The Dumbing Down is Complete
Butter Brings Breakfast
Good Morning, Breakfastpoppers. Today is Monday, April 24, 2017. Our creamy friend, Butter, is here with me at the breakfast table. She has prepared an American breakfast of eggs, bacon, toast and coffees, and she has asked for the pleasure of your company this morning. Butter has spent a great deal of time flying around and observing everyday life in our cities, our small towns, our college campuses and in the halls of Congress. She is not encouraged by what she has observed. Please join us this morning and discover Butter's conclusions about life in America today. We hope to see you soon.
Bad News
Thank you all for joining POP and me this morning. Let me get right to the heart of the matter. The dumbing down of America is complete. A quick visit to a college campus will tell the whole story. A quick llisten to the likes of an Elizabeth Warren will fill in the gaps. A speedy perusal of the New York Times will confirm the news. A sound bite from a Hollywood celebrity will cement the findings. A call to customer service in the hope of getting a problem solved will reveal all you need to know. The dumbing down of America as a whole and of Americans individually is complete. Far too many of us are ripe for the pickings. The scavengers are out there using the dummies to further their own agendas. If it is possible to reverse this trend, it had better start now. The next generation of parents, teachers, workers, politicians and journalists are already a lost cause. We need to save the children, the little children. To do that we need to find educators who teach because they love to impart knowledge rather than propaganda. We need to tailor higher education to producing productive members of society, and we need to do it more efficiently and for less money. We are now going to graduate students who will probably end up back home in their parents' basements. They know nothing about the real world, and their ability to handle adversity is crippled. We have reached the end of the road, and if a way out of this mess is to be found, we had better start looking.
Like Puppets
It's time to cut the strings that bind us. Let's start with our colleges and universities. The cost of one year of college is astronomical. It is also probably not worth it. At one time, the value of a liberal arts education seemed like a good investment. In today's world it doesn't prepare students for anything other than a good conversation, and that is true only if the student took notes. Students who want to train for a particular career should be taught only what is pertinent to that career. Philosophy may sound like a worthwhile class, but at today's prices is it really a good idea? Years ago the question asked of a philosophy major was, "are you going to open a philosophy store?" The question still holds up. If accounting is in your future study accounting and forget geology. If geology is in your future, study geology and skip accounting. Get what you need, get it done and get out there and start producing. At this point, being saddled with a quarter of a million in debt sounds like a really bad idea. Next we have to make sure that those that teach our students do just that. Professors are not paid to brainwash, and if they do, out they go. Administrators are not paid to bow to the most moronic of demands placed upon them. If they do, out they go. The University of Minnesota agreed to pay $65,000 to a former employee who said she was fired for "speaking passionately" against the racial profiling of Africa-Americans. Specifically, she stood against the use of racial descriptors in university crime alerts. In other words, if a black male committed a crime on campus, this employee wanted the fact that the suspect was black to be omitted. The lawsuit was nonsense, the demand insane and the payout pathetic. This kind of garbage has to end. We need zero tolerance for stupidity.
Is Failure Still Allowed?
Children are being told that every thing they do is worthy of an A, a trophy, a blue ribbon and a pat on the back. The first failing grade, if there is one, creates hysteria on the part of the student and the parent. The teacher had better be prepared to explain this most unusual grade, because today's children are all superstars. By the time these coddled babies get to college they believe the hype they have been told all their lives. They are special, they are sensitive, they are right and they are to be protected from real life at all costs. They end up in schools that cater to their every whim. They graduate and look for employers who will do the same. It doesn't happen and the blame falls on everybody but themselves. You know something is wrong when you learn that Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania has some students in a tizzy at the thought of Chick-Fil-A coming to the food court on campus. They complain that the company makes them feel unsafe because of its supposed questionable history on civil and human rights. Personally, Chick-Fil-A should be the one to feel unsafe. The idiocy begins with the tots, continues through grade twelve and is cemented in college. Graduates emerge who are fit for nothing. Some of these ex-students may end up in Washington, which is how we get politicians like Elizabeth Warren and Nancy Pelosi. They are voted in by people who know nothing, expect everything and are never disappointed in what follows, because they lose interest and wander away physically and mentally. We are badly in need of a major overhaul. Let it begin!
