axle2152 Wrote:I think it is clear that the dumbing down of this country was long planned out before my time and it was intentional.
I did hear of critical thinking once being taught in American schools. What I've heard from those old enough to remember it (and this includes a Republican, btw, though more a fiscal than social conservative) is that it was phased out when Ronald Reagan was POTUS, apparently because too many kids were questioning the Cold War propaganda (it was intended to get people to think past enemy propaganda but was also backfiring in some cases by seeing through the American propaganda, and also seeing through shady ads). I'm not sure why, but in the late 70s and early 80s, kids (and even some adults) in both the Soviet Union and United States (aka the USSA
) started questioning the Cold War propaganda, though I suspect the prosperity and stability being enjoyed by both (a lot of what the USA said about life in the Soviet Union is a lie--just as a lot of what the USSR said about life in the United States was a lie) contributed to it. The Soviet Union responded with Glasnost (granted, it's more complicated than this) while the US phased out critical thinking from public schools.
I've also heard from 2 others who went to school after that (and who didn't get the critical thinking aspects of education that those before them had) who both got in trouble for questioning the propaganda meant to instill patriotism in them (apparently boys like them had been more common before).
There are a few other aspects of government control. For example, if American schools want federal funding then they have to teach --or NOT teach (like in sex ed) -- certain things or they lose money. Some of what they "teach" is blatantly untrue meant to terrify rather than inform.
It should be noted that every nation wants good citizens and thus their schooling will play up the successes and downplay the bad sides in regards to their respective nations, though this is mostly in history class. This seems to happen on a more social level even when the government doesn't take an active role in that aspect. Here in the United States it's so easy to offend parents of all political persuasions that some subjects, especially history, are diluted to the point of worthlessness (and thus boring as well). It's to the point that plenty of historical errors (from wrong dates to including legends rather than history) are overlooked as long as the textbooks remain inoffensive to the community.
School boards don't want a critical gaze focused on them for multiple reasons so don't want to offend (and certain political groups are also active, like trying to get Thomas Jefferson excluded from being taught about in American history because his words are part of why American courts resist the Christian Right) and corporations respond to that by making books as inoffensive as possible so they can sell to the most schools and thus make the most profits (better history books, or at least tailored to certain states, can be had, but they cost more, and most schools won't pay extra even if they'd prefer the better textbooks).
But it's not just the government and school board. This is also American society. Our parents want us dumbed down as well, and would rather manipulate with fears and lies than with facts or the ability to question (especially if that ability to question can cause kids to rebel, or worse, embarrass the parents, that is too many in government and the private sector want a dumbed down society, and many parents in the USA will willingly mutilate a child's mind to dumb them down the same way parents in other countries will mutilate bodies to make them more socially acceptable).
And unfortunately, social media has only exacerbated that problem rather than alleviating it, but that's another topic (but if you want to know more then I'll share this article just shared with me, and it includes how it affects politics as well:
how trolls are ruining the internet ).
Leo
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