More Anti-Intellectualism from the LeftI posted here a week or two ago about Richard Cohen's ridiculous column telling a young girl who'd flunked algebra not to worry about it, that she'd never need it in her life. It was an incredibly stupid and arrogant column; apparently Cohen feels good about closing off dozens of career choices for young people.
Here's
another:
McCARTHY: Yes, absolutely. But did you go to a high school where they required you to go into an algebra course? Did you take algebra in high school?
DAVIDSON: Certainly.
McCARTHY: Yes. How often do you go home and talk with your husband about the latest algebraic insight you have had? Do you do that?
DAVIDSON: (Laughter) I can't help my high-school-aged daughter with her algebra!
McCARTHY: Exactly. So here it is irrelevant to our adulthood, but they make us take this nonsense. And geometry. If you like algebra, fine... pi r² x bachazoids, crackazoids, lunazoids, hemorrhoids... Who cares!! You ever see a help wanted ad for an algebraist? I haven't. But the world is crying out for peacemakers. We are not teaching the kids how to be the essential thing. We have conflicts all our lives.
Well, I personally have never seen a help wanted ad for a peacemaker, either. But there are plenty of fields where knowledge of algebra is critical--finance, accounting, computer programming, etc. I use algebra every single day at my job and there are many problems that I could not solve if I didn't.
Hat Tip:
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