Tony Rubolotta

Critical Thinking in the Box
November 18, 2008

One of the slogans buzzing through the education community in the late 60’s and early 70’s was "critical thinking.” As teacher’s unions were taking root, they promised a new level of excellence in education to be highlighted in part by teaching students critical thinking skills. These skills would equip students with exceptional problem solving abilities, ushering in a new age of reason and advancement. Thinking outside the box would lead to breakthroughs in every field of human endeavor and improve life for all on the planet. That was the pitch, but what was delivered was quite different.

Fortunately, I graduated high school before critical thinking dogma had corrupted the classroom and my own ability to think and solve problems. I saw the rotten fruit of critical thinking in the stupidity of high school and college graduates that followed. "What does physics have to do with algebra” I was asked by one student. "Eighteen divided by three, hmm, where is my calculator” another asked. These were college bound high school seniors, and not atypical. Having read several master’s theses by so-called educators, I had to wonder if the peer review was a kindergarten class exercise. On examining the curriculum for a "consumer science” course, I had to conclude that the word science was appended only to pass a state requirement for science education.

For all the damage "critical thinking” has done to American business and technical supremacy, its real purpose was more insidious and damaging on another front. Critical thinking has quite literally meant "criticism of” everything American. It includes our history, literature, religion, liberty, economy, art, values, families, life style and anything else we identify as distinctly American in nature. The clear evidence that critical thinking was a fraud is in the mindless ranting and slogans of today’s Obamabots and the degeneracy of the American counter-culture.

The entire leftist ideology is built on a theme of anti-Americanism and rejection of American exceptionalism fostered by the "critical thinking” Trojan horse. America is racist. America is imperialist. Atheism is enlightenment and religion is for sheep. The obscene is beautiful and the decent is repressive. Capitalism is selfish and socialism is generous. Marx was right and Smith was wrong. Abortion is a right and homosexual marriage is a civil right. Global warming is truth and global warming deniers are criminals. Diversity is strength. Hail Angelou and down with Irving. Quoting the Bible is hate-speech. These are the products of "critical thinking.”

Teaching "criticism of” as "critical thinking” has succeeded in creating thinking confined to the box of leftist dogma. The Obamabots I have had contact with are incapable of thinking outside the box that contains their thought. They explore nothing and are quite content in their arrogance that they know all that needs to be known. Just like their Messiah without a teleprompter, they stammer and stutter in search of the words permitted within the walls of the box that is their universe. To them, everything outside the box is a lie. Consequently, there is no need to research such lies.

Comparing America with any other country on earth, past or present, doesn’t matter to the "critical thinkers” because their answers are found in their inflated opinions of their intellect. History means nothing because the failures of socialism were the consequence of inferior beings not gifted with their abilities of "critical thinking.”

The education establishment has done its job of indoctrination. It is now up to Obama to complete the job and instill the militancy to harvest the fruit of "critical thinking.” When completed, thinking outside the box won’t be allowed or necessary.