In Dumbing Down the Population, Have We Reached the Bottom?
Presenter: Jim Skinner
Everywhere, it seems, forces are conspiring to reduce us to the level of simpletons. Consider…
Television: Jerry Springer, Lady Gaga, Jackasses predominate while news analysis, classical arts, drama and music are hard to find.
Newspapers: Reams of space devoted to sports celebrities, sex scandals and a general attitude of, “If it bleeds, it leads.”
Education: Grade inflation rules from kindergarten to grad school. Failure is unthinkable for Jack and Jill. Praise them not for achievement but to encourage.
Politics: The simplistic slogan, the thirty second sound bite, the carefully staged announcement have replaced explanation and justification for action.
Religion: The fundamentalists, with their ‘Everything in the Bible is infallibly true,’ are flourishing.