“Yes, It Makes Me Proud To Be An American”

That’s the (ironic) title of a post by Stowe Boyd this morning:

Reading the International Herald Tribune in Lausanne this morning. Yet another book coming out that proves that Americans are know-nothing buffoons, as if I didn’t already know. Only 37% of Americans believe in evolution, for crying out loud.

[from Susan Jacoby: Bemoaning an America that values stupidity - International Herald Tribune By Patricia Cohen]

[...]

Selected from a third-grade geography curriculum, the $25,000 question asked: “Budapest is the capital of what European country?”

[American Idol platinum blonde Kellie] Pickler threw up both hands and looked at the large blackboard perplexed. ”I thought Europe was a country,” she said. Playing it safe, she chose to copy the answer offered by one of the genuine fifth graders: Hungary. “Hungry?” she said, eyes widening in disbelief. “That’s a country? I’ve heard of Turkey. But Hungry? I’ve never heard of it.”

In itself, the article isn’t particularly interesting though a bit entertaining. However, it’s yet another confirmation of the irreversibility of the slow fall of the US as the dominant economic and political power.

Compare what Susdan Jacoby calls “valuation of stupidity” with the thirst for knowledge that is omnipresent throughout Chindia. For different reasons (a true valuation of knowledge based on cultural roots in India; brutal and crushing competition for everything in China, where knowledge is thought of as an asset in a giant battle), young as well as older peoples highly value any knowledge opportunity and will make the most of it.

I guess not many people in the US have seen the following slides…

Source: Yes, It Makes Me Proud To Be An American

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