Modern students are not interested in learning. They are interested in passing their tests and getting good grades. It doesn’t matter how much you know, it only matters how well you regurgitate information. Why has American education devolved to this point? One reason is the loss of American industry to foreign countries with cheap labor. This has constricted the job market, making a college degree much more important. Employers give preeminence to the institution. Thus to get into excellent schools, you have to have top grades. Yet is there also a cultural backlash against questioning authority? The 1970s saw massive student protests that played a pivotal role in our withdrawal from Vietnam.
Look at the generation during the Reagan presidency. Where were the protests of the Iran-Contra affair? Differences between students in the ‘70s and ‘80s is drastic. Has blind respect for authority become institutionalized?
The resolution passed by Student Government about the shooting of Kofi Adu-Brempong was soft and pasive. There were some very serious abuses of power by the University Police Department, yet SG passes a resolution tthat barely does more than acknowledge the police shot a student. UF needs a greater emphasis on critical thought. Students need to learn to question what they are told, and professors need to encourage this. Without the ability to form your own thoughts you’ve just memorized facts.
Nick Miner is a political science graduate student.
