RE: Basic intelligence in America.(rant)
July 25, 2012 at 4:37 pm
(This post was last modified: July 25, 2012 at 4:39 pm by Faith No More.)
The religious in our country see education as an anathema, so conservative parents and politicians focus on making religion come first when it comes to what we teach ourselves. Being educated is being demonized by these conservatives as something wicked and evil, and the best way to keep the credulous from becoming non-credulous is to make them afraid of learning.
Also, I think it has somewhat to do with the state of denial we have here in the states. Most Americans think America is the greatest the country in every category and every endeavor it has undertaken. Try to tell them our education is terrible when ranked among industrialized countries, and they will cover their ears or say it is in an unimportant issue.
Another issue is the demonizing of what can be seen as "European thinking," such as socialized medicine. It seems that we this mentality that if Europe does something, it must be wrong. Likewise, everything America does is always right, even when it's not.
Also, I think it has somewhat to do with the state of denial we have here in the states. Most Americans think America is the greatest the country in every category and every endeavor it has undertaken. Try to tell them our education is terrible when ranked among industrialized countries, and they will cover their ears or say it is in an unimportant issue.
Another issue is the demonizing of what can be seen as "European thinking," such as socialized medicine. It seems that we this mentality that if Europe does something, it must be wrong. Likewise, everything America does is always right, even when it's not.
Even if the open windows of science at first make us shiver after the cozy indoor warmth of traditional humanizing myths, in the end the fresh air brings vigor, and the great spaces have a splendor of their own - Bertrand Russell
