively agree upon. lol, what are the chances? The average Joe is interested in Dem vs Rep or what the latest show on Netflix. The average researcher is worried about his livelihood, tenure etc.

mensetmanusman 2y ago
Average Joe does not care about politics…
- bboygravity 2y ago
  If one only cares about democrats vs dems (or left vs "far right" in Europe) one also doesn't REALLY care about politics. Caring = caring to understand how the system works and how the incentives work for participants in it. If I'm super generous I would guess maybe 0,1 percent of the population cares by that definition.
  - jfengel 2y ago
    I think you're a little too harsh in that judgement. I'd say it's at least 1%. Possibly even 5%. It still means that they are massively, massively outweighed by loud tribalism.
  - tim333 2y ago
    There's a problem that if you care, as an average person, it's hard to do much with it. Every few years you can vote left or right, which unless you happen to live in a marginal constituency or swing state, has no effect.
    - nobody9999 2y ago
      >Every few years you can vote left or right, If you're talking about the US, you can vote center-right (Democratic) or far right (Republican). There is no viable left wing party in the US.
      - rsa4046 2y ago
        This can't be said often enough. We have two right wing parties in the US. That's it.
      - Wyoming23 2y ago
        These posts are tiresome. They all boil down to "my view should be the middle". You could just as well claim the Democrats are far left and the republicans center left.
        kbelder 2y ago
        This is often done by contrasting the US with Europe, as if Europe is a political gold standard.
        rixed 2y ago
        The political "spectrum" is not a range of subjective opinions, it's a range of objectively documented ideas. I don't know how well they can fit in a unidimensional scale though.
        nobody9999 2y ago
        >These posts are tiresome. They all boil down to "my view should be the middle". I don't claim that my views are, or should be, "the middle". In fact, I didn't share my views at all. Rather, I contrasted the US Republican Party with the US Democratic Party through the lens of the political spectrum. Perhaps you think your views are "middle-of-the-road" and maybe they are. I have no idea what you think or believe. But making the claim you did added absolutely nothing to the discussion, nor did it address anything I wrote. And more's the pity.
      - I_am_uncreative 2y ago
        From whose perspective and what are we considering right and left? The Democratic party is left of center on social issues, even compared to Europe.
        immibis 2y ago
mmooss 2y ago
We do achieve some things, though usually not by spending time pondering questions like, > lol, what are the chances?
mym1990 2y ago
This is a weird take, assuming the average researcher cannot be an average Joe, and also that average people aren't also worried about their livelihood...you might want to revisit your view of the world.
- talideon 2y ago
  No, it's not. A researcher might an average Joe, but that doesn't mean that the average researcher is the same as the average Joe.
  - mym1990 2y ago
    The initial comment makes the 2 mutually exclusive. You reframing it doesn't change what the original comment said. You also blew past the more important of the 2 points: that regular people care about their livelihoods as well.
acchow 2y ago
“Average joe”. Humanity evolves slowly over long periods. The average joe today is far more educated than one from 200 years ago.
- jfengel 2y ago
  Far more educated. But certainly not smarter. And it's not at all clear if that education does anything other than magnify their intellectual predispositions. The smart people can make great strides, but the stupid will be stupid louder and harder. And the average may well just be... more average.
  - ipaddr 2y ago
    IQ levels has risen on average because of nutrients, not using lead and education. An increase in blood lead from 10 to 20 micrograms/dl was associated with a decrease of 2.6 IQ
    - worik 2y ago
      > Q levels has risen on average because of... ...nobody really knows why
    - jfengel 2y ago
      Risen by a few points. Statistically significant but not really meaningful.
    - miramba 2y ago
      …and to still believe that IQ levels measure something meaningful is pretty average Joe anyway. Could be the rise of videogames for all we know.
    - daymanstep 2y ago
      IQ score rises (Flynn effect) are most likely spurious and do not reflect any increase in actual on-the-spot problem-solving ability. IQ scores were never intended to be used to compare across cohorts. To do so is invalid.

