Editing 603: Idiocracy
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | The title of this comic is a reference to the dystopian comedy | + | The title of this comic is a reference to the dystopian comedy "{{w|Idiocracy}}". The film postulates that in about 500 years, society will suffer from a massive decrease in intellectual potential. This development is attributed to the fact that people with a lower IQ are believed to be more fertile and thus better able to pass on their genes. The scientifical approach towards a negative correlation between intelligence and fertility is called {{w|dysgenics|intelligence dysgenics}}. |
− | + | In the comic, Cueball professes his approval for the theories represented in the film. [[White Hat]] agrees with him at first, lamenting the menacing decay in intelligence and education. | |
− | + | It is the revealed however, that White Hat does not at all assent to the dysgenic thesis. Instead, he denies any basis for such assumptions. He then accuses Cueball of a quasi religious conceitedness. He states that, through all times, self-professed moralists condemning societal decay were in fact more harmful to society than decay itself. | |
− | + | Cueball tries to reason that a {{w|birth control programme}} would be the solution, but he is cut short by White Hat, who leaves with the remark that reproducing with a stupid person is absolutely preferable to reproducing with a stupid and conceited person like Cueball. | |
− | + | Cueballs suggestion of birth control might perhaps indeed indicate that he is considering himself superior to others, while not seeing his own deficiencies. The comic therefore links the phenomenon of radical moralism to the {{w|Dunning-Kruger effect}}. | |
− | The title text | + | The thesis that there is in fact no such thing as societal decline can also be found in the title text. It is suggested there that both human capabilities and defects will remain the same, while technology progresses. However, a rather gloomy outlook is given with regard to climate change. |
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==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
− | :[Cueball | + | :[Cueball looking at a DVD cover. Guy with a white Hat standing next to him.] |
− | :Cueball: | + | :Cueball: Idiocracy is so true. |
− | : | + | :White Hat: I know, right? It used to be that the intelligent, upper classes had more children. |
− | : | + | :White Hat: Sadly, the recent reversal of this trend has dragged IQ scores and average education steadily downward. |
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:Cueball: Depressing, huh? | :Cueball: Depressing, huh? | ||
− | : | + | :White Hat: Yeah, except everything I just said was wrong. |
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:Cueball: Huh? | :Cueball: Huh? | ||
− | : | + | :White Hat: Wrong. False. The opposite of true. |
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− | : | + | :White Hat: Your'e like the religious zealots who are burdened by their superiority with the sad duty of decrying the obvious moral decay of each new generation. |
− | :Cueball: | + | :White Hat: And you're just as wrong. |
− | : | + | :Cueball: But look at how popular-- |
+ | :White Hat: More harm has been done by people panicked over societal decline than societal decline ever did. | ||
− | + | :Cueball: Look -- all we need is a program that limits breeding to-- | |
− | + | :[White Hat is walking off panel.] | |
+ | :White Hat: New theory: Stupid people reproduce more because the alternative is sleeping with you. | ||
{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} | ||
− | + | [[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]] | |
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]] | [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]] | ||
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[[Category:Biology]] | [[Category:Biology]] | ||
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