I have quite a few "credentials" however, common sense, critical thinking are in great need in our culture. I am a lifelong student of LIFE, I call it Life University. Having personal experience, having learned and grown through those experiences far outweighs book knowledge. I do love good books, good mentors, and good spiritual advisors. Wisdom is different than knowledge.
Logic is taught. Just in the circle of home educators that I know, I know of four different logic curriculums taught in middle and high school. Ideally it starts even younger as kids are encouraged to ask questions and think past the obvious.
I do also think that some people naturally excel at critical thinking. In "8 Great Smarts: Discover and Nurture Your Child's Intelligences", "logic smart" is one of the ways a person is intelligent. (fabulous info BTW)
I finished my degrees in management and HRM back in in 2010 or so. Neither has done me one bit of good, I never kissed the right ass. University degrees are just a joke today. They are all about indoctrination, even 15 years ago.
common sense has nothing to do with the modern indoctrination program at every college and university, unless it is woke socialism, been there seen it. Get with a good trade school. Then bring back the shop classes to the high schools.
Thank you for bringing up indoctrination and group think. Many people agree that education not longer teaches you how to think, but what to think and can be a complete waste of time. How do we get back to a place of balance?
Not sure what balance means in this context, but here is a try.
The answer to your question is easy, but has several points. I am not including parenting here as that is a whole other kettle of fish.
Ban all teachers unions.
Next stop funding colleges and Universities with tax money. They can make it on their own or sink. Nothing in the US Constitution says we have to fund these indoctrination centers. Ever look into college or university teacher salaries? Tuition could be lowered if they were not being paid hundreds of thousands for waving rainbow flags and screaming hate for the western world. Drop the idea of tenure completely. Let the free market figure it out.
Setting kids up for success in today's world has to start in grade school and would include but not limited to the following.
Bring back a requirement for a second language to graduate high school. Start by teaching words and phrases for other languages in grade schools, let the student pick the one they like.
Get back to basic math, science (real science not the girls can be boys science), social study's, history, and geography, It is important to know where you are are in the world and what others may be thinking.
School vouchers will fix that last one.
End sex ed., all it has ever done is increase the teen pregnancy stats.
Nationalized tests for advancing to the next grade level. That will fix the indoctrination problem.
Start an annual and random review program of all public and private school teachers and administrators by groups like the PTA that have the authority to fire on the spot. Stop making teachers administrators, they were not trained for that. Hire managers to run the schools.
Then take that wasted money given to higher level indoctrination centers and bring back shop classes in jr. high and high schools so boys can find what they like to do. Then help with trade schools and apprenticeship programs. Plumbers, electricians, welders and others are getting $60+ an hour because there are not enough of them. Gender study graduates are flipping burgers or being paid protesters, in debt for the rest of their lives and think I should pay for their foolishness. Let the indoctrinators that talked them into a useless degree pay.
Another rout could be allow graduation at 9th grade if the student wants to go to a trade school.
Yes, I said boys. Girls do not like greasy, dirty, sweaty jobs, yes I know there are exceptions. The excuse the femin-nat-zees used decades ago to convince the teachers unions to help get rid of the shop classes, was they were gender biased. Well yeah, so what? Girls were not banned, they just did not like those types of classes.
Tom, I think you and I agree on many things and you present some good ideas, although I do not agree with all of them...just one point of clarification....you say "end sex ed,, all of it has everh done is increase the teen pregnancy stats"...that is not true: States have have increased funding and encouraged sex ed, improved healthcare, and access to medical care have found a significant decrease in teen & adult pregnancies. I like the second language requirement!
Numbers for the last 4 years some as far back as 2017 may be falling but they are way higher then 1970 levels. Like when inflation shot from 2.5% to 9%+ and then came down to 7% and the Biden administration tried to say inflation was down.
One thing wrong with many stats is they lump in adults as much as 15-44 year old's sampling and call them teens. Most lump in 19 y o's. Another problem is they do not always differentiate between married and unwed girls living at home, or on welfare. If there are no distinguishing factor then that study and stats were made just to prove the point of who ever paid for them. Teen (<18 y o) pregnancy has followed both the indoctrination in schools and the replacement of the father in the home with a welfare check. Look again at older rates.
Ever see the abortion rates figured into the pregnancy rate? Or even mentioned? One thing that was a powerful determent to girls having sex was the responsibility that came with creating a human life, abortion on demand has taken that away.
Nor is this a racial thing, it follows every demographic.