mensetmanusman 2y ago

Average Joe does not care about politics…

bboygravity 2y ago
If one only cares about democrats vs dems (or left vs "far right" in Europe) one also doesn't REALLY care about politics. Caring = caring to understand how the system works and how the incentives work for participants in it. If I'm super generous I would guess maybe 0,1 percent of the population cares by that definition.
- jfengel 2y ago
  I think you're a little too harsh in that judgement. I'd say it's at least 1%. Possibly even 5%. It still means that they are massively, massively outweighed by loud tribalism.
- tim333 2y ago
  There's a problem that if you care, as an average person, it's hard to do much with it. Every few years you can vote left or right, which unless you happen to live in a marginal constituency or swing state, has no effect.
  - nobody9999 2y ago
    >Every few years you can vote left or right, If you're talking about the US, you can vote center-right (Democratic) or far right (Republican). There is no viable left wing party in the US.
    - rsa4046 2y ago
      This can't be said often enough. We have two right wing parties in the US. That's it.
    - Wyoming23 2y ago
      These posts are tiresome. They all boil down to "my view should be the middle". You could just as well claim the Democrats are far left and the republicans center left.
      - kbelder 2y ago
        This is often done by contrasting the US with Europe, as if Europe is a political gold standard.
      - rixed 2y ago
        The political "spectrum" is not a range of subjective opinions, it's a range of objectively documented ideas. I don't know how well they can fit in a unidimensional scale though.
      - nobody9999 2y ago
        >These posts are tiresome. They all boil down to "my view should be the middle". I don't claim that my views are, or should be, "the middle". In fact, I didn't share my views at all. Rather, I contrasted the US Republican Party with the US Democratic Party through the lens of the political spectrum. Perhaps you think your views are "middle-of-the-road" and maybe they are. I have no idea what you think or believe. But making the claim you did added absolutely nothing to the discussion, nor did it address anything I wrote. And more's the pity.
    - I_am_uncreative 2y ago
      From whose perspective and what are we considering right and left? The Democratic party is left of center on social issues, even compared to Europe.
      - immibis 2y ago

mmooss 2y ago

We do achieve some things, though usually not by spending time pondering questions like, > lol, what are the chances?

mym1990 2y ago

This is a weird take, assuming the average researcher cannot be an average Joe, and also that average people aren't also worried about their livelihood...you might want to revisit your view of the world.

talideon 2y ago
No, it's not. A researcher might an average Joe, but that doesn't mean that the average researcher is the same as the average Joe.
- mym1990 2y ago
  The initial comment makes the 2 mutually exclusive. You reframing it doesn't change what the original comment said. You also blew past the more important of the 2 points: that regular people care about their livelihoods as well.

acchow 2y ago

“Average joe”. Humanity evolves slowly over long periods. The average joe today is far more educated than one from 200 years ago.

jfengel 2y ago
Far more educated. But certainly not smarter. And it's not at all clear if that education does anything other than magnify their intellectual predispositions. The smart people can make great strides, but the stupid will be stupid louder and harder. And the average may well just be... more average.
- ipaddr 2y ago
  IQ levels has risen on average because of nutrients, not using lead and education. An increase in blood lead from 10 to 20 micrograms/dl was associated with a decrease of 2.6 IQ
  - worik 2y ago
    > Q levels has risen on average because of... ...nobody really knows why
  - jfengel 2y ago
    Risen by a few points. Statistically significant but not really meaningful.
  - miramba 2y ago
    …and to still believe that IQ levels measure something meaningful is pretty average Joe anyway. Could be the rise of videogames for all we know.
  - daymanstep 2y ago
    IQ score rises (Flynn effect) are most likely spurious and do not reflect any increase in actual on-the-spot problem-solving ability. IQ scores were never intended to be used to compare across cohorts. To do so is invalid.