Nice one, Bugsy. So you’re not what I postulated. Maybe your background is more like mine but I doubt it. Yes, I left school at 16. Times were hard and my parents couldn’t afford to support me. I made up for it by going to college part-time for five years, mixing with those who you think I resented. Do you think that I would have revealed that I left school at that age if it caused me concern? Au contraire mon Bugsy, I have a high regard for educated people. I acknowledge their intellects but it doesn’t make me feel any different. Going by your post, you were in education beyond my leaving age and regard those who left earlier as inferior. Could you be suffering from ‘educationSTIKA’?
I have also noticed that you ignore statements that you can’t answer and attack all others. I won’t end with a stupid acronym, that’s your forte.
PS what dictionary should I consult for ‘LOLDONGS’ and ‘LULZCOW’? The Encyclopedia Cretinous?

TurnRightTurnLeft, I only mentioned the swastika/hammer and sickle connection as most people jump on Nazis while ignoring or apologising for Communism. Bugsy’s analogy was typical. A balanced view shows the faults of both systems.
But, seriously, you hit on a very valid point when you wrote ‘. In saying they're 'trying to' you declare that bringing down the west is indeed their motivation, which is profoundly foolish’ and ‘I could understand someone believing they are unintentionally contributing to the west's downfall’. I stand corrected. What I should have elaborated on was that the original professors in the 50’s and early 60’s were consciously promoting the views that led to political correctness and dumbing down of our young. Those educators and professors that were, in turn, taught by the original lecturers probably believed in what they were passing on to the next generation of students.

As for your statement on belief in a conspiracy, life’s experience influences one’s opinions. One man’s cynic is another’s realist. Again I state that computers are no use without power. And don’t mention batteries – they have to be recharged.

Your allusion to comms technology was fine until you mentioned blackberries. I would have added them to my vodka.

I dunno whether they still work if they were immersed in vodka

;)

http://www.cnet.com.au/mobilephones/pdaphones/0,239036203,240060486,00.htm

Ah Jack, you old water bird, I bet its confusing in your own head. Forgive for my misinterpretations, but when you say you "have a high regard for educated people", what do you mean exactly? I only ask because statements like:

"Today's teachers and lecturers are mostly the product of leftist university professors whose purpose is to bring down the west. An assault on good language usage is one of many attacks",

These statements seem to show a very low regard for educated people.

As to your concern about declining education standards (comparing your sons education to yours), well the Australian Bureau of Statistics did a survey in 1998 on literacy standards and guess what they found? People in the 15-45 age bracket did better than those older that that. And they declined markedly with age over 45.
http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/featurearticlesbytitle/DF92DC0FEBC80747CA2570FF007ABE0B?OpenDocument
It is quite likely that there a many reasons for this, discussed by the ABS, however one thing that they do not see is a decline in literacy over time, nor is there anywhere any mention on a decline in educational standards. This is a fiction written by a white supremacist (ie Robert Whitaker) and so readily taken on board by yourself, probably because (by your own admission) many of his views are in line with yours.

If you think that your boys educational standard is not on a par with yours, perhaps they just aren't that bright?

TurnRightThenLeft, checked out your link. So it’s like a PDA. It makes for a very expensive cocktail so I’ll go for tomato juice and a celery stick.

Bugsy, not all educated people are teachers and lecturers. Included are doctors, lawyers, mathematicians (who can function without calculators) and the list goes on. You may also notice that I revised my original statement as it was the professors and teachers of the 50’s and 60’s that produced today’s academics. So the blame lies with the original lecturers.
Statistical surveys can be inaccurate unless a truly diverse portion of the population is polled.
I witnessed the ‘educational’ material that my sons received as they would bring home some for homework so I was able to compare with my own experience where, leaving at 16, I had been roughly at the same level as they were when at ‘Year 12’.
As for your insult to my their intelligence, the older son has a good career in avionics and is attending university part-time so, if he isn’t ‘that bright’, the uni entrance requirements must be low.
The younger son has a good job but, at the moment, enjoys football, cricket, girls, mates, cars and more. If only he was as bright as you, he could give all that up and go to uni to be like you. Or maybe he just made his own choice. I suppose you, with you 'superior' education, will look down on that.
Now I've answered your post, how about recommending the dictionary with all the 'LOL' words that you claim exists?

So, let me get this straight, the only professions you think are worthy of respect are technical or scientific or law. Heaven help anyone who is actually involved in education! Or Arts generally, as it seems anyone who actually contributes to culture can't think properly apparently or they would all be doctors. And so now it's the people who taught you and your generation to blame is it? Give me a break!

And now I'd like to just get what you are talking about straight here, you are basing your whole argument on an opinion formulated looking at some homework and remembering your own adolescence (how many years ago?) and thought that it was at a similar level. This observation of course means that educational and literacy levels are falling, despite ABS reports that show that they are not. Of course statistical reports are summarily dismissed when they don't agree with you. If they have used biased methodology or not a broad enough spectrum of the population, then please point to it, but of course that would mean actually having to read something that is not written by either an embittered racist "former academic" that started but never completed his PhD (because the topic was not popular!) or an ultra-right wing nutbag Christian. How Robert Whitaker could call himself a former "professor" without actually having completed his PhD is beyond me.

Clearly a part-time college education was not wasted on you. "Johnny can't think" indeed, you do know what another nickname for Johnny is don't you, Jack?