Butter's Song
I won't grow up
I don't wanna leave school
I won't grow up
I just love to play the fool.....
Related
Comments
AUTHORDear fp,
I love what you wrote here. Your message is true and inspiring, but many of today's young adults are too spoiled to grasp what you are saying. They were raised believing that they were special and precious, and now that upbringing is showing what they are made of. Mush, just mush. My daughters worked hard, and are now quit successful in their careers and most importantly in their lives as wives, mothers and citizens. I can't say the same for the offspring of my friends. It's really very sad. Your sons are lucky to have you. I feel lucky to know you. See you at the Inn.
A bit slow in getting here, pop, but I've been busy. Getting to the point~with the outrageous cost of a college education, far too many do not even entertain the thought of applying. At this point in my life, as I view the situation (much of what you write about here) I'm not insisting to HS students that they MUST go to college or they're doomed to the welfare ranks.
This just isn't so, but instead a whole lot of brain-washing that leads to MORE brain-washing and crushing debt on your back for the next 20 years!
Once again I find myself being ecstatic that I (and my adult sons) made it through the tough decisions and difficult times through self-motivation, hard work and determination and a firm grasp on what being an American truly means. We took the hard knocks & struggles as they came along, stood back up, brushed off the dust & pushed forward, knowing we are responsible for ourselves & our progress.
No whiners or cry-babies allowed. There's a whole lot to learn in this life but one thing for certain is: "If you stand for nothing, you'll fall for anything!" Be strong, be proud, go for your goals and remember WHO you are!
- AUTHOR
Good Morning Pino,
The Inn is the best place to be if it is adult company you are looking for. Trying to have an intelligent conversation with a college student these days is impossible. It is like banging your head against a wall. See you at the Inn, and please bolt the door behind you.
- AUTHOR
Good Morning cheaptrick,
Thanks os much and yes I do remember those days. I went to Brooklyn College. In order to pay almost no tuition I had to maintain a high GPA. If it dipped, I was out. Those days are gone , and so is the quality in education. Somehow we managed to learn without being brainwashed!
- AUTHOR
Good Morning brad,
Just two more examples that prove that freedom of speech no longer exists. See you at the Inn and bring the questions!
Pop: It is very scary that our future leaders are being brainwashed into thinking that they are the next best thing to sliced bread. No everyone is. The real world will be quite an eye opener - unless you surround yourself with everyone who does think you are the best. Look at Obama; he is a perfect example. We now have college graduates that have the mentality of 10 year olds. I am now ready to be with adults, so I am off to the INN......
This is the absolute best hub I've read about education!I remember (in the late 60's)paying $27 per credit for courses and no more than $35 for a book which I could resell end of semester!My grandson refuses to believe that's true!
Brad, I went to read it about 5 minutes after I received the notification and it was gone.
Pop
Here is another one.
This question has been removed by the HubPages Moderation Team.
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What have the Liberals done to America, and the American Way of Life?
asked by bradmasterOCcal 15 hours ago
Pop
This is another example of why hp is biased to liberals.
The moderation team deleted my question. No reason, just did it.
What are the benefits of not deporting convicted felons that are Illegal Aliens?
asked by bradmasterOCcal 5 hours ago
illegal immigrants 16.8% drug trafficking, 20% kidnapping/hostage taking,74.1% drug possession, 12.3% money laundering,12% murder convictions. Eliminating all immigration violations, illegal immigrants account for 13.6% all offenders sentenced in FY14 Today, about 55,000 criminal aliens account for more than 1/4 of prisoners in Fed Bureau Prisons facilities, there are 297,000 criminal aliens incarcerated in state&local prisons. That #represents 16.4% state&local prison population compared to 12.9% total population comprised of foreign-born residents
del it after reading it.
Pop
I agree, and that was a tasty suggestion.
