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| Future Leaders of the World |
It's no secret that Americans are getting dumber by the decade. Not only is the intelligence of the average American waning, Americans celebrate their own stupidity. As a nation whose average college-educated citizens can only read at a fifth grade level, we are continually finding new ways to dumb down just about everything. In fact, even as standardized tests are intentionally made easier so Americans can appear smarter to each other and the rest of the world, average test scores are still declining. Some argue that right-wing conservatives have a calculated agenda against education, commonly referred to as anti-intellectualism. The theory goes that the rich and powerful, because of their desire to remain rich and powerful, have a vested interest in keeping the rest of the country ignorant and powerless.
Consider Paul Krugman's argument in last Thursday's New York Times, for example. He argues that there is a war on education. One facebooker responded to Krugman this way:
There's a vested interest in keeping America dumb. It strengthens the class divide, which I assume
the majority of those on the more economically gluttonous would prefer. It makes the majority of
average Americans more easily persuaded to vote against their own best interests. And if I recall
correctly, a large percentage of the armed services comes from poor, disadvantaged and otherwise
under-serviced segments of society. Couching even part of this invitation to willful ignorance - even
active disdain of smart or educated people - in *religion* concerns the bejeezus out of me.
You might disagree with Krugman's argument. But what if he and millions of other Americans who believe there is an anti-intellectualism conspiracy afoot are right?
More and more often teachers labeled as "hard" or "tough graders" are being censured by apathetic and falsely entitled students who think they should "get" (as opposed to earning) A's or at least passing grades simply for showing up to class and turning "something" in for homework assignments. Students are more likely to view college as a place you "buy" a degree than as a place where learning takes place as their critical and creative thinking skills are honed for the purpose of inventing new ideas and creating new knowledge. When many students claim that the most superficial analyses are just "reading too much into it," whatever "it" may be at the time, how will we ever raise a nation of thinkers?
While education is, for the most part, intrinsically linked to social class and individual economic success, our political leaders are slashing education budgets and student financial aid. Meanwhile, the cost of a college education has risen almost 500% over the last 30 years while the national rate of inflation for other goods and services has only been 115% since that time (Inflation Data). Thirty years ago, the average American citizen could expect to earn a degree s/he could afford without incurring mounting debt and that degree all but guaranteed that individual a job that earned a salary that would support a middle class existence. Now, tuition soars higher every year, more and more students must take out loans as financial aid is cut, and that degree gives its owner no guarantee of a job at all much less one that would sustain a middle class lifestyle.
Who's fault is all this?
While education is, for the most part, intrinsically linked to social class and individual economic success, our political leaders are slashing education budgets and student financial aid. Meanwhile, the cost of a college education has risen almost 500% over the last 30 years while the national rate of inflation for other goods and services has only been 115% since that time (Inflation Data). Thirty years ago, the average American citizen could expect to earn a degree s/he could afford without incurring mounting debt and that degree all but guaranteed that individual a job that earned a salary that would support a middle class existence. Now, tuition soars higher every year, more and more students must take out loans as financial aid is cut, and that degree gives its owner no guarantee of a job at all much less one that would sustain a middle class lifestyle.
Who's fault is all this?
If our nation is going to derail its current trajectory toward the world Mike Judge depicts in his scathing satire Idiocracy, everyone of us must commit ourselves to our own, individual educations, whether that is in a college or books we check out from the local library or free online lectures from TED, MIT Open Courseware, Academic Earth, and others where the world's most intelligent minds share their knowledge for free. A renewed passion for intellectualism might be the only thing that will save our country from this bleak fate.
What is your attitude about education and the future of our country? If the Joe Bauers (aka Not Sure) of this world remained steeped in apathy and ignorance, what will become of us? What will become of your children, of their children and their children's children?
What is your attitude about education and the future of our country? If the Joe Bauers (aka Not Sure) of this world remained steeped in apathy and ignorance, what will become of us? What will become of your children, of their children and their children's children?
