Depressing Survey Results Show How Extremely Stupid America Has Become - Michael Synder THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE BLOG

Depressing Survey Results Show How Extremely Stupid America Has Become Posted: 29 Mar 2016  Michael Synder  THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE BLOG Ten years ago, a major Hollywood film entitled “Idiocracy” was released, and it was an excellent metaphor for what would happen to America over the course of the next decade.  In the movie, an “average American” wakes up 500 years in the future only to discover that he is the most intelligent person by far in the “dumbed down” society that he suddenly finds himself in.  Sadly, I truly believe that if people of average intellect from the 1950s and 1960s were transported to 2016, they would likely be considered mental giants compared to the rest of us.   We have a country where criminals are being paid $1000 a month not to shoot people, and the highest paid public employee in more than half the states is a football coach.  Hardly anyone takes time to read a book anymore, and yet the average American spends 302 minutes a day watching television.  75 percent of our young adults cannot find Israel on a map of the Middle East, but they sure know how to find smut on the Internet.   It may be hard to believe, but there are more than 4 million adult websites on the Internet today, and they get more traffic than Netflix, Amazon and Twitter combined. What in the world has happened to us?  How is it possible that we have become so stupid?  According to a brand new report that was recently released, almost 10 percent of our college graduates believe that Judge Judy is on the Supreme Court… The American Council of Trustees and Alumni publishes occasional reports on what college students know. Nearly 10 percent of the college graduates surveyed thought Judith Sheindlin, TV’s “Judge Judy,” is a member of the U.S. Supreme Court. Less than 20 percent of the college graduates knew the effect of the Emancipation Proclamation. More than a quarter of the college graduates did not know Franklin D. Roosevelt was president during World War II; one-third did not know he was the president who spearheaded the New Deal. It can be tempting to laugh at numbers like these until you realize that survey after survey has come up with similar results. Just consider what Newsweek found a few years ago… When NEWSWEEK recently asked 1,000 U.S. citizens to take America’s official citizenship test, 29 percent couldn’t name the vice president. Seventy-three percent couldn’t correctly say why we fought the Cold War. Forty-four percent were unable to define the Bill of Rights. And 6 percent couldn’t even circle Independence Day on a calendar. Even worse were the extremely depressing results of a study conducted a few years ago by Common Core… *Only 43 percent of all U.S. high school students knew that the Civil War was fought some time between 1850 and 1900. *More than a quarter of all U.S. high school students thought that Christopher Columbus made his famous voyage across the Atlantic Ocean after the year 1750. *Approximately a third of all U.S. high school students did not know that the Bill of Rights guarantees freedom of speech and freedom of religion. *Only 60 percent of all U.S. students knew that World War I was fought some time between 1900 and 1950. Of course survey results can be skewed, and much hinges on how the questions are asked. However, even studies that are scientifically conducted confirm how stupid America has become.  In fact, a report from the Educational Testing Service found that Americans are falling way behind much of the rest of the industrialized world.  The following comes from CBS News… Americans born after 1980 are lagging their peers in countries ranging from Australia to Estonia, according to a new report from researchers at the Educational Testing Service (ETS). The study looked at scores for literacy and numeracy from a test called the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies, which tested the abilities of people in 22 countries. The results are sobering, with dire implications for America. It hints that students may be falling behind not only in their early educational years but at the college level. Even though more Americans between the ages of 20 to 34 are achieving higher levels of education, they’re still falling behind their cohorts in other countries. In Japan, Finland and the Netherlands, young adults with only a high school degree scored on par with American Millennials holding four-year college degrees, the report said. Out of 22 countries that were part of the study, the Educational Testing Service found that Americans were dead last in tech proficiency, dead last in numeracy and only two countries performed worse than us when it came to literacy proficiency… Half of American Millennials score below the minimum standard of literacy proficiency. Only two countries scored worse by that measure: Italy (60 percent) and Spain (59 percent). The results were even worse for numeracy, with almost two-thirds of American Millennials failing to meet the minimum standard for understanding and working with numbers. That placed U.S. Millennials dead last for numeracy among the study’s 22 developed countries. So why has this happened? Why have we become such an extremely stupid nation? Well, at least a portion of the blame must be directed at our system of education.  The following is an excerpt from an article written by reporter Mark Morford.  In this article, he shared how one of his friends which had served for a very long time as a high school teacher in Oakland, California was considering moving out of the country when he retired due to the relentless “dumb-ification of the American brain”… It’s gotten so bad that, as my friend nears retirement, he says he is very seriously considering moving out of the country so as to escape what he sees will be the surefire collapse of functioning American society in the next handful of years due to the absolutely irrefutable destruction, the shocking — and nearly hopeless — dumb-ification of the American brain. It is just that bad. Now, you may think he’s merely a curmudgeon, a tired old teacher who stopped caring long ago. Not true. Teaching is his life. He says he loves his students, loves education and learning and watching young minds awaken. Problem is, he is seeing much less of it. And of course things don’t get much better when it comes to our college students.  In a previous article, I shared some statistics from USA Today about the rapidly declining state of college education in the United States… -“After two years in college, 45% of students showed no significant gains in learning; after four years, 36% showed little change.” -“Students also spent 50% less time studying compared with students a few decades ago” -“35% of students report spending five or fewer hours per week studying alone.” -“50% said they never took a class in a typical semester where they wrote more than 20 pages” -“32% never took a course in a typical semester where they read more than 40 pages per week.” I spent eight years studying at some of the finest public universities in the country, and I can tell you from personal experience that even our most challenging college courses have been pathetically dumbed down. And at our “less than finest” public universities, the level of education can be something of a bad joke.  In another previous article, I shared some examples of actual courses that have been taught at U.S. universities in recent years… -“What If Harry Potter Is Real?” -“Lady Gaga and the Sociology of Fame” -“Philosophy And Star Trek” -“Learning From YouTube” -“How To Watch Television” Could you imagine getting actual college credit for a course entitled “What If Harry Potter Is Real?” This is why many of our college graduates can barely put two sentences together.  They aren’t being challenged, and the quality of the education most of them are receiving is incredibly poor. But even though they aren’t being challenged, students are taking longer to get through college than ever.  Federal statistics reveal that only 36 percent of all full-time students receive a bachelor’s degree within four years, and only 77 percent of all full-time students have earned a bachelor’s degree by the end of six years. Of course our system of education is not entirely to blame.  The truth is that young Americans spend far more time consuming media than they do hitting the books, and what passes for “entertainment” these days is rapidly turning their brains to mush. According to a report put out by Nielsen, this is how much time the average American spends consuming media on various devices each day… Watching live television: 4 hours, 32 minutes Watching time-shifted television: 30 minutes Listening to the radio: 2 hours, 44 minutes Using a smartphone: 1 hour, 33 minutes Using Internet on a computer: 1 hour, 6 minutes When you add it all up, the average American spends more than 10 hours a day plugged into some form of media. And if you allow anyone to pump “programming” into your mind for 10 hours a day, it is going to have a dramatic impact. In the end, I truly believe that we all greatly underestimate the influence that the mainstream media has on all of us.  We willingly plug into “the Matrix” for endless hours, but then somehow we still expect “to think for ourselves”. There are very few of us that can say that we have not been exposed to thousands upon thousands of hours of conditioning.  And all of that garbage can make it very, very difficult to think clearly. It is not because of a lack of input that we have become so stupid as a society.  The big problem is what we are putting into our minds. If we continue to put garbage in, we are going to continue to get garbage out, and that is the cold, hard reality of the matter.

