Shouldn’t the title be 'Proof America is demented'?

RLY?

So that covers almost the entire American population*, then?

Which does go along way to explain a great number of things...

*Excluding British ex-pats.

Beat me to it...

Who knows I’m just f*cking bored.

"People with FTD become very gullible and they often part with large amounts of money"

That explains all the Mac/Win/Pay*-tards!

* Delete as applicable. Or insert your own favourite prefix.

Didn't Monty Python do this with the Piranha Brothers?

Damn it, beat me to it.

"Baldrick have you no idea what Irony is?"

"Yeah, it's like Goldy or Bronzy, only it's made of Iron."

... and me!

The Newman and Baddiel sarcasm sketches?

"People with FTD become very gullible and they often part with large amounts of money"

I thought FTD people tried to get OTHERS to part with large amounts of money by selling them flowers...

Now there's an oxymoron...

and btw, Americans CAN do sarcasm - just try speaking to a Yank teenager.....

It's irony they can't do.....

sheesh.

Anyone want to play a game of "Hunt the IT Article" ? Clearly we're not going to find it on ElReg due to the influx of non-IT hacktards.

Damn ... beat me to saying beat me to it

I thought an inability to understand sarcasm meant you might be from Betelgeuse.

Clearly, I was mistaken.

Also, don't the symptoms being described sound a little more like autism than dementia, per se?

I am very sarcastic, and find it necessary to more often than not to explain I'm only joking. They should see if toxin quantities in the food/water supply correlate with the higher amounts of FTD, becuase being an American, you're a lot more likely to be punched for being sarcastic because people get angry when they are confused and assume you're trying to make them feel stupid. And while many sarcastic people are often insulting, I like my participants to enjoy the joke too ;P Some people are just assholes though, but I wouldn't be surprised at all if FTD might be related to the number of assholes in a given population, like bored people with broken dreams vs. ADHD ;P

But what do I know, I'm off to collect mud on my mud farm with the other peasants.

"The research involved groups of FTD patients and Alzheimer's sufferers being shown skits played by actors."

If the actors involved were those on Saturday Night Live (or most comedy on TV) as of late, I would fail to see the difference. Perhaps this symptom, as apparent in those with FTD, could be named "Less Amused with Musings of Emotionless Adults using Silly Sarcasm" (LAMEASS)" deficit.

I think that the intensity of observation may have affected the results.

Litotes, zeugma and hyperbole are the chief suspects but I think it was a paedo what done it.

So did mine... but I fail to understand you. Wanker... I'd like to meet you on the street dude... Oh, if you are wondering, Its Moss Side MoFo... Bring it on

So a doctor that wants to figure out the difference should try to charge the patient a ridiculous amount of money? I think I know of a few countries they have already implemented this test.

> and btw, Americans CAN do sarcasm

Can't /detect it though, any buffoon can be sarcastic it's the gawping lost expression merkins have when others are using it that the Australians have evidently noticed.

but sadly all this study suggests is that 99% of the people I communicate with are demented... hmmmm maybe not such useless research after all.

@AC:

"Also, don't the symptoms being described sound a little more like autism than dementia, per se?"

Dementia is the degradation of brain functions with age and infirmity, whereas autism is a life-long condition.

Deficiencies in certain parts of the brain have certain effects, and it doesn't matter whether it's a lifelong condition, a degenerative disorder or the result of sudden brain damage.

We define our disorders by both their origins and effects, and autism and FTD are significantly different in this respect. (For one thing, autism never gets worse, but FTD will do.)

An interesting idea. Does that mean that many people on the Autistic spectrum also have a 'brain illness'?

Failing to understand things such as sarcasm is often seen as part of the diagnostic criteria for ASDs (Autistic Spectrum Disorders)

I would like some mud please.

Couldn't you English boffins tell that was a sarcastic article??

--Glenn

(an American) ((sigh))

8]

they just prefer not to as it's usually considered non-direct and insulting by them. Yeah, I know you Brits love it. But, when you use in on Americans they just think you're being snooty twats.

they just prefer pancakes and syrup