‘Merica’s addiction to fake

[Belacqua]

I'm 65 years old.  The fact that I am not an idiot and that I also learned through experience means I don't need a keeper.  
I understand what marketing is, thank you very much.
You underestimate me, sir.

I don’t underestimate anyone here. You said you’re not an idiot and I agree. It’s not about IQ though. Unfortunately, I’ve begrudgingly realized intelligent people can believe dumb ideas. All humans are to some degree intellectually  lazy, irrational in decision-making, have multi layered confirmation biases, and other natural impulses that often obstruct critical thinking. Come on! On a forum of atheists no one has ever thought, “a lot of people are really stupid”?

I thought the prevailing opinion was that religious thought was heavily tied to anti-science / anti-intellectual beliefs. Colloquially, do we commonly perceive that people from other countries that are less religious are “smarter”?

I think people tend to overestimate themselves. No one is immune to propaganda, advertising, confirmation bias, etc. etc. 

Saying you live above all that just means you haven't recognized how deep we're submerged in it. To manage it wisely, you have to admit you're in it.