Dumbing down reality

reply to post by rickymouse


You have given great input in your post. I agree with you 100%.

Not only are they keeping us ignorant of other skills and dependent on each other's skills, as you said, but they are also very much taking our ability to utilize your environment to problem solve. Using the rescourses that you have (instead of going to buy the commercial solution) one will be amazed at what the brain can come up with if the will is there.

But like you say, if the will is lacking the way will not be found. That is another thing that has changed in society. People do not have the interest that they used to have. THere are, once again, to many complicated distractions that excite the mind and therefore what is truly interesting and enriching to the human mind has become mundane and lacking in need to understand. Sadly, with that, the embracing of most things natural and simple are falling by the wayside to those people.

Yes, it makes sense to take your compass. It is a tool you have. Keep your head full of forest and trees and your heart will remain beautiful and your mind clear. I too love nature. Anywhere where man has not made his mark. It is in being in nature that we truly can be educated. Also about ourselves! If you know yourself you find your way in life.

That touches on the part I realised when I arrived at work that I would have loved to add to the original post:

Education does not concern itself with the spirit of the child, with the exception of Waldorf education, perhaps. However, the child / pupil is not seen in a holistic view, and thus the most important part of his being is neglected. After all, the body and the brain will die, but the spirit lives on. Here I am not talking about religion, which in my view has very little to do with the spirit.

Yes, I agree with my previous post, WE HAVE LOST THE PLOT BIG TIME!

OP: Though this vid is presented by Alex Jones and I know many don't hold a high opinion of him, I think you may find the woman speaking to have an interesting presentation.

Worth checking out:

The Secret History of Western Education: The Scientific Destruction of Minds - Charlotte Iserbyt

I agree with the op. Back in the old days, evryone would admire my pops for being smart. Nowadays, if one talks about the stuff he used to talk about, you get blank stares and the topic promptly changes to the latest fashion, sport, or actor etc.

Just the other day, my nephew told me about this thing he's been watching (don't ask me about it, I dunno what it is). He said it was great and it's called Chronicles. Yup, even my IT guy joined in and told me how good it was. I just had this feeling that after watching it and appreciating it so much that they would still not understand what the wotd CHRONICLE meeant. Sure enough, they didn't. So asked them, how could you be so involved/admiring this production without even understanding the title? I swear these people will follow any moron jumping off a cliff.

But it's not just them, it's most people. Most folk just don't care what's inside - you know, the deeper meaning of things. In lieu of religion, my folks say, "oh someone smarter or more authoritative definitely knows the answer to that". In education: "I've forgotten about that subject; it's been so long." In science: "Bill Gates is sooooo smart!"

So I get you OP! And I feel for you. But maybe not all people like to learn. Some may have opted to just enjoy life before they die. Clubbing is a mind-killer, but boy do those boys and girls enjoy themselves... for now...

reply to post by morningeagle


I think a point missing here is that most test are written specifically for the class as it was taught, and people who didn't attend the class are not going to be able to pass the test because the answers are not universal.

From the exams from your 8th grade test.

1. Give nine rules for the use of Capital Letters.

Those nine rules vary from grammar book to grammar book. Look up grammar capitalization and you see this is true. All of the questions on this test are completely subjective, and sadly most subjects are not established with universal rules or standards.

2. A wagon box is 2 ft. deep, 10 feet long, and 3 ft. wide. How many bushels of wheat will it hold?

The answer depends on the definition of the wagon and the bushel of wheat.

The purpose of the test is gauged to verify that the student learned the lessons as taught, not whether or not the student learned the principles and process of the subject matter.

It seems the same problems that exist in education now, existed way back then.

I can't say I know whether the current sate of affairs, the satus quo, is the result of opportunism by the powers that be or a directed couse of action,

but what ever is going to happen, is going to happen to the masses.

It's like the masses are having a bag pulled over their heads.

