So I have been reading up on the new and ridiculous phenomena of Twitter. Of course the likes of certain pro-Twitter factions will tell you: look at all the links to news articles you receive--it will improve the way we communicate! I say it's bogus.
95% of the population is interested in nothing intellectual. They will follow celebrity gossip and someone sticking their wife in a dungeon, but anything that requires understanding politics or science is just a snooze in dumbed-down America.
I don't buy the argument:" you'll get links to all the articles your friends are reading." Which nerdy (and I say that with respect) friends are those? I can't find them. Most people I know (and that is 100% college educated) really don't read anything with substance and post crap about the dog barking or toast burning on Facebook. Celebrities carry more credit than scientists or real philosophers Unfortunately many so-called "educated" Americans of today really can't be bothered to pick up a book, and only like the voyeuristic pleasure of following how many times their neighbor flushed her toilet...
So let's just see where this all takes us in the next 20 years. And I will not be surprised if Nations that care about science and math over celebrity gossip just happen to pass us as we stare at our little screens...
Showing posts with label dumbing down of society. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dumbing down of society. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Saturday, January 26, 2008
The Glorification of Stupidity
Who really benefits from the dumbing down of society?? Does corporate America love dummies?? Do they buy more junk??
Whoever wants it to happen is doing a mighty fine job. In the not so distant past, a sign of status was a grand library or bookshelves full of books. Now the "must have" item has become the big flat screen TV. It has become the grand center piece of many American living rooms-- the bigger the better. Nobody seems the slightest bit embarrassed that not even the best educational programs provide any serious cognitive benefit or mental exercise the way a book does. It used to be considered low-class to even admit you had a TV in the living room, now it's the status quo.
As the adults in our society embrace easy entertainment over educational pursuits, their children are inundated with messages from music and videos glorifying only parties, gang-banging and money. Is it any surprise that "nerds" get bullied? They are seen only as weak and futile, while some rapper with a bullet wound is something to aspire to.
Even our presidential elections are screwed by nerd-phobia. Didn't most people admit that Al Gore came across as too stiff and nerdy?? While good old "Dubya" was the people's man, never held accountable for his inability to articulate simple thoughts.
Whoever wants it to happen is doing a mighty fine job. In the not so distant past, a sign of status was a grand library or bookshelves full of books. Now the "must have" item has become the big flat screen TV. It has become the grand center piece of many American living rooms-- the bigger the better. Nobody seems the slightest bit embarrassed that not even the best educational programs provide any serious cognitive benefit or mental exercise the way a book does. It used to be considered low-class to even admit you had a TV in the living room, now it's the status quo.
As the adults in our society embrace easy entertainment over educational pursuits, their children are inundated with messages from music and videos glorifying only parties, gang-banging and money. Is it any surprise that "nerds" get bullied? They are seen only as weak and futile, while some rapper with a bullet wound is something to aspire to.
Even our presidential elections are screwed by nerd-phobia. Didn't most people admit that Al Gore came across as too stiff and nerdy?? While good old "Dubya" was the people's man, never held accountable for his inability to articulate simple thoughts.
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