Instead of teaching children to have sex then expecting them not to, how about teaching girls to respect themselves first. Their bodies are not playthings. Teach boys and girls not to give into hormones.
you have been brainwashed....most Universities help student learn critical thinking skills and how to reason, not just facts, opinions, etc.....I never felt "indoctrinated" but learned to think outside of my own experienies and perceptions...I was encouraged and rewarded for challenging my own professors and always were challenged by them to defend and debate my views and positions...don't generalize since a few colleges do "indoctrinate" such as so-called christian academies!
Oh, experience issue...since I haven't been "in school recently" I can't possibly know anything????? I still participate and follow my profession...I also have recent college graduate and graduate school gradurated grand children who continue to thinking critically and are proudly "woke" meaning they are caring, tolerant, and open-minded individuals who love and care about others! Da!
The young people I know (graduated within the last 5 years) generally believe the classroom learning was a waste of time. Many believe the social aspect (connections) was helpful. The ones that were in school during Covid found it very challenging to build connections (as one would expect). It is nice to know there are others that had different experiences. It is interesting that you associate open minded and caring with woke. I am guessing there might be people who have a different opinion on that. I know people of many different political perspectives that I consider caring, tolerant, and open-minded.
That is correct, if you have not been there you have no idea of the indoctrination that is going on. Woke is indoctrination. It is also bigotry in full view. Try giving a woke idiot an opposing idea, watch their critical thinking immediately devolve into childish name calling and screaming. They are cancel culture. Proudly woke means proudly blind.
Of the last three young ladies i know that went off to college as young ladies, one came back as a socialist warrior thinking all white people are bad and the other two came back so confuse they thought they were boys.
Stop bothering with indoctrination centers masquerading as colleges that only put the student in debt with a useless degree in gender studies and seek out a trade school.
This is my experience as well. I took a lot of science courses, which may be different from humanities, but in the humanities courses I had, students were encouraged to look at things from multiple points of view. In the first two or three years in undergrad science courses you learn a lot of basic information which is the accumulated knowledge of centuries of research, but the most important thing is scientific methods, hypothesis formulation and testing and how they are used in each field. So, basically it's a mix of learning the basics so you can apply critical thinking in upper level courses and beyond.
In this day and age anyone willing to pay the price can get credentials online. As someone who received my degrees by attending a university attending weekly classes taught by professors, I resent those who sit at home on their computers and are given bogus degrees. Just remember not everyone graduates at the top of the class, someone has to be the bottom, even doctors and lawyers.
What do you mean by a bogus degree? I sat in classes on three occasions (two university and one trade). Honestly, the best learning I received in the university related programs was from other students or in non-traditional courses like visual thinking. Most of my career related learning occurred in the field. The trade course was more applied learning so that experience was more directly applicable to what I was doing.
You made my point; you received your education by attending classes with other classmates at a university campus. The university courses give you the basics and background, while in the field experience builds upon the learned knowledge. The bogus degrees to which I am referring are the online degrees obtained from taking computer courses that just require that you regurgitate knowledge you already possess. These schools advertise on television promising a quick path to a degree.
AI will have an affect in this area moving forward. Soon many will not trust any human opinions whatsoever. Real world experience will be viewed with even more skepticism.
Excellent point. How will we know what is accurate? What is intended to sway opinion? What was left out? We mentioned in the AI article about putting a request into chatgpt and getting something about discrimination against the racial group that is affiliated with the head of Open AI. It was odd, because that was not asked in the prompt. And secondly, it was odd because there were undoubtedly many other racial groups, political groups, etc. that could have experienced admissions issues at that time. Also, there were many less women than men admitted during that period (gender issues might be concerning to some people). While issues with this racial group might have been an issue, cherry picking content is concerning. Notice we used the word might, because we have not checked alternative sources to see if the assertion is valid. https://southdakotavoices.substack.com/p/is-ai-making-it-more-difficult-to
Having been a high school teacher and a court reporter for 30 years, I value common sense over any degree. As a court reporter I watched many people give testimony, and common sense always wins. A degree means... not much.
Good questions....although with my. cendentials and licenses, I was required to do so many continuing ed credits every so many years, documenting my continued education in my field. Not sure how you document "experience" except for resume's (which can be doctored to look better than normal"...belief and trust go a long way...by the way, your examples of abuses: don't generalize to a whole group the evils of a few idiots....if we did that, we would say the whole GOP is evil due to trumpy's stupidity and evil deeds!
I was required to do the same thing. How did you feel about it? I found it expensive and a waste of time (completely useless for what I was doing professionally). I am sure there are variations in how people feel about this sort of thing.
I agree to a point but I tried to pick and choose more relevant CE courses and options....I also got CE credits for teaching college level courses myself...that was a double bonus...getting paid and credits together.
