Thanks for posting this, but I am going to completely disagree with Keen... First, I want to say how happy I am for your post and I always welcome these type of articles. They are truly right up my alley. I am the owner of this website and have a degree in communication. Of course everything I am talking about is the U.S. Education System. I am to ignorant to speak of other countries. I agree somewhat of the dumbing down of the education system. Let me concentrate on college for starters. To many people are going to college who shouldn't be. College is becoming to much about money rather than education. Professors are getting pressure to pass students and not pushing them to their limits. This is spilling over to secondary schools as well. Absolutely horrible. The dumbing down of the bachelor's degree clearly is a result of our transforming education into an assembly line process. In the process creativity and ingenuity are being put on the back burner while professors and teachers alike are being forced to not challenge students, but rather push them through so colleges can make more money. Our education system is being run more like a corporation rather than a learning institution. I also want to disagree with you about your "math problem" anecdote and point out that many fine humans may not have been talented in all subjects. Could Thomas Paine solve intermediate or advanced algebraic expressions? Could Mozart write a 1,500 word thesis without grammar or spelling errors? Was the average person in 1950 better educated than present day? While there are many problems with our modern education system one must respect the fact that even in the last 20 years our secondary education system has provided today's youth with more knowledge and understanding of the world. My problem with today's education is that no one wants to celebrate or praise the individuality of the youth in America. Should a person who excels in philosophy be taught Algebra 2 and expect to apply it as if they were going to use it on an everyday basis? Should a mathematician be help to the same English standards as say a technical writer? While I do agree everyone should be taught basic sentence composition and algebra/geometry I don't think we should expect every person to excel in the same subjects. I do agree with your statements concerning the media and I will touch on that in a minute. First let's discuss song lyrics and porn... In the 1950's music was revolutionised by the likes of Chuck Berry and Elvis. Rock-n-Roll was thought to be straight from the devil himself. This has been the case of any new form of art since the beginning of time. Not everyone can be John Denver. (Who I note was the reason that congress dropped the investigation on regulating lyrics in modern music because he stressed the 1st amendment protected it.) Music, books and paintings are forms of art and are a celebration of free expression in it's most raw form. Now that doesn't mean you and I have to agree or like it, but we certainly have no right to judge what should be allowed. I do have a problem with corporations and how they influence art, but that is a completely different rant altogether. Now let's go back to your comments on the media and apply them to the Internet. The Internet alone has been the biggest step for democracy and free thought since the printing of the Gutenberg Bible. Television nor radio even came close to allowing "common people" the right to not only speak their opinions, but broadcast them on an equal playing field. Right now, you can research just about every subject in the world by simply having a computer and an Internet connection. Not just research, but you can read a plethora of ideas and opinions surrounding all sides of the subject. It is the golden age of communication. Sure, it has its faults and short comings, but that is simply being a negative Nancy. More and more people are turning off the boob tube and getting on the Internet and expressing their feelings online. Just recently Youtube.com in partnership with CNN held the first online presidential debate. That is truly amazing. Blending media with blogs is like crossing apples and oranges. Both are completely separate and while many of the major media outlets are heavily influenced by their corporate owners, independent thought becomes a paradise found in a vast wasteland of corporate mediocrity and sensationalism. I do not believe that it will become harder to make money in journalism and advertising. Not everyone is creative... Rather, now the average person now has the say to what they want to read and what they think is good. They no longer have to depend on big corporations telling them what to read or watch. The talented journalists and advertising people will still be at the top. The Internet brings endless choices and a flood of pure freedom. We must find a way to regulate copyrights and maintain certain laws, but all revolutions have temporary setbacks. Be grateful that the people now have a little more power. Sorry about the long winded comment. I am very interested in this subject. I'm glad you posted this and welcome to Xomba. I'll keep and eye out for your other posts.