When you describe an older teacher talking about a more difficult educational system in his youth, you do not state how far back that goes. This may not be putting things in the proper perspective. If you are examined on material you have not studied, of course the exam will be more difficult. As time and technology advance, educational priorities evolve as well.
I am a guy in my 60's and went through highschool in the mid 60's. As I advanced to the 11th and 12th grades things got progressively more difficult and in the evening lounging in front of the TV set was not an option. It took a lot of effort to get through. University was of course even more intense.
I have a stepson who has an IQ in the 80's. He is as dumb as the proverbial bag of hammers something that I am not overly proud, as you will see no bumper stickers praising him on my car. He finishes school at 1pm has no ambition or self dicipline. His mother forces him to do homework with a friend who is no 1 in class. From 5 pm on he is glued to the cartoon channel. This boy (20) will graduate from highschool this year, never having studied, partying all weekend long, getting up at noon etc.
My thesis is that things began to deterioriate on an exponential scale perhaps during the 80's and definitely in the 90's. This is part of an intentional plan to dumb down society prior to a takedown and transition into a one world government. Dumb people make great voters because they cannot think critically and are easily manipulated. This goes hand in hand with heavy immigration from 3rd world countries to destroy a sense of national identity and drop the national IQ. Show me one 3rd world dictatorship where there is an emphasis on education. There aren't any for the reasons I just cited.
Today people are used to texting in incomplete sentences and segmented phrases. They talk the same way as they text. The language is deterioriating as well. While all of this is going on our sense of morality is being undermined. In my youth sex was never discussed or suggested on TV. Today we have all means of sexual perversion shown on TV. Western society has lost it's moral compass. We are now encouraged to mimic the deviated and perverted lifestyles we see in movies or the TV.
Western society is on a downward death spiral and a dumbed down population is an integral part of the program.

I would say the bigger problem is that our school system is being used to create class division. If you don't go to college, corporations automatically lock you out of a large portion of the job market. And if you can't get in to the lucrative schools, you are excluded from the most prestigious of positions.

Getting an education isn't about learning, it is about getting credentials.

The truth is, very few jobs need more than a high school education. Our high schools could easily be cranking out skilled people ready for the work place, but they don't, and this is done on purpose. The way the establishment wants things to be, in order to have any opportunity at life, you must sell yourself to the banking cartels by taking on a large amount of debt on order to get the credentials required by the system.

Most schools use classic brain washing techniques. Take a simple subject and make it very complicated, and force your subjects to repeat the lesson over and over again until they either surrender to authority or rebell. Those who rebell are locked out of opportunity as much as possible by the system. On top of this throw in a cOmplety subjective reward system, and you have your complete conditioning environment in place.

One of my favorite youtube vids.

reply to post by poet1b


Right now there is a glutten of unemployed or under employed college grads. The baby boomers are working longer because they don't trust the future. Those jobs will be filled with way cheaper paid jobs when they leave because of retirement agreements with the baby boomers and the high cost of supplying that. It is a mess. There are a lot more jobs open in the skilled trades and apprenticeships for them. This includes a lot of road construction, building and maintenance, electrical workers, etc... They aren't office jobs but many pay better than office jobs. Entry level wages for teachers suck, same with a lot of other new position openings. The employmnent bubble busted, it will return to the way it was where the tradesmen will be getting the best pay. Computer jobs will pay ten bucks an hour, everyone now adays knows how to run a computer..

This pretty much sums up the problems in our public schools.

reply to post by rickymouse


I agree, the trades are due to rebound, and there is a shortage of skilled workers. It takes a level of tech savy combined with good spatial perception intelligence, physical ability, and the good sense to not get yourself hurt that can not be learned in school.

The boomer gen will leave a large vacuum of skilled worker as they retire, and those levels of skills can not be learned in the class room. Illegall immigration has hurt the problem by locking US youth out of the traditional jobs that led into the trades. And illegals have not been put into positions where they have learned the skills needed, because of complex trends they have remained isolated in the unskilled trades.

Us trade workers took a beating over the last decade, but revenge will soon be ours as the demand for people who can make things happen accelerates. In addition, numerous changes will be forced on the worlds economy as major factors come into play.

great system for 'mature students' where over 23's can enroll and study for free, this depends on an interview of course.

reply to post by seabhac-rua

That is a great opportunity. I found that my best students were the non-traditional, those that had been out in the real world, before going to college. They seem to really appreciate the education. Sometimes I feel that everyone should have to go out and work for a few years, then go to college. Of course, now in the states, no one can even get a job. It's quite bad, much worse than the papers are reporting. Our 8.1% unemployment is more like 20% when you consider all of the people that have stopped working, or are taking unemployment or welfare rather than getting a job.

reply to post by LUXUS


The Sumerians tell us that they were bred to be Slaves.
Today compulsory education, religions and science work together
to make their descendants, modern-man,
a far better Slave than the Sumerians could imagine;
but unlike the Sumerians
modern-man has been bred
to be too stupid to know it:
that we are not only slaves but fodder
for our ruthlessly psychopathic and sadistic murdering masters
that most of us devoutly worship as idols
but mostly god.

Originally posted by LUXUS
reply to post by Consequence

 

I would not say the young have a wider knowledge actually quite the opposite in my observation unless you ask them trivial questions relating to media or pop culture.

