Thomas Friedman on Why America is Floundering!

Thomas Friedman comments in his op-ed piece -called "We're No. 1(1)!"- on why he thinks America no longer is the world leader that it once was.  While I think he skirts some of the obvious contributing factors, he does hit the nail on the head in referring to American society as one that has become intellectually incurious, slothful, and where individuals are driven towards instantaneous gratification in both their careers and personal lifestyles.

With regard to why American children consistently score so low internationally, despite the enormous sums of money to reform and improve the education system, he refers to another piece written by the Washington Post's Robert Samuelson in Newsweek.  Samuelson contends that the dearth of progress on the educational frontier emanates not from lousy teachers and administrators, but from lazy, coddled, and unmotivated students, who no longer attempt or even care to achieve academic excellence.

The larger cause of failure is almost unmentionable: shrunken student motivation. Students, after all, have to do the work. If the students aren’t motivated, even capable teachers may fail. Motivation comes from many sources: curiosity and ambition; parental expectations; the desire to get into a “good” college; inspiring or intimidating teachers; peer pressure. The unstated assumption of much school “reform” is that if students aren’t motivated, it’s mainly the fault of schools and teachers...

Motivation has weakened because more students (of all races and economic classes, let it be added) don’t like school, don’t work hard, and don’t do well. The conflict between expanding “access” and raising standards goes against standards. Michael Kirst, an emeritus education professor at Stanford, estimates that 60 percent of incoming community—college students and 30 percent of freshmen at four-year colleges need remedial reading and math courses.

The best part of Friedman's analysis relates to the wretched Baby Boomers, who I call "The Greediest Generation!"  In contrast, as he points out to the World War II generation who sacrificed, struggled, and saved to overcome the Great Depression, defeat both Nazi German and the Japanese Empire, and rebuilt Europe and expanded America's industrial prowess, the baby-boomers:

leaders never dare utter the word “sacrifice.” All solutions must be painless. Which drug would you like? A stimulus from Democrats or a tax cut from Republicans? A national energy policy? Too hard. For a decade we sent our best minds not to make computer chips in Silicon Valley but to make poker chips on Wall Street, while telling ourselves we could have the American dream — a home — without saving and investing, for nothing down and nothing to pay for two years. Our leadership message to the world (except for our brave soldiers): “After you.”

When India, China, and many developing countries are turning out more ambitious, fit, and intellectually competent students, employees, and businessmen, how far does anyone think the fatties and professional victims of America's culture wars are going to get in the great competition of life?  As conservatives like to bemoan, "Culture matters!"