The Decline of Common Sense

[RobW]

Does anyone have an explanation, why common sense declines and insanity increases so rapidly even on a daily basis? Even amongst so called "highly educated" people?

Was it that easy for the public "schools" and Hollyweird?

The few remaining people with common sense, honesty, values, and morals MUST be aliens from outer space.

 

[bastiat]

Feelings: Easy.
Thinking: Hard.
Laziness is the answer.

 

[Russ]

I think it's always been pretty much the same. People haven't changed that much. We just hear about some of the wierd stuff more with the proliferation of media.

 

[Greg L]

Also with the seeming insistance that everyone walk around in a bubble suit wearing a helmet it has drastically reduced the herd thinning that used to occur when common sense wasn't applied. These days you really have to work at hurting yourself.

Greg

 

[Mike in VA]

The Death of Common Sense

FErget where I found this or the author, but seems germaine -

Today we mourn the passing of an old friend, by the name of Common Sense.

Common Sense lived a long life but died in the United States from heart failure on the brink of the new millennium.

No one really knows how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He selflessly devoted his life to service in schools, hospitals, homes, factories helping folks get jobs done without fanfare and foolishness.

For decades, petty rules, silly laws, and frivolous lawsuits held no power over Common Sense. He was credited with cultivating such valued lessons as to know when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm, and that life isn't always fair.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you earn), and reliable parenting strategies (the adults are in charge, not the kids).

A veteran of the Industrial Revolution, the Great Depression, and the Technological Revolution, Common Sense survived cultural and educational trends including body piercing, whole language, and "new math." But his health declined when he became infected with the new modern day, "If-it-only-helps-one-person-it's-worth-it" virus.

In recent decades his waning strength proved no match for the ravages of well intentioned but overbearing regulations. He watched in pain as good people became ruled by self-seeking lawyers. His health rapidly deteriorated when schools endlessly implemented zero-tolerance policies.

Reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate, a teen suspended for taking a swig of mouthwash after lunch, and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student only worsened his condition.

Finally, Common Sense lost his will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband, churches became businesses, criminals received better treatment than victims, and federal judges stuck their noses in everything from the Boy Scouts to professional sports.

Finally, when a woman, failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot, was awarded a huge settlement, Common Sense threw in the towel.

As the end neared, Common Sense drifted in and out of logic but was kept informed of developments regarding questionable regulations such as those for low flow toilets, rocking chairs, and stepladders.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason

 

[bullet44]

I think it's always been pretty much the same. People haven't changed that much.



Sorry, but people are different , as a senior
I have seen the change and it's not pretty.!!!

 

[Pendragon]

The very term "Common Sense" is under attack - "gun control" is hardly ever mentioned unless preceded by "common sense".

I submit that common sense is alive and well.

However, I think what most people mean, I would call "good sense". That fact that a given sensibility is held by a large enough section of the population to call it common, does not magically imbue that "sense" with any measure of goodness or appropriateness or usefulness.

One thing I find interesting - the left likes to talk about "diversity". Interesting word. I have no problem with people of any particular culture, however I do not think variety is as inherently valuable as the left likes to assert. I think people should be judged by the content of their character and the nature of their accomplishments, not by the fact that they add an exotic flavor to the office.

By focusing on diversity, we are essentially told to stop looking at character and ability and competency. Implicit in the decree is the ridiculous notion that "all cultures are equally valuable" from which we are supposed to glean "all ideas about how something should be done" are equally valuable.

This is actually a perversion of the very American notion that "all men are created equal". Certainly we are not equally intelligent, equally strong, equally healthy or equally wealthy. However, we are all equally deserving of liberty and of equal protection under the law that is, until we make ourselves unequal by becoming violent or by attacking the rights of others. We all deserve equal consideration until such time as accomplishment, ability and other qualifications demand that we discriminate against those who are less qualified.

This enrages the left who misconstrue equality of opportunity as equality of outcome and seek to attack the very fabric of reality in a futile attempt to equalize outcomes.

"Common Sense" is a code word used to lend credibility and a sense of normalcy to ideas that cannot withstand the scrutiny of those with "good sense".

The left always judges these ideas, not by the effect they have on reality (reality is always an uncomfortable topic with them) - rather, these ideas are judged by their intended effect.

As long as the law is passed with the intent of making us safer, or keeping kids off drugs, or guns off the street, then it is a good law. Should someone dare question the effectiveness of their project or policy, the mantra goes out "Common Sense" this, "Common Sense" that. Their opposition is never opposed to their political philosophy - no - the opposition is opposed to "Common Sense ideas about Social Security or taxes".

If you took a poll of the American people, I believe that you could get between 95% and 100% of the population to come out as being "in favor of good things" and also "opposed to bad things". The sum of our disagreements have to do with defining what is "good" and what is "bad". Most people understand this on an intuitively.

This is why there is no such thing as "Common Sense". There is no agreement in what makes good policy and what makes good law. The term is used to berate those who disagree with leftist ideology as unreasonable, unthinking and uncooperative.

 

[MeekAndMild]

Common Sense is alive and well but few people read it any more.

 

[BigG]

their intended effect.

Road to hell paved w/ good intentions. Thought that was common sense.

 

[Mike in VA]

Good post Pendragon. The thing that honks me off is that 'diversity' (as it occurs in nature) is a done deal. The Left's goal of social diversity, OTOH, is a crock. As you pointed out, if all cultures are 'equally deserving' then we must also embrace the excesses of Nazi Germany, Stalinist Communism and allthe other foul, hateful, corrosive crap that continues to palugue humanity (radical/ wahabi Islam, most recently).

