A wake up call
Ok, so I'm betting Arthur's been anxiously awaiting a post on Friedman, and I've finally got a free moment and a head full of thoughts to do so.
My opinion is yes, the world is flat, and yes, the U.S. is going to in for some deep shit if we don't switch gears immediately. (Go ahead Pinar and criticize my agreement all you want, but really your opinion holds no weight until you've read it too)
There's so many different things Friedman brings up that are great discussion points--outsourcing, innovation, the factors and forces that created this flat world--just to name a few. But something that particularly struck me was his chapter on the decline in science and engineering in the US. I guess I've noticed this before, but never really took the time to realize the impact this would have on the American society and economy. Half of the scientists and engineers in America are over 40 years old, which means that half of the scientists and engineers will be retiring in the next 20 years. The loss of half the current leaders of innovation in the country, coupled with the steady decline of citizens pursuing this field will, in effect, cause a massive disruption in our current place in the technological world. The result is simple: without the top engineers and scientists we will not be able to develop the top products and compete with countries who have more skilled people. The past decade, we haven't seen much change because the lack of US college students has been replaced by international S&E students. However, as Jackson points out, this is a quiet crisis because the effects will be so gradual that by the time America wakes up and realizes that we're fucked, it'll be too late to stop the crisis. This is mainly because of the lag in cultivating new S&E professionals.
America needs to wake up, smell the coffee and realize that kids need to have an interest in science from the get-go. The American education system is, to put it in the most polite way possible, ineffectively instilling the value of knowledge. I could probably turn this blog into an epic by delving into all the issues we have with education in this country, so I'll save that for a later date (anyone interested in getting into what will be a looong discussion, feel free to bring this up with me sometime...). But basically what it comes down to is that children don't see value in math and science. Kennedy sparked the nation's interest during the space race, but I don't see a presidential plea getting anywhere with today's kids. All politics regarding Bush aside, kids don't respect the government, their teachers, or education. Hell, why should they when their parents don't either? In my writing sem this spring, we read an article titled "America Skips School" by Benjamin Barber in which the answer was simple: In order to inspire children to value school and want to learn, we cannot blame them for their lack of motivation; rather it is society's responsibility to value learning so that children will learn to value it too. Society is opperating on a "do as i say not as i do" mentality, but the truth is that children are much more intuitive than that. They are determine value from their parents actions and the media. (Once again, media=lots of strong opinions I won't ramble on about now...)
If we want to encourage learning, namely in S&E, we need to convey their value and in order to do that America is going to have to undergo a large scale societal change, which is much easier said than done. Unfortunately, I don't forsee this happening without some drastic turning point that forces Americans to realize the state things are in. Such an event or incident will most likely occur after the time is too late, in which case not only will America have to switch gears, but we will also have to play catch-up. I'm hoping that there is a better solution, or that I'm underestimating American willpower and motivation, but still I am doubtful. It would take a tremendous push from the advocates of the flat world and their supporters to create enough noise around the issue to get the attention of the rest of the population. Sure, the educated and interested can talk amongst themselves all they want, but unless this message gets across to the bulk of the population--those it pertains to most--it won't actually facilitate societal change.
So much more I could blog about, but I'm physically drained...so I shall close with what definately is not the most inspirational quotation, but the most memorable/ cutesie in my mind...
In China today, Bill Gates is Britney Spears. In America today, Britney Spears is Britney Spears--and that is our problem. ~Thomas Friedman
My opinion is yes, the world is flat, and yes, the U.S. is going to in for some deep shit if we don't switch gears immediately. (Go ahead Pinar and criticize my agreement all you want, but really your opinion holds no weight until you've read it too)
There's so many different things Friedman brings up that are great discussion points--outsourcing, innovation, the factors and forces that created this flat world--just to name a few. But something that particularly struck me was his chapter on the decline in science and engineering in the US. I guess I've noticed this before, but never really took the time to realize the impact this would have on the American society and economy. Half of the scientists and engineers in America are over 40 years old, which means that half of the scientists and engineers will be retiring in the next 20 years. The loss of half the current leaders of innovation in the country, coupled with the steady decline of citizens pursuing this field will, in effect, cause a massive disruption in our current place in the technological world. The result is simple: without the top engineers and scientists we will not be able to develop the top products and compete with countries who have more skilled people. The past decade, we haven't seen much change because the lack of US college students has been replaced by international S&E students. However, as Jackson points out, this is a quiet crisis because the effects will be so gradual that by the time America wakes up and realizes that we're fucked, it'll be too late to stop the crisis. This is mainly because of the lag in cultivating new S&E professionals.
America needs to wake up, smell the coffee and realize that kids need to have an interest in science from the get-go. The American education system is, to put it in the most polite way possible, ineffectively instilling the value of knowledge. I could probably turn this blog into an epic by delving into all the issues we have with education in this country, so I'll save that for a later date (anyone interested in getting into what will be a looong discussion, feel free to bring this up with me sometime...). But basically what it comes down to is that children don't see value in math and science. Kennedy sparked the nation's interest during the space race, but I don't see a presidential plea getting anywhere with today's kids. All politics regarding Bush aside, kids don't respect the government, their teachers, or education. Hell, why should they when their parents don't either? In my writing sem this spring, we read an article titled "America Skips School" by Benjamin Barber in which the answer was simple: In order to inspire children to value school and want to learn, we cannot blame them for their lack of motivation; rather it is society's responsibility to value learning so that children will learn to value it too. Society is opperating on a "do as i say not as i do" mentality, but the truth is that children are much more intuitive than that. They are determine value from their parents actions and the media. (Once again, media=lots of strong opinions I won't ramble on about now...)
If we want to encourage learning, namely in S&E, we need to convey their value and in order to do that America is going to have to undergo a large scale societal change, which is much easier said than done. Unfortunately, I don't forsee this happening without some drastic turning point that forces Americans to realize the state things are in. Such an event or incident will most likely occur after the time is too late, in which case not only will America have to switch gears, but we will also have to play catch-up. I'm hoping that there is a better solution, or that I'm underestimating American willpower and motivation, but still I am doubtful. It would take a tremendous push from the advocates of the flat world and their supporters to create enough noise around the issue to get the attention of the rest of the population. Sure, the educated and interested can talk amongst themselves all they want, but unless this message gets across to the bulk of the population--those it pertains to most--it won't actually facilitate societal change.
So much more I could blog about, but I'm physically drained...so I shall close with what definately is not the most inspirational quotation, but the most memorable/ cutesie in my mind...
In China today, Bill Gates is Britney Spears. In America today, Britney Spears is Britney Spears--and that is our problem. ~Thomas Friedman
posted by Lindsey at
11:27 PM
1 Comments:
I think what is needed is leadership with integrity from our next president. I haven't heard about education in the past two years when that is the true national security issue. People in Texas need to stop worrying about a threat that doesn't exist for them and start reading about science instead of People magazine.
By
Arthur, At
7/06/2006 3:14 PM
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