If Americans are getting dumber by the decade, it is due to a number of contributing factors: Government, Social Class, and Corporations. Deep cuts to education funding—from Pre-K to 12th grade are to blame for not preparing this country’s youth for higher education. The cost of a college education rises faster than most Americans’ income, which is fodder for class division. The super wealthy in this country will always be able to afford a college education, which is ironic because they do not require employment because of their social connections and their trust fund lifestyles. Not everyone is suited for college, but many Americans are hard-working and could learn a valuable trade easily, but trade jobs are becoming obsolete because of outsourcing and advancing technology. There are those who have played by the rules, done what is expected of them, i.e. earned a degree, worked diligently, bought homes, raised families, invested wisely and have lost their jobs to corporate “mergers and downsizing.” They’ve lost their homes and retirement funds to unscrupulous banks and investment firms. They’ve lost their livelihoods—their futures. And when big companies go belly up, the government hands them billion dollars of corporate welfare. To me, it’s really about circumventing the system. Fortune 500 companies do it. CEOs do it. Politicians do it. Government agencies do it. They work together to control healthcare, agriculture, education, cost of living and inflation. If you want to know why our ‘democracy’ (emphasis on mock) is failing, follow the money. Corporations and highly paid executives divert their funds to off-shore banks, pay no taxes, and cry poor. And politicians turn a blind eye. They are the ones who could right these wrongs, but they do not.
ReplyDeleteThis leads me back to education. When jobs disappear, people go back to college. They graduate with debt and find few employment opportunities. Who bails out these people? No one. Why? Because, as Paul Krugman puts it,
“There's a vested interest in keeping America dumb. It strengthens the class divide, which I assume the majority of those on the more economically gluttonous would prefer. It makes the majority of average Americans more easily persuaded to vote against their own best interests. And if I recall correctly, a large percentage of the armed services comes from poor, disadvantaged and otherwise under-serviced segments of society.”
This pretty much covers my theory on social class, government, and corporations. I think young adults see this. They’re not stupid. They know the deck is stacked against them. Why work so hard (and owe so much$) for an education they will put to use in a low wage job with no benefits? There doesn’t seem to be enough pay-off. I don’t know if younger generations are really dumber, or if the government’s education cuts and encouragement of class divide have contributed to making them feel defeated. I have friends who haven’t had a cost of living increase in years and their benefits and pensions no longer exist. They went to college, worked hard, saved for the future and now have nothing to show for it. And on top of that, they are too old to start over. And who would hire them if they did? Being nearly 50 years old in the job market is a joke. I think it is time for a revolution—of the French variety. These are the thoughts of a middle-aged woman. What do YOU think everybody? Let’s get this thread going!!
I disagree I do not believe Americans are getting dumber at the least we are staying average some possibly below but for the most part our country’s future looks well besides for the debt and global warming. While those two things are major problems people are still working around the clock to try to find solutions for those problems that were brought from past generations. Most people whether lower, middle, or higher class, while being in different social classes, have hopes and are trying their hardest to make our country better. They are doing so whether it being through fundraisers for research, the research for such problems as: inoperable tumors, cancer, diabetes, etc.; that some think are incurable, farming, doing the small jobs that while no one wants to work them if no one did our country could not function such as: cashiers, fast-food workers, self-stockers, and many more. Whether it is a little or a lot it all brightens the future for own children. As far as education goes there are forms that are limiting financial aid and help for higher schooling. There are also some that believe that schooling can be bought and not worked for, but that is only true if you do not want a nice transcript to go along with the degree. Education even with forms limiting such things should not stop students from wanting to go on to college. There is many other ways to get through if you cannot afford it, such as going to a community college for the first two years of education saving you well over half of what it would cost to go to a university right out of high school then moving on to get a bachelor’s degree. Student loans are lined up to where a student does not have to pay toward the loan until their education is over or the amount of credit hours is under so much. Even though they can be hard to pay off it is always important to feel proud of one’s self and if that is what an individual wants than they should know that they are able to do so even though it may not be the way they expected. The Joe Bauers of the world need to stand up and believe there is more than just watching television in a library that no one comes to, and they need to reach out and either lead or follow but never get out of the way. With my worries of what my children I have no worries if anything I believe the world will be better for them with cures for disease possibly being found and as long as they want to be successful there will be no need to why they should not be. If the attitude of Americans getting dumber is believed then we are falling into and accepting the idea of such a terrible idea of ourselves.
