Thursday, June 4, 2026

Critical thinking not included; "We’re losing our capacity to think, and not just on the left."

 John Long - American Thinker 

"Now that public education has been infused with cultural Marxism, students are imbibing it all without wondering whether it is true."

Richard Terrell at AfterMath.

"Decades ago, when buying a Christmas toy, I needed to look at the box carefully.  If the box said “batteries not included,” I knew I would need to pick up some batteries so there would not be any tears on Christmas Day.

"These days, I often see new social media entries or opinion pieces that (should) contain labels saying, “Critical thinking not included.”  Many of us spout off the most outrageous things without examining whether those thoughts are based in truth.

"Critical thinking is absent everywhere.  We hear many unsubstantiated sayings:  

  • “Men can get pregnant.”  
  • “The world will end in ten years.”  
  • “All whites are racist.”

"Many people accept them outright, simply because they are uttered by the “right people” (our friends, celebrities we admire, teachers).  They never wonder whether they are true.  

"In a recent podcast on Triggernometry, a young woman described how immersed she was in climate alarmism for several years without questioning any of its claims.  Once she began her own investigation, she changed her mind, but it still took years to go public because she knew that her friends and coworkers would cancel her.  

"The left does this whenever one of its members begins to question any woke concept.  It has been reported that questioning any leftist heterodoxy on BlueSky or Slack will get you shut down almost immediately.  Or you could get in trouble at work or school.  Cancel culture has been felt by many who publicly air their disagreements, however minor.  “The science is settled,” don’t you know?  

"But it is also present on the right.  Instead of referring to “the science,” many on the right depend on whatever Donald Trump says.  Disagree with Trump in any way on conservative platforms, and some will call you “an infiltrator,” a “NeverTrump,” or a “traitor.”  Trump himself does not easily tolerate dissension within his administration.  (And for those who want to know, I really like Trump.  I voted for him three times.)" . . .  More...

John Long retired from a 33-year career in I.T. and now spends his time as a Christian activist.  He occasionally writes satire at his blog Chicken Dentist. 

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