The Dumbing Of America (washingtonpost.com)

[general_kill]

I'm willing to bet that half of the people who respond in here have not read the whole article. There is a clear denial and/or ignorance of our anti-intellectualism in America. American today labels feminists, intellectuals, civil rights activists, and basically any progressive groups of people in a very negative light. I still wonder how calling someone a feminist became an insult.

When you look at countries in Asia, education and hard work is actually promoted in popular media. Look at their most popular "dramas" involving high school/college students and you'll see the "cool" kids are the nerds studying while the losers are the idiots idling. In America, it's almost pathetic how we have the complete opposite of Eastern culture and our cool kids are the ones who drink excessively, have questionable sexual encounters, ditch school, and hurt themselves doing jackass impressions.

Just look at our entertainment industry, how does a movie like "Meet the Spartans" top the box office?

And in politics, I'm not even going to talk about Bush because there is bound to be anti-intellectual goons who will go loose on me. For the record, it's not a dem vs rep thing, it's an our president is stupid thing. I wish McCain won the 2000 nomination.

Yes, the worst of all is our arrogance. For some reason, we are proud of the fact that we don't know things. We are somehow comforted by chants of USA and our belief in our immortal #1 status. We don't seem to realize who benefits from our greatness. It isn't the common people who benefit, unless you are in the top 5% earning bracket, you are better off living in a country that is more "socialist" like France. Common Americans are so brainwashed that they actually think that policies that directly benefit them are bad for them. Issues like health care just make me laugh because it is the masses of the relatively poor Americans who voice the loudest protest against a national health care plan.

 

[GoodSarmatian]

I'm thinking more like tertiary education. Every person should have to take tests and should have to study an area they prefer or if they have no preference, then one in which they will do well in. So if a young person doesn't want to learn but shows some ability in Maths they should have to study it. Or at least something related to it like Finance. Free but compulsory tertiary education.

It simply won't work. If it's not your choice to learn something you'll just put enough in it to pass the exam and then forget it again.
It also strikes me as a bit totalitarian. Next it will be:"Oh, this kid might has the potential to be a good engineer. The state should force him to become one".

I would personally prefer something like a "voters license" where people have to account for a minimum standard of knowledge regarding politics, history and economics.

 

[Ecofarm]

We don't seem to realize who benefits from our greatness. It isn't the common people who benefit, unless you are in the top 5% earning bracket, you are better off living in a country that is more "socialist" like France.

I'd rather live in a cardboard box in the cold part of America than France. Well, shucks, I suppose I'm just a brainwashed commoner. I sure as hell ain't in dat der top 5%.

Your glorification of Japan is cute.

 

[LLXerxes]

There's simply no motivation to learn for most people out here. Many of my friends love to brag about how they skip, sleep in, or goof off in class. There is no reason in their minds to be in school at all. There are kids at school who don't bring in backpacks, textbooks, supplies or anything. They instead bring in basketballs and footballs, skip classes and goof off outside the whole time.

And taxpayer money is being used to pay for these morons to go to school. Also, "props" to their parents for not teaching them the value of an education and teaching them instead that they are all "special" and will survive without it.

 

[storealex]

I'd rather live in a cardboard box in the cold part of America than France.

Of course. It's better to be homeless but under the American flag:


Than to live in a hellhole like Provence:

 

[general_kill]

I'd rather live in a cardboard box in the cold part of America than France. Well, shucks, I suppose I'm just a brainwashed commoner. I sure as hell ain't in dat der top 5%.

Your glorification of Japan is cute.

Don't worry, I'm in the top 5%

Just looking out for you commoners.

Btw, I didn't glorify Japanese culture, because Japanese culture does not equal Asian culture. Don't worry, your knowledge of geography still surpasses half of all Americans I'm sure.

 

[Mr. Dictator]

And taxpayer money is being used to pay for these morons to go to school. Also, "props" to their parents for not teaching them the value of an education and teaching them instead that they are all "special" and will survive without it.

i agree, depending on which education you mean.

high school? yeah, you need it.

college? you can get by without it, depending on your outlook on life.

 

[Erik Mesoy]

Assume that anti-rationalism is a problem in the US at a higher rate than other countries. Where do we go about fixing it?

Assume that it's not. Why is then Creationism so prominent in the US?

 

[Cheezy the Wiz]

Reactions? Observations? Comments?

Discuss

This guy's on the ball.

I get to experience this every day almost: because I have a never-ending thirst for knowledge, and I always ask "why?" and wonder how things work and such, I always go and find out. Because of this, I tend to know quite a bit about quite a lot of things, or at least some stuff about a great variety of things. Anyway, something will come up in converation - this happens pretty much every day, often multiple times a day - and I'll notice that they've mistaken about something, or maybe I just have some insightful information about what they're talking about. Sometimes I'll degenerate into a history lesson; actually, that happens quite often! Just ask fiftychat; my lectures are practically on a schedule now.

Anyway, the hostile response I get seems to come from across the board. Whether I'm with some of my friends, or work peers, or even in class, the response is either that I must be a freakin' genius because I actually know something "super smart," or sometimes just outright disdain; they immediately associate it with elitism (oh, look at Eintein over here!).

To be quite short: there is no respect, and often there is disdain, for knowledge, and those who posess it.

 

[skadistic]

Of course. It's better to be homeless but under the American flag:

And why is he homeless? I'll bet its because of his own poor choices.

 

[skadistic]

Assume that it's not. Why is then Creationism so prominent in the US?

Industrial brainwashing.

 

[CamBot]

Anyway, the hostile response I get seems to come from across the board. Whether I'm with some of my friends, or work peers, or even in class, the response is either that I must be a freakin' genius because I actually know something "super smart," or sometimes just outright disdain; they immediately associate it with elitism (oh, look at Eintein over here!).