I never cared about the degrees or other credentials I received through my education. What I cared about was the knowledge and experience I gained through my efforts. The credential, though, is something that signifies that I gained knowledge and experience in certain areas. It's a shorthand way for employers or others to judge whether I have some basic knowledge or skills that are relevant to them as they access their desire to use or credit those skills.
I suspect no one wants to put their life in the hands of a surgeon who got a degree by playing doctor when they were 5 years old, or putting a bandage on their child. We all have life experiences, and we all gain knowledge, skills and wisdom from them. But, I will go with the guy who has an MD, and a few hundred successful surgeries, than someone who thinks they can be a surgeon because they have "life experience."
Thank you for sharing that perspective. There seems to be a rapidly growing sector that prefers doctors and other medical providers that have been educated (or at least trained) outside the pharma funded US medical system. They assert that the treatment is much less costly and generally far superior (less pharma centric) to what is available in the US. In addition, there is a group of people that are staying within the US system, but are opting out of the traditional model and moving to wellness model (that uses almost no traditional pharmaceutical solutions). This model is generally more costly, but more effective. It is also interesting that more people are opting out of Medicare since it has become so pharma controlled it is ineffective. Some people argue it is impossible to get the necessary treatments. It will be interesting to see what happens to the US medical system as people look for more effective alternatives.
I think you are a little behind on wellness. Wellness has been a big part of traditional medicine for a long time. Fitness routines, annual checkups, vaccinations to prevent diseases, judicious use of medicines and vitamins certainly have been a part of medicine since I was a kid.
All that was fine, but now "wellness" has metastasized into a far bigger industry than pharmaceuticals, claiming to include spas, concierge health care and other "health" options for the upper classes. If you want to know why health care costs are increasing, it's because some snooty folks think they need such babying to prevent them from looking their age.
You are also wrong about Medicare, which has an Annual Wellness Checkup.
I do take relatives to their Medicare "well checks". In my humble opinion it has nothing to do with wellness and a lot to do with generating income. The psych questions are ridiculous. And the fall questions are equally silly. I encourage everyone to stay very physically active and to avoid medications, especially the ones that cause brittle bones. Someone who is 90 and attends classes with 40 and 50 year olds and gets up and down off the ground every day and does not take the medications that make bones brittle has a very low risk of a fall injury. There would be other questions that would be relevant, but they aren't on the list. After three medical induced issues in my inner circle (one stroke, one dementia, and one death), I am not a fan of the current go to well checks, make you sick, and keep you sick model. I am always happy to hear about positive experiences, but personally I will do everything possible to stay out of what appears to be a racket.
Yeah, I think the Medicare wellness checks could be improved, and I've suggested that to Medicare. Physical activity and anything that keeps your mind growing is important. I like data so I'm always pushing for lab tests. Ten years ago before I retired I had high triglycerides, low HDL and borderline for diabetes. My doctor knows my last option is a pill, so he and I discussed dietary changes with added physical activity. It wasn't as fast as pills, but I got all my readings into normal ranges. My doctor was surprised because his experience with most people is they don't have the discipline to follow through on dietary and exercise changes. Everyone is different. I hate pills and would rather put in the work myself, but most people don't, so pills are good for them.
I have several credentials myself including HazWoper 40 certification. That said, without proper working experience, it’s mostly useless. On the other hand, to run for Sheriff, you don’t need any credentials or working experience. I believe that credentials are needed to a point, but if you can take overall control of a County without any, there is a problem.
Thank you for brining up work experience. Many people think you can find everything with computer diagnostics. A significant percentage of the time it is completely ineffective. How could we correct the problem?
We can and should learn the most from mistakes made in real life. Hopefully not fatal ones. Of course, not everyone does, which is sad. We were given free will to learn to avoid mistakes, which includes evil deeds/words - even when executed with sincerity or good intentions.
If you understand "credentialism" to be the industry that has monetized degrees without education and specialization nods from peers hoping that you will certify their specialities, then complaints about titles that are devoid of substance gets support from contributing members of society. But the broad brush that seems to take in any form of learning that leads to an degree awarded by an ethical institution committed to the growth of human knowledge and its propagation to others is an overgeneralization that lies in tatters when you think about many important life events that no sane person would embark upon without the best help possible. Aunt Marge is not going to let you remove her appendix at home even if she thinks most college degree types got through with social passes. As. in all realms of human existence where the substance is not living up to the ideal, we need to stop bitching about the ideal and focus on making human interaction more authentic. To those who feel they learned nothing in college, I pity you. You didn't do your job during those years of leveraging everything you exposed to into a more profound understanding of the world about you. Degrees open doors. But once you go through that door, it is you who must walk the walk. In an increasingly complicated world we need to continue improving education and research, or we will wind up with a population of ignorant fools with no option but to take the only job offered us at terms dictated by a few large corporations. Those engaged in constant complaining about credentialism should give a look at the Trump cabinet as the biggest anti-credential play ever made. Totally inexperienced and untrained people making decisions without any of the critical thinking that should be the life of all government.. I wonder what the graduates of Trump University are doing today?