Why Students Don't Have to Check Faith at Door

Why Students Don't Have to 

Check Faith at the Door

June 4, 2014  Andrea Garrett  CBN News

Graduating seniors who want to pray or mention their faith during graduation exercises may face lawsuits or threats from school administrators.

Many school officials wrongly believe that those expressions of faith violate the so-called separation of church and state.

But Jordan Sekulow, executive director of the American Center for Law and Justice, says they don't have to be afraid. The law is on their side.

"A lot of schools get it wrong. They're so concerned about lawsuits or the threat of lawsuits," Sekulow told CBN News.

"The school administrators or faculty cannot start the prayer. They cannot make you pray; they can't force that. But a student can absolutely use religious language in their speaking role," he explained.

So, when high school valedictorian Roy Costner was told graduation prayers were being replaced with a moment of silence, he was well within his rights when he tore up his school-approved speech and prayed the Lord's Prayer instead.

Also, in 2012, a judge threatened to throw valedictorian Angela Hildenbrand in jail for exercising her First Amendment right to invoke religious language at her Texas high school graduation.

"The court's order said there could be incarceration if anyone mentioned Jesus or said 'amen' during any of the speeches," Liberty Institute attorney Justin Butterfield said.

A federal appeals court disagreed with that order.

"The Fifth Circuit said 'No, it's okay for her to do that,'" Butterfield said. "It's her private student speech and she's allowed to say whatever she wants and you can't discriminate against her message just because it's religious."

While graduation prayer gets the attention this time of year, students are also facing other kinds of religious discrimination all year long. Free-speech advocates say both students and their parents need to be aware of their rights.

Giovanni Rubeo, 12, was told by his teacher that he was not permitted to read the Bible during a free reading period at school.

His teacher left the following message on the Rubeos' home voice mail:

"I noticed that he had a book, a religious book, in the classroom. He is not permitted to read those books in my classroom," the teacher said.

Giovanni's parents consulted a lawyer, and the school is now complying with the law, which protects students who want to bring Bibles to school and read them during free time.

