Washington is brain-dead: The dumbing down of America afflicts our nation’s capital

December 28, 2014 12:00 AM

By David Rothkopf 

Americans have an uncomfortable relationship with smart. They are perfectly happy to celebrate genius, provided it doesn’t make them uncomfortable or require too much of them.

They are more concerned that their children get into college than they are that those kids are graded against the kind of tough standards that might ensure understanding of important concepts. Once in college, students often really have to screw up to get a D or an F. I taught graduate school for a number of years, and I practically had to alert psychological counselors if I gave anyone anything below a B.

This phenomenon was once described as “the dumbing down of America.” And in recent years, the trend has accelerated.