It’s an education system and culture problem. You can’t force a 40-year-old woman to be curious and critical, but you can plant the seed and encourage the growth of those skills and behaviors in children. That confusion at hearing something different followed by the attitude of putting it in a box and dismissing it (“I don’t know what that is, but we have regular hot tea”) comes from a lifetime of being told to accept whatever over simplified answer they are told and be quiet whenever they ask questions.
considering how stridently the Republican Party has been attacking public education for the past 50 years or so, this is a predictable result. They don’t need every American to be incurious and shallow, they just need enough to tilt elections in their favor.
Sitting here in Germany, looking at the shambles of our political landscape, looking over at you, reading this and remembering Trump saying to/about Musk that he’s “a genius” and America doesn’t have many of them left…i can only laugh at the utterly infuriating powerlessness against such kind of disregard for basically anything that has changed since the dark ages and the utter ignorance. My anger is slowly shifting to sorrow…
It’s an education system and culture problem. You can’t force a 40-year-old woman to be curious and critical, but you can plant the seed and encourage the growth of those skills and behaviors in children. That confusion at hearing something different followed by the attitude of putting it in a box and dismissing it (“I don’t know what that is, but we have regular hot tea”) comes from a lifetime of being told to accept whatever over simplified answer they are told and be quiet whenever they ask questions.
considering how stridently the Republican Party has been attacking public education for the past 50 years or so, this is a predictable result. They don’t need every American to be incurious and shallow, they just need enough to tilt elections in their favor.
Sitting here in Germany, looking at the shambles of our political landscape, looking over at you, reading this and remembering Trump saying to/about Musk that he’s “a genius” and America doesn’t have many of them left…i can only laugh at the utterly infuriating powerlessness against such kind of disregard for basically anything that has changed since the dark ages and the utter ignorance. My anger is slowly shifting to sorrow…
And that’s exactly why Project 2025 states their desire to get rid of the Dept of Education.