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Author Topic: "The Deliberate Dumbing Down of America"  (Read 11866 times)

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Offline Osama bin Bambi

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"The Deliberate Dumbing Down of America"
« on: January 20, 2012, 11:22:27 pm »
So my dad brought home that book today, so I decided to do some research on it. I found this:

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZJoCfgAEuE" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZJoCfgAEuE</a>

The "invented spelling" bullcrap never happened to me, probably because I could already read when I entered school. I did have some trouble spelling small words (like "the"), but that was due to farsightedness which was later corrected. Essays and homework assignments will be marked down for incorrectly spelled words.

There is no such thing as "death ed." It sounds like something you'd be taught at Metallica Elementary School.

And it bothers me to no end when people say that all psychiatric medication is bad, or that mental illnesses are just made-up. It makes some parents ignore the possibility of mental illness in children.

More later, after I get out of the angry dome.
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Offline Eniliad

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Re: "The Deliberate Dumbing Down of America"
« Reply #1 on: January 20, 2012, 11:33:59 pm »
I'm still listening/watching the video, and perhaps I'm just in denial, but some of this sounds like bullshit so far. Up to the part where she goes to the psychologist...

"Perhaps just coincidentally"? "Certain members of the government"? I'm smelling conspiracy theory.

No, more people do not die from the flu shot than the flu... or at least the results are misleading as the number of flu deaths are down significantly because of the vaccines.

Anti-depressants do not cause suicides in this number of students! This video is designed to anger and scare the viewer! Either the "facts" presented in the video are wrong or at least they are skewed in such a way that you don't react rationally... they want you angry, not analyzing the video's content.

Also, I am immediately suspicious of any video that uses ominous music, fade-ins, and deaths of children as heart-string pullers to get you too emotional to react critically.
« Last Edit: January 20, 2012, 11:47:18 pm by Eniliad »
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Offline Aqualung

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Re: "The Deliberate Dumbing Down of America"
« Reply #2 on: January 20, 2012, 11:47:15 pm »
Quote from: Wykked Wytch on January 20, 2012, 11:22:27 pm
There is no such thing as "death ed." It sounds like something you'd be taught at Metallica Elementary School.

;D One exalt for you.
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Offline Witchyjoshy

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Re: "The Deliberate Dumbing Down of America"
« Reply #3 on: January 20, 2012, 11:49:26 pm »
I watched the first few seconds and rage quit :|

I can't stand fearmongering crap.
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Offline TheUnknown

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Re: "The Deliberate Dumbing Down of America"
« Reply #4 on: January 21, 2012, 12:19:17 am »
The comments are the real gem.
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Offline Eniliad

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Re: "The Deliberate Dumbing Down of America"
« Reply #5 on: January 21, 2012, 12:23:22 am »
Oh god... I just realized you weren't suggesting this video was worth watching in any way... in fact you were posting it specifically for us to mock.

...



More accurately, I has a flu. >_< It's fucking with me...
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Offline Osama bin Bambi

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Re: "The Deliberate Dumbing Down of America"
« Reply #6 on: January 21, 2012, 12:34:02 am »
It seems like the second half of the video is overwhelmingly anti-psychiatry. Like, saying that the "father of psychology" said "ZOMG MAN HAZ NO CHEEZBURGER SOUL" is obviously an attempt to malign him as an evil godless materialist. The fearmongering is so obvious it's not even funny.
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Offline Smurfette Principle

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Re: "The Deliberate Dumbing Down of America"
« Reply #7 on: January 21, 2012, 12:37:20 am »
I got to the "invented spelling" shit and had to stop. It's not that students are getting "dumber" or "smarter," but that they are expected to know different things. Memorizing historical dates has no practical application beyond a history major; rote memorization of spelling words does nothing to teach the pronunciation, spelling, or meaning of new words. Teaching has become about broader concepts and connections, which has its flaws, but then, so did the original system they want to go back to. Otherwise it wouldn't have been changed.
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Offline Osama bin Bambi

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Re: "The Deliberate Dumbing Down of America"
« Reply #8 on: January 21, 2012, 12:39:42 am »
The most helpful thing I ever learned when it came to reading and writing was Greek and Latin roots. Even if I don't know a word, I can still guess what it means.
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Offline Smurfette Principle

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Re: "The Deliberate Dumbing Down of America"
« Reply #9 on: January 21, 2012, 12:42:02 am »
Quote from: Wykked Wytch on January 21, 2012, 12:39:42 am
The most helpful thing I ever learned when it came to reading and writing was Greek and Latin roots. Even if I don't know a word, I can still guess what it means.

Learning the roots was helpful, yes. Though I would bet if these people had their way we'd go back to teaching fluency, as they did in the 1900s.
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Offline Eniliad

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Re: "The Deliberate Dumbing Down of America"
« Reply #10 on: January 21, 2012, 01:05:57 am »
Quote from: Smurfette Principle on January 21, 2012, 12:37:20 am
I got to the "invented spelling" shit and had to stop. It's not that students are getting "dumber" or "smarter," but that they are expected to know different things. Memorizing historical dates has no practical application beyond a history major; rote memorization of spelling words does nothing to teach the pronunciation, spelling, or meaning of new words. Teaching has become about broader concepts and connections, which has its flaws, but then, so did the original system they want to go back to. Otherwise it wouldn't have been changed.

+1

Yes, it is embarrassing if, in a discussion, I have to Google the dates of the Civil War. It makes me look stupid. However, I should point out that being forced to memorize this date doesn't contribute in any way to my understanding of the war in question; I still know quite a bit about it. I just don't remember some number that's tangentally related to it. So I would ask: Which is more helpful to teach American students?

1. The American Civil War was fought between 1861-1865 (I thought it was 1850; I was close!)
2. The Civil War was almost won by the South due to a crippling lack of military strategy by the North's forces; they pulled a British Empire and tried to march straight in, only to be destroyed by Robert E. Lee. In fact, until the Battle of Gettysburg, the South was all set to march on Washington, D.C.

If it seems I'm being unfair by including WAY more info in #2, consider this: I had to Google the dates; I memorized #2.
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Offline Witchyjoshy

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Re: "The Deliberate Dumbing Down of America"
« Reply #11 on: January 21, 2012, 06:23:34 am »
I was never really emphasized on exact dates.  Oh, I was taught the dates, but I don't remember any of them.

However, I do more or less remember the order on most of the wars (not all of them, but all but a few of them) and the important thing is that I know these events happened.
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Offline Murdin

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Re: "The Deliberate Dumbing Down of America"
« Reply #12 on: January 21, 2012, 07:28:35 am »
I reckon the video should be renamed to "This Is What Libertarians Actually Believe".

Or even better still, they could add it at the bottom of the screen.

Honestly, if vaccines and iodine are suppressing my ability to follow libertarian doublethink and self-glorification, then I'm all for brainwashing.
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Offline DasFuchs

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Re: "The Deliberate Dumbing Down of America"
« Reply #13 on: January 21, 2012, 08:33:12 am »
Quote
There is no such thing as "death ed." It sounds like something you'd be taught at Metallica Elementary School.

Dunno about you, but it certainly felt that way to me whenever the teacher rolled out the dodgeballs. "Hey look, there's the fat kid, GET HIM!"
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Offline lighthorseman

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Re: "The Deliberate Dumbing Down of America"
« Reply #14 on: January 21, 2012, 08:40:28 am »
Still...

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