There's advertising all over the site if you visit it without adblock. There ARE no similarities.
Luckily there was a sane commenter there:
Ten reasons this article is moronic tripe:
1.) Porn has existed for as long as humanity has, and none of the companies listed offer "adult services". You even immediately correct yourself to say that google doesn't, after first claiming that they do. Then you make some moronic point about google glass being the same thing as offering up smut, without any supporting arguments.
2.) Ads have been everywhere for a very, very long time. If you use an adblocker, you can have an almost completely ad-free internet experience. If you want to not see ads on phone apps, spend a dollar.
3.) Profanity in ads isn't actually a common thing, at least not in the U.S. Even if it were, it probably wouldn't be a sign of declining intelligence. Countries which have more permissive standards when it comes to TV tend to be those with higher standards of education, as people are smart enough to realize that things like sex and profanity aren't actually harmful to view.
4.) Yes, food sizes have gotten larger. This isn't a new trend, and was happening when the movie came out. This wasn't a prediction, just an observation.
5.) Idiocracy deals with the U.S. specifically, where this isn't something you hear about.
6.) You mean English, not "the human language". "The human language" isn't a real thing. If you're going to make comments on language being "dumbed down", you should make some effort to use language correctly yourself. Also, there's absolutely no evidence that texting/twitter/etc are actually having a negative impact on people's ability to use language. This is just a thing people like to exclaim loudly about because it's currently a popular opinion.
7.) The technology for this exists, but isn't in common usage. This isn't a real issue.
8.) Ten years ago, no one would have known what you were talking about either. We called them "maps". GPS is a marvel of technology, engineering, and science. It requires computer technology, space travel, and the innovation of countless scientists and engineers to operate. If this is your example of "dumbing down", then you need to think of a better one.
9.) Those shows were popular when the movie came out, and before. Everything you talked about existed then. I think you need to look up the word "prediction".
10.) "Some music videos are dumb" doesn't count as a "prediction coming true". The video in question does have nude buttocks in it, but it isn't comparable in any other way.
It might seem like I've given this article a really hard time, but in order for an article like this to be passable, it needs to have claims with some truth, while also being funny. As it stands, it is neither amusing nor insightful. The whole premise of this is "x is funny/scary/interesting because it was in a comedy movie, and it's coming true". If you can't support that premise, the whole thing falls flat on its face.
After closer scrutiny I'll admit the article could have made better arguments and it would've been better if the article didn't claim the movie predicted anything, but merely observed and highlighted a disturbing trend. Nonetheless, I do believe things are getting worse.
1. Porn IS becoming more mainstream. Actual porn was not available on regular cable tv when I was young, yet these days it is. Music wasn't so blatant about sex before, but would have cleverly disguised innuendos instead.
2. I do use adblocker. The fact that I NEED to use adblocker is in itself proof that ads are everywhere and have become a real problem. In the old days I would see a billboard once in a while, but now there are certain sections throughout the city where all you see is advertising.
3. Profanity, like porn, is also becoming far too common. While profanity can be used effectively to ENHANCE a statement, I appreciate having a conversation with someone whose vocabulary consists of more than just various curses.
4. Meal sizes was a poor example chosen by the author. A far better example would have been fat content in foods. In the movie people ate tubs of fat. Processed and prepared foods are incrementally containing more and more fat content and less and less actual nutritional food.
5. Why wouldn't we look at things worldwide? Garbage is a real problem everywhere. There's a mass of plastic debris floating around in the Pacific ocean that some estimates claim is twice the size of Texas! I think the point here is that this IS a big problem and it's only getting worse.
6. I know from personal experience that other languages are becoming perversed within the internet and many people have a problem with it.
7. This was a poor choice, but I'll just address it anyways. The fact that this isn't in 'common use' isn't the issue. The point is that this tech exists and it will inevitably one day become common practice. This isn't an example of the dumbing down of society, but rather a strengthening of the Police State, aka Big Brother.
8. This example wasn't made well. The problem isn't the fact that people are using GPS and no longer using maps. The thing is that some people aren't even using their brains anymore and following GPS directions so blindly that they will even drive themselves into a ditch or whatever because the GPS told them to. Doh!
9. Like porn and profanity, dumbassery is also becoming all to common place. Less documentaries and more 'idiocracy' compared to years ago. Even the news has resorted to following and reporting on the latest dumbassery celebs are involved in. 50-60 years ago idiots were ridiculed, today they are damn near heroes.
10. I think my original post still remains a good example of this one, which was the reason why I stumbled across this article in the first place.
There was one example that came to mind which this article missed and I feel might be better than any that it gave.
11. There was a scene in the movie where the cops wouldn't even listen to the character 'Not Sure', instead they pepper sprayed him while saying, "Whut?" In another scene the cops simply open fire on a car because they thought he was inside. These days I'm finding more and more news articles involving cops that beat, tazer or even shoot someone dead without justifiable cause.
Perhaps you still don't see how Idiocracy reflects the disturbing trend of a downward spiral our society has taken, but you did get me to see some of the flaws in this article. I do have one question now. Did you watch the movie and if so what do you think of it?
