Educated vs. Smart

[Ronin13]

I just want some clarity, I want to gather opinions on this matter so I can see where people stand on this. The question is- Is education directly correlated to intelligence? Now, the quote I'm about to post does contain foul language and offensive ebonic terms- you've been warned:

The government is a system doesn't matter if your for Obama or not. Either way your gonna get fucked but if you chose Obama atleast you got to choose what condom you got fucked with. Those niggas be like hey imma get fucked with that ribbed condom or dat glow in the dark one and they be swingin it around like heeeyyyyyy nigga.

This was posted by a "friend" (but she's rather stupid). I told her flat out that people who talk like this appear to be ignorant. She thought it was funny, but that just further shows where our future is headed. The instructor, according to her, has a PhD and teaches a class titled "Problems in Hip Hop." WHAT!?

This is my response and stance on higher education these days:
"it's commonly known that when people use swear words they appear less intelligent. When black people use the N word they also appear ignorant. Considering this person teaches a class titled as such just goes to show that they'll let any hack put whatever idiotic subject matter on the books. It also further proves what a failure our educational system is, and how the virtue of higher education has become nullified by subject matter that does little or nothing to further the value of a higher education. Furthermore, I didn't find it funny at all- I find it sad that a supposedly "educated" man would resort to speaking in a lower form of communication such as ebonics in a collegiate setting, it shows that they cannot take themselves, their subject, or education in general seriously. Whoever is paying for you college education is not getting their monies worth by you taking this class- pointless subjects and degrees such as this undermines our educational system and give me little hope for the future."

Your thoughts? Does anyone here have a child enrolled in college? Have you seen some of the classes they try to pass off as legitimate? Is it me, or has college become more and more of a joke these days? And finally, does being educated mean one is "smart"?

[Chad4000]

being educated has nothing to do with being smart imo. I am seeing more and more on job applications and such, "requirements: college degree or equivalent experience".

My brother went to Metro and he had an American history teacher that said the Russians were the real winners in WW2....

and my brother paid to be told that...............

[jackthewall81]

I attend CU and am a socy and anth major. I assume that this course is for ethnic studies degree and is not a required course. None the less, I am sure one quote from a teacher does not qualify the course as useless or as a "free" A class. I believe being educated is directly related to being smart, they are interconnected. Experience and information allows one to be smart. Point of views and different ideologies are where people are becoming separated.

[Ronin13]

I attend CU and am a socy and anth major. I assume that this course is for ethnic studies degree and is not a required course. None the less, I am sure one quote from a teacher does not qualify the course as useless or as a "free" A class. I believe being educated is directly related to being smart, they are interconnected. Experience and information allows one to be smart. Point of views and different ideologies are where people are becoming separated.

Not just one quote, and Teufelhund hit the nail on the head- look at the title of the class! Obviously no self-respecting educator worth anything would dream up a class like that and present it as a legitimate subject, it's a freaking joke. Thankfully I don't attend and have no plans whatsoever to attend CU. My fear though is that our higher education is a joke and that whenever I have children I'll be forced to decide how they would best be educated without having to wade through BS classes to get to a real degree that will actually prove somewhat useful. I still don't understand why they even offer degrees in Philosophy- what kind of work are you going to do in that field? Be the next Plato?

[flan7211]

being educated has nothing to do with being smart imo. I am seeing more and more on job applications and such, "requirements: college degree or equivalent experience".

My brother went to Metro and he had an American history teacher that said the Russians were the real winners in WW2....

and my brother paid to be told that...............

Did they mean in Europe? The prof would be nearly correct. 9 out of every 10 germans killed were killed by Russians. Either way I agree educated doesn't mean smart.

[Chad4000]

Did they mean in Europe? The prof would be nearly correct. 9 out of every 10 germans killed were killed by Russians. Either way I agree educated doesn't mean smart.

World War 2 had more countries involved then just Germany. If he meant that, he didn't present it clearly enough that the class got it like that apparently. I dont think it's a stretch to say that even if the Russians killed more germans that Europe would still look differently had we not gotten involved over there and just kept it in the Pacific.

edit: didnt mean for that to sound harsh to flan, just as in the prof probably still doesnt know what he was talking about...

[TS12000]

The federal loan program and general way of thinking (think of Obama's everyone should go to college statement) have created a scenario where everyone can go to college and those institutions don't really give two shits if you make it through or not. Pay us for three semesters and then drop out? Better than paying us for no semesters right? And once the student body gets to critical mass (more people that shouldn't be there than should, which it already has) then the quality of education takes a steep nosedive so they can keep those people paying more for longer and everyone suffers the idiots that actually make it through that never would have had the standards been maintained correctly.

[Ronin13]

The federal loan program and general way of thinking (think of Obama's everyone should go to college statement) have created a scenario where everyone can go to college and those institutions don't really give two shits if you make it through or not. Pay us for three semesters and then drop out? Better than paying us for no semesters right? And once the student body gets to critical mass (more people that shouldn't be there than should, which it already has) then the quality of education takes a steep nosedive so they can keep those people paying more for longer and everyone suffers the idiots that actually make it through that never would have had the standards been maintained correctly.

Yep- we're on the track to devalue a degree. I'm seeing it now, the average job won't hire people without at least an associates. The Bachelor's degree is becoming the new HS diploma. But what is that degree worth? With degrees in such ridiculous topics as there are now, it would seem to me like that old phrase about things coming in Cracker Jack boxes is becoming more and more true.

[flan7211]

World War 2 had more countries involved then just Germany. If he meant that, he didn't present it clearly enough that the class got it like that apparently. I dont think it's a stretch to say that even if the Russians killed more germans that Europe would still look differently had we not gotten involved over there and just kept it in the Pacific.

edit: didnt mean for that to sound harsh to flan, just as in the prof probably still doesnt know what he was talking about...

Agree with you there!

[Teufelhund]

I know some serious idiots with graduate degrees. I also know some brilliant people with just a GED. Higher education is a boon to the intelligent, but I think a degree is primarily indicative of commitment to show up and do the work; it doesn't create intelligence in a vacuum.

That said, I don't have a degree. I was accepted to an engineering program at A&M while still in HS, but couldn't afford it so I chose the military instead. I've gained some professional certifications since and make a pretty good living by coupling those with experience and the ability to learn quickly on the job. I do sometimes regret not having that higher education though, as I feel it limits what I can lend to a conversation when others can bring up specific cases in history or known theories to support their point; things I may not necessarily have even heard of before.

Regarding the degradation of language by the allegedly educated, I think it's disgraceful. One should have enough dignity to master one's language. Expletives and slang used in lieu of real words are just indicative of one who lacks the intelligence to maintain a reasonable vocabulary. The best way to combat a lack of vocabulary is to pick up a book now and then. I used to listen to Dave Ramsey a lot when I was on the road for a different job, and he would say all the time, "Poor people have big TVs. Rich people have big libraries." I'd contest that rich people have big TVs too, but the point is well taken.

I was actually talking about this very subject last night with Mrs. Teufelhund, who has a Master's in human development and early childhood disorders. She was quoting a statistic that the number and variety of words heard at home by children in a poorer household is a fraction of that heard by children in more wealthy families. I think this is a very telling statistic.