CAUTION - NEW POST AHEAD
That's it, I quit. I'm resigning from our society. Maybe seceding is a better term. I'm going to form my own separate society. Want to know why? I'll tell you...here's a list
1. Monopoly Electronic Banking Edition - This new battery powered wonder replaces the beloved rainbow of paper Monopoly money with...DEBIT CARDS! I shit you not, it comes with a little mini card reader and debit cards. The "banker" simply key in the property amount (now in the tens of millions - inflation, ya know) and swipe your card. No muss, no fuss, no MATH, no THOUGHT. Who didn't practice making change by being the family banker? Anyone not secretly treasure those orange big-money bills? No wonder every pimply fast-food cashier needs an online toush screen register to make change and our banking system is in ruins. For GOD'S SAKE people, don't rob the next generation of ANY CHANCE to master simple math! Oh, and just so you can pick ahead of time, the player pieces now include a dog in a handbag, a Segway, and a flat screen TV.
2. The Decline of Western Education. The generation currently graduating high school is the FIRST EVER to have a smaller percentage earn diplomas than the preceding generation. I don't want to scare you off by turning this into a word problem, so I'll summarize. For the first time in American history, we are measurably (in the scientific sense) getting DUMBER. You can skip all the granola-munching "a diploma doesn't equal intelligence" crap. It's bullshit, and deep down, you know it.
Secondly on this point, since 1997 there has been a 20% decrease in the number of BS degrees awarded in hard sciences (engineering, chemistry, physics,etc.) This means that we as a society have decided that warm, fuzzy learning like pet psychology and history, are more important than knowledge that allows you to MAKE things. Making things is fairly central in advancing as humans and having a stable economy. And that puts us at a distinct disadvantage against other societies that are working hard to teach all their little rug rats math and chemistry. Think about that. I'm sure I'm going to get some hate mail from all my liberal arts friends. Sorry, you guys are the exception. Really.
3. Paris Hilton. Okay, I really have nothing against her personally, hell, I've never even seen her video. But she has come to stand for our current obsession with status and image in place of substance and value. You can go ahead and add American Idol, Survivor, and almost every other reality show to that list. At some point, we gave up on really working on any sort of base value, and just settled for a quick paintjob and some chrome plating. Worse yet, we've begun to wear our stupidity and lack of any ability with PRIDE. Suddenly, it's okay to be inept and useless. Think about Paris's reality show and tell me I'm wrong. Look, people, if you can't do something useful here on Earth, QUIT BREATHING MY FREAKING AIR.
4. Politics. Despite my outlook on the new president-elect, I think the state of American politics is deplorable. It would qualify as laughable if it wasn't costing us the country. Look, if any executive had screwed up as bad as the people we put in charge over the last decade, we would have fired them and probably arrested them. At best, they would have gone out of business and ended up making incorrect change at a fast food restaurant. We trusted them to be educated and make the right choices for us all, but instead they've made choices that made quick-kill profits but turned a blind eye to the long term investment. Now there's lots of argument about how to fix everything, but nobody wants to talk about the road we took to get here. Seriously, when the Russians and the Canadians are pointing and laughing, how bad have we screwed the pooch?
Okay, that's the top four. I'll give you the others when I catch my breath.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING
4 comments:
Not so fast, science geek. I agree that we need a better educated society, but please do not sneer at a liberal arts education. Above all else, a liberal arts education teaches someone to think and to solve problems. It has great value and your dismissing it and blaming it for a lot of the world's ills does nothing to help solve the problems that you're crying about. I understand the value of the hard sciences. I think you got shorted in your education if you don't understand the value of history. Just remember: those that don't study history are doomed to repeat it.
Quit bitchin' and do something about the problem. You could join Big Brothers and mentor an at risk high school kid and urge him to go to college.
Blame it on whatever you like, but the simple truth is our society is too busy trying to make things equal where everyone wins and there are no losers while simultaneously we pound ourselves on the chest and proclaim greatness. Reality and fiction cannot coexist at the same rate without one being disguarded for society's betterment. Each person is responsible for one's success or failure, and this is reflective of a civiliation's history. "Idiocracy" sound familiar?
We have fallen behind technologically as compared to other societies, and simply put, history teaches that civilizations fall to ruin if such happens.
If we become a welfare nation where the lazy ride the success of the driven, then that picture of the jackass being overwhelmed by his load will come to pass. And right now, the cart is too heavy.
Hmm..I missed the part where I blamed Lib arts majors for the societal woes. What I said was that considering non-science degrees as MORE important is a mistake. I agree that history is far to important to ignore. We need the history majors to point the innovators in the correct direction, but if there are no scientists, who are they going to direct?
Unless they plan on studying chinese history, they better encourage the makers to start making. You can't run a country on service industries alone. Remember the spaceship full of hairdressers in Hitchiker's Guide?
At least we'll have a good history written up on the decline of our society.
First go grab a beer.
OK #1 - don't worry about the stupid board games, you got a mountain bike; get out and enjoy life in the woods.
#2 - stupid kids just mean you'll be able to keep your job longer.
#3 - Paris Hilton isn't gonna solve world hunger but she looks good naked; and that's OK by me.
#4 - when the country is in trouble the people elect Democrats; it will be nice to have a smart President again.
have you finished that beer yet?
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