Comments on: TV Viewing Figures vs. IQ Ranking by Country

By: ジェイソン (Jason)

ジェイソン (Jason) — Tue, 27 May 2008 14:07:37 +0000

Yeah, I thought as much. The average LongCountdown reader is likely a member of Mensa and looks down on anything under 200

Perhaps it’s time to cut out the internet and focus more on calculus and other difficult concepts. I shouldn’t forget the pocket protector, either

By: Deas

Deas — Tue, 27 May 2008 00:34:06 +0000

I still learn a lot from TV. Well, when I watch, anyway. I love the “nerdy” shows. I’d rather watch a documentary or something on Discovery or TLC (for random crap) or the Food Network (for useful stuff). I’m a big fan of infotainment.

By: Deas

Deas — Tue, 27 May 2008 00:32:03 +0000

Especially if we factor in the “junk” part of “junk food,” which implies that it’s bad for you… And I was comparing American junk food to junk food from the U.K., too…

By: Zabimaru

Zabimaru — Mon, 26 May 2008 23:20:17 +0000

8 hours seems extreme. I could never fit that in a day, even if I did want to. Well, maybe if there was a marathon of bad Godzilla-movies on. There are always exceptions

I’m glad to see that Sweden is at the bottom of the first chart though I thought we’d be almost as “bad” as the US.

By: Nick Ramsay

Nick Ramsay — Mon, 26 May 2008 14:27:48 +0000

Only 142? Oh Jason, you’re pulling the average down!

By: Nick Ramsay

Nick Ramsay — Mon, 26 May 2008 14:24:31 +0000

You’ve done your research, Jason, but from what you’ve said, we can only conclude that Japanese junk food isn’t really “junk” food at all, so America keeps its junk food crown.

By: Contamination

Contamination — Mon, 26 May 2008 05:58:58 +0000

Thanks.

I just don’t need to be made to feel that the world is about to end so they can boost ratings. Generally today is the same as yesterday is the same as tomorrow, the weather is the most important point for me.

By: ジェイソン (Jason)

ジェイソン (Jason) — Mon, 26 May 2008 01:03:17 +0000

Indeed. And then there’s the problem of who actually responds to surveys … it’s typically the people with ample time on their hand.

In Canada, I would watch about 10 minutes of TV per month, and that was only because I went to an electronics store to buy some blank DVDs or whatever. That said, I’m still an idiot, so the TV to IQ theory needs a little work

I wonder what the IQ of LongCountdown readers would average out to be. The last time I had mine checked (about five years ago) it was 142.

By: ジェイソン (Jason)

ジェイソン (Jason) — Mon, 26 May 2008 00:57:32 +0000

What!?!?!??!

I would have to disagree with you here. Americans make some horrid junk food when compared side by side with Japanese snacks.

* American junk food is oily/greasy/soggy, whereas Japanese junk food is less oily/greasy/soggy.
* American junk food all tastes like corn, whereas Japanese junk food only tastes like corn if that’s the goal
* I can only eat one 500g bag of Doritos in America before calling it quits, whereas I can easily pack away a kilo of Doritos (if the wife’s not around) in Japan
* American junk food comes in simplistic shapes (triangles, circles, rectangles), whereas Japanese snacks come in all shapes and sizes, including semi-sphere — I have a soft-spot for meron pan
* American junk food is expensive, whereas Japanese junk food is dirt cheap. $2.99 for a 350g bag of Doritos, or 210 Yen for the same size in Japan.
* In America, you know you’re eating junk food. In Japan, you’re told that your snack is actually good for you because of whatever marketing slogan they’re using that month.
* The tongue doesn’t lie … Japanese treats generally taste better. Give me some Japanese Pringles over the bland American ones any day!

Hehehe. That should be good for a little debate. Perhaps you can write a post comparing Japanese snacks to their American cousins, Nick.

By: Steve in Nagoya

Steve in Nagoya — Sun, 25 May 2008 04:05:37 +0000

8 hours of tv a day for Americans? Man, did they only survey unemployed potheads? That might explain the low IQ scores as well.