Does anybody know where we are?
That is not a question for your GPS. That is a general question and the answer for many young people is “No, and who cares”. CNN reports on a National Geographic study that says nearly two-thirds of Americans aged 18 to 24 cannot find Iraq on a map and one-third could not point out Louisiana on a U.S. map. The dismal roll call of ignorance goes on and on; 88 percent of those questioned could not find Afghanistan on a map of Asia, 47 percent couldn’t find India. The results of the study are truly disheartening. Not only are our young people ignorant but also they see no reason not to be ignorant.
Fewer than three in 10 think it important to know the locations of countries in the news and just 14 percent believe speaking another language is a necessary skill.
Our educational system is massively failing. Not only does it teach little but it does not even teach that knowledge is important. Meanwhile, several billion Asians with a tradition of respect for learning and no fear of hard work are creating new centers of power.
Originally posted May 23, 2006. Sadly, the situation hasn’t gotten any better.
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Meanwhile, several billion Asians with a tradition of respect for learning and no fear of hard work are creating new centers of power.
Sorry Vic but I have to call bull on this one. Not your fault because they’ve been drumming this story in the MSM for decades. But I’ve spent time in Asia. I’m well tied into the Asian community in the US. I know better.
In comparing “average citizen” education levels with the US, by “Asia” do we mean only Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan? In that case I don’t know but there might be a story here.
But if by “Asia” we’re meaning mainland China, Vietnam, and India, then I am quite certain that somebody has been cooking the stats. For decades. Vast swaths of those poor people have little education, and what they get isn’t very good. And I mean “poor” in a sense that Americans cannot even begin to comprehend, because we just don’t have those depths of poverty here. You have to go over there and see it to believe it.
In Asia the “poor” are, to this day, the majority, and I’m sorry but on average they aren’t better educated than Americans. On contrare.
It is true that due to limited free market-leaning reforms, Asia is finally waking up. A little. But Americans have no monopoly on ignorance, as a visit to Asia readily proves.
Now if Asia went pro-free market on a broad scale, then I’d be afraid they were going to smash us economically. Due to sheer size. But if you understand Asia’s problems, you know that just isn’t going to happen. The Chinese “threat” is way over hyped, they are going to slow way down economically in the long haul.
The next bull line that comes after this one: America isn’t producing enough PhD’s in science and engineering! Baloney. If we doubled them tomorrow, most would have no jobs (because there isn’t market demand for them, and I know because I am one — jobs for us are not easy to find).
There are two groups that I consistently see crying “we need more American PhDs”, universities that want more government grants, and corporate CEOs who don’t want to have to pay engineers and scientists more than minimum wage (that is not an exaggeration).
None of which should undermine the truth that Asian tradition has a deeper respect for education (so when they’re motivated to get it, they do indeed excel), and the fact that they too are willing to work very hard.
But so are Americans! know many of them personally.
Much of America’s problems are, I’m afraid, due to stupid laws Americans have passed that have hosed up our economic and business environment. That is by far the bigger the reason we’re slipping, but you’ll never learn that from the MSM. I see it because I work in American industry and I see first hand the consequences.
In today’s business environment, sad truth is that US corporations can’t afford to spend more on R&D….change the business environment so they can afford it again, and maybe demand for science and engineering PhDs actually would go up.
But now I’m getting too far afield. Sorry but this is one topic that just gets to me, because it is so patently false and yet so many believe it because the MSM keeps rolling it out.