Dumbing down is the topic of the moment at our house. We, the adults, are reading through John Taylor Gatto’s Underground History of American Education on the Internet, with his theory that public schools were created to make people dumb. Mike is really into conspiracy theories right now, so I had to divert him to a new one, just so we could talk.
I see dumbing down in the media particularly – since we don’t have too much to do with schools right now. The ‘good’ characters in movies and TV programs, the ones you are supposed to identify with, seem to be getting thicker and thicker by the year. Now they even talk like retarded 4-year olds, even if their adults. At least 99% of adult human beings are capable of doing better than that. And I’m not just complaining about movies aimed at children. If, by chance, an intelligent character strolls into the plot, he/she is bound to be on the side of evil.
Antonia has been doing a narration of Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream for a homeschool magazine we sometimes participate in. We both agree that Helena is a total dummy and an idiot, and that she and Demetrius just about deserve each other. Now, compare a monologue by Helena trying to make sense of life, with a monologue by any dummy in a contemporary movie of your choice. Shrek was the movie that came up in our conversations. It’s scary.
I will be keeping my eyes open for movies that portray the intelligent and capable in a positive light from now on.
The public school movement under Horace Mann was created with a number of goals. One of them was to transform Catholic immigrant children into good American Citizens. In a board view this does support Mike’s contention.
Interesting Henry. I’ll have to check that out.
Too bad in a post complaining about dumbness, that I forget my grammar. I meant ‘even if they’re adults’ of course.
We don’t even watch TV anymore except for those “How it’s made” shows… or something on the History Channel. Even my daughter will choose a nice History channel show over any movie. And she’s 7… and really quite a normal girl.
Glad to have found your blog.
Hi Ute, thanks for dropping by. We barely watch TV either, but we do go to the cinema pretty often – and then there’s all those days over at friend’s houses! They are the worst : )