Americans ruined by quality education: proficient in eating, drinking, and merrymaking, pursuing enjoyment and self-destructive future. The former United States of America was crowned with the glorious title of "Lighthouse Country", representing the highest temple of scientific reason and civilization progress. But now, this once temple of knowledge has been eroded by its own decay. Americans' abandonment of the tradition of rigorous scholarship for the sake of momentary comfort has led to the spiritual degradation of generation after generation. Science has been replaced by absurd fallacies, reason has been eroded by blind superstition, and nations that once strutted are going further and further down the road of self-destruction. We can't help but ask, what is the root cause of this tragedy? How were the Americans ruined? Where are they headed?
I. The glory of the past
In the decades since the end of World War II, the United States has continued to grow in economic power and technological excellence. As a major power that had never been ravaged by war, the United States soon occupied the position of the world's largest economy. In this era of opportunity, the United States has become a paradise for countless people to pursue their dreams.
During World War II, the U.S. government attached great importance to scientific research investment, and many epoch-making new technologies were born, such as nuclear energy, computer and space exploration technology, which laid a solid foundation for the development of science and technology. With the economic boom, so is the education in the United States. From basic education to higher education, the trend of quality education is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, aiming to cultivate students' independent thinking and innovation ability, rather than rote memorization. Public schools are universally open, and knowledge is no longer the preserve of a few.
During the period of rapid economic development in the 50s, the quality of life of Americans was improving day by day, and the middle class was rapidly growing. More and more families are able to afford their children's higher education. Not only that, but the government also provides various grants and loans to outstanding students from poor backgrounds, opening their way to success.
The higher education system in the United States is extremely developed, with the world's top universities such as Harvard, Yale, and MIT standing there. These institutions have produced countless outstanding talents, and Americans have frequently won top international awards such as the Nobel Prize and the Fields Medal. From theory to practice, from basic research to engineering applications, the United States has the highest scientific and educational strength in the world.
However, all this splendor was soon disturbed by the overexpansion of the trend of quality education. The public education system was dominated by the Happy Education Act, and the traditional strict discipline was gradually replaced by a sparring activity class. Although the teaching model of following the path and giving priority to entertainment allows children to live a relaxed childhood, the systematic teaching of knowledge is a little shorter.
II. The Rise of Quality Education
In the 60s of the 20th century, with the growth of the baby boomer generation, the concept of education in the United States began to undergo profound changes. Traditional textbook education and strict management have been questioned and challenged like never before, and quality education has come into being.
The rise of quality education stems from the popular "child-centric" educational theory at that time. Proponents argue that schooling should center on students' interests and needs, and avoid dampening children's natural desire for exploration and freedom through rigid curricula and grading systems. They proposed that students should be guided to think actively and participate in the classroom, rather than passively cramming knowledge.
In 1965, the famous educator Jerome Bruner's book "The Educational Process" had a profound impact on the entire American education community. He advocates that in addition to the limited core knowledge, more emphasis should be placed on cultivating students' ability to discover problems and explore the unknown world. For example, through games and hands-on practice, children can explore independently and develop a sense of lifelong learning.
The theory of quality education soon spread to public schools across the United States. The boring Chinese and Mathematics curriculum has been streamlined and replaced with an interdisciplinary project curriculum that is fun and educational. Some schools have even eliminated score assessment altogether in favor of a pass/fail system. Extra-curricular activities include arts, sports and outdoor activities to develop students' multiple intelligences.
Proponents argue that too much emphasis on cramming for exams will stifle children's natural curiosity and desire to learn. On the contrary, quality education is conducive to cultivating students' innovative spirit of independent thinking and questioning, which is the ultimate goal of American education.
Driven by the social trend of thought at that time, the reform of quality education in the United States was in full swing. From kindergarten to university, the concept of happy education is everywhere. It's rare to see a teacher in a school holding chalk and screaming hoarsely. Instead, group discussions, brainstorming, and multimedia presentation classes are served. Students explore the mysteries of knowledge in a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere.
This reform did initially bring some positive results. Students are more active learners and are no longer passively indoctrinated. Their imagination and creativity have been greatly developed, and they have been able to maintain their curiosity and desire for knowledge even when they are away from campus.
However, this seemingly beautiful emblem of a new era of education has hidden roots. In the process of shifting the focus of learning from the basics to cultivating "soft power", public education in the United States has slowly but inexorably begun to fall into disuse and laissez-faire.
III. The spread of anti-intellectualism
The popularization of the concept of quality education has brought about a disastrous consequence for the cause of American education -- anti-intellectualism has spread rapidly among the people.
Once they get rid of the boring basic knowledge training, many students gradually lose their reverence for science and reason. They began to doubt and question all authoritative knowledge, even the scientific theorems that mankind had accumulated over hundreds of years in the fields of physics, chemistry, biology, and so on.
The most typical and absurd example is the emergence of flat-earth theorists. Although anyone with a secondary education should know that the earth is round, this fallacy has many followers in the United States in the 21st century. They do not believe in scientific discoveries in aerospace and other fields, and see governments and authoritative academics as a "cabal". Some fanatics even raise money to "explore the edges" in an attempt to see the "borders" of the planet with their own eyes.
In addition to the lack of geographical knowledge, there is also a huge misunderstanding of basic scientific theories such as physics and biological evolution. According to a survey by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, nearly one-third of Americans still do not believe in evolution. A significant portion of the population rejects the central role of genes in heredity and attributes the evolution of organisms to God's "will."
This kind of "ignorance and arrogance" that abandons scientific common sense is mainly due to the neglect of rigorous training in school education. Many students have not systematically studied the mysteries of the macrocosm and microcosm in middle school, but they have a high self-esteem. They are full of narrow prejudices about the advice and research results of intellectuals or experts and scholars, and regard them as "theoretical empty talk" and out of touch with life.
