Whither America's Technological Edge?

baldass_newbie asks: "Ben Stein wrote an editorial titled, 'How to Ruin American Enterprise'. To me, technological innovation is a big outward sign of a successful economy. Sometimes it appears like the U.S. is losing its edge in technology. Well, I was wondering what the Slashdot community at large thinks is wrong (or right) with the U.S. and technological innovation?" The article deals less with technology and more with the society on which said innovation is based, and the problems that may bring it down around our collective ears. Give the article a read, and share your thoughts on whether or not you think it's an accurate assessment on the current and future situation of America's technological advantage.

Comments

What?? Read the article first!?

[MagikSlinger]

Give the article a read, and share your thoughts

But that violates the /. tradition of posting your thoughts and never reading the article! Heck, some members don't even think about what they're posting.

Re:What?? Read the article first!?

[rmadmin]

You mean I'm not the only one on /. that reads the post, hits 'Read More', and tries to figure out what the article has in it by what other people reply with? I don't feel so alone now!

Re:This is rich

[Cheapoboy]

Crap, I can't find my 'english to troll' decoder ring..can someone tell me what this message means?

Hear, hear!

[Anonymous Coward]

I managed to get a decent education in the US. My parents were great motivators, and I grew up believing that the only way to ensure a good life for yourself was to be educated.

Since I hit my 20's, I've basically regretted listening to them... society has been steadily dumbing itself down, and I can't stand it. I could've spent so much time just drinking beer, eating pork rinds, watching NASCAR and wrestling, and listening to country music, and everything would've taken care of itself as the lowset common denominator sank lower and lower around me.

Ignorance really is bliss. I'm so pent up over the way things are going in the world, all this nonsense with terrorism, Iraq, Korea, nuclear proliferation, global warming, the shit economy, my freedoms evaporating, etc... sometimes I want to go get a lobotomy, so I can just forget about all those things and focus my attention on enjoying The Osbournes and American Idol II, like the rest of the idiots in this country.

We still lead in one crucial area

[ruriruri]

We may have lost the technology race, but America still has the junk-food edge! From high-fat/low-nutrient chocolate bars to high-carbohydrate corn-syrup carbonated beverages, America clearly leads the world in the production and consumption of unbelievably shitty pseudo-foods! We must not allow the Soviets to close the junk-food gap.

Unfortunately, one area in which there appears to be no gap is the right-wing rhetoric arms race.

Re:Well, he seems largely correct...

[Spazholio]

All the foul language and no-nothing replies I've seen here in response to his article are evidence for his contentions, by the way.

And the delicious irony of it all is that the phrase is "know-nothing". Yes, I'm pedantic. =)

Re:Outsourcing

[hymie]

This country is losing its technological edge because of people like you, who use the word loosing when they mean to use the word losing, thereby loosing a wave of ignorance on the rest of us. OK?

Re:School

[Arandir]

I move back to the states and I'm the frickin' '3rd upper Molar on the right side' in some banal play about hygeine.

Which is why everyone is arguing that US schools need more funding. Do you know how much it costs to build a molar!

US has ideas?

[BoneMarrow]

I always thought of the US as Asias marketing department. Do Americans actually have ideas?

The REAL reason this country's going to hell...

[dr.badass]

Quoth the article :
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-DoctorB