SuperJail Warden wrote:
Jay wrote:
only show you have the bare minimum diligence to attend class, maybe do some homework, and pass a test.
Being able to stick with something and "work the system" is a sign of intelligence and skill I think. A lot of Americans can barely read and write. A lot of people don't have the capability to sit quietly and focus on something. I notice this with kids. Some kids just aren't capable of doing the bare minimum to pass a class because they don't have the impulse control to put a phone down for awhile.
You want to know the best criticism of college education? The best criticism is how much opportunity and second chances money can get you. A lot of people don't get a second chance after doing internet meth and threatening to knife their ex-girlfriends. A lot of people don't get second chances after downing a bottle of Ambien when you are 21. But if you can make those tuition payments then the university system will cuddle you through to graduation. That's the real crime. But the only people who know about that are college educated people know that. Angelo Mechanic meanwhile will talk shit about reading (???).
It is, and second chances do play a part.
Right now the education system is heavily skewed towards girls. This makes sense though, as most educators are women and they understand girls more than they understand boys. Boys and girls learn differently. Girls are better at sitting in class and not acting up. They tend to be more diligent about doing their work and following rules. Boys tend to be more aggressive and push boundaries. Academic life is populated by the risk-averse, the types that want a safe job without much workload and without the variability of private sector life. They, in turn, have set up a system that favors that way of thinking in order to get through. Very little of this is conscious. I don't think anyone but the most devout feminists are actively trying to undermine boys and men, but it is happening.
There's very little corollary between education level and intelligence. Sure, your average PhD might be of above average intelligence, or they just might have above average emotional intelligence and can play a system. Academia made the mistake of overstating the link between education and intelligence, and it's a large reason why America has such high rates of anti-intellectualism now. I've known a lot of smart people that never had any desire to pursue advanced degrees. I've also known a lot of people with absolutely atrocious ideas that possess advanced degrees.
