Is something VERY WRONG with the country?

-- What is happening to math and language skills in the United States?
---
---
---
David's tech:

-Timely news is important! We upload new clips every day! Make sure to subscribe!

Original show date November 26, 2024

#davidpakmanshow #trump #usa

[marcoliver]

What worries me is not only do people in general seem to be less well educated, there seems to be a subset that seem to celebrate their ignorance and are *deeply* suspicious of anyone who seems to know more than them.

[bflv]

"There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge."

~Isaac Asimov

[Erok]

George Carlin had a routine that said that "the people who own this country don't want citizens capable of critical thinking "

[mrsatire]

We have too many idiots that hate education and glorify ignorance.

[bustercaps]

I have noticed a steep drop off in critical thinking skills over the past two decades, it’s scary.

[lovesmusic]

I watched interviews from all sides during the election. I tried to engage with Trump voters online. I had a few random encounters with strangers, where the price of goods was discussed. These were my conclusions about Trump voters.

1. People mostly ignored COVID ‘s impact on the global economy. Prices lower under Trump fueled many fond memories.
2. They don’t dig in and understand the complexities of many issues or policies. Economics, social justice, immigration, civil rights were not issues they could intelligently discuss.
3. It was all about me and mine. No concern beyond their front door.
4. Harris was all word salad but Trump is strong and confident. As long as he crushed the opposition, they were happy.
5. They were tired of democracy because it is too slow and just wanted someone to fix it (whatever their problem is) now. That’s why they don’t care how crude, rude and criminal Trump is, they just want him to wave the magic Trump wand and all will be well.

On the whole, people are less educated (whether self taught or schooled) because the US does not value its average citizens. We value wealth, celebrity and power. Plus if the rich and powerful business interests can keep the masses riled up and uninformed, it’s just easier for them to control their profits. That usually works for a while until the anarchists decide to burn it all down. A ten-minute read of world history will tell you where we’re headed. The question is how fast we get there.

[NousNoesis]

I'm a high school English teacher of 26 years. I also have a degree in philosophy. I have been teaching students logic, critical thinking, and media literacy for over two decades. But the Republicans in my statehouse continue to defund our public schools, and now I have about 50 more students per day than I did at the beginning of my career. No matter how good a teacher I am, I can't teach these skills as effectively as before. This is how Republicans undermine the education of our citizens.

[Amberabove]

The tarriff plan will evidently lead to high inflation, the high inflation is a significant reason why most retirees have sleepless nights. The increase in prices of everyday items puts them at risk of running out of money. As prices rise, the amount of money retirees can withdraw from their retirement savings also increases.

[AimeeBaginski]

Yes something is wrong with America. We’ve elected Trump not once but twice.

[phazeout]

“Governments don't want a population capable of critical thinking, they want obedient workers, people just smart enough to run the machines and just dumb enough to passively accept their situation.”
― George Carlin

[spikesecho]

My dad is not a smart man. Probably reads at a 5th grade level, and does it slowly. But he knows clear as day how awful Trump is as a human being, and how dangerous he is for the country. It's a simple matter of recognizing a good guy from a bad guy. And that's what I had hoped the majority of the country could do

[huntercoleherr]

A&W tried to introduce a 1\3 pound burger to compete with McDonald's 1\4 pounder.

It failed because 3 is smaller than 4 so most people thought it was a smaller burger.

[NatureGal-wm]

Lack of education AND lack of empathy.

[Lovesapuzzle]

In my experience, people that didn't learn basic math, language arts, science, etc. skills when they were young, become adults that attempt to hide their ignorance with bravado and BS. They lack the confidence to admit that they don't understand.

[mattdowns]

As an American public school teacher I can tell you that we do not have an education system. We have a publicly supported childcare system that attempts to educate but has no ability to enforce it. Children are pushed forward regardless of ability. Teachers are required in many places to give credit even when work is not completed. With the exception of intrinsically motivated students, there is very little incentive for others to put forth effort. Spelling and basic grammar is awful even among students that care. " No Child Left Behind" has only led to more kids pushed forward without an understanding of prior skills.

