More (not so) fun facts:
54% of American adults read below a 6th grade level.
21% read below a 5th grade level, which is considered functionally illiterate.
High immigration numbers don’t fully explain it either, as first gen immigrants only make up about 1/3 of those with low literacy.
my favorite spin on that is.
the dumbest person you know is smarter than half the world.
depending on how absolutely diabolically inept the person you know is, sets the lowest “high” bar for the world. I think that’s probably about as close to the truth you can get.
education has little to do with it IMO. it’s about social ineptitude and the abolishment of shame against the general public.
I had two powerful teachers growing up, Shame and Pain. Shame motivated me to not look stupid and Pain motivated me to not be stupid.