A Nation of Idiots

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MasterG2kTR -> A Nation of Idiots (2/5/2012 7:56:06 AM)
A Nation of Idiots OMG!!! If this is our future we are so seriously fucked, that I can't even begin to comprehend the disasters in social chaos and decline that await. What the hell are the teachers involved behind the scenes here doing? I seriously hope the parents of these kids raise some hell with the schools. If these kids can't even handle the easy questions they have no future and neither will the rest of us.

Kaliko -> RE: A Nation of Idiots (2/5/2012 8:15:23 AM)
Well, I think they picked the six biggest stoners in the school because it's more entertainment value. There are plenty of high school kids who can answer those questions. I think it's more a matter of skewing the video to get more hits than it is any real indication of what's being taught in the schools. And besides - I didn't think "United States" when that question came up, either. Dammit. Ever see (hear) Howard Stern do this on the streets of New York with adults long past high school? Same results. If you're going to say it's our future, you'd have to also say it's our now. Again, I think that they probably got plenty of correct answers as well, but they're not as fun to watch.

GreedyTop -> RE: A Nation of Idiots (2/5/2012 8:51:35 AM)
OMFG.

SilverBoat -> RE: A Nation of Idiots (2/5/2012 8:57:05 AM)
And people wonder why propaganda can be so effective at influencing society and politics? It relies on ignorance ...

mummyman321 -> RE: A Nation of Idiots (2/5/2012 9:14:32 AM)
Sadly the US is not getting the big picture. Education is the key to the countries future success. China in 2005/2006 used 40% of the worlds supply of portland cement. China built 40+ Universities in that time frame. India also invests heavily into education. Now many Engineering jobs are being out sourced to China and India. Math and science in the US is not taken seriously in the schools. You can still get through public high school in the US without taking algerbra. People complain about all the imports from China and India. The reality is they are educating their people. China is in the mist of an industrial revolution. Pretty soon they will have more people with engineering degrees than in the US. And when that happens they will become and engineering/manufacturing power house. I am not talking plastic toys but things like automobiles, jet engiines, machine tool & dies and more.

GreedyTop -> RE: A Nation of Idiots (2/5/2012 10:02:58 AM)
I had to do algebra in Jr. High (um, more than 20 yrs ago) but wasn't required to do basic calculus (THANK GOD). I assume at some point I did geometry, but I don't remember it (that may be selective memory...) I also managed to get out of biology 101. English or French was also required, but I graduated with an a- (I think? might have been an A overall grade despite failing French miserably, as well as the no biology, etc). Some schools are requiiring Latin again. sigh I wish that had been part of my education.

SilverBoat -> RE: A Nation of Idiots (2/5/2012 10:18:38 AM)
I expect that China will have some bounces and busts in its economy, but like India, with 3x the US population they're likely to out-number every other country on everything. But, yeah, for every dozen US students that seem able, motivated, good-willed, getting educated, etc, there seems to be a couple of glibly sociopathic shysters-in-training, and three-or-four score children who've been browbeaten into somewhere between dull conformity and rebellious frustration. It's not that the US as a nation is physically or fiscally incapable of mustering the resources to change that for the better, more humane, etc, but that there's a sizeable bloc of influential people who see that situation as advantageous to themselves and their legacy. They see stupid, ignorant people are easier to manipulate. Nations with a bit more perspective and maturity have figured out that there's a lower threshold where that sort of zero-sum fails.

SilverBoat -> RE: A Nation of Idiots (2/5/2012 10:22:50 AM)
Three years of Latin here, required ... And Calc-DifEq are sort of daily stuff for work ... (Can't read a lick of Latin today, but can puzzle out just about anything in Spanish, French, Italian, German, Dutch, etc.)

