Job One for Liberals is to Send More Americans to College - Page 2
By the way, virtually all of these Republican con artists are college graduates themselves. John Boehner has a bachelor’s degree. Mitch McConnell used law school to avoid military service. Newt “any lie for airtime” Gingrich taught at one. George Bush, famously, credited his MBA for his hands off approach to paying attention. So when they say college makes you stupid, well, they don’t really believe it.
Much has been made of the claim that college indoctrinates liberalism. In fairness, colleges do five things that promote liberal thinking:
1. College takes you out of your comfort zone. Some people change their mind when they meet new knowledge or new people. No matter what new beliefs you adopt, changing your mind reflects critical thinking. Openness to change is a hallmark of liberalism.
2. College teaches the scientific method. Uneducated humans tend to operate on “faith-based logic.” They decide what they believe, then fit “facts” to the belief. You don’t need to be a science major to learn to review facts then form conclusions. Next thing you know, it’s harder for someone to lie to you. That – not Creation – is why conservatives are anti-science.
3. College reveals a much wider world. If you’ve never left home, it’s easy to believe in “American Exceptionalism,” a notion that we Americans are some sort of a contemporary master race. College offers the opportunity to learn that a lot of the rest of the world is pretty darn cool. Simply put, college is an antidote for fat-headedness.
4. College improves one’s ability to communicate. Rich communication is sunlight washing down on any cloudy question.
5. College is a personal endorsement. A degree opens thousands of doors that would otherwise be closed. College graduates may not be better, smarter or more valuable. But they’ve passed a test. That makes them seem to be a much better bet.
So which one of those is a bad thing?
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