Has the IQ of T-Nation dropped in the last few days or I’m just identifying stupidity with greater regularity? Or is 2006 the year of the stupid man?
In the last couple of days I’ve read comments from posters that has me wondering if the lower echelon of the gene pool has started to infiltrate T-Nation. Let’s categorize them as the Missing Chromosome Men or MCM for short.
What have I read in the last couple of days that gives me this impression? I’m glad you asked.
This is just a short sampling, paraphrased of course:
professional bodybuilders are weak (this statement was echoed by more than one MCM)
splenda will kill you (conspiracy theorist MCM)
giving advice on which steroids to use to a newbie who has never strung together 2 successful months of lifting in his life (new T-Nation member MCM where all 40 or so of his posts can be categorized as MCM status)
over half the posts on the Marmots, Shower Sex, and Fat Chicks thread (multiple MCMs)
many posts on the If It’s Not Cosgrove, It’s Crap! thread (multiple westside wannabe MCMs that would bend over on the spot at the mere sight of an original Westsider)
many, many more
Are a lot of people really this stupid? Am I becoming more cynical as I age into my mid-thirties? If I am cynical will it get worse in my fourties? Fifties? Or are MCMs really infiltrating T-Nation and we will just have to take them down one by one? You be the judge…
[quote]rainjack wrote:
Seriously, though - I think a lot of kids just go new weight sets for Christmas, and that gives them instant expert status. [/quote]
But wait, how dare you question the all-mighty Poliquin!?
I agree with this a lot. In fact I have discussed several of the items you presented today to some length. The verdict…there is a new crop of uninformed dumb fucks slopping the site up. So yes, you are surrounded by idiots.
You have left out the entire spectrum of posters who don’t understand the whole if you don’t eat you don’t grow concept…i’ve seen male posters who eat less than i do lately and wonder why they aren’t getting bigger.
A lot of it comes from lack of life experience and the belief that reading shit on the internet makes up for that. I don’t care how much crap you read on a weight lifting forum, it will never take the place of even 5 minutes under a shit load of weight that could fall on your chest and end your life at any moment. Then again, I am a bodybuilder, therefore, I can only press 25lbs at a time on a really good day.
With any luck, I shall eventually gain the strength to walk to my car and drive to the gym.
Website getting bigger = quality of posts getting lower.
Seriously, on an open forum, there just ain’t nuthin to be done about it. Keep flaming away…the ones who post will leave and the dumbasses thinking about it will keep their mouths shut.
There’s the “New to T-Nation” thread literally posted up at the top…not to mention a beginners section. The only other thing they could do is if you’re only logged in for a couple days, the real forums are off limits until you’ve viewed Vroom’s Beginner thread at least 3,445 times.
[quote]Professor X wrote:
Then again, I am a bodybuilder, therefore, I can only press 25lbs at a time on a really good day.
[/quote]
You too? Oh, you forgot about the buckets of steeeeeeeroids needed to put on even one pound of muscle, not to mention how much it takes to get over 200 lbs.
I’ve got to admit, I’ve noticed this for awhile. It’s gotten to the point where I spend most of my time in “Get a Life”, where the bad advice is at a minimum because it’s well…off topic.
I don’t know how many times I have seen more or less the same thread topic on that same page in the Supplements and Nutrition forum. You have countless members who have probably been lifting for all of 2 months and are really frickin worried about eating their PWO carbs if they workout at night, or flipping out because their P+C meal has 4g of fat.
Have faith my fellow non-idiot T-Nationites, the good information is still here.
[quote]BIGRAGOO wrote:
analog_kid wrote:
Have faith my fellow non-idiot T-Nationites, the good information is still here.
When will it attract the good members again?[/quote]
Possibly once the idea that bodybuilding is a negative is killed in majority around here. The very thing that initiated this forum is being buried under the weight of dumbass kids who don’t really know shit other than what they just read for the first time themselves, usually from only one source. You have guys with arms measuring 14" giving biceps training advice. You have dudes weighing a buck forty trying to convince people 3 times as big as they are that they are weak for their size. I am truly of the opinion that you shouldn’t even be able to post under a topic unless you have been on this forum for a few months and/or donated at least some type of picture (could be fully clothed) to indicate your own progress.