To be quite short: there is no respect, and often there is disdain, for knowledge, and those who posess it.

I live in one of the arguably "dumbest" states in the Union, Michigan (the Arkansas of the midwest) and it never ceases to amaze me the utter disdain that people have for anything associated with the written word or the pursuit of knowledge for the pleasure or curiosity alone.

They seem to think they can never get educated, and get the high-paying auto plant job that their father or grandfather held, and it will fall into their lap like magic. What they dont realize is that these jobs will NEVER come back, and that their livelihood depends on being educated and well-read to compete in a global marketplace.

This place has turned into a backwater where everyone works service jobs, watches NASCAR, and drinks themselves into oblivion.

 

[Fugitive Sisyphus]

I agree with the premise that education needs to be improved drastically.

However, this "anti-intellectualism" problem is nothing new. For as long as democracy has been around there have been complaints of the intelligence of the voting population and accusations of elitism against the people who claim to be better than the general population.

 

[Godwynn]

Well, I guess it makes it easier for me to climb to the top.

 

[Gilder]

This guy's on the ball.

I get to experience this every day almost: because I have a never-ending thirst for knowledge, and I always ask "why?" and wonder how things work and such, I always go and find out. Because of this, I tend to know quite a bit about quite a lot of things, or at least some stuff about a great variety of things. Anyway, something will come up in converation - this happens pretty much every day, often multiple times a day - and I'll notice that they've mistaken about something, or maybe I just have some insightful information about what they're talking about. Sometimes I'll degenerate into a history lesson; actually, that happens quite often! Just ask fiftychat; my lectures are practically on a schedule now.

Anyway, the hostile response I get seems to come from across the board. Whether I'm with some of my friends, or work peers, or even in class, the response is either that I must be a freakin' genius because I actually know something "super smart," or sometimes just outright disdain; they immediately associate it with elitism (oh, look at Eintein over here!).

To be quite short: there is no respect, and often there is disdain, for knowledge, and those who posess it.

I agree 100% with Cheezy. For some odd reason or another I'm labeled as "knowing everything" in school. Yet my grades and intelligence aren't higher than the average bear.

 

[Erik Mesoy]

Well, I guess it makes it easier for me to climb to the top.

Except that being at the top of a bunch of dunces is probably worse than being equal with a bunch of people with a clue.

 

[Merkinball]

Education not only needs to be free but compulsory. Western countries must make sure that all of our citizens get the best education before we sell our services to foreigners. If we don't do this, they'll overtake us. - Bast

I'm going to speak for America only, but I would say that free compulsory school is what is killing our education and our intellectualism.

Common Americans are so brainwashed that they actually think that policies that directly benefit them are bad for them. Issues like health care just make me laugh because it is the masses of the relatively poor Americans who voice the loudest protest against a national health care plan. - general kill

Are you out of your mind? It is our poor people who cannot take care of themselves. It is our poor people on medicare. It is our poor people clamoring over Barack Obama and his intellectually vacant speeches. Coincidentally, this constitutes about 3/5 of the people the author is talking about. The other 2/5 are ******ed evangelicals.

Don't worry, I'm in the top 5%

Just looking out for you commoners. - general kill

Oh really? You - you're out there - looking out for those commoners? Yeah? Here's an idea. Take yourself down into your nearest inner city ghetto. Meet yourself some inner city welfare queens. And adopt them. How's that sound. Go out of your way to look out for the welfare queens if you really feel that way. Do it in your personal time. Get to know them, really, really, really well. Invite them to dinner and stuff.

There's simply no motivation to learn for most people out here. - LLX

Why is that?

high school? yeah, you need it.

college? you can get by without it, depending on your outlook on life. - Mr Dictator

But this is the type of attitude that LEADS to anti-intellectualism. People in this country don't think that they need to know ANYTHING outside of their work life, because the only thing that matters is their work life. Everything is relaxation time. People wake up, go to work, come home, and relax. People go through high school, and college, thinking that they are going to learn a skill, and apply that skill. They see no reason for other education. Many kids in high school perform the bare minimum. They go to vocational schools and neglect other forms of education. They concentrate on simple vocations, and shut out the rest. They shut out math, they shut out music, they shut out art, they shut out history and English. Why? Because they feel they don't NEED it.

And this problem gets compounded by an education system which allows students to opt out of classes that they don't need to be a successful part of life. And it's fostered even further in the business world where employers, managers, and corporate types want people to simply understand and be good at fastening widgets onto sprockets, and bolting on refrigerator doors.

 

[downtown]

Are you out of your mind? It is our poor people who cannot take care of themselves. It is our poor people on medicare. It is our poor people clamoring over Barack Obama and his intellectually vacant speeches. Coincidentally, this constitutes about 3/5 of the people the author is talking about. The other 2/5 are ******ed evangelicals.

Actually, Obama's base is with upper income, more educated democrats, and college students. The poor people and the blue collars are clamoring over Hillary.

 

[Patroklos]

Before commenting on some of the good points of this article, one has to remember that the foundation of it (that America was at one time some academy country of scientists/philosophers/professors) is false.

America was build off of hard work, channeled by a few intellectuals.

and that their livelihood depends on being educated and well-read to compete in a global marketplace.

And here is the "arrogance of the elite" rearing its head again. No, being "well read" has no affect on you getting a good job. Practical education does. If you get some of that through reading Tolstoy, great, but it isn't the only route.

 

[amadeus]

Yeah, yeah, right-wing gun nuts bad, technology bad, Christianity bad. Yawn.