The New Abnormal

Socialism starts by keeping people ignorant.

Or, if they are wise to the progressive scam, to cancel culture them or have the tech elites (the new oligarchy) cut them off from communicating the truth to the masses.

This begins with our educational system, as pointed out by John Hinderaker in this article: The End of Meritocracy, for PowerLine.com, on July 28, 2021:

“ The Left's war on standards has resulted in a dumbing down of our educational system and our culture. This is largely the result of the Left's domination of our education system, I think. Heh. I don't think anyone believes that ‘ progressives’ care a whit about working- class people. Polls indicate that most people believe workingclass Americans are mostly Republicans; election results suggest that they are right.”

Hinderaker quotes another great article by Joel Kotkin at The American Mind, a Claremont Institute outlet, who asks whether we have reached “The end of merit?”

Kotkin reveals some astonishing facts, such as these:

“ Over time, our educational deficit with other countries, notably China, particularly in the acquisition of practical skills in mathematics, engineering, medical technology, and management, has grown, threatening our economic and political pre- eminence. Our competitors, whatever their shortcomings, are focused on economic competition and technological supremacy. In math, the OECD's 2018 Program for International Student Assessment found the United States was outperformed by 36 countries, not only by China, but also Russia, Italy, France, Finland, Poland, and Canada.”

For better perspective, the Olympian athlete in Tokyo who just refused to board a plane back to her own country? That coun-

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‘Wordaholic’

By Robert L. Hall ROBERT HALL (cont.)

country.

And if a backward country like that-which has people not wanting to return to it, has a better scientific and math level than we do, then maybe you get the depth of the problem with our educational system in this country.

But, hey! We got Critical Race Theory.

Wooo- Hooo!

But, as Kotkin further explains, it has largely become an anchor, dragging our schools and learning level down:

“ Woke educators, like San Francisco's School board member Alison Collins, claim that “ merit, meritocracy and especially meritocracy based on standardized testing” are essentially “ racist systems.” Some among the new racial cadres even denounce habits such as punctuality, rationality, and hard work as reflective of “ racism” and “ white privilege”.

He continues:

“ The numbers are grim:” Only 5 percent of American college students major in engineering, compared with 33 percent in China; as of 2016, China graduated 4.7 million STEM students versus 568,000 in the United States, as well as six times as many students with engineering and computer science bachelor's degrees.

“ The skills shortage may be even more profound on the factory floor. Due to an aging workforce, as many as 600,000 new manufacturing jobs expected to be generated this decade cannot be filled. The percentage of the skilled manufacturing work force over the age of 55 has doubled in the last 10 years to 20 percent of active workers. And there is no deep bench of talent waiting to replace retirees- 50 percent of the active workers are above the age of 45. “

That's because young people are all in lefty universities learning Critical Race Theory, with a minor in Virtue Signaling or Pearlclutching.

All this is so evident that even big lefty show-hosts are getting their fill of the craziness.

Witness that once more, Bill Maher skewered Cancel culture on air.

It isn't pretty.

But here is a sound slicefrom Maher's latest YouTube offering, posted August 2nd:

“ This is called a ' purge.' It's a mentality that belongs in Stalin's Russia.

“ How bad does this atmosphere we are living in have to get before the people who say Cancel Culture is overblown, admit that it is in fact and insanity that is swallowing up the world?

( crowd applause) “ And that is not a conservative position, my friends.

“ My politics have not changed.

“ But I am reacting to politics that have.

“ And this is yet another example of how the ' Woke' invert the very thing that used to make liberals, liberals.

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“ Snitches and bitches- that is not being liberal.

“ The Associated Press is a real news organization, yeah?

“ So why am I reading this headline: “ Olympic Surfing Exposes White- washed Native Hawaiian Roots?”

( laughter) “ Yeah. The Olympics added surfing this year.

Good. Surfers deserve to be recognized as athletes. No, I'm sorry… what I meant to say is, ' No, that's cultural appropriation.'” “ The AP says that for Hawaiians- probably all two of them- including surfing in the Olympics is an extension of the racial indignity seared into the history of the game of their homeland when white outsiders took over their spiritual

“ Or… just people having fun in the ocean. ( More laughter) “ I must say, of all the violations

code, Cultural Appropriation just might be the dumbest of all. First of all, there are 25,000 islands in the Pacific.

“ How do we know if an Hawaiian was the first to stand on their board in the Ocean?”

( applause and laughter)

Anyone begin to see the stupid yet?

Well, don't wait to be informed of it from our socalled

President 'Poopy-Pants,' Biden, as he has now been dubbed.

Who's immortal quote of July 26th on Youtube, will not be soon forgotten, and will certainly go down in the annals of history: When he yelped out: “ My butt's been wiped!”

Words to live by.

Robert L. Hall is a resident of Marion and has a Bachelor’s Degree in music from the University of Memphis and a Master’s Degree from Florida State University. He is the pianist for Avondale Baptist Church and a writer of fiction on Amazon eBooks.