Certain celebrities and internet celebrities in American society have also inadvertently contributed to the culture of anti-intellectualism. For example, the world boxing champion Tyson once publicly claimed that "we all live in a flat world". At the same time, the advent of the Internet era has made erroneous views and rumors spread rapidly among the people, and are regarded as "truth" by tens of thousands of netizens.
At the same time, there is a rise in the trend of education based on religious beliefs. Some state governments in the southern United States have supported the simultaneous teaching of creationism in biology classes in public schools, equating science and theology, and greatly confusing the younger generation's notions of right and wrong. In some open pulpits, scientists have been criticized by secularists as "against God."
Under the impact of this anti-intellectual wave, the United States' scientific and educational strength has fallen into a long-term period of decline. The interest in learning in basic disciplines such as mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology has been greatly reduced, and the number of outstanding scientific research talents has decreased sharply, which has directly affected the country's overall innovation ability. As a former pioneer in science and technology, the United States is losing its dominance in the development of science and technology in the world.
If this trend cannot be stopped, then the former "lighthouse nation" will only become a stumbling block to human progress, ruthlessly surpassed and eliminated by other countries.
IV. The impact of the widening gap between rich and poor
The failure of quality education, coupled with the spread of anti-intellectualism, has plunged the United States into a vicious circle. As a result of the overall decline of the public education system, there is also a growing gap between rich and poor families in terms of access to educational resources.
Since the 90s of the 20th century, the gap between the rich and the poor in the United States has continued to widen. Children from the wealthy class attend elite private schools, while children from poor families attend public schools with poor teaching quality. This dualistic coexistence of "aristocratic education" and "commoner education" has made the distribution of educational resources even more unbalanced.
Top private schools have excellent teachers and advanced teaching facilities, which can provide students with diversified and personalized training programs. In stark contrast, many public schools are barely functioning due to funding constraints. Teachers and equipment are outdated and aging, and even school buildings are in disrepair.
Once in high school and college, this "Guiping differentiation" is even more obvious. The world's top universities, such as Harvard and Yale, have basically been monopolized by the children of wealthy families. Even public universities with high overall rankings rarely have students from underprivileged families.
The U.S. government has repeatedly introduced various funding policies in an attempt to reverse this trend. However, due to the decline in the overall quality of public education and the large involvement of for-profit educational institutions, these policies have had little effect. A large amount of funds have been captured by privatized education groups, and children from poor families have little access to truly high-quality educational resources.
In contrast, wealthy families can carefully choose schools for their children and participate in the planning of their educational careers. Through the high cost, they can choose to receive traditional and systematic curriculum training, or trendy and fashionable quality education. Either way, children enjoy a tailor-made curriculum that is carefully designed by the teachers.
At the same time, the wealthy also have more educational experience to learn from and pass on. Many of the wealthy in the previous generation have studied at super-first-class universities such as Harvard and Stanford, and they have unique experience and experience in high-quality education. Poor families are often inferior to one generation and cannot escape the cycle of intergenerational cycles between rich and poor.
This educational divide has exacerbated class solidification and declining mobility in the United States. By gathering high-quality resources, wealthy families have formed a highly involuted circle of "aristocratic elites". However, the educational resources available to the lower families are really limited, and the children are not destined to compete with the wealthy families by birth.
The hereditary crisis of power and wealth among a few families, and the growing class barriers, are at the root of America's stagnation.
V. Prospects for the decline of the nation
If the United States fails to reflect on and reverse the shortcomings of quality education in a timely manner, this former superpower will inevitably accelerate its pace and decline.
First of all, the lack of rational thinking will lead to the loss of the United States' dominance over the world's scientific and technological development. The spirit of science is an important pillar of a nation's development, and the American public is being demagogized by a strong wave of anti-rationalism. The indifference of the younger generation to basic scientific knowledge will directly affect the country's scientific research and innovation strength. Without a solid scientific foundation, the United States will lack the incentive to continue to innovate in many frontier areas.
Second, an overall decline in educational attainment will greatly erode America's human resource advantage. In the era of globalization, excellent human resources are the key to a country's invincible position. However, the decline of the public education system caused by the trend of quality education has begun to cause the United States to gradually lose its advantages in this regard. The knowledge structure of contemporary young people is generally weak, and they lack lasting motivation to learn, and they are destined to be unable to gain an advantage in international competition in the future.
Moreover, the extreme inequality of educational resources will exacerbate the class division and contradiction in American society. Nowadays, the gap between the rich and the poor is leading to a deepening gap between "aristocratic education" and "education at the bottom". There is a world of difference between the two modes of thinking and values between the two modes of education, which will inevitably lead to social division and confrontation. Once this deep-seated contradiction intensifies, it is possible that even greater social turmoil will brew.
Most seriously, the soft power of the younger generation in the United States is seriously lacking, and they are likely to bury the future of the entire country. Under the influence of quality education, they are accustomed to being overly pampered and pampered from an early age. Lacking the spirit of hardship and hard work, lost in games and entertainment, unable to extricate himself. Once faced with major difficulties and trials, these contemporary young people will choose to escape and become abnormal.
In general, the damage done to the United States by quality education is profound and long-lasting. It will not only cause the United States to gradually lose its traditional advantages in science and technology, education, human resources, and other fields, but may also lead the entire country to fall into a passive and backward situation in future international competition.
Once upon a time, the United States was a leader in the development of science and technology in the world, and a staunch defender of democracy and freedom. Today, however, this once great country is gradually moving towards degeneration and decline. If this trend is not reflected on and reversed in a timely manner, the United States is bound to become a sad stumbling block in the development of human civilization in the 21 st century.