Americans Answer

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Muslim-Bigfoot



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  • #1
  • Posted: 12/04/2014 23:37
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I wanted to ask these question in the Hands Up thread but it got a little bit elaborate in the process. So here are my questions to citizens of America:

What is the condition of education in US? is it getting worse or better? Can someone who knows about this stuff explain a little about the value and importance of education for American people of all classes? Why do you think republicans and esp. tea party have gotten more conservative in the past 30 or forty years despite ongoing modernization and globalization in the world? Is it because economy is worse than it was thirty years ago and now people don't get educated enough and the population is becoming more stupid? For someone like me who doesn't live in America but watches some of the fake news programs, it becomes a little hard to be hopeful about the future of America as a beacon of democracy. Are you hopeful? What is the basis of your hope?

I don't wanna give the wrong impression; I know from many second hand sources that America still has a very functional justice system compared to every other country except some of the western European countries and as for education, the amount of papers published and citation per paper are much higher than everywhere else (notwithstanding the F1 visa factor) and although they do worse than most European countries in standardized high school tests they are still in top 20 or 30. But one expects and hopes that younger generations may be more open-minded and the country as a whole may mature enough not to need programs like Hannity or Kelly File (which combined attract about 5 mil). Answers of any kind are appreciated.
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benpaco
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Age: 27
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  • #2
  • Posted: 12/05/2014 02:26
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I can't speak to everything, but the education I sort of can. I live in the 40th ranked state (depending upon who you ask) for education, and I can tell you here, the issues are twofold: First is a conservative issue of not funding schools, second a liberal issue of overpowering teacher's unions. It's become almost impossible to fire a teacher in this state, so the bad ones just keep teaching. I think a lot of the more conservative conservatism comes from a widening wealth gap. Paul Krugman's piece For Richer does a good job illustrating that.

Am I hopeful? No, not really. Am I honestly all too concerned though? Yes and no? I suppose? I'm less worried about the NSA than global warming, and we have programs going in for that. I'm less worried about felony disenfranchisement than body cameras or John Crawford laws, and there's things happening for those. I don't know, though. I don't see myself living here my whole life, but that's more because I want to travel than anything. And for as much as I say "oh, respect me!", I am just a kid, especially when it comes to this.
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PsychologistHD




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  • #3
  • Posted: 12/24/2014 02:39
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The Era of the Military Superpower is over. Better living conditions and education will go to smaller, more socialistic European countries. Usually Scandinavian countries do best. Followed by Canada and the European Giants of Germany, France, and the UK. The US usually lags behind a bit after that.
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Precedent





  • #4
  • Posted: 12/26/2014 01:33
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Muslim-Bigfoot wrote:
What is the condition of education in US? is it getting worse or better? Can someone who knows about this stuff explain a little about the value and importance of education for American people of all classes? Why do you think republicans and esp. tea party have gotten more conservative in the past 30 or forty years despite ongoing modernization and globalization in the world? Is it because economy is worse than it was thirty years ago and now people don't get educated enough and the population is becoming more stupid? For someone like me who doesn't live in America but watches some of the fake news programs, it becomes a little hard to be hopeful about the future of America as a beacon of democracy. Are you hopeful? What is the basis of your hope?


The education system could be worse, and that's basically where I stand on that. A lot of extra work is given, but that seems to be common everywhere. I'm rather fond of The Tea Party, and it seems to be that the reason that members of the party (and Republicans in general) are becoming more conservative is due to the
be conservative, liberal, or moderate" thing that seems to be going on. I'm pretty hopeful, I don't see a reason not to be.
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satiemaniac





  • #5
  • Posted: 12/26/2014 20:52
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Precedent wrote:
the be conservative, liberal, or moderate" thing that seems to be going on.


you mean like in every other era of two-party politics in the United States, aka the entire time the country has existed?
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benpaco
Who's gonna watch you die?



Age: 27
Location: California
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  • #6
  • Posted: 12/27/2014 00:39
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satiemaniac wrote:
you mean like in every other era of two-party politics in the United States, aka the entire time the country has existed?


Yeah I'm not 100 percent on what he meant either, I think there's a shot something got deleted basedon the awkward space that happened? But again I'll say:

benpaco wrote:
I think a lot of the more conservative conservatism comes from a widening wealth gap. Paul Krugman's piece For Richer does a good job illustrating that.

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Precedent





  • #7
  • Posted: 12/27/2014 03:36
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satiemaniac wrote:
you mean like in every other era of two-party politics in the United States, aka the entire time the country has existed?


Pretty much, but it seems like that since it is easier to communicate and put your views out to the masses that people are becoming much more one sided

I'll look at that shortly, Ben! Wifi is buggy
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CubaZed





  • #8
  • Posted: 12/27/2014 09:05
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Precedent wrote:
Pretty much, but it seems like that since it is easier to communicate and put your views out to the masses that people are becoming much more one sided


You have a point, I think despite the fact that the internet makes it easier to bring new opinions and ideas into relevance, there is a large majority of people that still favour their own biased opinions. Subsequently, also because of the internet, it's easier to find solidarity in less thought out opinions.
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meccalecca
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  • #9
  • Posted: 12/27/2014 14:57
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Muslim-Bigfoot wrote:
I wanted to ask these question in the Hands Up thread but it got a little bit elaborate in the process. So here are my questions to citizens of America:


Education in America is a weird thing. Public schools are entirely based on "teaching towards the test." Standardized testing overrules the classroom, and restricts teachers' abilities to actually teach and connect with students. This structure leaves many students completely disinterested in the subjects and therefore less is learned, except memory devices to pass tests.

Then there's the placement tests. Early on, children are tested, and broken up into groups. Those who did well on the tests when they were young will likely forever be treated with more advanced learning. it's basically like an educational class system. You fail early, and it's hard to break out of the lower class and move up to advanced learning, no matter how smart you are. This structure essentially places the "smartest" kids in the same rooms all the way through the school years, with the rest of the students broken up into another two groups who will be treated as slow and less capable of learning tougher material. This system basically gives up on most students.

If you put a mixture of those 3 groups into a room, those lower level students would most likely receive a better education, learning from their peers, but the theory is that they'd drag down the more intellectual students.

That all said, the educational system really isn't all that terrible and could potentially be much worse when even further underfunded.

I think the greater problem is the current time period is full of distraction. Social media, games, computers, and everything are shortening attention spans and making it more difficult to teach. Meanwhile, those same things have led some children to learn far more than any generation before them.

In regards to how this effects politics, I don't think the educational system has that huge of an effect. Politics in America are generally developed in the home. If you grow up in a severely conservative household, hearing tea party propaganda, it's hard to separate fact from fiction, especially when the two party system is such a failure.

Politics here, as well as many places, is entirely fear driven. Campaigning is not about what politicians can do for you. It's about what horrors the opponent will bring against you.

Americans are afraid of everything. The economy, abortions, end of religious freedom, guns, blacks, immigration, the rich, the poor, women in power...etc.
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Kiki





  • #10
  • Posted: 12/27/2014 17:32
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If education in America was improved, would the Republicans stand a chance of geting in again? Think
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