- AUTHOR
Dear brad,
To be perfectly honest, the Dems who supported and still support Hillary have a major screw loose. The woman is corrupt, a liar and a danger to our safety. Their continued support and hatred of Trump speaks volumes about their brains and their character. I suggest you lick the crumbs off the keyboard. They are just too good to waste. See you at the Inn.
Pop
Thanks for the Knishes. yum.
What is education today? What is the goal of education? What is the actual result of education?
Of course, I am referring to FORMAL education.
Compare Formal Education with Intelligence and Street Smarts.
There seems to be a correlation between the falling performance of Formal Education and the Decline of the United States since the 70s.
As I have mentioned many times, I find that this correlation is cored in the tradition of Loyal Party Voter. Being a loyal party voter allows the party to do what they want instead of the what is needed to be done.
What we are seeing today with the attacks on president Trump from both dem and repub is imo due to his not being a part of the party goals.
The dems and repubs are beholding to their financial benefactors they keep these politicians nested in congress. Trump threatens these benefactors and their control on the politicians. Term limits for congress would help loosen their grip on the politicians.
And the loyal party voters are still buying the party line.
How can the loyal party voter not be dumb down, look at their election records. It was the non loyal party voters that escaped the gravity of the party to vote for the NON Republican Donald Trump.
Enough, I shouldn't eat while I am typing, I now have a knish covered keyboard. :)
- AUTHOR
Good Morning brad,
Great commentary, and your experience was not unlike mine. They say education started going downhill after 1967. The end result of this hideous slide is what we have now, overpriced colleges, undereducated graduates and immature babies who need pampering and understanding above all else. So far my grandchildren, who are little, have their act together. They rail against the notion that everyone deserves an A and I applaud them for that. The millennias could learn a thing or two from the little ones who haven't been ruined yet! See you at the Inn. I am bringing knishes..Gabilas.
Pop
I agree.
Education that we have this century is like having bad eye sight where you can only focus on what is in front of you, while not being able to see far enough to see the big picture.
I think that K-12 is where you get the sampling of all that you need to be able to pick what you want to be as an adult. College and Universities should compete with technical based schools.
Why, because this is the age of technology and it is technology that is overtaking humanity.
Look at the use of bots by Google, Facebook and other technology companies. They have established a de facto society, a civilian version of the government deep state.
Who can afford to get the entire well rounded education experience today. The Obama government got rid of the academia competitors like ITT Cannon and other such technical focused schools.
These schools don't educate the lifestyle of the students, but educates their ability to get a job.
I was fortunate in being educated in NYC and Long Island before political influencing became popular. So I only was taught the content of the courses without the influenced bias of how I should feel about it.
I never felt compelled to be a democrat even though that we the strong suit of the politics.
Getting married and moving to CA, I went to UC Long Beach, and again was lucky that it hadn't become politically influenced. I just gained an education in Technology. I also went on to advanced degrees and there was no political influence.
All of that has changed in the last thirty years, especially in California. Students learn less, are subliminally influenced to the left, and most students don't take curriculum's that can get them a job that can even pay for their health insurance much less pay back their student loans.
I lucked out, growing up in the democrat strongholds of both NY and CA and without being politically indoctrinated.
I think that the problem in the country for many decades is the slow cooking of the loyal party voters. My civ ed teacher in NY said don't vote Row A or Row B, but vote on the best person without regard to the party.
Unfortunately, the parties have become magicians, like pick a card out of the deck, any card, yet, you always pick the card they want you to pick.
The choices for public office has become no real choice. The only way out is for the voter to demand that the parties give them better choices. But that would take intelligent voters, and they are on the verge of extinction.
Working and being married, I took a lot of night classes, and these classes had instructors that worked in industry. They were the best because of their outside of academia experience. I had both types of instructors, and I learned more from those that worked in industry.
In technology, academia is usually years behind what is being done in industry. Academia is regurgitating what industry has already produced, while industry has already moved on with the next big discovery.
Anyway, kudos to you if you got this far.
