July 09, 2014
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My grandfather, who passed before I was born, probably forgot more about the Western literary canon than the ninnies teaching Menstrual Studies at ASU have ever learned, and certainly more than they ever taught.
In times past, you got an education one of three ways: You were part of a family whose reputation secured you a place at one of America’s top universities. Or you worked hard, earned money, and paid your own way. Or you joined the army, served your country, and Uncle Sam paid your way.
Nowadays, you fill out some paperwork, take out a loan you won”t ever pay off, and schedule all your classes after 2 P.M. so you can drink all night and wake up at noon. It’s our new favorite social program: “exploring yourself” for between fifty grand and a quarter million of someone else’s money.
America used to be a country of hardworking people who took pride in achievement”a country where a man could support a family with an eighth-grade education, where citizens were interested in seeing how they could be a part of the past while providing for a better tomorrow.
This was the country that produced the cars, movies, music, and living standard that were the envy of the entire world.
We”re now a country of participation trophies”and a college degree might be the most expensive one going. America is a country where your status as a victim counts for far more than achievement, a country where even six years of postsecondary education keep you living in your childhood bedroom until you”re 35. A country that spits on its past and craves “no future.”
Where else could we have possibly expected education as a socialist boondoggle to lead?
