The Dumbing Down Of America

Perhaps you have heard Jay Leno (on TV) or Sean Hannity (on radio) interviewing passers by, asking questions about politics and current news events. Questions like, "Who is the Vice President of the United States?" or "Who is John Roberts?". The vast majority of the people interviewed cannot answer either of those questions.

Okay, so you may shrug that one off - until election day! I heard one college student say she would not support President Bush because he lied. Never mind that he did not lie. This person did not even know who was Vice President.

Researchers tell us that politicians use negative TV advertising because it works. Now it is clear why it works. Most people learn all they know about politics from political ads.

That news is alarming enough, but there is more bad news. Statistics show that American students have little interest in studying science. At least, after the fourth grade. Younger children are fascinated by science, but after about the fourth grade they lose interest.

Not so with students in China, Japan and India. They love science, are willing to work hard to learn it, and they excel in all subjects scientific.

The result is that America is falling behind in technology... the very field that has driven our economy and led us to global superiority.

Why is this happening? I think there are several reasons. One is that it is not cool to be a "nerd" or a "geek", as kids with a scientific bent are labeled. And, it takes a lot more work to learn the language of electronics, chemistry, computers... all engineering and scientific fields. There are so many fun things for American students to do, who wants to spend your evenings poring over a text book?

Hollywood has not helped. Movies long ago vilified people in business. Remember "Beverly Hillbillies?" The banker on that program was a money-hungry idiot. Then they progressed to movies about "nerds". The campus they projected is now a reality. The athletes are the heroes.
The kid carrying a high grade point average in chemistry or electrical engineering is invisible.

And, our elementary education system is way out of whack. In my state, kids no longer get and "A" or a "B" on their report card, and certainly no child will ever get an "F"... that could destroy their self-esteem. Instead, they are graded as "Proficient", at the top of the scale and "Emerging" at the bottom. How are they going to learn chemistries periodic tables or the natural laws that define electronics when they cannot even read?

How can we reverse this trend? Maybe we should publicize the employment opportunities in various fields. While I believe that a liberal arts education is a valuable thing, that degree will not get you a job.

Maybe we should de-emphasize sports... just a little?

Can we glorify scientific achievement? Or even recognize that it is important to stay abreast of current events?

All I can say is that we had better do something, and do it now.

Nikita Kruschev once said the Soviet Union would bury America economically. Communism could not do that, but knowledge can. We cannot afford to let our nation get any dumber.