ReplyDeleteIf what Paul Krugman says is true, the uneducated population has something serious to worry about. How will they be able to maintain a life worth living? Sure, there’s welfare, food stamps, and unemployment. Sure, the government can provide for you to some degree. But is the lifestyle even worth it?
ReplyDeleteThe Quality of education systems in an area directly correlate with the social class of the area. Poorer areas are homes to lesser schools, where students are not taught to strive for excellence. Students that attend those schools are only expected to show up, turn something in and graduate. After that, they’re on their own.
There are more poor citizens in this country than rich ones, creating a divide in wealth. Because there is a direct correlation between money and education, this same divide exists in education. There are fewer people with higher education opportunities and after these rich students finish school, they get into higher paying jobs, literally making the rich richer. As the rich get richer, the divide in education becomes greater.
But who is to blame? The government? The government lowers budgets for schools in lower income areas. The Teachers? Most teachers who teach at lower income schools tend to care less about their job because they are paid less. The Students? Even though they do not have the right opportunities for success, they should be able to see what is going around them and crave a change. Maybe everyone deserves to share the blame. In any case, to fix it, it’s going to require a change from everyone.
Mom related the divide in education to the French Revolution and she is exactly right. The wealth divide became so severe in 19th century France that the poor had to overthrow the government to reclaim the status quo. Maybe modern-day America doesn’t need something as extreme as an upheaval, but if nothing is done now, our situation can only get worse and the divide can only become greater.
Not every student is the same. There are students in lower income schools that choose to beat the system and crave success. There are students who make the best out of their situation, earn scholarships and aspire to become financially greater than where they come from. For this reason, I am confident that the world in Idiocracy will never become our own.
Luckily, for me, I do not wish to procreate, but for your children and your children’s children, something does need to be done for the future of the education system.
I have to agree with Cody Kunkler by first saying that Americans are NOT getting dumber by the decade. If this is true there would not be all of the technical advances that we are striding towards today, scientists would not be on their way to finding a cure for cancer, and engineers would not be making almost fully automatic cars. Also, I think that the theory saying that the rich and powerful want the poor to stay ignorant and powerless is pretty far fetched. In my opinion, ignorant (not the mentally disabled) humans drive me insane. I understand if someone is stumped every now and then, but whenever someone (over the age of 12) cannot understand something as simple as 2+2=4, it's time to knock them in the head and say, "Should've had a V8". In this theory, to the rich who are supposedly smart, the poor and dumb would make them go bonkers as they are buried in their own stupidity. Though, some rich humans, I'm sure, follow anti-intellectualism, I believe that the majority of the wealthy do not want to live in a world of ignorance.
ReplyDeleteAs for the students that think that teachers are just "tough graders", this is obviously not true. The teachers that are considered harder to please are actually the teachers that care more about the education of their students. These teachers might be tough graders compared to all of the other teachers in a district, but that is sadly what students have grown accustom to. To teenagers in this decade a though teacher is nothing more than someone who actually reads what they wrote before giving a participation grade.
As the possible war on education continues, it is safe to say that it is much more likely for the rich to get a higher education than the poor with the recent 500% raise in costs since 1983. We can put the government at fault for all of this nonsense but the fact of the matter is that Americans have been playing the blame game for far too long instead of solving the problem.
The education of the future of our country, I believe, is only going to get harder and harder to achieve for the average American citizen. Unless a major blessing falls upon the earth, college education and possibly even k-12 will only become close to unattainable as it grows in cost. If Americans continue to sit around on their butts as Joe Bauers, some will rise but the majority will continue to take the easy way out and only get dumber in the process. My children may not suffer from the awful epidemic seen in "Idiocracy" but I hate to think of what kind of idiocracy my great grandchildren and my grandchildren will face in their educational futures.
ReplyDeleteI find myself agreeing with and disagreeing with both sides of this argument.
I would have to agree with Kris in saying that the outrageous prices of higher education are making it harder for middle class and lower income students to earn degrees and have a chance at a higher paying job. A college education used to be viewed as more of a luxury; if you had the money to go to school then you did, and even then not everyone who attended college planned on using their degree after they graduated. Most well-paying jobs today require at least an associates degree (but those people would easily be passed over for someone with a bachelors) ...shouldn't that make higher education a necessity? It is no longer a luxury and shouldn't be treated or priced as such.
