The Stupidification Of The West Continues
Duuuuuhhhhh......
I know this is a bit of a long posting --- but stick with me on this one. You'll be glad you did.
A great nation needs three basic things to be an economic superpower.
1. A motivated and educated workforce.
2. Abundant and easily accessible natural resources.
3. An industrial base already in place.
Kick out one of the three legs, and this tripod will collapse. This is common sense stuff.
The old Soviet Union had the possibility of becoming an economic superpower, but due to the very nature of Communism, they would never have a motivated workforce.
Great Britain WAS an economic superpower... that is until the end of World War II. Then with the loss of her colonies, #2 quickly dried up.
The United States is quickly on the downward slide. With the advent of NAFTA/GATT, we've gone from being a nation of steelworkers, to a nation of Wal-Mart greeters. Before long, the phrase "Made In The USA" will be placed on the endangered species list. Last one to leave the factory, shut the lights off.
So with that sad news, ya think there's a chance in hell that the USA or the UK just might bounce back? Guess again. Both nations have watered-down their educational systems so bad, that the students... when you get right down to it... are stupid.
Case in point - here's some of the story from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation;
Nearly quarter of Brits think Churchill a myth: poll The survey found that 47 per cent thought the 12th Century English King Richard the Lionheart was a myth. And 23 per cent thought World War II prime minister Winston Churchill was made up. The same percentage thought Crimean War nurse Florence Nightingale did not actually exist.
Three per cent thought Charles Dickens, one of Britain's most famous writers, is a work of fiction himself. Indian political leader Mahatma Gandhi and Battle of Waterloo victor the Duke of Wellington were also in the top 10 of people thought to be myths. Meanwhile, 58 per cent thought Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional detective Sherlock Holmes actually existed... And some of the article from National Geographic;
Young Americans Geographically Illiterate, Survey Suggests
63 percent of Americans aged 18 to 24 failed to correctly locate [Iraq] on a map of the Middle East. Seventy percent could not find Iran or Israel.
Half could not find New York State on a map of the United States. A third of the respondents could not find Louisiana, and 48 percent couldn't locate Mississippi on a map of the United States, even though Hurricane Katrina put these southeastern states in the spotlight in 2005.
Many young Americans also lack basic map-reading skills. Told they could escape an approaching hurricane by evacuating to the northwest, only two-thirds could indicate which way northwest is on a map. But you can bet your ass that these kids are keenly aware of the cultural sensitivities of moslems, and just how "normal" it is to be a homosexual.
...and the Teachers Unions continue to fight against teacher competency testing. I weep for the future. And the worst part it -- we've brought this upon ourselves.
Duuuuuhhhhh......
I know this is a bit of a long posting --- but stick with me on this one. You'll be glad you did.
A great nation needs three basic things to be an economic superpower.
1. A motivated and educated workforce.
2. Abundant and easily accessible natural resources.
3. An industrial base already in place.
Kick out one of the three legs, and this tripod will collapse. This is common sense stuff.
The old Soviet Union had the possibility of becoming an economic superpower, but due to the very nature of Communism, they would never have a motivated workforce.
Great Britain WAS an economic superpower... that is until the end of World War II. Then with the loss of her colonies, #2 quickly dried up.
The United States is quickly on the downward slide. With the advent of NAFTA/GATT, we've gone from being a nation of steelworkers, to a nation of Wal-Mart greeters. Before long, the phrase "Made In The USA" will be placed on the endangered species list. Last one to leave the factory, shut the lights off.
So with that sad news, ya think there's a chance in hell that the USA or the UK just might bounce back? Guess again. Both nations have watered-down their educational systems so bad, that the students... when you get right down to it... are stupid.
Case in point - here's some of the story from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation;
Three per cent thought Charles Dickens, one of Britain's most famous writers, is a work of fiction himself. Indian political leader Mahatma Gandhi and Battle of Waterloo victor the Duke of Wellington were also in the top 10 of people thought to be myths. Meanwhile, 58 per cent thought Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional detective Sherlock Holmes actually existed...
63 percent of Americans aged 18 to 24 failed to correctly locate [Iraq] on a map of the Middle East. Seventy percent could not find Iran or Israel.
Half could not find New York State on a map of the United States. A third of the respondents could not find Louisiana, and 48 percent couldn't locate Mississippi on a map of the United States, even though Hurricane Katrina put these southeastern states in the spotlight in 2005.
Many young Americans also lack basic map-reading skills. Told they could escape an approaching hurricane by evacuating to the northwest, only two-thirds could indicate which way northwest is on a map.
...and the Teachers Unions continue to fight against teacher competency testing. I weep for the future. And the worst part it -- we've brought this upon ourselves.
posted by Kevin Whiteman at
7:22 AM
3 Comments:
I'm going to hold up the examples of Hong Kong and Taiwan to counter your Assertion #2. What's really needed are abundant opportunities for trade, and for the government in place to not steal too much from those who produce and / or trade.
One of the things Thomas Sowell points out is that Europe has abundant natural harbors, seaports, and navigable rivers, while Africa lacks these things. He credits the vast disparity in the development of European vs African economy and technology to this fact.
ATI,
I agree that the ROC and HK are economic powerhouses, to be sure... but do they qualify as economic superpowers?
And the examples of Soewll that you cite are true, butthe three that I've cited are just the basics three required, I'm sure you'll agree.
Other factors, as you've pointed out, are in need as well.
I graduated high school with my diploma in hand with a 4th grade understanding of math. I thought that the TV series M*A*S*H was about the Vietnam War, I had never heard of World War I,
I thought that the Soviet Union had killed the Jews in the Holocaust, had never read ONE classic - just modern crap - had no idea about famous American poets or authors (let alone world famous poets and authors...), I never learned grammar, had no idea how to write any kind of report or essay and couldn't even do long division or work with fractions. In short I WAS STUPID. When I went to college I realized how stupid I was and spent every year taking college classes while trying to figure out how to write papers at the same time! In my first geology lab I couldn't figure out what to do and the teacher stared at me in blank horror when I announced I had never learned algebra... Along with my regular classes I was taking remedial math and remedial chemistry (as in, high school math and chem!) in a desparate attempt to rise to college level. If I had not run away to marry my husband it would have taken me at LEAST ten years to earn a Bachelor's degree. At least!! Yeah, the American education system SUCKS. Now I'm studying on my own with home-school resources from Memoria Press. They have everything for learning a classical education! One of these days I won't be so stupid... maybe by the time I am 80....
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