- AUTHOR
Good Morning Mike,
Your grandsons couldn't have been snowflakes, because they made a wise decision and are doing well. Snowflakes are cozily ensconced in their parent's bedrooms. See you at the Inn.
I have two grandsons who I would put in the snowflake category. One went into the Army and the other went into the Navy. Needless to say they aren't snowflakes anymore. Both fine young men with goals and a future today.
- AUTHOR
Dear maven,
And now the academic chickens have come home to roost. Graduates are comfy in their parent's basements, and parents are eating through their retirement funds. If these delicate flowers find employment, I doubt that it will amount to anything. Not everyone gets a trophy in the real world, and sometimes employers expect employees to contribute, which by today's standards is completely unfair. I'll save you a seat at the Inn, maven.
Much of the blame for the dumbing down of America can be traced to the 60's and the fall-out of academic postmodernism which has trickled through to the mass culture, promoting ideas like truth being a mere social construct, and morality merely an expression of power.
Critical thinking has been sacrificed on the altar of Progressive Liberalism...Groupthink rules, dissent is attacked as racist, homophobic, sexist, or any number of ists...The exchange of different ideas was a pillar of college academia...No more...Ignorant snowflakes run for their "safe spaces" when "triggered" by some supposed slight...pathetic...
- AUTHOR
Dear Lori,
The courses given now are insane, embarrassing and a colossal waste of time. Students at the University of California revoked a long-standing rule that required the American flag to "stand visibly" at every senate meeting. The rule is no longer compulsory. Disrespect for the flag and our nation is expected and appreciated. That is what is being taught in our colleges and universities. See you at the Inn. Old Glory will be on display.
- AUTHOR
Dear Jack,
I agree, but our children and grandchildren are being subjected to uber liberal babies who love socialism and despise what we stand for. How they end up is synapse's guess. Proof of insanity is everyone. The editorial staff of Wellesley College wrote that anyone who dares utter a politically incorrect thought should be met with hostility. The students are living in an alternate universe. They are not prepared to emerge from college and make any contribution to society. What a waste! See you at the Inn.
- AUTHOR
Dear Mike,
It is a real problem and it spells danger for our future. A generation of people who can't think or act maturely will make life impossible. How do we even begin to straighten out this mess? See you at the Inn.
Lori, I love that comment.
A few years ago there was a girl who sued a college because she couldn't find a job after she graduated. Her major was Egyptian Art.
Each class means money for the school, so they could care less if that class is of any benefit to the student.
I really agree with you about not wasting an exhorbitant college tuition by taking classes that are either irrelevant to their future goals, or classes that have the stupid modern day empty headed brain washing. I am always sad to hear a college student say "I'm majoring in Philosophy or Anthropology." When you ask them what they want to do when they get out of college they'll say "I want to start my own hair salon," or "I want to be a dog groomer." Really?
There is the case of many colleges requiring students to take both requirements and electives that have nothing to do with their major in the name of a well rounded education. For example, to get a degree in psychology they want you to take some history, english and math classes as well. To a degree I get that, but now the electives are insanely ridiculous.
You are so correct. Our education system is a failure. We need to do our part and impart our knowledge among our relatives and friends. There are teaching moments through out the day. We need to educated them so that we don't loose our freedom and democracy. As Reagan said, we are only one generation away from tyranny...
Good Morning Patti,
Anyone who has seen Watter's World on TV has a good idea of the level of education being produced today by most colleges and universities in this country. For example, many college students could not name the first President of the United States or the current Vice President.
When it comes to college the old rule about getting what you pay for apparently doesn't apply. It is apparent that our entire education system needs a total overhaul.
I find it interesting that today, many home-schooled children do far better on college entrance exams than some who have been educated in our public school system.
If I had college age children today I would not even consider spending the big bucks to send them to college to be brain washed by liberal professors. Many of these professors have no business even teaching and their results are quite obvious.
- AUTHOR
A small college near me is now $65,000 a year. It's insane! See you at the Inn, billy.
I found something we can agree with...the cost of college and what you receive from it is not worth it. Total agreement on that point.
Happy Monday!
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