On the other hand I don't agree that we are getting “dumber”. I have to side with Cody because when we look at all of the advancements we have made over time it is hard to say that we are regressing as a species. As far as education goes, we have made huge improvements. In the 1800s most children attended a one room schoolhouse up until the age of 15 and then their education was halted. My grandfather only attended school until the age of 14 and then dropped out to help his family's farm back at home. His daughter (my mother) was able to graduate from high school, earn her bachelors degree, as well as graduate from cytology school. The difference one generation has made in the amount of education our family has received speaks volumes as to whether or not America is getting dumber.
Students are held to a much higher standard today and from a very young age. Nine year olds are expected to comprehend advanced algebra...something that wasn't taught until high school 50 years ago. College courses are being offered in wealthy high schools at the age of 14 or 15. The schools who don't have that kind of money simply can't afford to offer those types of things to their students. I think we need to keep in mind how much is expected of these students before we jump to conclusions by saying that they simply “can't keep up”.
I believe that American’s are not getting dumber, but simply getting lazier. Like Tiffany stated back in the day a College student could read at a College level. Now days, people have reading problems that are becoming more and more frequent in students. These problems include dyslexia and reading comprehension. Our generation has given up on trying to overcome these issues and choose not to read. We now have audible books, where you do not have to sit there and read the book and learn the words, but simply listen to what is being said. I do agree with Krugman’s statement though, that there is a vested interest in making half of American’s dumber. I do not believe though that the world be nearly as dumb as Idiocracy portrayed it to be in 500 years. College funds are become more and more expensive. My personal opinion I do not understand how people who drop out of College are eligible for Financial Aid but adults, who want to learn to make a better living, without taking student loans out, do not qualify for any help. By taking out student loans, you will have to pay this money back eventually; the only way to ensure that you can pay it off quick is by pursuing an excellent career. I do believe that this is the governments fault. We have had Presidents who want children to be able to go to school and receive a good education. But how is this possible when they raise the tuition fees? It is not possible, because the price of living has gone up so much and education has went up more than the simple necessities. I think that if we want a better future, then the cost of living should be a lot cheaper than what it is. Not everybody can pay out of pocket for schooling and especially more and more in the future when the price will just increase. Eventually with these increases, we will have children who are not eligible for any aid that will not believe that they can be a part of a College Education. Which will indeed put the future in jeopardy, and we will have a massive education split.
ReplyDeleteI do not think that teachers are becoming “harder” at their grading system. Each teacher has a different way to teach their class and a different way to grade. There are indeed teachers that are way more lenient in grading, but how does anybody actually learn from this? In Idiocracy the way of speaking common English, has become difficult for them to process. Their sentences are completely out of whack and they have no proper knowledge. If every teacher was a lenient as the next one, we would become the future of Idiocracy, which did not look like a profound future.
I agree but also disagree with the fact that we are getting dumber by the generation. You will always have the geniuses and child prodigies while also having the troubled learners. You have naturally smart people in the world and then you have people who have to work for their smarts. I find that education is far from the biggest problem we have every generation, considering our nation is over 14 trillion dollars in debt.
ReplyDeleteIt is greatly understandable that not everyone will be able to afford a higher education. College is expensive and only getting more and more so. I feel with that being said, since k-12 is required education, we need to focus more on a stronger foundation and building blocks in those grades. We also need to teach more things in those grades that will be useful in life. For example; how to apply for a loan, apply to college, financial things, etc. No one teaches the things you need in every day life, we rely on our parents. Not everyone’s parents know for themselves how to do these things. This is a good example that parents are a large influence on our education, if we will keep doing or homework, or going to school. If our parents aren’t parents then how will we know what to do with our future? Not every one will know how to make their life for themselves.
For as dumb as the people were in the film, there had to be someone who knew what they were doing to make all of their technological advances. Who taught them what they know? I doubt they knew how to make those just by the educational programs they can buy at Costco. I found this movie to be missing some crucial points and evidence to explain certain points they were making.
If that is what our world is coming to then I don’t want to be apart of it. If you are to get anything from this film, then it should be to value your education in every and all ways possible.