I wouldn't generalize it to just the youth though. I don't see the point in it. It just further separates us. Sure there are a lot of people who are really into pop culture, some are young, some are old, but you may be surprised as to how smart they truly are. Being interested in pop culture doesn't make you dumb, even if it's not our cup of tea.

World is changing.

People are too.

It's not the end of the world.

If I was just basing it on my self, maybe.

But person after person after person keep reaffirming that humanity will go on.

Have more faith. Don't be jaded.

The differences between the generations are like different clothes.

Different clothes for different places.

Inputs and outputs are different.

Keeping up is impossible. We get old. We fall behind.

It's like using old firmware on a new disc and it can't read or write it reliably. This incongruity applies both forwards and backwards. Each generation is uniquely made for its environment.

reply to post by LUXUS


Excellent post brother!

Ever heard the saying that the 1% want to "Educate us just enough to run the machines, but keep us dumb enough not to complain about it"?

As the Western population get dumber the Eastern is getting brighter. I saw this recently in College in Australia. We were doing some pretty harsh maths as part of an engineering course. The only people in the class who did not struggle with it were the Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean and other Eastern international students.

China will be the next super power. Thank goodness, we need some intelligent leadership!

Originally posted by iwilliam
[...] because we are not branching children out into specialized areas of learning until they reach college level education.

Doesn't that summarize what I said? And I told 'why'.

In early grade school, most modern kids review and re-review material they were first introduced to three years prior. This leaves the more intelligent children quickly becoming bored.

I don't know which school that would be. Maybe it does not apply to us.

Even a lot of the high school curriculum seems "dumbed down."

Again.. My post might explain that?

Originally posted by YayMayorBee
Several reasons in my opinion and probably more than I am aware of.

1. The destruction of the American family
2. The teachers union
3. This is also a conspiracy site and I believe the general dumbing down of citizens equals a population base easier to control

The movie idiocracy was not fiction but more so a documentary from the future.

Everybody thinks it's SOMEONE ELSE who got dumbed down - but this post above is someone who is saying just what the pundits want them to think.

Who "destroyed" the American family? All I see is people able to afford homes, not living with grandma and 5 annoying uncles. Is there some party I can vote for that is "Pro family" and what does that look like beyond paying lip service to something that is beyond a politicians control?

Teachers Unions are destroying education? Wow. Not putting 40 kids in a class room? Not over paying for crappy books? Not cutting funds to use vouchers which only provide discounts to people who can afford private education?

We only have 6% of manufacturing workers in Unions now -- where's that "Glory and progress" we were promised? Once Teachers Unions are gone (and they will be) -- what will be the REASON education is collapsing -- or will they just stop covering that and whine and complain about anti pollution laws?

Private schools and NON-union teachers haven't proven any better at educating kids. A private school can pick and choose kids who already have good grades, and parents who OBVIOUSLY have enough money to pay for the school -- so they probably have less stress about food, paying rent, and having a computer in the home. You know the #1 determination of how successful kids are in America? How much their parents make. No other factor is significant in predicting their future (any more).

I suppose broke teachers who have no job security aren't "motivated" any more than a Union teacher. Probably because people don't become teachers and scientists in life because they were wanting an easy path to big riches.

Comments like the one above take all the School Boards, billionaire testing agencies and book publishers, and people politicizing the content of books -- OFF THE HOOK.

Follow who is getting rich and you find out where the education dollars go.

If there are bad teachers -- then we should deal with that. But there isn't a sudden rash of lazy, lousy teachers. There is a sudden rash of pundits who make hundreds of thousands a year working for crooks who want to demonize any organization that can stand in their way of spreading propaganda. It's working too.

As a parent with kids in the school system, I know they learn the same basic concepts that I did (I'm mid-forties, kids are middle school age). But I remember learning what my eldest is being taught in Grade 7, what I learned in Grade 5.

I just read a recent article that says in my province in Canada, the government wants to alter the system from a "facts-based" learning model to a "concepts-based" model. What that means is beyond me. I guess facts have no place in education. Maybe they'll teach Transcendental Meditation 6 instead of Math 6.

While I can't agree that there is a bold conspiracy in the Education System, I do believe the content learned has been massively delayed.

reply to post by LUXUS


Well there are someone or some people responsible for school education. Find them and ask them.
Also we now have tools of technology making mindless memorizing unnecessary. We should be learning about problem solving. There's no point in learning the periodic table by heart. That time is better spent on learning about the latest science in chemistry and advanced physics (Particle/Quantum) - and its practical application.
If the students from a 100 years ago were to take a test we now take, they would totally flunk it.
Ask a freshman at his first day in college to take a test a professor from a 100 years ago would take. But this freshman get to use the internet as help. He would kick the professors xxx.