Is Common Sense actually common??

[Rice]

It is my personal belief that: Common Sense is a mystic human quality that only a small percentage of people actually possess...

If was as common as the saying goes, why do so many people do stupid things??

[TomServo]

depends on your vision of "Common Sense". I vote Democrat, but hate the term "assault weapon", so it really depends on you politics.

[Rice]

depends on your vision of "Common Sense". I vote Democrat, but hate the term "assault weapon", so it really depends on you politics.

Not everyone on this board is a citizen of the United States of America.. And there is already a thread or two discussing the "gun issue". - I am happy to have discussions on all kinds of subjects relating to the USA, gun laws, health care, citizenship, whatever... A Canadian perspective couldn't hurt

An assault weapon could be a stick. (if it is used to assault someone)

I was kinda thinking along the lines of "don't light a match if you are trying to figure out where the propane leaking from" type of common sense ...

[Sunbeam56]

I'm a lumper, not a splitter, but i think that the concept needs to be clearer.
There's the "Duh !" Kind of common sense.... Like dont jump off a cliff.
And there is the "What's wrong with this picture ?" kind... Like dancing around a bonfire in grass skirts.

And obviously there are extraordinary reasons to ignore both. Like hang gliding, and March Madness.

[H.G.Crosby]

i prefer Uncommon Sense.


but then again, i am a horrible elitist...

[illy dilly]

In some early college Formal English writing class the teacher went on and on about siting sources, and what is considered Common Sense, Public Domain, Common Knowledge, and Expert Source.
One thing he said that really stuck with me is that Public Domain and Common Knowledge/Sense is all relative to the Audience the writing is for.
This also applies to just about everything, which I constantly forget.
An example he used is that in the western world it is Common Knowledge that the Earth Circles the Sun, but to Amazonian tribes who still hunt and gather common knowledge is that the Sun Rises and Sets.

Though, to a certain extent, fuck that! Cause I don't know about everyone else, but I sure don't talk to a lot of Amazonian tribes men!

But here is my first entry into the Appendix of Common Sense:
When leaving the dog park, look at the bottom of your shoes to make sure you didn't step any in any shit.

[Roark]

Sight. Smell. Sound. Taste. Touch.

If there are any other senses common I havent found them.

Oh wait. Bacon and beer. So there are seven.

[robsmiley]

It is my personal belief that: Common Sense is a mystic human quality that only a small percentage of people actually possess...

If was as common as the saying goes, why do so many people do stupid things??

I would say that common sense is much more common in hindsight than it is in foresight So I'd say that life consists, for all of us, in a truckload of stupid idiotic mistakes, it's just that the guy with common sense actually decides to learn from them somewhere along the line

I am not that guy, incidentally, trust me

[jkisha]

No.

[Elliot]

... "don't light a match if you are trying to figure out where the propane leaking from" type of common sense ...

In my 61 years I have actually seen people do this sort of thing. And seen them leave in an ambulance. (Of course, I have taken that ambulance ride myself also, after falling off a ladder. )

I feel we are going backwards in this regard, with less and less early education in basics like physics, mechanics, and chemistry, as such disciplines apply in everyday life. Heck, I was taught in grade school how to avoid such hazards as flammable gases with open flame -- AND WHY, so I could extrapolate as I encountered new hazards. I think of it as the skill of anticipating, which requires knowledge.

Of course, intelligence is part of it, and it seems to me that humanity is currently down-breeding itself. We have eliminated most of the natural forces that killed off people before they could breed, and now the least educated people are churning out most of the population. (I need only look around me here in the "white trash" town where I live.)

Yeah, I'm a doomsayer by nature, but maybe we can turn this tide around if we admit the facts and make deliberate efforts.
I'm currently mentoring two high school seniors in their Senior Projects, and although these kids are very bright, I see big gaps in their basic knowledge of how-things-work. So I pour it on, and they soak it up like thirsty sponges. It isn't much, but I believe all of us can contribute in the right direction.

[trilobyte]

I don't think of common sense as being something that everybody knows and is in full possession of at all times, but something that makes sense if you think about it for a second, using common knowledge. You don't need to be a specialist to figure it out. It only really ever gets pointed out when people are in a panic or don't take that extra second to think about it (ie lighting a match to see what the source of the propane leak might be).

[BBadger]

Maybe common sense is an endangered species because of artificial safeguards that prevent those without it from naturally dying off.

[Elliot]

I hear two echos in here.

In trucking, when drivers did something expensive that was entirely avoidable, I called it "failure to put brain in gear before starting engine."

[ygmir]

I'd say common sense, as seen in a person, is something you know yourself, or agree with.

and I've checked many propane fittings with lighters, as long as it's not in an enclosed space, I think it works better than soap.

[FIGJAM]

I am completely unencubered by the though process!

[TT120]

The main reason people don't seem to have any common sense is because as a society, we have strived to protect people against any danger. We are not teaching people to watch what they're doing, we're teaching them that it's some one elses responsibility to keep us from hurting ourselves.

If somebody steps in a pothole and breaks their ankle, they're instantly advised to sue the city, state, and anyone else they can think of because the city, state, and anyone else didn't either fix the pothole or put a fence around it. We're not teaching people to watch the fuck out for that pothole!

There is no personal responsibility so there is no need to be careful because somebody else will take care of it. And if they dont, well then, sue them and get the big payday.

[Sunbeam56]

You aint got a clue.

[maryanimal]

If somebody steps in a pothole and breaks their ankle, they're instantly advised to sue the city, state, and anyone else they can think of because the city, state, and anyone else didn't either fix the pothole or put a fence around it. We're not teaching people to watch the fuck out for that pothole!

