Sunday 21 April 2013

Success and The Dumbing-Down Syndrome

Welcome to the Dumbing Down...

Once apon a time, in a far-away land of sugar gum-drop fairies and purple unicorns, there was a very different way of thinking about education. The people of this mythical land believed that to get ahead in life, you had to learn shit. All kinds of weird shit... stuff  like spelling, grammar, post-graduate study and degrees. They believed in a philosophy that Knowledge is Power. And they respected those with knowledge, because they understood that the Knowledgeable could use that power to help them get ahead... to grow... to heal... to advance their position in life and achieve a better living standard... When the Knowledgeable gave them advice... they listened and respected it.

In the Here and Now World of 2013, though, there is a rising and very different set of values, especially in the Land Down Under. Knowledge and education have taken a back-seat to ego, materialism, cosmeticism, steroids and swag. This cocktail of attention-seeking attributes is pushing old-school hard yakka, intelligence and work ethic onto the back-burner as desirable traits for success (at least at face value). This revolution of attitudes has emerged rapidly over the past 3-5 years, most radically in Australia, and nowhere more so than the Jewel in the Dumbing-Down Crown... the Gold Coast.

I Like it a lot...

What the hell is going on? Why the quantum shift in attitudes in just a few short years? 

The answer is complex, but can basically be put down to a shrinking world in the forms of Google-isation and Social Media, fused with the good old-fashioned Aussie Knocker's Syndrome, the mainstreaming of cosmetic surgery and ready availability of performance-enhancing drugs to the punter on the street.



Google-isation is Coming...

Google-isation is at once a blessing and a curse. At no point in human history has so much information been available to so many with such ease. The problem, though, is a lot of that information is basically horse-shit. And a lot of what is posted out there is driven by individuals' personal agendas. Let's say, for example, I had a bug up my ass about a particular health issue... let's suppose my Uncle Herb died of a complication during a routine colonoscopy, generally considered a safe procedure 99% of the time, but with a rare incidence of death in 1/10,000 cases. The thing is, though, old Herb was having this test done in the first place to look for a bowel cancer which might have killed him if not detected early, so for every 100 tests, maybe 2-3 lives are actually saved. So the pros clearly outweigh the cons here.


The Gospel According to Herb's Ass...

But let's say my mythical Uncie Herb was a very close relative, and now I've got a serious bug up my ass (pun intended) over this issue. So I make like a keyboard warrior and start a Facebook page calling for the banning of this shocking life-threatening medical procedure.... most punters have no idea about colonoscopy other than what they read on my page, so they "Like" it, share it, and maybe have a little ignorant tantrum about it on their own page. And so it goes on... and pretty soon we have half-a-million misinformed social media sheep spreading the Gospel According to Herb's Ass.  Next thing you know, you have a few politicians who's medical education extends no further than Grade 9 frog dissection, hopping on the bandwagon and blowing the Trumpet of Herb's Ass in federal parliament calling for a ban.

Sound ridiculous? Moronic? Inconceivable?

Think again... right now there are a myriad of moronic social media campaigns threatening to impact on everyday healthcare.... most notably the ludicrous anti- Fluoride and anti- Vaccine campaigns, based on irrational and unscientific hysteria... with little or no regard for good old-fashioned balanced scientific assessment.


Knock 'Em Down...

Aussies love to take the piss out of anyone they perceive as more successful than themselves. Don't ask me why- maybe it stems back to deepseated convict issues, or maybe it's a symptom of getting smashed by the All Blacks so frequently. I have no idea. But what is clear is that if you stick your neck out in the form of flexing your brain muscle in this country... it will end up in a basket, Marie Antoinette-style. 

Spelling... grammar... gratuitous use of facts... these are the cardinal sins of Social Media and should be avoided at all costs in the interest of conformism, and will be treated with contempt at best... abuse at worst. Boobs, biceps, bullshit and bling are the keys to the Digital City, and will be rewarded with accolades from your new legion of fans- for those who conform. The new currency is Mass Validation on Social Media, and this has changed the way many people behave in the real world. Dumbing Down is now playing on a Social Media App near you...




Mass Social Media Validation vs Real-World Success

As a business owner, the cold hard reality, unfortunately for those who relentlessly pursue digital-world success, is that "success" in the Social Media world DOES NOT translate into tangible success in the real world in any way, shape or form... the brutal but unspoken truth is that when applying for a real-world job, old-school values like education, respect, personal grooming, eye contact and articulation remain critical to success, just as they are in conducting successful business. Bling, boobs, biceps and 40,000 'Likes' count for nothing.

Living in a city that rewards bling and exhibitionism above intelligence, humour and respect can be quite isolating at times, but the trade-off is the unique coastal lifestyle.


I'm not naive... far from it.  Just a die-hard realist... ;)