On Wed, 15 Jan 2014 21:00:54 +0000, Orchid Win7 v1 wrote:

> On 15/01/2014 08:58 AM, scott wrote:
>> The problem is, and it's the same in the UK, it's "cool" to be dumb, or
>> at least appear to be dumb.
> 
> This seems to be pretty much the root of it all.
> 
> You know, there *was* a time when great mathematicians, engineers,
> scientists and so forth were like revered deities. What the heck
> happened??

Everybody became a winner.  At least that's part of it.  If being smart 
were important, then an inability to apply one's knowledge wouldn't be 
regarded as "still worthy of a trophy of participation".

It's more complicated than that, but at least here in the US, this idea 
that everyone's a winner and nobody ever fails is a dangerous, dangerous 
precedent.

Jim
-- 
"I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and 
besides, the pig likes it." - George Bernard Shaw

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