National spelling bee - academic and artistic achievement in America
What do you notice about this list of 8 of the nation’s top 12 finalists in the annual National Scripps Spelling Bee?
Sameer Mishr, 1st place
Sidharth Chand, 2nd place
Samia Nawaz
Kavya Shivashanar
Jahnavi Iyer
Kyle Mou
Justin Song
Austin Pineda
8 of 12 are foreign born or have parents that are, many are Indian, Pakistani, or of Asian descent. Almost all of them are bilingual and most of them play a musical instrument. What is it about other cultures, particularly Asian and Indian ethnicities that tend to excel disproportionately and out perform Caucasian Americans academically in so many areas … from engineering to medicine to music? From personal experience, I can tell you that the major college music conservatories like Julliard, and San Francisco Conservatory are dominated by Asian students. I wonder if this is a commentary more on the education in America or the level of discipline in other cultures?
Speaking of music, check this out. How old do you think she is?
None of the cultures you list, William (Indian, Pakistani, and of the Asian, especially the Chinese) are of your chosen lifestyle: easy livin’ liberal.
American children are coming up fat, dumb and happy; given the preponderance of TV, video games and their moronic, lackluster lifestyles, because of parents who won’t push, prod or cajole them enough to seek to reach for the limits of their capabilities. Intelligence works best when fostered in a spartan, hard-working lifestyle with some sacrifices made to certain creature comforts. This comment, from the 11-yr. old violinist’s YouTube…
There’s the problem right there. An obvious American comments that her mind-bogglingly powerful performance is like that of a ‘trained seal’ because the young lady isn’t spoiled and pampered like, probably, his or her kids.
There is not only some genetic makeup to intelligence, but ways to select for smart humans. Witness the Ashkenazi Jews…
And how much more successful are these Ashkenazi Jews, who were naturally selected for higher intelligence by brute force of forced mental agility?
So, there’s a couple things we can do to improve the intelligence of American children…force them out of their houses, off of their fat asses, and push them to their fullest in order to ‘exercise’ and properly develop their mental muscles; and, interbreed, to ‘reunite the human genome’.
I think making our easy American lifestyles more difficult (less liberalized) would help.
BTW, William, if you keep noticing things like this you might find yourself drifting away from “Teh Narrative” of leftist liberalism.
Now go wash your hands!
William, I think that Julliard and San Francisco Conservatory should limit the percentage of Asian students that can be admitted and award more slots to Caucasian Americans regardless of their abilities. Diversity must be upheld.
What say you?
That was easily one of the best renditions of ol’ #5 I ‘ve ever heard.
anon - the conservatory experience is not about diversity, it is about excellence. Excellence must never be compromised in specialized high level studies for the sake of diversity.
I am very surprised by your response Serr8, I would be in 100% agreement if you hadn’t politicized your response. I don’t know where you get off saying
I think making our easy American lifestyles more difficult (less liberalized) would help.
I can’t speak with authority on math and science ed, but I can tell you that many of these countries that have turned out superior artists have done so because of superior programs involving government support for the arts - which is about as far away from a conservative agenda as you can get. On of the finest youth orchestra progams in the world right now exists in Venezuela.
Politics aside, Americans are consumed with pop culture, toys and games that require no physical activity, and a multitude of bad choices in both lifestyle to entertainment… from fast food, to 100+ TV channels, to Britney Spears. This is different in many of the European countries I’ve traveled and performed in. In the US, the virtuoso musician is not valued or even recognized except by the blue hair aficionados. In Paris, there are as many as a dozen top notch classical concerts every weekend and I’ve observed a good amount of young people that attend. In any US Symphony Hall, it’s a sea of white hair, with the only exception being in University communities. We have two Public radio stations here, one jazz and one classical, yet not one of 19 of my Music Apprec students had ever listened to either of these stations. Not only are Americans scientifically illiterate, they are culturally illiterate. Students are not created equal. The salt of the earth conservative kids from east jesus TN have no where near the sophistication and cultural awareness of the liberal upper class students you’d find coming from Nashville or Memphis areas. The liberal students are far better educated, traveled, and culturally rounded. Of course there are exceptions, but in general.
Regarding the ‘trained seal’ comment, if that person can not hear or feel the passion evoked from the heart and fingers of that little Chinese girl, then they probably need to go back to playing Guitar Hero.
“The conservatory experience is not about diversity, it is about excellence.”
Really? So, who determines the definition of “excellence”? Can the same be stated for academics - that the academic experience is not about diversity, it is about excellence? As one example, how would this apply to the non-minority student who was denied admission to the University of Michigan Law School, even with excellent grades, because she was not a minority?
In your post, you ask: “I wonder if this is a commentary more on the education in America or the level of discipline in other cultures?”
Is it possible that our American culture has been corrupted by our country’s attitude towards entitlement, greed, lack of accountability, breakdown of family units, etc. ?
Why did you conveniently leave out African-Americans?
I think there is such a thing as “moral excellence,” William. And the beauty of that characteristic is it can be achieved by anyone, from the PhD to the borderline imbecile. Beyond beauty, the importance of that characteristic is that it has no substitute inasmuch as one is considering how important characteristics are for a civilization to survive.
And regarding your socialized excellence assertion, there’s no doubt that socialist countries consistently produce some fine artists, scholars, etc. . . . the bummer is for the persons not fortunate enough to be selected by the government in those countries to receive the limited resources and opportunities available under socialism. Give me freedom, buddy. I think it is fair to conclude that there is a direct correlation between persons who have recently been exposed to the America idea and America Liberty and who make the most of what our system offers.
On a somewhat related point, surely it hasn’t escaped your notice that a disproportionate number of homeschoolers (who are disproportionately Evangelical) excel in such “bees”?
BTW and FWIW, I just wasted a bunch of time counting the list of 298 participants in this year’s spelling bee . . . there were 34 kids whom I could discern were homeschooled. I’m curious as to how that datum figures into your supposition.
Ned,
You might be interested to know I have a few home schooled kids in my studio and they are exceptionally smart, but nearly socially retarded and basically friendless.
the bummer is for the persons not fortunate enough to be selected by the government in those countries to receive the limited resources and opportunities available under socialism.
This is utterly false in pertaining to the superior music training program in Venezuela for example. Their youth orchestra program, that provides instruments to kids, has an annual budget of more than $23 million, and specifically targets less advantaged youths. 90% of students in the program are from the country’s lowest economic class. (Unlike say America where only the rich can afford to buy instruments, lessons, or even have the cultural background to care…)
No surprise about those homeschoolers, but they’re musicians, you know? Maybe their contact with you will change them for the better . . .
That info about Venezuela is interesting, but I’m not sure it rebuts my assertion. EVERYone in a socialist system is disadvantaged (though Venezuela is probably somewhere between capitalism and socialism–and moving in the wrong direction). Those who are the chosen get some advantages. What percentage of Venezuelan youth get to participate in the program?
In any event, Venezuela is more of an exception, I’d say . . . certainly for the point you’re trying to make. I don’t see that Venezuelans are populating either the spelling bee finalists or Julliard.
I read the article you linked . . . it appears that the 90% figure relates to the economic demographic of a particular neighborhood where “children” have received “instruments, scholarships and free transportation.” Good for Venezuela. Now let them vote.