are Americans hostile to knowledge?

[rm]

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/14/books/14dumb.html

Worth it for the "cultural conservationist" label alone. I've been looking for a phrasing of that sentiment.

Comments

[phaenix-ash.livejournal.com]

no, at least partially because smart children are mocked by their peers and this kind of culture where everyone wins makes popularity much more important than actually knowledge and ability. children who do escape that trap and excel are motivated by something else, perhaps from home or internally or elsewhere.

[rm.livejournal.com]

Also, smart children are bored by curricula that don't just not challenge them but actively insult them.