“amid growing mistrust in public institutions, driven by politicized rhetoric that has turned public health professionals from trusted experts into targets of villainization — and now, violence.”
Normally when there is mistrust there is a reason. It's normally not just discussion on blogs. Why are people distrustful? I do know a number of people who have serious long term injuries (one killed, one MS, one severe neurological, several Parkinson's, a number of heart, etc.) by the Covid-19 "vaccines". The doctors are trying to tell them it isn't related, but they personally believe there is a correlation. Could that be part of the issue? Also, people are alarmed by the amount of autism and what appears to be the long term impact of behavior modifying drugs (in children). Families are noticing a correlation to doctor's visits and health issues in their children. Perhaps it is real, perhaps perceived. But the reality is there is a big problem and it isn't being addressed. I also know people who have been badly injured in the hospital recently. Many complain that there is no thought and that everything is handled by a computer. Many believe standard of care is so rigid it is harming people. Perhaps the complaints are valid. Perhaps they aren't. Regardless, it is probably important to understand the discontent.
Credentials can mean someone learned and knows more about a certain skill or it could mean that they just paid money that was required to keep active in their field (a great way for some academics to earn money writing the info for the credentials). We all have to use common sense as to what credentials make someone more knowledgeable and which don’t
The comments are classic anti intellectual , anti institutional MAGA moronic Trumpophytic nonsense. Authoritarian behavior to discredit the intellectual , the professions, the experts, the credentialed and society’s institutions.
Feeding hogs isnt the same as wiring a house , engineering a bridge, or replacing a knee joint
We appreciate your viewpoint. It would be interesting to get more specifics on why you believe your education prepared you for the real world. I have several pieces of "fancy paper". I loved my academic experiences (technical and non-technical), but it had nothing to do with what I memorized or learned for a test. The most relevant classes had to do with creative problem solving (there were only two of these at the university and they were in the mechanical engineer department) and a class about how people lie with statistics. I use the thought processes I learned in those classes every day. Everything else I learned on the job, through networking (both in school and after graduation), or from my parents.
But I have a great deal of “ experience” and “ sense “ and “ intuition” in identifying BMGs, Trumagamorons, and folks that tear down institutions because they made bad choices early in life and feel left behind . I also am quick to identify racists, bigots and immigrantphobics
Our goal is to identify issues and use the comments for discussion. If there is something specific that we could do to move things forward in a non-partisan way it would be delightful to hear it. It is interesting that you think that people who ask critical questions are academic failures. I am guessing you might be surprised at how academically successful many of the people commenting here are. Perhaps they made different choices because they preferred more freedom of thought and creativity, not because they made poor choices.
What exactly do you mean by "stirring up the natives"? Are you saying there is something wrong with the people of South Dakota? With them asking questions? Engaging in dialog? Something else?
Would you talk this way to your Mother? Civility are the expected guides to social interaction that allow with people of differing opinions to talk productively about difficult subjects. When name calling starts, it indicates lack of substance. Aristotle first identified this type of reasoning as the fallacy of ad hominem abusive
There should absolutely be a law against royalties on work that is successfully commercialized or actually royalties for anyone working in a job that tax money pays their wages and NO bonuses at the end of the year. They excepted a job and knew up front what the pay was so why should they expect a bonus for a job they are being paid to do?
I have quite a few "credentials" however, common sense, critical thinking are in great need in our culture. I am a lifelong student of LIFE, I call it Life University. Having personal experience, having learned and grown through those experiences far outweighs book knowledge. I do love good books, good mentors, and good spiritual advisors. Wisdom is different than knowledge.
Thank you for bringing up critical thinking. Is that taught or learned?
Logic is taught. Just in the circle of home educators that I know, I know of four different logic curriculums taught in middle and high school. Ideally it starts even younger as kids are encouraged to ask questions and think past the obvious.
I do also think that some people naturally excel at critical thinking. In "8 Great Smarts: Discover and Nurture Your Child's Intelligences", "logic smart" is one of the ways a person is intelligent. (fabulous info BTW)
Creative thinking (open ended problem solving) is another awesome activity for kids. Renascence School International had a pretty interesting one.
I finished my degrees in management and HRM back in in 2010 or so. Neither has done me one bit of good, I never kissed the right ass. University degrees are just a joke today. They are all about indoctrination, even 15 years ago.
common sense has nothing to do with the modern indoctrination program at every college and university, unless it is woke socialism, been there seen it. Get with a good trade school. Then bring back the shop classes to the high schools.
