So was watching a video the other day and the guy was talking about explaining various complex ideas like how modern warfare works. Basically starts talking about what's called hyper normalization. Basically where people what to break down a complex and multi faceted subject so their simple bite sized and as he said " could fit on a head line". Now the problem is you simply just can't do this with A LOT of stuff you just can't and have it still be 100% accurate or even correct at all.
Prime example would be this flag


Most discussion around it is , is it racist or not. People want it to be a yes or no deal with mabye a very simple bite sized explanation. Yes because the confederacy fought for slaves or no slavery wasn't even that bad yadda yadda yadda. When in reality it's a much much more complex deal. But when you get past the yes or no part of it and the once sentence answers most people don't want anything to do with the conversation. They want bite sized even though simply saying yes because the civil war was over slavery so it must be racist or something else for the yes argument are factually inaccurate.

I can make multiple multiple other examples ( a prime one being why black culture is the way it is , get asked this alot and when I start explaining it's kinda a complex deal instead of just bla.ing the CIA for introducing crack to black neighborhoods or the democrats or something most people just seem to zone out) but ever since here what this guy had to say I can help looking back at so many conversations I e had new head lines I've seen and argument/debates I've seen and listened to and think " yeah most people just wanted short sweet and too the point...even if it wasn't right."

So I gotta ask..... What got us to this point ? Because honestly it worries me. Like I was talking to an older coworker a while back . Was discussing the news and he being in his late 60's I think, said he didn't watch the "news" anymore . I asked why and he said the the news isn't the the new anymore hasn't been for a long time. Just a dumbed down summary for the masses that big brother can manipulate as much as they want as long as the keep it KISS. So now I'm wondering..... Who's going to win now days m people who actually put out information, actual information or those who simply follow KISS.....

what worries me is that for the last 50-60 years, our professional "educators" have been teaching our kids WHAT to think, not HOW to think.

The fact of the matter is they teach a curriculum that they are made to teach. Both grand parents both parts and my girlfriend are all educators . They hate having to teach a lot of this new stuff . Ask most new teachers and they will tell you the new curriculums are just made to make kinds have high test scores ,that's it. And just about everyone of them who actually cares can't stand it. Problem is if they don't well..... Let's just say may parents have had a lot of problems with scholl boards and the like for trying to actually teach.

Most really don't understand this though. It's alot like how people want to get mad at the check out lady at Walmart for the company puting up self checkouts. You can me mad at her all you want but it's the folk 13 steps up in corporate that make the decisions. You can yell and scream at the guy on the one register all you want but they literally have their hands tied . Most people won't try and call corporate or even go to a board meeting though so..

And yes there are hundreds of examples of pee porr teachers grabbing hold of the coattails of common core and simpler and just doing their jobs but their in the minority....for now

Our education system has systematically failed to encourage independent thought, inquiry and logic.

Teaching the test is only the latest in results, graduation/pass,fail, based theory.

Wolfie , you get it.

You are woke.
I mean that in a good way and it has zero to do with today's term of ' being woke'.

You trully understand what is going on and not just buying into what the talking heads are doing to make them believe one thing or another.

For example , I have never considered the rebel flag racist. I have always respected it as a sign of southern pride. The General Lee had one on the roof. Bo and Luke Duke were not racist in the slightist bit. If anything they would step in and help someone who was discriminatied against. Two proud southern boys , proud of their southern heritage and would help out a liberal Yankee regardless of color if need be.

The talking heads want you to believe that flag is racist.

A KKK flag is racist , not the rebel flag.

Most things in life are complex; in fact, pretty much everything.

1. There are those who see complexity as fascinating, truly want to understand it, and take the time to investigate what makes things tick.
2. There are others who see complexity as an opportunity to manipulate with simplistic "bites" for the purpose of advancing agendas.
3. And then there are most people who are just too busy to deal with all of life's complexities and gravitate to shortcuts, which unfortunately are overrepresented with #2.

Those who read the above are either of type #1 or #2.

Those who skipped over the above are of type #3.

Finally, the above is almost certainly an example of #2.

the fact of the matter is: if they "hate teaching this stuff", but still do it anyway; they are complicit.

Sitcoms, everything neatly packaged and resolved in half an hour.

We need to get back to reading novels and biographies.

Too many people believe what other people tell them.

With the loss of complex logical thinking also goes the ability to reflect deeply.
That's why I don't watch the "news" either.
It's all packaged drivel for sound bites sake.

Good and evil, tov and rah, are not always simple but they have always been common.

Blessings!
Mark

nothing wrong with the flag of the southern confederacy....display it with pride.

I honestly don't think it's that simple. Living down here you have a few different types of people who all fly that flag. I I don't know you and your flying it I'm already on edge. Why , because it's not just good people flying it it's not. Same thing with black panther flags trump flags or Biden flags

And rainbow flags.

Oh, the irony!

It's not about flags , it's about history!
Mistakes were made , nobody is perfect!
Why destroy what history is?
Why destroy what really happened?
There are those that are rewriting history to fit their agenda.
It's gotten to the point that the younger generations can't believe anything any more.
I've looked up somethings in history , that I shake my head at.
It's not what I was taught .
It's gotten to the point there's no trace to what really happened , unless you have access to old books .
You search on the net , there's so many different versions of what happened , it's getting to the point it's not worth the time to look.

Wolfie , I do not fly the stars and bars. I don't think I can fly it because I was not born in the south nor do I live there. To me that would seem a bit rude to claim southern heritage. Elizabeth Warren comes to mind as a wanna be fake.

If I relocated to the south , I might consider flying it.

However , here in a deep blue state , I will fly a Gadsen flag. Others here have done that too. The talking heads have not figured out how to call that flag racist yet. The key word is yet.

One thing I've pointed out to people is why the real reason civil war hero statues are being pulled down is not because of racism or slavery. It is because most of the statues are democrats and the current democrats want them down because they are embarrassed of their party's history of racism. You cannot change history but you can try to erase it and put something else in it's place.

Not being able to discuss it.

Aww man I agree with Boco, that cant be good

We have a winner! A good sit down to a meal together would go a long ways to getting where we need to be.