An Epidemic Of Ignorance
I believe that the dumbing down of the American student has gone on too long. Most graduates of our schools are, to quote an unknown source, “Perfect in therory and pratically useless” Liberal teachers have filled our students heads with nothing in order that they accept anything they are taught. I know that this does not include basic values like love of country, respect for God, and the Constitution. /rant
Skipper I find it hard to believe that in Britain, kindergarten level children can name any, let alone all the monarchs of England. This is pure balderdash. However I have to agree that the standards of education in both our countries are pathetic and continue to decline. The most popular courses at University are media studies and other useless bunkum like Sociology. Science departments are having to close because funding is set by the numbers of students attending. Since maths and science are deemed “difficult” hardly anyone takes them.
In my job we now employ people who ten years ago would have struggled to get a job stacking shelves in a supermarket. It’s hard to have a positive outlook nowadays. I don’t see improvements coming, especially as we have socialists running the show who’s only interest is to be seen to be doing a good job. All smoke and mirrors.
I have long said that we are becoming a nation of idiots. People don’t seem to be able to reason and use common sense. I agree with LyndonB about employing people who are not qualified or able to do simple work. I used to work in an electronic manufacturing plant some years ago, and we used to get lots of people who could not do simple assembly work. They could not follow simple paperwork, any more than two verbal instructions in a row was a waste of breath, and many could not use simple tools like a screwdriver and wrench. Now that I think about it, these were the same people who complained about pay, benefits, and everything else. Yet, somehow we could not get rid of them and find people worth employing for fear of getting sued for discrimination. What a crock of crap.
I really feel bad about the way the United States will be when my 3-year old is grown up. Bat Crusher’s comment about liberal teaches filling the students’ head with nothing so that they’ll believe anything that a so-called, self-styled “expert” says is right on.
One aspect of this “dumbing down” phenomenon is the explosion in recent years of diagnoses of children with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). You know what ADD used to be called 30 to 40 years ago? “Minimal brain dysfunction,” that’s what. It means almost retarded just not quite retarded enough to make the cut, so to speak. Kids that are just plain dumb are now being told that they are really smart, they just have a condition, and thye need to take dangerous narcotic drugs, basically cocaine in pill form, in order to be able to think. Except then, they’re just dumb and on drugs… don’t get me wrong, there are real bona fide cases of ADD, just an extremely small number of them, nowhere near the something like 10% “they” (the experts) say.
When people can’t do basic stuff like reason, the foundation of a democratic society is about to completely collapse.
Only God can help us.
Only God can help us? Bison poop. We have brains and we have voices. Let’s start using both to start straightening things out. March, protest, attend PTA meetings and beard the moonbat in its lair. Homeschool your kids if nothing else.
“Only God can help us.” Yeah. ‘Bout damn time we stood up for ourselves and started acting like adults.
If the liberal teacher theory was valid, you would expect to see the brightest students coming out of the South and the West ("Red" States). While I can’t speak to the West, the hypothesis clearly doesn’t hold up in the South.
Posted by Hazel55
05/25/2006 at 10:44 AM
While I agree that it was a well written letter with some extremely valuable points, it is the response I have a problem with. I was speaking with someone the other day and they were complaining about paying for schools since they didn’t have any children in them anymore. Then they complained about how people weren’t as capable of working anymore.
As we have cut back taxes and implemented routine rote testing, the ability to think has disappeared. The joy of learning for its own sake has been forgotten. If you denigrate the teachers in front of your children why should they pay attention to anything the teacher says? ADD is increasing because we train our children to watch tv at too early an age which helps to reformat their brains, precluding any opportunity for them to learn to focus on one subject long enough to master it.
There are many problems at work here and blaming it on “liberal” teachers is just a waste of time. When we went to school, they were clean, they had sports, music, science, reading, writing and arithmetic. We had recess to burn off excess energy so we could pay attention later. Some students flunked out and had to retake a year. We eliminated machine shop and home economics and then wonder why nobody can fix anything anymore.
That is what the taxes were for. Nobody wanted to pay them since they had already benfited from the system and this is the result. The dumbing down of America. Where people happily vote for an idol, but not a president.
Very irritating.
Posted by Debra
05/25/2006 at 12:41 PM
I’d say that the Dumbing Down Program (part of the agenda) is brought to us by neither the Librocrats nor by the Conserublicans.
