Yes; an unacceptably large portion of the American population ARE "stooopid"... just look at the Republican Party and observe who they voted for. Pathetic.
He didn't predict anything in this clip. He didn't guess or assume something. He just addressed the truth about the lack of real science being addressed in the news in our country. Something that has always been the case. But sure, Trump is the greatest president. That's what I'm hearing from you through ignorance.
Nah if you just researched you would know. Religion is still more mainstream then any other belief system. You can actually just look up what why and how someone got a Nobel prize. U my good sir are experiencing objective reality based on propaganda.
Sometimes when I think about how irrational the world is I get really depressed. Listening to people like Carl advocate for academia and knowledge makes me both happy and sad.
So true! I met a journalist from a major local newspaper and he was complaining he put in solar water heater in his house and the water was coming out too hot. I took a look at it and true, the water was very hot. I asked him: why is there no cold water faucet, so you can mix the hot and cold? With a solar heater the water is kept at a single temperature. To get warm water you have to mix the hot with cold water. Neither the Newspaper man nor his plumber thought of this. He did not know what I was talking about. Major newspaper, responsible to inform millions of people yet he did not have a clue about basic plumbing, nor concept of heat/water/solar, nor did his plumber! Wtf these people do all day at newsrooms? They are completely stoopid and ignorant of the physical world. Unbelievable!
@@danieljohnson2662do you understand rocket science or physics? it's unbelievably moronic to think someone is "stoopid" because they don't understand something outside of their field. no one is an expert in everything, clown.
I think many have become more stupid since Carl Sagan passed away in 1996 because Internet has made it much easier to spread anti-scientific disinformation.
Mainstream entertainment , not only has "dumbed down" the masses, but connected the masses to a widespread groupthink to the point that individuals who resist the dumbing down are considered bizarre outliers.
He's right, everyone is too busy with self gratification to care, and the media wants to get paid so astrology is about the reader not about someone else's accomplishments.
The journalists are too stupid to understand most basic science subjects, so they avoid it to report on things like astrology, sports, business, etc. Furthermore, the American public is likewise too stupid to understand and also would rather partake in more mundane topics. The American public has only grown exponentially more uneducated since Sagan’s time.
This is the plan. As the late George Carlin once said; the owners of America don't want smart ppl. This goes against their interests. They don't want a public smart enough to sit around the kitchen table and discuss how badly their being screwed over by the 1%.
Important to note, Sagan is not saying the American public is stupid. He’s saying that’s what the media thinks and implies when they gloss over or don’t show anything of substance scientifically.
I used to think he was born at least 100 years too early for people to understand him. Now I have finally come to the conclusion that he was born exactly when he was meant to be born. However, I have also learned that over 80% of the population wouldn't understand him, no matter when he emerged. We need more Carls for sure, but we need to fix that 80% first. That was on his top agenda anyway.
@@ruilopes00 Are we? 80% still can't even correctly explain why do we have seasons on our planet. Go ahead, ask some guys by a coffe machine in your office,
@funlover1977 you just proved to be among the many or few whom believe Americans (Sagan's words) or in your words 80% of people to be too stupid to understand when science is put before them. Have a rethink!
I remember when the Sky At Night used to come on the BBC Now, I can't even remember when it was last on! I don't even watch TV at all now Every single broadcast is braindead reality TV
When we do have quiz shows on UK television, it's sad how so many contestants struggle to answer even the most basic science questions. And as a Christian, I'm sitting there screaming out the answers🤣!
@@letsomethingshine good thing there are still community radio stations all over the country. There are also critical news programs and independent thinkers. Other than NPR. Additionally, people are free to listen to the BBC, Canadian broadcasting stations, and Deutsche Welle, etc..
The miracle of radio was given over to sell soap. The miracle of TV was given over to sell deodorant and toothpaste. The miracle of the internet is drowning in paid advertising.
Carl Sagan is truly one of the most natural, amazing people ever to exist. Listening to him brings a sort of intellectual comfort to me. It calms me down and makes me realize that there is more to life than what we see today.
This isn't a prediction though. It's an analysis of media at the time (it hasn't changed anyway). Noam Chomsky laid it out very clearly in "Manufacturing consent", using news stories from Sagan's time. I recommend giving it a read.
His life's work was an immeasurable gift to all of humanity. His unwavering efforts were to better us through deeper understanding. He was one of my greatest heros.
Carl Sagan was such a truthful, articulate communicator, and a tremendous scientist, what he said then, all those years ago, is sadly still true of today.
He wasn't predicting the future. He was identifying how things already were. These perverse incentives have existed for as long as the profit motive has been the driving force of society and economy.
I remember one of the episodes from The Newsroom, explaining that when the News Hour was created at the beginning of television, they didn't foresee what the power of advertisement would be and how it affects the quality vs. ratings ratio in the News shows. Something that was supposed to be an hour to provide public service as part of the requirements for a permit to utilize a broadcasting frequency, became just another show competing for ratings.
And after he died, we are still going worsening with less science promotion and more of distractive subjects. People nowadays can't read a single paragraph of a good book or a useful article. There is a new culture. I call it the microwave concept. Which is also called "the instant gratification". No time for a profound thinking and research. He said it himself: "short term advantage for the Network ( for people), and long term disaster for the country". I am afraid it will get even worse with the introduction of Ai. No more thinking or researching for yourself. Let Ai do it faster and now.
This is also why religion is so popular. Science needs proof for questions, including ones like “Why are we here?” or “Is there an afterlife?” Religion gives simple, warm and fuzzy answers that people like and since they actually have an answer, regardless of 0 evidence, then lots of people will choose religion over science.
The man would be horrified but not surprised by the fact that absurdities and misinformation had become a dominant aspect of shaping public and political opinion. He would not be surprised to see that the proclivity for misinformation is strongest in those who always had their thinking warped by religion, but the extent and degree by which ideas in people‘s mind have become detached from reality.
I think Sagan would be absolutely astounded and ecstatic to see the sheer amount of vast knowledge we can get within seconds at our fingertips in todays age. However, he'd be disgusted at how many people lack the ability or will to seek such knowledge, or seek misinformation to spread
This man was so ahead of his time he's still relevant today! Another clear concise educated view that's not just as true as it read then, but even truer when the confirmation of his hypothesis is confirmed daily! Thank you Mr Sagan
I am brittish English. When I was in my teens, Carl Sagan's cosmos tv series was shown here on BBC. The Physics Teachers at my school then instructed us to watch the series as our lessons were actually covering a lot of what Carl Sagan was saying in Cosmos. He was an awesome man, who had so much passion for Science specially in the field of Physics and Astro Physics
Politicians, where is the legally enforced science and engineering time and space in the media? Some countries have rules to include science and engineering, like China. China is outcompetiting everyone on development, results, manufacturing. China is only 3 years behind Intel in CPUs. They've hired the top people from TSMC. We need science and engineering to be awarded, praised, interestingly covered and reported on.
When the Top Priority is Always a short-term Money gain, Nothing will Ever Change. Mindset Adjusting is the Key, it is Very Hard to do but we gotta start Now & change it a little by little every single day. Thats the Only Hope.