Thank you for bringing up indoctrination and group think. Many people agree that education not longer teaches you how to think, but what to think and can be a complete waste of time. How do we get back to a place of balance?
Not sure what balance means in this context, but here is a try.
The answer to your question is easy, but has several points. I am not including parenting here as that is a whole other kettle of fish.
Ban all teachers unions.
Next stop funding colleges and Universities with tax money. They can make it on their own or sink. Nothing in the US Constitution says we have to fund these indoctrination centers. Ever look into college or university teacher salaries? Tuition could be lowered if they were not being paid hundreds of thousands for waving rainbow flags and screaming hate for the western world. Drop the idea of tenure completely. Let the free market figure it out.
Setting kids up for success in today's world has to start in grade school and would include but not limited to the following.
Bring back a requirement for a second language to graduate high school. Start by teaching words and phrases for other languages in grade schools, let the student pick the one they like.
Get back to basic math, science (real science not the girls can be boys science), social study's, history, and geography, It is important to know where you are are in the world and what others may be thinking.
School vouchers will fix that last one.
End sex ed., all it has ever done is increase the teen pregnancy stats.
Nationalized tests for advancing to the next grade level. That will fix the indoctrination problem.
Start an annual and random review program of all public and private school teachers and administrators by groups like the PTA that have the authority to fire on the spot. Stop making teachers administrators, they were not trained for that. Hire managers to run the schools.
Then take that wasted money given to higher level indoctrination centers and bring back shop classes in jr. high and high schools so boys can find what they like to do. Then help with trade schools and apprenticeship programs. Plumbers, electricians, welders and others are getting $60+ an hour because there are not enough of them. Gender study graduates are flipping burgers or being paid protesters, in debt for the rest of their lives and think I should pay for their foolishness. Let the indoctrinators that talked them into a useless degree pay.
Another rout could be allow graduation at 9th grade if the student wants to go to a trade school.
Yes, I said boys. Girls do not like greasy, dirty, sweaty jobs, yes I know there are exceptions. The excuse the femin-nat-zees used decades ago to convince the teachers unions to help get rid of the shop classes, was they were gender biased. Well yeah, so what? Girls were not banned, they just did not like those types of classes.
So here we are today, just an honest look around.
Hey SDV, notice how I answered your question?
Bless you. Absolutely
Tom, I think you and I agree on many things and you present some good ideas, although I do not agree with all of them...just one point of clarification....you say "end sex ed,, all of it has everh done is increase the teen pregnancy stats"...that is not true: States have have increased funding and encouraged sex ed, improved healthcare, and access to medical care have found a significant decrease in teen & adult pregnancies. I like the second language requirement!
Numbers for the last 4 years some as far back as 2017 may be falling but they are way higher then 1970 levels. Like when inflation shot from 2.5% to 9%+ and then came down to 7% and the Biden administration tried to say inflation was down.
One thing wrong with many stats is they lump in adults as much as 15-44 year old's sampling and call them teens. Most lump in 19 y o's. Another problem is they do not always differentiate between married and unwed girls living at home, or on welfare. If there are no distinguishing factor then that study and stats were made just to prove the point of who ever paid for them. Teen (<18 y o) pregnancy has followed both the indoctrination in schools and the replacement of the father in the home with a welfare check. Look again at older rates.
Ever see the abortion rates figured into the pregnancy rate? Or even mentioned? One thing that was a powerful determent to girls having sex was the responsibility that came with creating a human life, abortion on demand has taken that away.
Nor is this a racial thing, it follows every demographic.
Instead of teaching children to have sex then expecting them not to, how about teaching girls to respect themselves first. Their bodies are not playthings. Teach boys and girls not to give into hormones.
you have been brainwashed....most Universities help student learn critical thinking skills and how to reason, not just facts, opinions, etc.....I never felt "indoctrinated" but learned to think outside of my own experienies and perceptions...I was encouraged and rewarded for challenging my own professors and always were challenged by them to defend and debate my views and positions...don't generalize since a few colleges do "indoctrinate" such as so-called christian academies!
Have you been in school recently?
Oh, experience issue...since I haven't been "in school recently" I can't possibly know anything????? I still participate and follow my profession...I also have recent college graduate and graduate school gradurated grand children who continue to thinking critically and are proudly "woke" meaning they are caring, tolerant, and open-minded individuals who love and care about others! Da!
The young people I know (graduated within the last 5 years) generally believe the classroom learning was a waste of time. Many believe the social aspect (connections) was helpful. The ones that were in school during Covid found it very challenging to build connections (as one would expect). It is nice to know there are others that had different experiences. It is interesting that you associate open minded and caring with woke. I am guessing there might be people who have a different opinion on that. I know people of many different political perspectives that I consider caring, tolerant, and open-minded.
