If China sees us so clearly, why can't we?

© 2019 Peter Free

 

08 July 2019

 

 

Most wise people agree that being insightfully self-aware is fundamentally important

 

We Americans seem to lack that ability, at least when projected to a national level.

 

Our lack of societal self-awareness makes us culturally stupid.

 

This lapse in awareness works against our survival, with regard to remaining a usefully productive culture.

 

 

Ai Jun, writing for China's Global Times . . .

 

. . . concluded the following:

 

 

In an article entitled "The states with the best and worst economies," USA Today raised a fact that might have long overlooked by Washington:

 

"One of the most important indicators of economic health is educational attainment." And educational attainment is one of the pressing tests that the US is confronting now.

 

The real competition between China and the US in the years to come is all about economic resilience - which side can better withstand the continuous pressure.

 

Educational attainment is the most crucial factor to guarantee such resilience, since economic resilience stems from rising competitiveness and stable employment, and all that stems from education.

 

Be it the trade war or competition over comprehensive national strength between China and the US, the race is fundamentally about talent.

 

[R]eports show that China had over 4 million STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) graduates in 2018 while the US had about 440,000, more than half of whom are international students.

 

When the US government is immersed in increasing its military investment, containing its competitors, it tends to turn a blind eye to the truth that its biggest threat is not China, but itself.

 

© 2019 Ai Jun, US biggest threat is its poor education, not China, Global Times (08 July 2019)

 

 

Think about the two implications

 

First, if Ai is correct (and I think he's in the ballpark), China is graduating roughly 20 times more science, technology, engineering and math students per year, than the United States is.

 

Second, if (as Ai seems to) our alleged adversary sees us more accurately than we see ourselves — will she and he not produce sounder strategic plans — with a more competent population to implement them, than we do?

 

 

The moral? — "Ain't no way, we gonna keep up this way, Pete"

 

Despite the clear obviousness that Ai Jun sees — on we Americans go, wasting literally trillions of dollars to keep our Military Industrial Complex firmly planted in other peoples' blood.

 

This Complex (of violently applied avarice) consistently performs "missions" that run counter the United States' most basic vital interests.

 

Perhaps if the Fools in Charge had gone to a university — other than the School of Raw Greed — we would not now be beginning to reap the harvest of self-initiated decline.

 

Notice, too, that American infrastructure is drowning at roughly the same rate that our comparatively low production of STEM degree holders is.

 

In short, the United States' plethora of comparatively dumbass ignorami are going to be trapped in place — because virtually all our roads, bridges and transportation hubs have crumbled out of recognition.

 

Now there's a prescription for societal competitiveness.

 

I suppose Theater majors and Creative Writing grads will be able to do something with this collapse. Always a silver lining.