So what? You hang out with allegedly smart people, we produce a lot of them, some even provide the world with more utility then working at a FAANG. What point are you trying to make? Are you suggesting there are no unambitious people in Asia?
We have a lot going for us too - our political system relies on institutions, not personalities. We still have the best of everything. Corruption and Nepotism is minimal - your family surname doesn't matter (you are a self-proclaimed example of this). The cream more easily rises to the top.
> I honestly believe that China, India, and other Asian countries will dominate the next century and beyond. They're pumping out engineers (people who can think, use their brain) while Americans talk shit about themselves and want to degrade.
"Pumping out" is the key phrase here.
I thought that way when I was younger, judging people by the skills I excelled at. Not only was I mistaken but the attitude was damaging to myself and others.
Unskilled and unaware is a thing: it takes wisdom, maturity and focus to learn to recognise the excess talents and abilities of others in areas that oneself is weak in. Looking at myself and understanding where I have an IQ of 60 is painful, but necessary.
Oddly enough, the more I look for talents in the people I know, the more I see the excess talents of other people: especially soft-skills and non-scholastic skills. We all have a lot to learn. The smartest people I know recognise they are dumb in significant areas of their lives. The stupid people I know can be snowflakes: often overconfident and often overvalue their profession.
But... I have been through California's most competitive schools. The ones in which everyone grubbed for grades, and therefore pursued exactly what you are romanticizing. Yeah, you get some education, but the course material mattered very little. All the serious challenges that have left an impression decades on were presented by other life events like kids who commit suicide(an occurrence that is depressingly frequent at those competitive schools). I do not think of myself as a winner, but a survivor. The moments where genuine flourishing took place are likewise things that were not really about the school system or what my parents did, but the whole confluence of factors.
California - as a society - is, in fact, facing and working through those challenges of how to make its society work without relying on exit, because exit simply means others get dumped on. Making it a place worth living in is not about working hard, or voting in the right government, but about answering all the ethical questions involved in creating that society with clarity and intellectual honesty, one day and one incident at a time. The parlor tricks necessary to earn a tech salary and then uproot oneself are simple stuff in comparison.
And Asia is not gaining in terms of competitiveness: it's gotten wealthier and older too, and it has started having the same kinds of issues, of younger Japanese going "hikkikomori" or Chinese workers "lying flat".
Japan, Korea, Taiwan: Massive financial aid from the west, favorable trade deals for being strategic allies of the west.
This isn’t to say that the people in these countries didn’t work to get where they are; they could have absolutely fucked it up. But it’s important to understand structural reasons for why some countries develop faster than the others.
Upto the late 18th century, South + East asia were absolutely the dominant economic powers of the world accounting for over 50% of the worlds GDP. Colonialism was a huge setback but both China and India (+ other South/East Asian nations like Bangladesh) are rapidly industrializing.
USA has been independent since 1776.
And notice I said "century". Were you educated in America?
No I wasn’t educated in America, not do I live there. You’re moving to personal attacks because you have nothing else.
Its not my fault your reading comprehension sucks.
For me, the contrast is most obvious when looking at Southern California vs the Bay Area. People are noticably less happy in the Bay Area. It's nothing like life among the "happy idiots" of SoCal.
Whatever you do, I hope you find satisfaction in life and teach your children to achieve the same.
What was it like ? Just genuinely curious. I am an immigrant and a parent. We live in good school district, but we're not wealthy. Just want to learn from your experience, so I could understand what my kids might/will have to go through at school.
Before they do that, they'll have to solve similar problems the US is facing right now in terms of inequality. In fact they are running into these issues even now.
However there is one major difference that India and China have to contend with which would be a big problem. And that is scale - the very thing that propels their growth will be a major obstacle. It is one thing to have inequality in a country of 300M, it is another to have to contend with 500M+ disgruntled citizens.
And sadly, looking at the state of affairs, I am not sure if the leadership of both the countries are equipped/want to deal with it.
What a complete load of horseshit.
The US is at the forefront of dealing with the realities involved with living in an information-centered society. Therapy and a broader recognition of mental health issues as being significant are incredibly useful ideas that are helping society deal with the problems that come with this new age. Raising kids as being autonomous and having identities independent of their parents is absolutely the correct way of recognizing them as people and not just parent’s little helpers or minions.
There is legitimate criticism to be made of a society addicted to social media and swimming in disinformation. But both the criticism and the remedies suggested in this comment are complete nonsense and would do little to alleviate the situation. If your solution is “sterner parenting” you are simply going to have more rebellious kids who end up doing even worse things… we have been down this path before.
Now that I'm in my 30s and interact with the broader world, I can't help but realize that most people I meet outside of tech are... how do I say this? Not that bright? I'm talking people who can't add small numbers or multiply, and seem to have short term goals and interests. BTW these people are in the same socioeconomic level (or better, as many of them own property here within their family) as my family when we were brand new to this country.
In Los Angeles the schools are garbage and failing for the most part, and it is pretty sad to see the result - adults who can barely make ends meet and continue the cycle. Since I'm in the tech bubble, everyone else I hang out with is quite well to do and smart, but any time I've met people outside of this bubble I feel depressed and sad.
Like I said, I grew up in the districts where most of the people were focused on providing a good education for their kids. It was in the midwest suburbs right outside of the city metro, and my peers were involved in sports and also studying. Our football/basketball team were AP/honor roll students who also played in the orchestra, and most of them went on to higher education and have really good careers. When I see their Linkedin updates, I'm always happy to have been around such people who also motivated me.
I honestly believe that China, India, and other Asian countries will dominate the next century and beyond. They're pumping out engineers (people who can think, use their brain) while Americans talk shit about themselves and want to degrade. The USA needs to stop treating children like equals/adults (they're not, their brains are still developing) and focus on making sure their kids can think their way out of a box instead of crying or needing therapy (just stop giving them iPad games since they're 2 years old to make them shut up). We need to get off this addiction to instant gratification - that leads to mental retardation because when people don't have to think of alternatives or creative ways to do things, MOST people will just be lazy. We've proven this in animals, and we see it every day with people.
I'm honestly pondering if I should raise my family in the same midwestern suburbs I grew up in because I can't see my kids succeeding here in California. The schools suck, the people are not interested in education, and tech basically carries this state in terms of brainpower.