That is correct, if you have not been there you have no idea of the indoctrination that is going on. Woke is indoctrination. It is also bigotry in full view. Try giving a woke idiot an opposing idea, watch their critical thinking immediately devolve into childish name calling and screaming. They are cancel culture. Proudly woke means proudly blind.
Of the last three young ladies i know that went off to college as young ladies, one came back as a socialist warrior thinking all white people are bad and the other two came back so confuse they thought they were boys.
Stop bothering with indoctrination centers masquerading as colleges that only put the student in debt with a useless degree in gender studies and seek out a trade school.
I don’t think the author was implying anything negative. Stop being such a cunt; it’s not a good look.
Oh look the foul month staffer is back. What a compelling well thought point of view.
You would support the Marxist.
This is my experience as well. I took a lot of science courses, which may be different from humanities, but in the humanities courses I had, students were encouraged to look at things from multiple points of view. In the first two or three years in undergrad science courses you learn a lot of basic information which is the accumulated knowledge of centuries of research, but the most important thing is scientific methods, hypothesis formulation and testing and how they are used in each field. So, basically it's a mix of learning the basics so you can apply critical thinking in upper level courses and beyond.
In this day and age anyone willing to pay the price can get credentials online. As someone who received my degrees by attending a university attending weekly classes taught by professors, I resent those who sit at home on their computers and are given bogus degrees. Just remember not everyone graduates at the top of the class, someone has to be the bottom, even doctors and lawyers.
What do you mean by a bogus degree? I sat in classes on three occasions (two university and one trade). Honestly, the best learning I received in the university related programs was from other students or in non-traditional courses like visual thinking. Most of my career related learning occurred in the field. The trade course was more applied learning so that experience was more directly applicable to what I was doing.
You made my point; you received your education by attending classes with other classmates at a university campus. The university courses give you the basics and background, while in the field experience builds upon the learned knowledge. The bogus degrees to which I am referring are the online degrees obtained from taking computer courses that just require that you regurgitate knowledge you already possess. These schools advertise on television promising a quick path to a degree.
AI will have an affect in this area moving forward. Soon many will not trust any human opinions whatsoever. Real world experience will be viewed with even more skepticism.
Excellent point. How will we know what is accurate? What is intended to sway opinion? What was left out? We mentioned in the AI article about putting a request into chatgpt and getting something about discrimination against the racial group that is affiliated with the head of Open AI. It was odd, because that was not asked in the prompt. And secondly, it was odd because there were undoubtedly many other racial groups, political groups, etc. that could have experienced admissions issues at that time. Also, there were many less women than men admitted during that period (gender issues might be concerning to some people). While issues with this racial group might have been an issue, cherry picking content is concerning. Notice we used the word might, because we have not checked alternative sources to see if the assertion is valid. https://southdakotavoices.substack.com/p/is-ai-making-it-more-difficult-to
Having been a high school teacher and a court reporter for 30 years, I value common sense over any degree. As a court reporter I watched many people give testimony, and common sense always wins. A degree means... not much.
Thank you for bringing up common sense. Is that taught or learned?
Good questions....although with my. cendentials and licenses, I was required to do so many continuing ed credits every so many years, documenting my continued education in my field. Not sure how you document "experience" except for resume's (which can be doctored to look better than normal"...belief and trust go a long way...by the way, your examples of abuses: don't generalize to a whole group the evils of a few idiots....if we did that, we would say the whole GOP is evil due to trumpy's stupidity and evil deeds!
I was required to do the same thing. How did you feel about it? I found it expensive and a waste of time (completely useless for what I was doing professionally). I am sure there are variations in how people feel about this sort of thing.
I agree to a point but I tried to pick and choose more relevant CE courses and options....I also got CE credits for teaching college level courses myself...that was a double bonus...getting paid and credits together.
A bonus for sure.
I never cared about the degrees or other credentials I received through my education. What I cared about was the knowledge and experience I gained through my efforts. The credential, though, is something that signifies that I gained knowledge and experience in certain areas. It's a shorthand way for employers or others to judge whether I have some basic knowledge or skills that are relevant to them as they access their desire to use or credit those skills.
I suspect no one wants to put their life in the hands of a surgeon who got a degree by playing doctor when they were 5 years old, or putting a bandage on their child. We all have life experiences, and we all gain knowledge, skills and wisdom from them. But, I will go with the guy who has an MD, and a few hundred successful surgeries, than someone who thinks they can be a surgeon because they have "life experience."