BS:barf:

But I do enjoy whining "That you're not respecting [celebrating?] MY diversity!" when I hear some anti-SD weenie railing against the 'gun culture' The result can be priceless

 

[tc556guy]

There is no such thing as "common sense". "Common sense" literally measn that something is believed which is "common" to all. Society is too vast for anything to be a commonly held belief now.

I understand what you MEAN by "common sense"....as something which should be patently obvious and understood or practiced by the majority of people. I just don't believe that there really is, or actually has been, such a thing . It's nothing more than a false social construct which we all interpret in our own way.

 

[Yowza]

tcsd1236

I don't know that I'd agree with you about there being no such thing as common sense. Common sense has nothing to do with beliefs, it has to do with reason and logic. It is not subjective. You can believe anything you want, but you can't change the laws of physics or the nature of humanity just by believing something that goes contrary to reality. Beliefs and social policy should be based on common sense, not the other way around.

Rick

 

[Pendragon]

Beliefs and social policy should be based on common sense, not the other way around.

Wow

So - who defines "common sense"? The Brady Bunch will tell you that "common sense" dictates that people should not carry weapons because more people could be shot.
Others would say that, no, "common sense" tells us that criminals will be more aprehensive about attacking people if they are afraid they may be shot.

Common sense says we should all drive smaller vehicles because SUVs pollute, and the pollution damages the ozone layer and more people will die of skin cancer and the environment will be damaged.
Others will say that lighter, more efficient cars will make more people die in car accidents and that the exotic materials used to make cars lighter will take more energy and also release more pollution into the environment.

Common sense tells us that nuclear weapons are an accident waiting to happen and that as long as we have nukes, other countries will feel the need to have them too.
Others will say that we need nukes to act as a deterrent to other countries and that giving them up will actually make the world less safe.

Common sense tells us that those who make more money are more able to pay taxes and should carry a disproportionate tax burden compared to those who make less.
Others will say that taxing wealth is counter productive and that wealth should be encouraged so that more people create business and jobs which, in turn, generates more tax revenue.

On and on and on and on.

People look at the world through their own value system - it is unavoidable. The problem is that many people are so unintuitive that they do not realize that their value system may not be shared by others and that they may not be factoring in "unintended consequences" when they make policy. They just assume that because something makes sense to them, that it is "common sense".

Even the founders made this mistake:

"We hold these truths to be self evident..."

Well guess what?

To a lot of stupid people, the ideas of liberty and freedom are anything but self evident.

I am very suspicious of anyone who uses the term "common sense" in the political arena - it simply does not exist and the term is used to avoid having to justify stupid ideas.

 

[bullet44]

it simply does not exist and the term is used to avoid having to justify stupid ideas."

It don't exist if you dont know what it is.
I guess like a tree falling in a forest with
no one to hear it.

Common sense for me means, manners,
respect, kindness, etc, much of this does
not exist in modern society. Call it anything
you want but it is dying.
I "think" the original post was speaking of
this not word games.

 

[Rickmeister]

"Nothing ever changes, but the cast and the setting," to paraphrase what has been said so many times since Parmenides in the 6th century B.C.

But how do you define "Common Sense". As that which is common? Or that which is correct?

Define "correct".

I remember a time when a guy with long hair and earrings was called a faggot. Today, he's "hip". Who's right and who's wrong?

And those of us who never had a "feminine side" didn't care to get in touch with it. Yet nowadays your yin and your yang have to find their "balance", or else you'll get all out of whack. :barf: :barf: :barf:

Of course, you might argue that Blackbeard the pirate, with his long tousles and gold earrings, was very much a man of his time. But that shouldn't be cause for any confusion. We KNOW he was right.

Or do we?

 

[Pendragon]

As a former long hair

Long hair is not about being in touch with your feminine side.

I suppose it could be - if you primped it all up with hairspray, etc.

I had plenty of arguments with my youth pastor who knew better - I just told him that I disagreed with the Apostle Paul - I do not think that nature teaches that a man should not have long hair.

Male Lions have manes, male birds are more brightly colored, bulls have horns, etc.

I think its a more romantic look - but in a manly way - look at all the swashbuckling/barbarian/medival/pirate movies - buffed dudes with long hair. Look at the covers of romance novels for women - lots a buffed dudes with long hair.

In my experience - some women love it, some hate it and lots of guys who say they hate it actually hate it, but a lot of them are too chicken to grow it out themselves and are jealous.

On a side note - to keep it on topic, I changed my appearance when I got into guns - partly because I wanted a better job, partly because I wanted the cops to never give me a second look...

edit: oh, the best part was that it tweaked the overly square people that I knew - but I was a good kid so they had to resolve "how come a good kid has long hair and wearls leather jackets?" That part was fun.

 

[tyme]

"Common sense" suggests that you comply if a terrorist takes two children as hostages and threatens to kill them both unless you kill one of your children (presuming a suitably reliable procedure could be worked out so that the hostages would be guaranteed safe if your child dies), right?

 

[40ozflatfoot]

Sorry, but people are different , as a senior I have seen the change and it's not pretty.!!!

As junior senior, I've seen ugly changes in people, too. In better days, days gone by, this thread would never have been posted.

Common sense for me means, manners, respect, kindness, etc, much of this does not exist in modern society. Call it anything you want but it is dying.

Agreed. WADR, bullet44, I'd like to add one more item to your list: charity. Just one more characteristic of civilized, decent people distorted beyond recognition.

Another casualty of self-esteem.