What in the world are kids being taught in school?

I spent part of yesterday evening in a message board discussion (something I rarely do) about a topic that matters to me, and about which incorrect information was being published. The incorrect information led to incorrect conclusions and to faulty reasoning. I politely presented the facts, as well as presenting a big picture of the issue, which casts a totally different slant than oen gets when examining smaller, less significant parts of the issue.

Not only was there no apparent ability to follow logical reasoning and see through logical fallacies, there was no desire to. The facts were irrelevant. Logic was irrelevant. Reasoning was irrelevant. Causal relationships were irrelevant. Complex factors working together were irrelevant. Comparison and contrast were irrelevant. History was irrelevant. Meanings of words were irrelevant.

I finally gave up. Most of the people on the board are much younger than I am. When I was their age, I was not an idiot. I was able to listen to two sides of an argument and rationally defend my beliefs. I was able to learn. When confronted with facts, I was able to adjust my opinion.

These were young people from different parts of the world, not just the U.S. This trend is worse than global warming. These same people are possibly voting, they are paid to perform some type of work, and--worst of all--they will one day be raising children.