The Decline and Fall of the United States

The New York Times featured a conversation between Dick Cavett and David Brooks yesterday that discussed whether the United States is in decline. The brief opinion piece barely scratched the surface of the issue — I'm sure that any serious analysis would take at least series of books — but both Brooks and Cavett both acknowledged pessimism for the U.S.

Will the United States continue to be a "great nation" for the foreseeable future? The question starts with an assumption that may not be true:The United States is a great nation. Militarily and economically powerful? Without a doubt. But great can suggest excellence as well as power. What the U.S. lack now, in my opinion, is intellectual and moral greatness, and I'm not sure the United States was ever a source of intellectual or moral greatness.

Americans love to be boosters and say that the USA is a great country, but as far as the decline of the United States as a concept goes, I go back to a quote that has been attributed to a number of famous thinkers, including Mark Twain and Will Rogers:

It's not what you don't know that hurts you; it's what you do know that ain't so.

More later,
Russ

Education is a culture we could choose to share... but don't

Cultural diversity is running rampant in the United States. Or, more accurately, most Americans claim a link to and a pride in their ethnic, geographic, religious, or other "roots."

What Americans aren't doing is becoming fluent in any culture but the one they like the best. There's nothing inherently wrong with embracing some aspect of your history, but as most Americans speak only English, most Americans only embrace or even acknowledge one culture.

We are all members of multiple cultures. Hardly anyone in the U.S. is a member of only one ethic group. The majority can trace their lineage back to multiple countries. Go back far enough and every family will find a change of religion somewhere in its history. But, many (I suspect most) people choose to identify with only one culture from their family or personal background.

Choosing one culture is not a problem. Choosing only one culture is a problem.

Why? Because it separates us and gives us notions such as "The War on Christmas," (which has spawned at least one book on the subject). A lack of multi-cultural fluency causes differences in cultural to be viewed as attacks.

One culture that we all should share (there are more) is the culture of education.

It's a fairly standard belief in the United States that going to college is a good thing. It is, but not for the reason most people cite – to get a good job. The most important thing college students can learn is how to be a part of the shared culture of education. Here are some aspects of that culture:

• be skeptical, but open-minded
• think critically
• evaluate the evidence
• if there is no evidence, do some research to find some
• respect other people's ideas
• give credit where credit is due

Anyone familiar with higher education in America might not recognize these as aspects of actual academic culture, and rightly so, but they serve as a starting point. This list is clearly not exhaustive and should apply to elementary and secondary education as well as higher education.

Americans go to public or private school, or are home-schooled because the law requires it. The law requires it because it gives Americans one basis for shared culture and understanding. It allows us to embrace our diversity without embracing separateness.

More later,
Russ