It used to be cool to be a scientist. Now, people are going into media studies. Before it was MBAs that everyone craved. No one producing anything except debt, an economy sustained by never ending consumerism. You know, I understand why the US wants to be like Europe, where everyone works for the government and very little innovation happens. What I don't understand is why Europe is like Europe. Do human beings really only respond to external threats, like when Sputnik went up and sent a nation giddy on scientists? I hang out at Borders books store. You know what I notice? The Asian kids are studying Mathematics, Computer Science, Chemistry, Biology, etc..Know what the US kids are studying? They are sitting with tutors helping them beat the system - they are learning how to get high scores on ACT and SATs. What a disaster man. ___HOW___ does a nation get into this rut?
Do you have a degree on propaganda? 9/10 of Asia, except Japan and Taiwan, are illiterates. Those that study hard do it hoping to get a job in America one day.
Sony produces 26,000,000 televisions per year I read somewhere. Most of those go to the US. And that is just one company, forget Samsung, Panasonic, Sharp, etc etc. Maybe this is a conspiracy. Take over a nations airwaves, control the way they see themselves, sell it to the children, and take over. No war needed. Let's all try to be on "American Idol"
For us to look like a 3rd world country, our GDP needs to drop about 90%. Per capita incomes in most 3rd world countries are $3-5k per year. Our per capita income is $46k per year so it still has quite a ways to go.
I dont know why you say that. Singapore, Hongkong and South korea are advanced economies and their population is very highly educated. Anyway to hell with the Taiwanese, some people think they are our allies, but many have been secretly transferring technology to China and many so called"taiwanese-americans" in recent years have stole tech and given it to China. There are tens of thousands of taiwanese studying at mainland chinese universities and they elected a pro-unification president. and in rural taiwan, they have illiterate skantily clad girls selling betel nuts prostituting themselves to the highest bidder. make no mistake one day when we go to war against China, we will have to bomb taiwan too.