I'm sorely tempted to say "Them dang Lutherans!" when it comes to Minnesota's descent into woke-Limbo, since back in the 60s when I was resident there, one could already sense the 'Kumbaya' spirit perfusing insidiously through those northern states (NDAK, SDAK, MINN, etc.), not atypically related to the extreme liberalism that inherently permeates Martin Luther's largest American colonies. But I won't.
Clearly, grade virtue-signaling tactics (such as this you mention here) to 'help student self-esteem' is and always has been an utter failure when it comes to producing intelligent, critically-reflective and academically competent students who are fully prepared to engage the challenges of life. I’ve no personal doubt that both Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin are well aware of this, as they watch our struggle on the sidelines and rub their hands with glee over the prospect of Marxist Communism finally ‘ending’ what it began, so long ago.
Of course, it's also no secret that the radical (Marcusian-Marxist) ideologues, who are ultimately to blame for persistent 'dumbing-down' efforts in America society, wish to destroy the foundations of our democratic republic. The best way to do this is (as Thomas Harrington recently opined in an INTELLECTUAL TAKEOUT article) to turn the 'simple folk' into compliant, easily influenced leftist sycophants who will follow the Neo-Marxist Pied Pipers down their chosen path unquestioningly.
In a nation in which Orwellian logic increasingly dominates thought, a nation in which night is day and true is false, bleeding hearts who feel such a perverse need to demonstrate destructive extremes of academic compassion (e.g. grade-inflation, et al) are often the same ones who deliver hundreds of large pizzas to homeless street people and de-fund law enforcement agencies because police are all brutes. Between these befuddled, incredibly (albeit well-meaning) naive older people, and the radically nihilistic young idealists, those champions of critical thinking (such as yourself, Jeff Minick and many others) have their job truly cut out for them in trying to address problems such as you refer to in our schools.
As the admirable but always fragile ‘Great American Experiment’ in individual freedom draws ever-closer to its final act, I hold out no great hopes for our ultimate national survival. After all, the great mass of humanity is so volatile and chaotic in nature, (as history repeatedly demonstrates, and as Gustav leBon pointed out in the late 1800s) no truly democratic system has ever lasted more than a couple of hundred years. By all means, fight the good fight Annie and good on ya’ for your efforts to stem the tide of our pending doom, but I fear it’s starting to look like a lost cause.
Arthur Schopenhauer and Louis-Ferdinand Céline perhaps said it best, when it comes to the triumph of ignorance and blind ego over reasoned wisdom and enlightened intent, but then, who bothers to read philosophy anymore, eh?
What was it our 81-year-old genius of a Founding Father Ben Franklin said in his 1787 address to Washington, at the Constitutional Convention: “In these sentiments, Sir, I agree to this Constitution, with all its faults, if they are such; because I think a General Government necessary for us, and there is no form of government, but what may be a blessing to the people if well administered; and believe further, that this is likely to be well administered for a course of years, and can only end in despotism, as other forms have done before it, when the people shall become so corrupted as to need despotic government.”
Annie, a fine article. Also, Kalikiano Kalei, your comments offer some fine insights into this issue of education, its failings, and the consequences for our culture and society, many of which we're already seeing.
Certainly, Kalikiano, I understand as well your pessimism about the future. Many other good-hearted people I know agree with you, as I myself do on my "rough days." But in my case, I can only go on fighting "the good fight" to "stem this tide of our impending doom." If for no other reason, I have too many grandchildren to call it quits. Besides, if we are to lose this war, for me it's better to go down sword in hand.
Written in haste but with admiration for both of you and your writing....
I'm sorely tempted to say "Them dang Lutherans!" when it comes to Minnesota's descent into woke-Limbo, since back in the 60s when I was resident there, one could already sense the 'Kumbaya' spirit perfusing insidiously through those northern states (NDAK, SDAK, MINN, etc.), not atypically related to the extreme liberalism that inherently permeates Martin Luther's largest American colonies. But I won't.
Clearly, grade virtue-signaling tactics (such as this you mention here) to 'help student self-esteem' is and always has been an utter failure when it comes to producing intelligent, critically-reflective and academically competent students who are fully prepared to engage the challenges of life. I’ve no personal doubt that both Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin are well aware of this, as they watch our struggle on the sidelines and rub their hands with glee over the prospect of Marxist Communism finally ‘ending’ what it began, so long ago.
Of course, it's also no secret that the radical (Marcusian-Marxist) ideologues, who are ultimately to blame for persistent 'dumbing-down' efforts in America society, wish to destroy the foundations of our democratic republic. The best way to do this is (as Thomas Harrington recently opined in an INTELLECTUAL TAKEOUT article) to turn the 'simple folk' into compliant, easily influenced leftist sycophants who will follow the Neo-Marxist Pied Pipers down their chosen path unquestioningly.
In a nation in which Orwellian logic increasingly dominates thought, a nation in which night is day and true is false, bleeding hearts who feel such a perverse need to demonstrate destructive extremes of academic compassion (e.g. grade-inflation, et al) are often the same ones who deliver hundreds of large pizzas to homeless street people and de-fund law enforcement agencies because police are all brutes. Between these befuddled, incredibly (albeit well-meaning) naive older people, and the radically nihilistic young idealists, those champions of critical thinking (such as yourself, Jeff Minick and many others) have their job truly cut out for them in trying to address problems such as you refer to in our schools.
As the admirable but always fragile ‘Great American Experiment’ in individual freedom draws ever-closer to its final act, I hold out no great hopes for our ultimate national survival. After all, the great mass of humanity is so volatile and chaotic in nature, (as history repeatedly demonstrates, and as Gustav leBon pointed out in the late 1800s) no truly democratic system has ever lasted more than a couple of hundred years. By all means, fight the good fight Annie and good on ya’ for your efforts to stem the tide of our pending doom, but I fear it’s starting to look like a lost cause.
Arthur Schopenhauer and Louis-Ferdinand Céline perhaps said it best, when it comes to the triumph of ignorance and blind ego over reasoned wisdom and enlightened intent, but then, who bothers to read philosophy anymore, eh?
What was it our 81-year-old genius of a Founding Father Ben Franklin said in his 1787 address to Washington, at the Constitutional Convention: “In these sentiments, Sir, I agree to this Constitution, with all its faults, if they are such; because I think a General Government necessary for us, and there is no form of government, but what may be a blessing to the people if well administered; and believe further, that this is likely to be well administered for a course of years, and can only end in despotism, as other forms have done before it, when the people shall become so corrupted as to need despotic government.”
Annie, a fine article. Also, Kalikiano Kalei, your comments offer some fine insights into this issue of education, its failings, and the consequences for our culture and society, many of which we're already seeing.
Certainly, Kalikiano, I understand as well your pessimism about the future. Many other good-hearted people I know agree with you, as I myself do on my "rough days." But in my case, I can only go on fighting "the good fight" to "stem this tide of our impending doom." If for no other reason, I have too many grandchildren to call it quits. Besides, if we are to lose this war, for me it's better to go down sword in hand.
Written in haste but with admiration for both of you and your writing....