The STEM Dumbass Problem/Agenda

I sat and read through this commentary by a Princeton college student...an essay/commentary over the unfairness in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics courses.

His emphasis?  Well....not everyone arrives at Princeton to get into STEM classes....equally prepared. 

I pondered over this for a while, in a long thought process.

One of the top ten things I learned upon leaving the farm in 1977, and over the next five years....there were just a fair number of people who were educationally....unprepared.  I'm not saying they were stupid, but that they were given x-amount of education and some of it...stuck, while some of it just dissolved into thin air.

As I reach age forty....this belief got worse.  I had the opinion that probably 40-percent of high school kids were arriving in some Air Force job skill....marginally getting some skill after 12 weeks of tech-school.

Today?  I'm in full agreement that a fair number (maybe half of America's high school graduates can't handle science, technology, engineering, and mathematics basics.  I might even add literature/plain English to the list as well.

But the question is...if you arrived at Princeton and seem to be unable to handle the STEM classes....what's the college to do with you?  Lower the expectation?  Add a 5th year to bring you up to date?  Block you entirely because you aren't that capable?  

Then you have the screwed-up problem....if you have Asian kids step up and have the skills....should you deny seats to Princeton to these kids....because of the unfair nature of things?  

Personally?  The best solution is to make a new second Princeton university....called Princeton-prep.  Tell the remarkable kid applying if you don't pass the STEM mandated levels.....no problem, we'll help you improve.  For the nifty price of $49,500....we will give you a Princeton-prep situation.....doing real high school level STEM crap.  Then to really sell this to the Princeton leadership....I won't hire professors ($90,000 cost per year)...I will hire real plain high school teachers at $55,000 a year.  

Milei Comment

 I saw this today and pondered over it for an hour.  

It's hard to find an economist who advocates printing money....just to flush the system and keep people in some positive mindset.  Politicians on the other hand....would readily agree...seeing no evil in the printing of money.

We never discussed this idea in my rural Alabama high school.  It was around two years later....I sat reading a article over finance (at the base library), and came to grasp the printing of money factor.

Even if you sat in a coffee shop today, and engaged in conversation on this idea....I suspect that forty-percent of people would not grasp what 'printing' really means or how our economy performs (past, present or future).

What Milei says?  Well....to be honest, most colleges are already 'printing' degrees and handing them out to stupid people.....making them think they are wise enough for a college degree, when they aren't that wise or intellectual.

I sat this week watching some 24-year old 'kid' (female) who was fairly disturbed.  She'd finished up college back in the summer of 2023, and her job prospects (now going 8 months) were two temp-jobs (came and went) and currently a part-time job at some coffee shop (I assume shift-manager).  She was peeved over the value of the two degrees she had (one of which related to acting), and that she spoke a second language.  In her mind, the degrees were supposed to open doors, and a real salary.

There's a crazy reality developing....where you feel like some folks (college-bound and college-delivered folks)....are developing into some kind of cult.  

The Five Outcomes of Conversations

It's just an odd topic to think about....what has developed around the concept....someone asking you 'why want you talk about 'such-and-such'?'.

There can only be five responses:

1.  I have no interest in conversing over this topic.

2.  To be honest, I just don't know enough to engage or have an opinion.

3.  I have zero interest or insight to share in such a conversation.

4.  To be honest, engaging with you....will only get you hyper or freaked-out. 

5.  I've got better things to do than waste 5 minutes on some bull$hit topic of 'such-and-such'.  

End of the story.

It's amazing that people have started to reach a level where they know the conversation path, and how they are measuring their response to the five potential outcomes.  The fact that response '4' and '5' come up often?  Yeah, that probably provokes a bit of Einstein-like calculations.  

Series Review

 I sat this week and watched the Netflix series....'The Three Body Problem' (8 episodes).

Pure science fiction?  Yeah, and it took various twists/turns.

Basic story.....some Chinese gal is dragged in the 1960s into a research project....to send a message out into space, and at some point.....gets a return message.  This return message basically says....don't go any further, or you will invite 'trouble'.

Well....the Chinese gal goes ahead.  

What you have develop is some alien culture that is in need of a new planet, and decides Earth might be a great place.  

The rest of the story dwells over the Earth folks who stumble upon the alien business....some folks die, and there's some attempt by the 8th episode to hinder/halt the arrival of the alien invasion (note, they are about 400 years from the arrival point). 

I have to admit on story value....it's a '10', and does make you ask.....could people accept some alien arrival presently.  

So if you are hooked-up to Netflix....it might be worth watching.