Randman,
You live on planet Earth. Yes sir, you are surrounded by idiots. I feel strongly that in this world, common sense and common courtesey is anything but common. I try my damnedest to be an exception.
I have been on this forum since June, so I can’t say by any means I am an old timer. But it does indeed seem that the quality of the posts has gone down.
It seems like the training questions are not as prevalent, and most of those training questions could be answered by reading, not asking.
The steroid questions are always going to be there. It is a good thing for the ignorant (such as myself) have a way to become informed, learn from the mistakes of others, and not by personal trial and error. It is a good thing that those who lack the training experience, mental and physical maturity, are quickly shot down, told to eat more, and maybe then ask those questions in another two years.
I have gained some gems of information from this site, as well as countless hours of leisurely reading. I hope that the vets are not turned off by this current trend of ignorance and continue to share this wealth of knowledge.
[quote]Professor X wrote:
BIGRAGOO wrote:
analog_kid wrote:
Have faith my fellow non-idiot T-Nationites, the good information is still here.
When will it attract the good members again?
Possibly once the idea that bodybuilding is a negative is killed in majority around here. The very thing that initiated this forum is being buried under the weight of dumbass kids who don’t really know shit other than what they just read for the first time themselves, usually from only one source. You have guys with arms measuring 14" giving biceps training advice. You have dudes weighing a buck forty trying to convince people 3 times as big as they are that they are weak for their size. I am truly of the opinion that you shouldn’t even be able to post under a topic unless you have been on this forum for a few months and/or donated at least some type of picture (could be fully clothed) to indicate your own progress.
[quote]BIGRAGOO wrote:
Professor X wrote:
I am truly of the opinion that you shouldn’t even be able to post under a topic unless you have been on this forum for a few months and/or donated at least some type of picture (could be fully clothed) to indicate your own progress.
Come on, Randman. It’s not just here. It’s everywhere. People, in general, are thick as rhino shit. Anywhere you get 10 people in the one spot, chances are that at least 9 of them are dumb motherfuckers.
I just read the comments on the Marmotts and Fat Fuckers thread. Anytime TestOnly speaks you can be guaranteed that your IQ is about to be lowered.
[quote]El_Animal wrote:
As far as the people not grasping the “you must eat to grow concept” that’s a common newbie mistake imo. I know I did it.[/quote]
I did this also. Just realized it after a very fun bulking cycle.
I also just started posting a little more reguarly during the last month.
[quote]Massif wrote:
Come on, Randman. It’s not just here. It’s everywhere. People, in general, are thick as rhino shit. Anywhere you get 10 people in the one spot, chances are that at least 9 of them are dumb motherfuckers.
[/quote]
Yeah, you are right. I see it all the time. I guess it can just seem more prevalent here on an Internet forum since you can rapid fire your way through lots of posts and see lots of idiotic comments.
Stupid people should not breed. Stupid people also should not post. What happened to learning as much as you could over a period of time, learning from doing, and then asking intelligent questions from there or giving advice on a topic where you’ve actually experienced success instead of read about?
One other thing. So I think I’m talking about two types of stupid on this thread. There is just simply low IQ stupid. TestOnly I suppose would be a good example of this type of stupid. But there are far more of the second stupid type on T-Nation: it’s called lack of critical thinking skills stupid.
I don’t know if this is a new phenomenon carried on by the younger generations but the lack of critical thinking skills by individuals with IQs over three digits on this forum is astonishing. It’s like critical thinking skills are a disease that’s spreading like wildfire.
So instead of just bitching how do you solve the lack of critical thinking skills? First, gain experience in life; nothing will help develop critical thinking skills like life experience as long as your learning from it.
Second, read broadly; not just deeply on one subject, or book, or website. Read from a variety of sources. And then don’t believe everything you read. Question the source. Question the content. Compare and contrast it with other sources. Seek truth.
Third, don’t hold onto an idea or dogma like it’s your last meal. Be willing to question your beliefs when presented with new information that appears to have truth in it. Be willing to shift positions over time when confronted with new knowledge and experiences.
