I'm also totally with you about requiring natural-born citizens to pass the same test administered to immigrants.
American compulsory education requirements effectively ensure that all students are taught and tested on this material. While retention for the information is poor amongst many, we are being taught and tested.
I'm also totally with you about requiring natural-born citizens to pass the same test administered to immigrants.
American compulsory education requirements effectively ensure that all students are taught and tested on this material. While retention for the information is poor amongst many, we are being taught and tested.
I guess I should rephrase that: American citizens should be less stupid. :P
I'm also totally with you about requiring natural-born citizens to pass the same test administered to immigrants.
American compulsory education requirements effectively ensure that all students are taught and tested on this material. While retention for the information is poor amongst many, we are being taught and tested.
I guess I should rephrase that: American citizens should be less stupid. :P
This has a lot more to do with a culture that is overly impressed with being ignorant and looks at learning as something to be done from the age 5 - 15. Our school days and years are too short, we are hamstrung by those that would require the barest minimum of homework, and place too much emphasis on tests (which often are limited in scope and depth). If a student in high school is expected to read a book in a week and is not in an advanced course of some kind, then parents revolt. "That is too much work! When will the kid have the time to devote to his/her 40 hours a week of extracurricular activities or television watching/video game playing?!" Seriously, our culture isn't stupid - it is ignorant even of facts it was repeatedly taught. It is lazy and undisciplined and some wear that as a virtue. Certainly not all Americans are ignorant, but there is a constant and strong portion of the population that is. It transcends ethnicity and economic class.
It is lazy and undisciplined and some wear that as a virtue.
That's what I meant by "stupid." I have no problem with ignorance; in fact, without ignorance, there would be no reason to explore things. The problem is willful ignorance and a culture that is unwilling to challenge people.
So, personally, I think citizens should have to be re-tested on those basic civics every 4 years or so, and if they ever fail the test, they're immediately deported. If you're a natural-born citizen, we'll deport you somewhere particularly inhospitable.
It is lazy and undisciplined and some wear that as a virtue.
That's what I meant by "stupid." I have no problem with ignorance; in fact, without ignorance, there would be no reason to explore things. The problem iswillfulignorance and a culture that is unwilling to challenge people.
So, personally, I think citizens should have to be re-tested on those basic civics every 4 years or so, and if they ever fail the test, they're immediately deported. If you're a natural-born citizen, we'll deport you somewhere particularly inhospitable.
Deportation is ridiculously harsh. They should just have to attend a government, civics and history course.
Rather than a requirement for being in the US, couldn't it just be a requirement to participate in government? Also, 4 years is a bit frequent.
Not that it'll ever happen...pretty sure it's unconstitutional. I don't think we're allowed to require people to pass a test to vote because it's considered discrimination.
Not that it'll ever happen...pretty sure it's unconstitutional. I don't think we're allowed to require people to pass a test to vote because it's considered discrimination.
The problem is that in the history of the US, literacy tests for voting were used in a discriminatory fashion. I believe it is very possible to have a literacy test that is used in a non-discriminatory way. However, any such system would be vulnerable to corruption by the administrators, even if the rules of the test where themselves fair.
It is lazy and undisciplined and some wear that as a virtue.
That's what I meant by "stupid." I have no problem with ignorance; in fact, without ignorance, there would be no reason to explore things. The problem iswillfulignorance and a culture that is unwilling to challenge people.
So, personally, I think citizens should have to be re-tested on those basic civics every 4 years or so, and if they ever fail the test, they're immediately deported. If you're a natural-born citizen, we'll deport you somewhere particularly inhospitable.
Deportation is ridiculously harsh. They should just have to attend a government, civics and history course.
Yeah, but that would be a lot less viscerally satisfying for me. Note that I'm also talking about shipping out natural-born citizens too. We can use Australia; it was a penal colony once, so they should be used to that.
Out of curiosity, is there a particular reason that retention of government and civics knowledge is as poor as it is? Is it poorer than retention in other subjects?
Yeah, but that would be a lot less viscerally satisfying for me.
It is satisfying to you for a government to hastily deport someone because they have a poor education/poor retention/is a poor test taker or had a brain-fart on a single test? Wow, Pete. That is cold.
Yeah, but that would be a lot less viscerally satisfying for me.
It is satisfying to you for a government to hastily deport someone because they have a poor education/poor retention/is a poor test taker or had a brain-fart on a single test? Wow, Pete. That is cold.
Well, I may be exaggerating slightly. Though I still think we need some sort of harsh consequences for continued, flagrant idiocy.
As much as we hate stupid people (and I really hate stupid people), if someone wants to spend their time getting fat and drinking beer in front of the television all day instead of doing meaningful things, that's their prerogative. What we should do is offer more opportunities for the people who actually do want to learn past school, and for those who want to go to school but can't afford it, in addition to raising the high end of public education. There's no point wasting resources and teachers on people who don't want to learn, and it's even worse to neglect those that do.
Plus, without stupid people, what would we do for cheap manual labor?
And risk a robot uprising? I don't think so. I'm much more content to let humans do menial labor. I may not want to be a garbage man, but I appreciate the service they provide even if it doesn't require advanced learning.
And risk a robot uprising? I don't think so. I'm much more content to let humans do menial labor. I may not want to be a garbage man, but I appreciate the service they provide even if it doesn't require advanced learning.
"Everyone once and a while the world needs a good ditch digger."-Dad
@TheWhaleshark: We can't use Australia. Now it's one of the hardest countries to move into. Irony.
Would anyone argue differently if this vaccine prevented some types of HIV/AIDS as apposed to some types of HPV?
In some unrelated studying of vaccines, I came across this, the recommended Adult Vaccine Schedule for all US Citizens. HPV has clearly been added, which usually means 2 things: the shot is going to be either covered or drop in price shortly, and most if not all doctors will include a recommendation of it in their physicals (I'm pretty sure my college is requiring it this year).
Comments
So, personally, I think citizens should have to be re-tested on those basic civics every 4 years or so, and if they ever fail the test, they're immediately deported. If you're a natural-born citizen, we'll deport you somewhere particularly inhospitable.
Not that it'll ever happen...pretty sure it's unconstitutional. I don't think we're allowed to require people to pass a test to vote because it's considered discrimination.
Out of curiosity, is there a particular reason that retention of government and civics knowledge is as poor as it is? Is it poorer than retention in other subjects?
Plus, without stupid people, what would we do for cheap manual labor?
@TheWhaleshark: We can't use Australia. Now it's one of the hardest countries to move into. Irony.
Would anyone argue differently if this vaccine prevented some types of HIV/AIDS as apposed to some types of HPV?