There is no personal responsibility so there is no need to be careful because somebody else will take care of it. And if they dont, well then, sue them and get the big payday.

I did that!! I have some common sense, but I didn't see the pothole. It was dark in unfamiliar surroundings. Common sense is a learned trait. A lot of parents these days don't teach their kids common sense. They either coddle and over-protect their children, or
let their kids raise themselves.

[Sunbeam56]

And a lot of people fall into potholes that have no real reason for being there.

[Savannah]

Yeah, I'm a doomsayer by nature, but maybe we can turn this tide around if we admit the facts and make deliberate efforts.

I'm currently mentoring two high school seniors in their Senior Projects, and although these kids are very bright, I see big gaps in their basic knowledge of how-things-work. So I pour it on, and they soak it up like thirsty sponges. It isn't much, but I believe all of us can contribute in the right direction.

Thank you (to use a cliché) for being part of the solution, Elliot. That is absolutely wonderful.

[ygmir]

The main reason people don't seem to have any common sense is because as a society, we have strived to protect people against any danger. We are not teaching people to watch what they're doing, we're teaching them that it's some one elses responsibility to keep us from hurting ourselves.

If somebody steps in a pothole and breaks their ankle, they're instantly advised to sue the city, state, and anyone else they can think of because the city, state, and anyone else didn't either fix the pothole or put a fence around it. We're not teaching people to watch the fuck out for that pothole!

There is no personal responsibility so there is no need to be careful because somebody else will take care of it. And if they dont, well then, sue them and get the big payday.

well put.

[goathead]

Yeah, I'm a doomsayer by nature, but maybe we can turn this tide around if we admit the facts and make deliberate efforts.

I'm currently mentoring two high school seniors in their Senior Projects, and although these kids are very bright, I see big gaps in their basic knowledge of how-things-work. So I pour it on, and they soak it up like thirsty sponges. It isn't much, but I believe all of us can contribute in the right direction.

Thank you (to use a cliché) for being part of the solution, Elliot. That is absolutely wonderful.

I see this a lot in my FNG's, makes me wonder if they even teach any basic science in schools at all, or computor skills.
But then I am sure the wonder about my english and spelling skills.

[TomServo]

depends on your vision of "Common Sense". I vote Democrat, but hate the term "assault weapon", so it really depends on you politics.

Not everyone on this board is a citizen of the United States of America.. And there is already a thread or two discussing the "gun issue". - I am happy to have discussions on all kinds of subjects relating to the USA, gun laws, health care, citizenship, whatever... A Canadian perspective couldn't hurt

An assault weapon could be a stick. (if it is used to assault someone)

I was kinda thinking along the lines of "don't light a match if you are trying to figure out where the propane leaking from" type of common sense ...

Well there's Black and White common sense.. Black = Opinions that others take as ignorance or lies .. and White = The sky IS fucking Blue! or... Garden Hoses Do Not work well with propane! Or Vice Versa.. We have computers and Apps, nowadays! Who needs intelligence?!

[Sunbeam56]

Awwww... don't be too hard on the young'uns.
Calves are goofy.
Foals are goofy.
Puppies are goofy.
Kittens are goofy.
Chicks are goofy...

You see a pattern here? It does seem like the young'uns are taking longer to mature, tho.
Course, what do I know... I still believe in Peter Pan.

[TomServo]

Awwww... don't be too hard on the young'uns.
Calves are goofy.
Foals are goofy.
Puppies are goofy.
Kittens are goofy.
Chicks are goofy...

You see a pattern here? It does seem like the young'uns are taking longer to mature, tho.
Course, what do I know... I still believe in Peter Pan.

I don't buy it. When I was 14, I knew enough to realize that, that Plastic explosives recipe, could very well blow up in my face. NO Internet back then! Just LOTS of reading!..from Books...Lots of paper stuffed between thicker paper.

[Rice]

My two boys (23 & 22) have both commented on how little common sense most of their friends have. That just confirms my theory that once kids reach become teenagers, they should be given responsibility and start being taught to do it themselves. Several of their friends (also in their 20's) have never done a load of laundry. damm coddled rich kids {grumble}

I tried to raise a couple self-reliant kids -and pretty much succeeded. Each of them have a good grounding, and are ready to take on almost anything. They also realize when it is appropriate to ask for help or guidance. Tend to seek out someone knowledgable, which is nice to see. Sure they both have done some amazingly stupid stuff (which is not completely unexpected, as young-ones typically do)

Things that I believe nurture common sense:

Curiosity, question everything, verify facts, think for yourself, successes & failures (allow your kids to fail), etc.

[Savannah]

Judgment, planning, strategizing and organizing (all in the frontal lobe) are some of the last things to form in the brain. Common sense is not common for teenagers, or people who experienced disruptions in development then.

Brain Immaturity Could Explain Teen Crash Rate: Risky Behavior Diminishes At Age 25, NIH Study Finds
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/ar ... Jan31.html

The Teen Brain: It's Just Not Grown Up Yet
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/stor ... =124119468

Inside the Teenage Brain
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline ... giedd.html

[Elliot]

Thank you (to use a cliché) for being part of the solution...

Rather light a candle than curse the darkness, don'tcha know.

And...
I did some things when I was young, specially behind the wheel of a car, that absolutely should have killed me -- and could have killed other people. There is some advantage to advancing age!

[ygmir]

Thank you (to use a cliché) for being part of the solution...

Rather light a candle than curse the darkness, don'tcha know.

And...
I did some things when I was young, specially behind the wheel of a car, that absolutely should have killed me -- and could have killed other people. There is some advantage to advancing age!

right with ya there Elliot!!

[Roberto Dobbisano]

you know those new under arm roll on applicators they have for this shit?





works a LOT quicker if you just rub it all over your balls.