A New York Times editorial by Bob Herbert laments the statistic that the US is now ranked 12th among 36 developed countries in terms of college graduation rates.
If he wasn't so hung up on the idea that the US should be no.1, he could have explored the reasons why:
- the growing secondary orality of the population who grew up on visual and audio technology
- literacy skills, consequently, diminish. literacy is a difficult skill to master.
- the contraction of the economy caused by the casino economy
- shift from industrial to technology society limits opportunities to an elite corps of "intelligent" folks
- shift to service economy where low paying jobs do not require college degrees
- possibly a shift in values by a younger generation disillusioned by the American Dream
- a generation that wants "Another America is Possible" and "Another America is Necessary"
- a capitalist economy numbing and dumbing down the population. mass production, mass media manipulation, catatonic stupor glued to a computer screen or television playing games or watching reality tv.
to be continued...
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