In postsecondary education, there has been an enormous amount of dumbing down for the sake of diversity. Affirmative action doesn't end at the admissions office. Once you reduce admissions standards for certain students, you have to reduce classroom standards to keep them in school.
Universities won't admit it, but they have reduced standards for who they hire too--in order to get faculty of the "right" superficial characteristics. Supposedly this is to benefit the students, as if students benefit from less qualified faculty.
Also, to keep its affirmative action students in school, a university has to lard its curriculum with ethnic studies, womens studies, porn studies, rap studies and a myriad of other meaningless tripe for which passing grades can be dispensed. Of course, these students are fit for nothing when they graduate, but hey, the government has a solution for that, too. Businesses are required to hire affirmative action employees so that there a racial mix of employees. Even if they don't deserve it, they are still on the payroll as racial window-dressing. This country's switch from merit and talent to bean-counting diversity quotas has not been a plus in race relations.
Your right about the college dumbing down.
I'm back in school again, and taking an oceanography class.
The amount of work required is about 1/3 of what was required in the seventies. In addition there are so many extra credit opportunites that my overall average is 107 out of 100. And no lab work, and no required field work.
And we don't have to memorize any scientific names, because you can always look them up on the internet.
Dooh