GreedyTop -> RE: A Nation of Idiots (2/5/2012 10:27:27 AM)
I grew up in SoCal. I think that the PTB in schools decided that Spanish was close enough. So they cut Latin out. If my schooling had been on the East Coast, I believe that LAtin would have been offered at least as an elective. anyway, I am off to nap (and in my dreaming, if dreams can become truth, my car will run well enough to get me to work tonight....) Bon soir, mes amis!!

tj444 -> RE: A Nation of Idiots (2/5/2012 10:45:29 AM)
ok, that was funny but also painful to watch.. It is along the same idea of Rick Mercer's "Talking to Americans".. but then Rick Mercer is a comedian.. I grew up in a hick town in Canada, population 500,.. small towns dont always get the best teachers, btw.. where i feel there were gaps in my education was a direct result of seriously crappy teachers (English being one).. Even still.. I find that many more Americans dont know the difference between using the word "woman" and "women".. and things like that.. it makes me cringe..

LadyHibiscus -> RE: A Nation of Idiots (2/5/2012 10:51:08 AM)
Advanced classes come with wealthy school districts. Teaching is for the most part NOT a well paid job, and there is little reason for the best and brightest to pursue the profession these days. "No child left behind", anyone? Curriculum is out of the hands of teachers, and has been for a long time. There's no cosistency from district to district. It's easy to find a Spicoli.

tj444 -> RE: A Nation of Idiots (2/5/2012 11:06:56 AM)
I dunno, guess it depends what area.. I know a teacher that teaches in Long Beach, CA, the school has a lot of hispanics and not what i would call a rich school district.. he makes about $80,000/yr and will be retiring in a few years (in his mid-50s or so) with a gold plated pension.. he bragged to me about it.. Californians are now finding out they cant afford that..

LadyHibiscus -> RE: A Nation of Idiots (2/5/2012 11:11:57 AM)
California is its own world. No gold plated pensions in Michigann, though it's still a funded system. And 80K after working 30+ years in a high cost of living area? About normal for someone with a graduate degree.

tj444 -> RE: A Nation of Idiots (2/5/2012 12:08:02 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: LadyHibiscus California is its own world. No gold plated pensions in Michigann, though it's still a funded system. And 80K after working 30+ years in a high cost of living area? About normal for someone with a graduate degree. Its not so much the $80k, its the pension plan.. he can stop working 10 years before most folks and get a rich pension.. It may be a high cost living area but he has done pretty good.. he owns his own house and lives alone, worth even in this down market $450k.. But i agree.. CA is in its own world! [:D]

DesFIP -> RE: A Nation of Idiots (2/5/2012 12:58:20 PM)
This, my friends. is the direct result of teaching to the test. Schools are funded by the scores kids get on standardized tests. As a result they are not taught critical thinking skills, they are given short term memorization assignments to have them test well. And stuff put into short term memory is not the same as stuff in long term memory. But since it's easiest to decide which school teaches better by giving standardized exams, this is what you get. Beyond that it has no relevance to most kids. Even here, where we have Revolutionary War sites abounding, there are no field trips to help the dry facts come to life. A trip to West Point with the Eisenhower Museum and a section of the chain that was stretched across the Hudson would make an indelible impression. But it isn't done beyond third grade which makes no sense. These kinds of field trips should be in high school instead.

kitkat105 -> RE: A Nation of Idiots (2/5/2012 1:29:06 PM)
The public school system in Australia is pretty well state/board run syllabus. They set what can be taught and teachers select from the examples the board chooses & approves of. I will echo what others said - a good teacher can be what makes or breaks your interest and ability as student for a particular subject. It's far from perfect, but I managed to survive my schooling and get a Bachelor's degree.

mummyman321 -> RE: A Nation of Idiots (2/5/2012 1:34:35 PM)
The "No child left behind act" is really a joke. It sets a bar for minumum proficiency. It does nothing to motivate the school system to actually make students succeed. I coop'd for a local power company while starting college. The company donated money to the local school with the string attached they got to influence the courses given at the school. The power company focused heavily on math and sciences. This was a grade school , grades 3 thru 8. The school was located in a low income area, not a rich school district. Over 60% of the students from that school when on to college after high school. I think the national average in the US is that 20% of the population goes to college. Its amazing what a little direction and teaching can really do. I am not say college is needed to be successful. Certainly there are example where motivated people succeed. But a good education will never hurt you, it will only help you succeed in life. Whether it be high school or college. I just wish the goverment would realize that is the key to our future.

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