"Students absolutely have the right to read their Bible at free reading sessions," Sekulow said. "The courts have been quite clear on that. You cannot ban students from bringing their Bibles. You cannot ban them from reading their Bibles during free time."

The bottom line for students is regardless of the time of year, they don't have to leave their Christian faith or free speech rights at the schoolhouse door.

She Thought She Was Graduating Alone - What Her Active Duty Marine Brother Did Next Will Melt Your Heart

Rebekah Everett receives a hug, and her degree in Athletic Training, from her younger brother, U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Joshua Everett, on Saturday, May 11, 2014. (Liberty University)

She Thought She Was Graduating Alone 

- What Her Active Duty Marine Brother 

Did Next Will Melt Your Heart

5/20/2014 TED ALLEN/LIBERTY UNIVERSITY NEWS SERVICE   

                    CHRISTIAN LIFE NEWS

There were many touching moments during Liberty University's 41st Commencement on Saturday, both at Williams Stadium, site of the main ceremony, and in the degree presentations held afterward in surrounding facilities.

In a surprise as well orchestrated as a covert military operation, Department of Health Professions graduate Rebekah Everett received her diploma from her younger brother, U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Joshua Everett, on the Schilling Center stage.

Less than two weeks after returning from a nine-month deployment to Afghanistan with the 1st Battalion 4th Marines, he flew in from Camp Pendleton in San Diego, Calif., to Lynchburg, Va., to honor his big sister. The Marine Corps assaultman, who defused explosives and ordnances throughout the Middle East, left Rebekah Everett shell-shocked.

"I haven't seen my sister in 11 months so I wanted to surprise her and make her feel special," said Joshua Everett, camouflaged in civilian clothing because his dress uniform no longer fits his lean frame and he was not allowed to wear his active duty outfit to the Commencement. "We did it. She had no clue. It was great. I think we all got her."

Earlier in the year, at Rebekah Everett's request, Liberty's Physical Therapy and Athletic Training departments surprised Joshua Everett and his platoon by sending them a care package. Joshua Everett made the most of his opportunity to return the favor.

"It worked out perfect," said John Everett, the siblings' father who was in on the surprise. "Everything was secret. We didn't even tell his grandparents (John and Rosemary De Wolfe, who came up from South Carolina) until this morning. She was totally surprised. She had no clue. She was in disbelief, shock, (she was) just kind of amazed, and honored."

Rebekah Everett became a little suspicious when she was moved to the front of the procession as she and her Athletic Training classmates approached the stage to receive their diplomas.

"Everyone was like, 'You have to be the first one,' and I was like, 'Why? I don't want to go first,'" she said.

She was left speechless when her brother came out from behind the backstage curtain to hand out her degree.

"I tripped up the stage and I stubbed my toe, but it's OK," Rebekah Everett said.

While she may not have shown much emotion on the outside, she was blown away that her brother would fly across the country to see her graduate.

"Her smile just said everything," Joshua Everett said.

The reward of receiving an emotional, homecoming hug from her sibling before thousands of people was well worth any pain or embarrassment.

"It was kind of awkward, but it was so nice to embrace him, my little brother," Rebekah Everett said.

"We're really close. He's my best friend, so it was really nice to actually spend this moment with him."

The two siblings were rarely apart growing up in Maryland, where they were home schooled by their mom, Andrea Everett.

"The only thing that separated them was college and the Marines," John Everett said. "It's neat to see them come back together."

Joshua Everett discussed the idea of staging the surprise with his dad back in February, while he was with his 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), traveling throughout the Persian Gulf aboard the U.S.S. Harper's Ferry.

This was his third visit to Lynchburg to see his sister, but the first since being stationed at Camp Pendleton in the summer of 2012. He returned to San Diego on Sunday and expects to be there for at least a couple months before being deployed again.

There is a possibility Rebekah Everett could start her career by joining her brother on the West Coast.

"She's got a job interview in Southern California, so she could wind up near her brother, which would be good," John Everett said. 

"We'll see where God takes me," Rebekah Everett added.

Military Spouse, Graduates Honored

During Saturday's 41st Commencement at Williams Stadium, Malory Mallery, an online graduate who drove from Kansas to attend the ceremony, was brought to tears and fell to her knees as she was recognized by President Jerry Falwell and shown a video message prepared by her husband, U.S. Army Sgt. Mark S. Mallery, stationed in Afghanistan.

Liberty honored its own students who are members of the United States Armed Forces at Friday night's third annual Military Graduate Recognition Ceremony in the Vines Center.

Congratulations to all those who have worked hard 

and have now graduated this year. 

Blessings on ye heads! 

Go now and serve the Lord 

with that which you have been 

trained and called to do! 

Steve Martin

Founder

Love for His People