Thank you for sharing that perspective. There seems to be a rapidly growing sector that prefers doctors and other medical providers that have been educated (or at least trained) outside the pharma funded US medical system. They assert that the treatment is much less costly and generally far superior (less pharma centric) to what is available in the US. In addition, there is a group of people that are staying within the US system, but are opting out of the traditional model and moving to wellness model (that uses almost no traditional pharmaceutical solutions). This model is generally more costly, but more effective. It is also interesting that more people are opting out of Medicare since it has become so pharma controlled it is ineffective. Some people argue it is impossible to get the necessary treatments. It will be interesting to see what happens to the US medical system as people look for more effective alternatives.
I think you are a little behind on wellness. Wellness has been a big part of traditional medicine for a long time. Fitness routines, annual checkups, vaccinations to prevent diseases, judicious use of medicines and vitamins certainly have been a part of medicine since I was a kid.
All that was fine, but now "wellness" has metastasized into a far bigger industry than pharmaceuticals, claiming to include spas, concierge health care and other "health" options for the upper classes. If you want to know why health care costs are increasing, it's because some snooty folks think they need such babying to prevent them from looking their age.
You are also wrong about Medicare, which has an Annual Wellness Checkup.
I do take relatives to their Medicare "well checks". In my humble opinion it has nothing to do with wellness and a lot to do with generating income. The psych questions are ridiculous. And the fall questions are equally silly. I encourage everyone to stay very physically active and to avoid medications, especially the ones that cause brittle bones. Someone who is 90 and attends classes with 40 and 50 year olds and gets up and down off the ground every day and does not take the medications that make bones brittle has a very low risk of a fall injury. There would be other questions that would be relevant, but they aren't on the list. After three medical induced issues in my inner circle (one stroke, one dementia, and one death), I am not a fan of the current go to well checks, make you sick, and keep you sick model. I am always happy to hear about positive experiences, but personally I will do everything possible to stay out of what appears to be a racket.
Yeah, I think the Medicare wellness checks could be improved, and I've suggested that to Medicare. Physical activity and anything that keeps your mind growing is important. I like data so I'm always pushing for lab tests. Ten years ago before I retired I had high triglycerides, low HDL and borderline for diabetes. My doctor knows my last option is a pill, so he and I discussed dietary changes with added physical activity. It wasn't as fast as pills, but I got all my readings into normal ranges. My doctor was surprised because his experience with most people is they don't have the discipline to follow through on dietary and exercise changes. Everyone is different. I hate pills and would rather put in the work myself, but most people don't, so pills are good for them.
Never ask a barber if you need a haircut. And, never ask a doctor if you need a prescription
I have several credentials myself including HazWoper 40 certification. That said, without proper working experience, it’s mostly useless. On the other hand, to run for Sheriff, you don’t need any credentials or working experience. I believe that credentials are needed to a point, but if you can take overall control of a County without any, there is a problem.
Thank you for brining up work experience. Many people think you can find everything with computer diagnostics. A significant percentage of the time it is completely ineffective. How could we correct the problem?
We can and should learn the most from mistakes made in real life. Hopefully not fatal ones. Of course, not everyone does, which is sad. We were given free will to learn to avoid mistakes, which includes evil deeds/words - even when executed with sincerity or good intentions.
Mistakes teach many lessons. How do we encourage this type of learning?
It should start young in the home and with early work experience as a youth, internship in the office/marketplace or apprenticeship in the trades.
If you understand "credentialism" to be the industry that has monetized degrees without education and specialization nods from peers hoping that you will certify their specialities, then complaints about titles that are devoid of substance gets support from contributing members of society. But the broad brush that seems to take in any form of learning that leads to an degree awarded by an ethical institution committed to the growth of human knowledge and its propagation to others is an overgeneralization that lies in tatters when you think about many important life events that no sane person would embark upon without the best help possible. Aunt Marge is not going to let you remove her appendix at home even if she thinks most college degree types got through with social passes. As. in all realms of human existence where the substance is not living up to the ideal, we need to stop bitching about the ideal and focus on making human interaction more authentic. To those who feel they learned nothing in college, I pity you. You didn't do your job during those years of leveraging everything you exposed to into a more profound understanding of the world about you. Degrees open doors. But once you go through that door, it is you who must walk the walk. In an increasingly complicated world we need to continue improving education and research, or we will wind up with a population of ignorant fools with no option but to take the only job offered us at terms dictated by a few large corporations. Those engaged in constant complaining about credentialism should give a look at the Trump cabinet as the biggest anti-credential play ever made. Totally inexperienced and untrained people making decisions without any of the critical thinking that should be the life of all government.. I wonder what the graduates of Trump University are doing today?
“amid growing mistrust in public institutions, driven by politicized rhetoric that has turned public health professionals from trusted experts into targets of villainization — and now, violence.”
