Raising ignoramuses
Wednesday, 23 April 2008 | 62 readers so far
I highly encourage you to carefully read this editorial entitled Clueless in America. Here is a sample:
The nation’s future may depend on how well we educate the current and future generations, but (like the renovation of the nation’s infrastructure, or a serious search for better sources of energy) that can wait. At the moment, no one seems to have the will to engage any of the most serious challenges facing the U.S.
An American kid drops out of high school every 26 seconds. That’s more than a million every year, a sign of big trouble for these largely clueless youngsters in an era in which a college education is crucial to maintaining a middle-class quality of life — and for the country as a whole in a world that is becoming more hotly competitive every day.
Ignorance in the United States is not just bliss, it’s widespread. A recent survey of teenagers by the education advocacy group Common Core found that a quarter could not identify Adolf Hitler, a third did not know that the Bill of Rights guaranteed freedom of speech and religion, and fewer than half knew that the Civil War took place between 1850 and 1900.
Author Bob Herbert mentions that the United States has “one of the highest dropout rates in the industrialized world.” Gee, I wonder if that somehow correlates with the fact that we have the highest per capita number of prisoners in the industrialized world. Whether you’re planning on electing John McCain, Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton is irrelevant to solving the education crisis. None of those individuals are serious about changing our educational landscape. No major politician in the two parties is - educated Americans do not grow government so politicians do not have a real interest in educating Americans.
In all likelihood, what we’ll get from our next President is more empty promises that federal oversight can solve our national overabundance of American dumbasses. I envision proposals to rename No Child Left Behind to something a little more catchy while increasing funding for the program. In 30 years, those few Americans who can still read will look back fondly on the time when this nation had an 80% basic literacy rate. By then, we’ll be a third world nation looking for handouts from India or China.
1 April 23rd, 2008 at 2:44 pm
Mr Bob says:
My brother has the misfortune of being a high school teacher in inner city Denver. Only 46% graduate and the rest don’t give a shite. He is desperately trying to get a job in the burbs where it is slightly better and more families have two parents.
2 April 23rd, 2008 at 2:56 pm
Trevor says:
Mr. Bob,
If he is like most good teachers he will eventually give up in despair and pursue a career with the possibility of some sense of satisfaction.
3 April 24th, 2008 at 10:17 am
Oliver says:
And then the parents blame the teacher and the government. The funny thing is, every politician is asking for more education money, party to look good, but the additional money hasn’t improved a thing. Look at California where education has gotten worse despite (because of) the government involvement.
This is worrying b/c a democracy and freedom cannot survive without education. I am not a conspiracy theory guy but I do strongly believe big corporations and political parties have no interest in educated and critical minds. Democrats even less. It’s better to have poor people who will vote for me. European socialist parties have strived on this. At the same time, the McDonalds and other companies need those people as well.
4 April 24th, 2008 at 10:37 am
Trevor says:
Oliver,
If corporations want to continue to maintain profitable bottom lines long term they damn well better develop an interest in educating young minds more fully than our current system is capable of doing.
Our big cities are not that far away from having the kinds of riots Paris has to deal with on a regular basis. Mob rules is a sickening, disgusting thing.
5 April 24th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
Oliver says:
I agree with you partly. But corporations look at short term profits b/c of the stock market. I don’t think there’s a strong interest in having more educated and smart consumers. Or maybe it’s the opposite: because society is getting ‘dumber’, corporations give people what they want. I don’t know.
6 April 24th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
Trevor says:
I think corporations give markets what the markets want - bigger portions at the restaurant, bigger TVs at home, etc.
Government encourages economic ignorance by rewarding spending.