Rather it is part of an agenda which includes setting those two groups against each other, as in Divide and Conquer (part of the agenda).It’s all about the strings being pulled from behind the castle wall.
America needs to wake up and see the big picture and who is manipulating our lives and future, and why.Posted by WTC 7
05/25/2006 at 01:57 PM
Furthermore, I doubt that the Elite Globalists have dumbed down the curricula in their private schools, as they have done to Public Education in America...you think?
Its not about Libocrats vs Conserublicans. Divide and conquer is the oldest strategy, and it works all too well.Posted by WTC 7
05/25/2006 at 02:13 PM
I’m probably gonna’ piss a few people off here, but I feel the following comments are appropriate considering the topic.
I really hate this knee-jerk reaction people get to the mention of ADD / ADHD. I will readily admit that I believe that ADHD is over-diagnosed and is in too many instances used as a cover for poor/ineffective parenting. I have spent the last 7 seven years of my life dealing with a child of ADD/ADHD. I have worked with children with both diagnoses. I have spent the last 5 years of my life getting 2 degrees in Psychology to (in part) help me discern the legitimate from the B.S. in regards this these conditions. My son is one of the top students (if not the top) in his class. He is far from “dumb” but “with a condition.” We continue to both work hard to help him overcome the obstacles caused by his condition...and I cannot tell you the pride I have in him when I see him constantly out-perform his so-called “normal” peers.
So let me say that when I hear laypeople telling others what the causal factors are for these conditions when top neurologists, psychiatrists, and psychologists don’t even know, I get a little bent out of shape. ADHD is a biological condition involving an imbalance of neurotrnsmitters in the brain. If watching TV causes ADHD then over half of the US should have freakin’ ADHD/ADD and we’d have an epidemic on our hands. And for those who have taken the time to evaluate and understand the biological, pharmacuetical, and criminal aspects of the use of methylphenidate and its derivatives, I can tell you that clinical studies on its use on persons without ADD/ADHD is the same as if you gave your kid crack.
And for the other poster who called the study of Sociology bunk, I would like to say “thanks.” My Master’s work is in Sociology. While I’ll agree that you’ll find alot of useless people (professors and students) in the field of Liberal Arts, you’ll forgive me if I differ with your opinion of my field of choice.
Anyway, I know I like to give my opinion as much as the next person. But I really try not to make “informed statements” about those areas of conversation that I am admittedly not an expert in. Sorry ‘bout the length. /endrant
I am not a layperson. I have a medical degree of my own and I’m sorry if you disagree. But you have to admit, there weren’t too many cases of ADD until just recently. As with autism, why is it so hard to believe that maybe it is something we are doing recently that is causing a problem? Nobody brought up bad parenting as a cause for ADD and nobody mentioned ADHD. Chill out.
Try not to get too pissed off about the short attention span syndrome, but I’m bored with this subject.
Posted by Debra
05/26/2006 at 12:07 AM
Debra: The topic of the article we are discussing is “The Arrogance of Ignorance”. I didn’t want to go so far as to label anyone here as being one of those arrogant ignoramuses. But you got me motivated…
However, I’d really like to the reference information on the clinical research you found (or perhaps did, since you have a medical degree) that ostensibly proves TV reformats the brains of children...I’m sure the CIA would love to get ahold of that information.
And yes, diagnoses for ADD/ADHD have spiked in recent times. This happens all the time when those responsible for the DSM IV decide to make changes to it. As for mentioning ADHD in the same breath as ADD, yes, I mentioned it. These are two conditions whose level of interrelatedness are still under evaluation - so it is difficult to not mention one without the other. In fact, some researchers feel that ADD and ADHD are merely points on the spectrum of a broader condition. As for ADD as a cover for poor parenting...I have seen this sort of behavior in my personal life and having had worked with families whose children have these diagnoses.
To conclude, you tell me to “chill out.” Wait a minute! Seems to me some uninformed statements made here in this very thread are perfect definitions of what this thread is about! Let’s quote the Skipper here for a sec:
The fact is I have too much to write about here with all of the “arrogant ignorant” running around today ... and the situation is getting worse and worse every day. Too many people in positions of power are taking advantage of this epidemic to spout off all kind of nonsense, knowing that there are very few people left with enough common sense and intelligence to see through their lies.
Brain reformatting of children via watching television? (your words, paraphrased) I see. What exactly is your degree again? I’d have a hard time swallowing any real doctor or medical professional going so far as to make such an absurd claim.
05/25/2006 at 07:28 AM