Normally when there is mistrust there is a reason. It's normally not just discussion on blogs. Why are people distrustful? I do know a number of people who have serious long term injuries (one killed, one MS, one severe neurological, several Parkinson's, a number of heart, etc.) by the Covid-19 "vaccines". The doctors are trying to tell them it isn't related, but they personally believe there is a correlation. Could that be part of the issue? Also, people are alarmed by the amount of autism and what appears to be the long term impact of behavior modifying drugs (in children). Families are noticing a correlation to doctor's visits and health issues in their children. Perhaps it is real, perhaps perceived. But the reality is there is a big problem and it isn't being addressed. I also know people who have been badly injured in the hospital recently. Many complain that there is no thought and that everything is handled by a computer. Many believe standard of care is so rigid it is harming people. Perhaps the complaints are valid. Perhaps they aren't. Regardless, it is probably important to understand the discontent.
Credentials can mean someone learned and knows more about a certain skill or it could mean that they just paid money that was required to keep active in their field (a great way for some academics to earn money writing the info for the credentials). We all have to use common sense as to what credentials make someone more knowledgeable and which don’t
This garbage screams of ignorance
What exactly do you mean?
The comments are classic anti intellectual , anti institutional MAGA moronic Trumpophytic nonsense. Authoritarian behavior to discredit the intellectual , the professions, the experts, the credentialed and society’s institutions.
Feeding hogs isnt the same as wiring a house , engineering a bridge, or replacing a knee joint
We appreciate your viewpoint. It would be interesting to get more specifics on why you believe your education prepared you for the real world. I have several pieces of "fancy paper". I loved my academic experiences (technical and non-technical), but it had nothing to do with what I memorized or learned for a test. The most relevant classes had to do with creative problem solving (there were only two of these at the university and they were in the mechanical engineer department) and a class about how people lie with statistics. I use the thought processes I learned in those classes every day. Everything else I learned on the job, through networking (both in school and after graduation), or from my parents.
Negative
But I have a great deal of “ experience” and “ sense “ and “ intuition” in identifying BMGs, Trumagamorons, and folks that tear down institutions because they made bad choices early in life and feel left behind . I also am quick to identify racists, bigots and immigrantphobics
Which you hit the mark on every one
I also think it is important to consider people like Steve Jobs didn't thrive in an academic setting, but had a brilliant mind.
Our goal is to identify issues and use the comments for discussion. If there is something specific that we could do to move things forward in a non-partisan way it would be delightful to hear it. It is interesting that you think that people who ask critical questions are academic failures. I am guessing you might be surprised at how academically successful many of the people commenting here are. Perhaps they made different choices because they preferred more freedom of thought and creativity, not because they made poor choices.
Your goal to stir up the natives w your xenophobic bullshit and attack society’s institutions and norms. Classic MAGA
What exactly do you mean by "stirring up the natives"? Are you saying there is something wrong with the people of South Dakota? With them asking questions? Engaging in dialog? Something else?
Did you receive a PhD in being a cunt?
Would you talk this way to your Mother? Civility are the expected guides to social interaction that allow with people of differing opinions to talk productively about difficult subjects. When name calling starts, it indicates lack of substance. Aristotle first identified this type of reasoning as the fallacy of ad hominem abusive
Well “smart boy,” St Paul, offered the message that those who put up with fools are themselves fools. I do not suffer fools lightly.
There should absolutely be a law against royalties on work that is successfully commercialized or actually royalties for anyone working in a job that tax money pays their wages and NO bonuses at the end of the year. They excepted a job and knew up front what the pay was so why should they expect a bonus for a job they are being paid to do?
Interesting use of taxpayer money for sure. Kind of an odd round about payout to pharma.
One idea, not sure if it would work for everyone
https://www.amazon.com/Preparation-Become-Competent-Confident-Dangerous/dp/B0FLRKYCCP/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=CNL1EG6UAQZP&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.b2Rtx0bsrMdkOzjyK4Q1ifVyyCj_YPeh-9JtGUc2Seyg2U3KL1-nUkbe6nktgFhqjsAdZY08VwhWgrtOUtP7nY-yY3PHsLTgYnWYZLsbO3IF4boncYIJDhMxapopU30ekFfN2K-bNGTyxqDIET_2xfmbvpSdS0zmeaUel7v5V6mRzAlqzGfkWRG5eTbM5ZFdrgIcVNiC2oOF2-dcxd0IFw.ldVVQkeJI2yPE038AGmeUhWqxtS94H1NNpPj-4jN0Uo&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+preparation+book&qid=1755703395&sprefix=the+preparation+book%2Caps%2C180&sr=8-1