America, The Stupid

[JoeNormal]

On USMB the other day a fake commencement address by a right wing talking head is praised as the best ever. Since I know many teachers, and the work they do, and the difficulties they face in a society in which only money and sports are worshipped, I took umbrage with such nonsense.

My solution to the buffoon's 'libelous'* speech - I am not sure what word to use when someone who earns their living talking shit all day criticizes people who actually contribute to society - was the old fashioned one, a good punch in the mouth followed by a toss off the stage. How else could you rationally debate a total jackass.

I was raised in a world in which the teacher was in charge in the classroom and the student listened. Today in America every moron, with equally moronic parents, is not only right, but the teachers wrong. And then when asked why our students do so poorly, the teachers are blamed. Imagine if little Joanie studied instead of texting and kicking a ball all evening?

America is becoming stupid because the ideas of fools are taken serious, consider Fox as an example, its listeners know nothing about the world, or consider Rush Limbaugh's nonsense, then there is Coulter, Savage, Beck, Hannity, et al, can anyone think of dumber media personalities? Lots out there. Big money fools support the stupid because the stupid say and write and print what the big money fools want them to say. Consider the revisionist stupidity from Jonah Goldberg? Seriously, are these fools the best the conservatives can bring to the table today?

Liberals today need to call a spade a spade, stupidity is sponsored by the wealthy stupid, and the greedy stupid, and the ideological stupid, stupidity has gone on too long. Every fool gets a Koch, Simmons, Perry, Murdoch et al soapbox when the fool argues against the American values that made this country great, so it time we too call stupid stupid. Unapologetic, I have to say anyone who praises Neal Boortz's fake commencement address is kinda stupid, nah, let's be honest, really stupid.

"Quite possibly, this belief in our own opinion, regardless of the facts, may be what separates us from the nations of the world, what makes us unique in God’s eyes. The average German or Czech, though possibly no less ignorant than his American counterpart, will probably consider the possibility that someone who has spent his life studying something may have an opinion worth considering. Not the American. Although perfectly willing to recognize expertise in basketball, for example, or refrigerator repair, when it comes to the realm of ideas, all folks (and their opinions) are suddenly equal. Thus evolution is a damned lie, global warming a liberal hoax, and Republicans care about people like you." Mark Slouka

* When a right wing talking head condemns a whole group as incompetent, he not makes himself the fool, but his criticism paints a false portrait of a noble profession. Stupid speech is stupid speech and should be labeled stupid.

Excellent post. My only disagreement is in your saying that the Kochs, Murdoch et al are stupid. They aren't. But they realize the value in being able to manipulate the stupid multitudes and have refined to the point of a science the ability to pull their strings. Combine that with an unhealthy dose of American exceptionalism and phoney patriotism and you have the country going down in flames as we see today.

 

[EdwardBaiamonte]

or consider Rush Limbaugh's nonsense, then there is Coulter, Savage, Beck, Hannity, et al, can anyone think of dumber media personalities?.

if the are dumb then Aristotle and our founders must be dumb too since all believe/believed deeply in freedom from liberal government.

See why we are positive a liberal will be slow, so very very slow!!

 

[initforme]

Competition isnt a bad thing at all. But if you go the charter route then a very good competitive school MUST accept any applicant. You have NO other choice. As for problem kids, they must all be given a chance to succeed and if it requires going to a so called high performing school and the schools test scores collectively go down then so be it. Cant have it both ways. Many here offer problems but I have yet to read ONE solution. You want charter schools thats fine with me. I have zero problem with it. But you dang well better ensure that problematic disruptive students are given every chance to succeed or you should be shut down and shunned in the educational setting

 

[regent]

Competition isnt a bad thing at all. But if you go the charter route then a very good competitive school MUST accept any applicant. You have NO other choice. As for problem kids, they must all be given a chance to succeed and if it requires going to a so called high performing school and the schools test scores collectively go down then so be it. Cant have it both ways. Many here offer problems but I have yet to read ONE solution. You want charter schools thats fine with me. I have zero problem with it. But you dang well better ensure that problematic disruptive students are given every chance to succeed or you should be shut down and shunned in the educational setting

At one time schools had an answer to education-let the erring sisters go. Those students that were not comfortable with schools, education and all that simply left school, dropouts. Then in the early Forties communities got concerned all these kids hanging around the streets and a new term came into vogue, juvenile delinquency. Keep em in school became the battle cry, so schools, ruled by local school boards did just that, made changes, not necessarily a better education, but easier, social promotion came on the scene, easier tests, more social programs, now it was do anything to keep kids from dropping. We must remember that for every student with an IQ over 100, there is another under 100. For that student under 100, school can be an unpleasant experience.
My high school had a 75% dropout rate, but the students that did graduate were reasonably well versed in many subjects, and a percentage even went on to college.
It was assumed at that time that the minimum IQ to handle college work was 120. What percent of the population would that be?

 

[EdwardBaiamonte]

You want charter schools thats fine with me. I have zero problem with it. But you dang well better ensure that problematic disruptive students are given every chance to succeed or you should be shut down and shunned in the educational setting

dear the beauty of voucher/charter Republican schools is they are free to cater to and develop expertise with students of any kind. If 50% of the kids out there have lower than average IQ's a charter school can form just for them, much the way Toyota Scion was formed to build cheap Toyotas or Rolls Royce was formed to cater to the filty rich.

 

[initforme]

" If 50% of the kids out there have lower than average IQ's a charter school can form just for them, much the way Toyota Scion was formed to build cheap Toyotas or Rolls Royce was formed to cater to the filty rich."

But the expectations for those kids MUST be post HS education otherwise they are faced with working for lower wages than other students. this in turn leads to their being taken advantage of by employers who seek to get the most out of them for the least amount of pay. Scary thought.

 

[EdwardBaiamonte]

"
But the expectations for those kids MUST be post HS education otherwise .

well obviously paying parents would be free to sent their kids to the school that prepared them best for post HS