Sugar Makes You Dumb

[Diana]

One way I have phrased that is... kids are taught what to think, not how to think.

Yes, great way to put it.

It's interesting, and disturbing, to see how this type of thinking infiltrates every aspect of our lives! I think part of it stems from the patronizing attitude toward children: "Oh, they're just kids. We can't expect them to..." oh I dunno, eat a vegetable? But even more than this children are certainly capable of complex thought beyond simple "right or wrong". They understand human emotion (they are, after all, human!) and are endowed with all kinds of creativity which, frankly, is lacking in most adults.

The creativity in part gets shut down in school, which favors left-brain learning and does not allow for creative, intuitive types. Then they are taught to memorize by rote, instead of developing fluid intelligence and critical thinking with whole-brain, open-ended learning.

Kids are survivors, as you say; they are highly skilled at it.

Then, to top it off, we have these Dr. So-and-so's dictating our children's curriculum, if not teaching it themselves. And now that we are going on the second generation since these changes, the majority of people don't even see anything wrong with this. (Wrong being relative to the intention to develop and empower people.) In fact, as you alluded, many will actively seek to interfere with any sort of improvements.

Yes, it's sad, but temporary. Common sense, survival, intelligence will rise to the top like cream.

A corollary to this is the attitude that "Everybody is a winner!" and pandering to the lowest common denominator so nobody's "feelings get hurt." I might catch some slack for this, but I feel like that is as every bit a fake form of "compassion", just like the fake form of "love" that our society breeds. Personally, I don't see any problem with identifying that a particular child happens to be a dolt when it comes to math, and instead seeing if they have better grasp of colors or music. Or if neither of those hand them a mechanical or electrical toolkit and send them off to a workshop of some kind.

I very much agree. I have a niece in the gifted program still not being challenged. Many times the school has suggested she skip a grade, and I encouraged this. But my sister did not allow it because of possible social challenges. So she just coasts . . .

The priorities are skewed. It would serve the child to help him/her reach potential, and encourage discernment. All done with love and service, of course.

This is kind of a tangent, but I think relevant. Most people- especially Americans- would be surprised to learn that much of this behavior is based on a presupposition of tabula rasa- the idea that every soul is created anew at conception, and thus is essentially a "blank slate" upon which it is the duty of adults in society to write upon.

Surprising perhaps, because this idea was brought to the mass consciousness by a Muslim philosopher named Avicenna. I wonder how many Americans would be shocked and appalled to learn that their most sacred "American values" have their roots in Islam, not Christianity.

Given that Christians must use all sorts of doublethink to stay loyal to their beliefs, they probably wouldn't accept it.