I agree with Cody that Americans are NOT getting dumber. Look at all the new technologies and cures people have accomplished from say the 1900’s. We don’t sit in an old school house that has one room from age 5 to 14, and then when they turn 14 boys would usually go work on the farm and girls would stay home to cook and clean. So much has changed in a good but bad way. The debit for this economy is outrageous! My grandparents told me when they were my age 19; that they could go to McDonalds and buy a cheeseburger for 5 cents, now days it is either from 2 to 5 dollars anymore. A lot has changed in 50 years from the cost of food, gas, appliances, technologies, etc. But a lot of these things have improved like the technologies. I have the Samsung Galaxy S4 cell phone, it just came out and a new thing on it is I can wave at the phone and it will answer and automatically go to speaker for me. However, I also agree with Kris because if the prices of schools keep rising where the middle and lower class aren’t going to be able to afford college, because the schooling cost more than the salary they will be making out of school, what’s the point? The only education the middle and lower class are even going to be able to get is K-12. So is the economy really helping itself or not? Most the people inventing great ideas these days come from the middle or lower class because they can’t buy their way through school. Those “hard” or “tough graders” should be thanked because the students who pushed themselves through college to accomplish something like finding a cure for cancer sure didn’t buy their way through college. Those people used their imagination and went farther than any other person there. The way the economy is today nobody is going to be able to afford to even step a foot into college. I believe if people don’t keep up with what is going on are future might look like “Idiocracy,” I just hope I’m not here for it.
ReplyDeleteAmerica is getting lazier by the minute, and technology is making this possible. Technology is not necessarily a bad thing. Students use technology every day, like ipads and laptops to take note on. However, these students are only the fortunate ones. A poor family does not have any money in there budget for that technology. This may hurt there children in a couple years, because it will be time to go to college. They have the opportunity to go to college and go into a large amount of debt. Or go straight into a job with no other education. This happens with many American students. A theory could be that the government is trying to make school so expensive so poor people can not afford it. This would keep the poor poorer and the rich richer.
ReplyDeleteIn the movie, "Idiocracy", a corporation called Brawndo bought out the FDA. That actually happened in today's society. Monsanto, a large agriculture company bought out the FDA. They created the GMO, genetically modified organism, corn. Corn gets processed and is almost everything these days, just in different forms.
I believe that education should be a low cost after high school. The government makes large amount of money off of students. If a student wants to go to school and gain knowledge, they should not be stopped by the price. Soon students will have to pay and arm or leg just to go to school. If the K-12 grades get their funds cut and do not teach enough in high school, our society will be stupider and we will have an Idiocracy on our hands.
That is why I agree with Abby because she said that we need to focus on building a foundation with the kindergarten through 12th grade. If students stop attending school right after high school, then this is the time to teach them the knowledge they need for the rest of their lives.
I completely agree that American generations are becoming more and more stupid through the generations. Not only are the test scores down, but just looking around, you realize how stupid kids are becoming. New warnings are made for products every day because kids use things in the wrong ways that are just beyond stupidity. There are many things to blame. Among them being: Government, technology, drugs, and education.
ReplyDeleteThe government introduces new programs all the time to make sure no children fall behind in class work and that every student gets what he/she needs to get through school. The truth is, not every child has what it takes to make it through school and be on the same grade level as others their age. Even if these programs did work, they don't have the adequate funding to run themselves properly.
Technology has greatly developed over the past 20 years. From going to only a few channels at some times on an antenna tv, to having thousands of channels from space. Having phones that can access the internet almost anywhere in the world and tablets and computers surrounding people like an ocean are just a few of the things that have been advancing. This leaves kids to be absorbed into worlds they create and not dealing with reality. Also, any assignment can usually be completed with a few simple searches on Google.
In the 60's it is most known for the drug craze going through America with all the hippies. However, drugs have become more complex and are more available than people usually think. Children not only have low education, but they have drugs eating away at their brain earlier and earlier in their lives.
Education however, seems to be the fault of the children and their parents. Most teachers have what it takes to be great and would be able to pass the majority of their students without fail, but with parents feeling that their children should have everything handed over to them as long as they are paying, it makes it impossible for teachers to be fair to the normally learning students while constantly having to slow down for other children.