Xref: utzoo sci.math:5393 sci.physics:5577 comp.edu:1894
Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!pdn!reggie
From: reggie@pdn.UUCP (George W. Leach)
Newsgroups: sci.math,sci.physics,comp.edu
Subject: Re: Are Americans Intellectually Inferior?
Message-ID: <5393@pdn.UUCP>
Date: 17 Jan 89 17:47:13 GMT
References: <14.UUL1.3#913@acw.UUCP> <997@ccncsu.ColoState.EDU> <9504@ut-emx.UUCP>
Reply-To: reggie@pdn.UUCP (George W. Leach)
Organization: Paradyne Corporation,   Largo FL
Lines: 45

In article <9504@ut-emx.UUCP> ethan@ut-emx.UUCP (Ethan Tecumseh Vishniac) writes:


>Someone has made the comment that Americans might be intellectually
>inferior because our ancestors were selected for stupidity.  (something
>like that anyhow).  There are two outrageously silly parts to this.

    As Ethan put forth, this is preposterous.  The vast majority of the
people who came here did so for extremely intellectual reasons: to better
their life.  Of course, there were those who did not, but the majority
did.  Just think about what it took to uproot and move across the vast
ocean to a new and unkown land.  Many people have trouble leaving the
towns in which they grew up in!

>It is possible that American society is anti-intellectual in the sense
>that professions that require extensive, disciplined training are not
>encouraged or rewarded and that society as a whole is hostile to those
>who claim to know more than the average person.  I see some signs of this.

    Yes, and institutions such as unions encourage this.  Rather than trying
to improve themselves certain people would rather knock those who do make
such attempts.  Why?  Because to improve oneself requires lots of hard work
and dedication.  Many would rather camp out in a bar all night.

    The lure of easy money is too great in this society.  How many poor kids
make it out of the getto by hard work as compared to the number who profit
from illegal activities?  You figure it out.  If you were in their shoes
what would you do?

>For what it's worth, my Australian friends claim that Australia is much 
>more anti-intellectual than the US.  I've never been there. 

    From what I recall, didn't Australian start out as a penal colony?
In fact, didn't Georgia start off that way as well?  Most of the original
American Colonies either started as a haven for religious groups or for
some sort of economical benefit for the mother country.




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