Dumbing down

I am concerned that nearly everything we do or try to solve nowadays, and fail, is due to our dumbing down of our citizenry, almost deliberately.
We no longer sort the brilliant from the intelligent, from the average, from the needs improvement, to the "bless his hearts."
Committees, big ones, vote on solutions! Everything is considered before answering a question about a problem: politics of it, who will be effected and how? short and long-term probabilities, and who will gain and lose?
It is the only way it seems to get anything done--albeit often wrong. Why? The people doing it are inexperienced and must have assistance in working on the project. The first thing they say is that they need a great big committee to help take the blame if it goes wrong.
Why are they inexperienced? We don't mentor and train properly long enough now. I'm not talking about a crew to design and build a new bomber--I'm talking about a new lunch bag design project given to a package engineer to do!
He got out of Georgia Tech last month, his boss travels all the time or punches computer keys, and he simply has never designed much of anything. Doesn't even know the PERT chart situation!
When he does finally get a bag designed with 20 other people, they promote him to supervisor and hire a guy from UGA who just graduated as the new package engineer.
Even Universities do a very poor job of mentoring their students. One can go all the way through to a degree without even one in depth consultation by an advisor and with a work evaluation performed!
The very worst thing we seem to do now is the failure to predict much if any of the unexpected. People's imagination has deserted them. They can not in their own mind, start at the beginning with a thought pattern that may take them through every possibility that could occur, and provide for it.
Occupation of Iraq comes to mind.
Hurricane prediction comes to mind.
Katrina comes to mind.
FEMA comes to mind.
Chinese food imports come to mind.
Oil dependence comes to mind.
And now, worst of all, computers come to mind.

Dumbing Down

Submitted by Cyclist on Wed, 07/11/2007 - 9:27pm.

I disagree. While you highlight some debatable subjects I would like to point out that there are several success stories. For example, Boeing is set to release the 787 which, because of new designs and materials, has fuel consumption that is 20% less than aircraft of equal size. (Scarebus – I mean Airbus – on the other hand has a white whale, the A380) Many thought that the sun was going to set on the two stroke outboard boat engine industry because of emission concerns. Talented engineers in that field redesigned these engines and now their emission levels are well below limits. Better, faster and more cost effective computers are available to consumers. Telecommunications is becoming is becoming better, cheaper, and with more options. Heck, we even soft landed a space probe on an asteroid a few years back. These are just a few success stories. It all comes down to money making money or ROI. There are financial groups that are always on the lookout for new designs and products to invest. If what you say is true that money would not be there.

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cyclist

Submitted by dollaradayandfound on Thu, 07/12/2007 - 4:15am.

Of course there are success stories. Even a blind hog gets an acorn once in a while by accident.
It is the everyday things I am discussing, It is pitiful!

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cyclist

Submitted by Cyclist on Thu, 07/12/2007 - 6:08am.

I must have somehow missed your intent of blog.

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Cyclist

Submitted by pentapenguin on Thu, 07/12/2007 - 12:46pm.

I must have somehow missed your intent of blog.
Don't feel bad -- you're not the only one.

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Tell Senior El Presidente no to amnesty!

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