[OneWhoKnowz]

Thanks to No Child Left Behind! This program was implemented around 1999, give or take a year. They removed phonetics from the school system and replaced it with sight words. How can someone learn to read if they can’t sound out the words?

I’ve been talking about this for 25 fxkn years, and they’ve ignored every single one of my tweets and comments. So I dug in and became a strong advocate for my daughter!

School in America is designed to dumb you down. It’s easier to control people who lack the ability to think critically.

By the way, I was raised and educated in a hood near you! 🎉🎉🎉

[cargo-sbcz]

"The secret of freedom lies in educating people, whereas the secret of tyranny is in keeping them ignorant." - Maximilien de Robespierre
Trump in Nevada (24.02.2016): 'I Love the Poorly Educated'

[jeffmykytiuk]

I am originally from Massachusetts which consistently ranks NUMBER 1 in the country in public education. They spend about $25000 per student per year. I have spent the last 35 years in Central Florida. Florida spends roughly $7000 per student. Florida ranks somewhere in the 40s out of 50 (states). I was an elementary public school teacher in Florida for 20 years. I recently retired and moved out of the state due to cost of living. (Yes, DeSantis can brag there is no state income tax; however, there is a plethora of fees, gas taxes, impact fees, etc.) Several years back, the teachers in South Carolina were striking for more money. The governor at the time said: The constitution of the US says states must provide and education but it doesn't specify the QUALITY. He said that as SC is primarily an agricultural state, there was no need for a high quality public education. He also said that when people are educated, wages increase. I worked for a low socioeconomic school- 96% free and reduced lunch. The school was almost exclusively Hispanic/Latino. Many many students who moved out of their countries of origin came to our public school with no English language skills at all. I WILL TAKE A CLASSROOM FULL OF VENEZUELAN AND COLUMBIAN (non English speaking students) ANY DAY over English speaking white Americans (I also spent 10 years at Orange County's top public school). Kids from Venezuela and Columbia were smart, respectful, DID THEIR HOMEWORK, asked a ton of questions, NEVER BLAMED THE TEACHERS. These kids were hard working and serious about their education. Parents were highly supportive in every way. States that are consistently low ranking: Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, West Virginia, Tennessee, etc. As the saying goes: Keep 'em ignorant, keep 'em under control.

[drc]

My brother just told me yesterday over Thanks dinner that "the government is controlling the weather." Say no more. The U.S. has to be the dumbest country in the western world. I'm a former educator. Not only are Americans woefully educated, many are proud of the fact. They have fun criticizing people who are educated and DO read above a 6th grade level. I have also lived and taught overseas for about 20 years. People from across the world generally see through our shallow population. They see us as "nice but not too bright." Sorry America, we're not really the "shining city on the hill" at all. We are an ignorant, intolerant society and I predict these people who are willing to sacrifice our democracy by electing a dictator just so they can reduce the price of a dozen eggs are soon going to have a very rude awakening.

[pcrockett]

I’m a retired lawyer. I grew up in a working class neighborhood in the 50’s. Average reading ability of adults was 6th grade. They were very astute and had more common sense than many current elites who live in their bubble of prosperity. What was interesting is that these non college educated voters unconsciously assumed that newspaper journalists, TV news anchors and opinion show ‘experts’ knew more than they did and that they would not blatantly lie in a public forum. The level of harm done by the blatant distortion and/or misinformation by ‘entertainment’ shows like Fox News as well as the corporate control of news media in general has been catastrophic. Facts are no longer important, just opinion. This has allowed a consummate liar to pose as an honest candidate. Once the ‘News’ became monetized, democracy was in dire trouble. Add in the decimation of the purchasing power of the working/middle class and you get middle finger politics. Prosperous Progressives loved DEI, but were oblivious to the increasing desperation of the paycheck to paycheck worker. Democracy becomes a casualty of rampant disinformation and the worst inequality since the Gilded Age. BTW - I forgot how to multiply decimals 20 years ago.