If you really think about it, the term "smart phone" is a barometer of how dumb society has become. I have young relatives (with a high school diploma) that can't read cursive, perform simple math easily, compose a basic sentence, yet their phone can do both.
An intelligent person is difficult to control.
ReplyDeleteA Stupid person, dependent on the Gov, is easily controlled.
It's obvious that's the goal, and to make things worse, the supposedly educated media is full of what can only be described as dumbasses who promote the process.
DeleteThe kids are not stupid. The blame for their academic shortfalls lie with their parents and the teachers. If I were king, I’d burn the public schools to the ground with the teachers trapped inside, and salt the earth on which the stood.
ReplyDeleteFurther... the kids don’t need to read cursive anymore than we need to rely on slide rules or vernier calipers or vacuum tubes. Our new digital tools are far more accurate, cheaper, and just as robust.
That is not to say I like any of that... it’s just the way it is. These days, it is imperative that a man be able to educate and inform himself. Fortunately... the tools to do so have never been better...
Many important founding documents are in cursive. Not being able to understand leads to the corruption of text that leads to manipulation. It may not be necessary, but it's important.
DeleteI learned how to run a total station during my career. It's a tool that allows precise measurements, with the fewest amount of people. I didn't have one for years, so I had to use old surveying methods. With that knowledge, I learned the total station can make mistakes, and without the ability to check the results, the mistakes could be costly.
The teacher's union has failed in its only task. With the administrations filled with those corrupted by propaganda, the results can only be described as a concerted effort to lower the education level of students.
It is a fascinating debate Dave. Were I inclined to argue (and I am not; your point is totally valid) - I *might* argue that many historical documents were written in Latin. I can now view the originals, access them and expertly dissect them with a few clicks of a mouse.
DeleteIt’s the same thing tradesmen have been saying for 30 years: the difference between a tradesman and his apprentice - the tradesman does the thinking. For the apprentice (and sundry pikers) - the tool does the thinking, and that can get people hurt or even killed.
It’s my scholarly opinion that the way forward is to take no shortcuts. Founding documents like your constitution for example: even if the kids could read it, it wouldn’t matter because they are not schooled on what that thing means, much less the intent of the men that drafted it. They are taught that the first amendment only applies to approved thinkers. The second amendment applies only to the military and muskets... and things go into the crapper from there. I think I heard that idiot Biden yapping about expanding and stacking the Supreme Court. I’m Canadian and I can see the folly of that better than your future president can. It really is remarkable when you think about it.
Any force multiplier is great... as long as the guy using it knows what he’s doing, and when NOT to use it.
What is most fascinating, and disconcerting, is that we have millions of teachers, students, and supposed learned officials that have not idea what the Bill of Rights contains.
DeleteThat constitution of yours should be mandatory study for young people regardless of their country. It’s content alone is worth the trip. The implications of it, and the historical forces that brought it about showcases the human animal at his best and worst.
Deletethe smarter the devices they grow dependent on, the dumber they get. most of our students get frozen in place when they run into an unexpected situation, unable to think thru courses of action, instead waiting for instructions. yet they sometimes have the answer in their hand but they are too dumb to do a google search for it. they want somebody to tell/show them every little step. they use the phones to gossip and listen to music but little knowledge.
ReplyDeleteYep. In my past, seeking knowledge required a trip to a library, the hope it had what I was looking for, and the tedious task of searching through books. Now, it's only a finger swipe away, and that finger is more often used to play a video game.
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