Education: Who Needs it Anymore? Just Use Google

I have to begin this submission with a disclaimer. I am an educator. I teach in the University of Wisconsin College System and at an Art and Design Institute. Both would disavow any connection with my blog (and might disavow me if they read it.) 

There is a new paradigm rising in the country formerly known as the United States of America, and it is this:

Education is superfluous. 

As everyone knows who owns a laptop or a smartphone, there is no longer any need to know anything. All you need to know is "Google." In fact, you don't even need to know how to spell the name of our Oracle of Delphi ... just try ggle, or gogel, or whatever — any half-baked attempt will take you to the center of all knowledge and information. 

I didn't know how to tear out a cheap plastic shower in my upstairs bathroom and replace it with a tiled hand made professional quality shower — so I "Googled" it. Bad-a-bing, bad-a-boom ... a little of this and a bit of that ... and I was a master tile guy. 

But I am not interested in home improvement today. I am returning to my ongoing meditations on Conceal and Carry (Sharing Concerns About Concealed Carry). I learned that the rule stipulating four hours of exhaustive study on gun operation, safety and handling prior to being able to carry a weapon designed to kill humans — had been waived! I don't know if they suggested the would-be gun brandisher should even check out Google or Facebook videos of people actually shooting these weapons.

The message was clear: Education is superfluous. 

It's really a radical new truth and it's quite profound and far reaching. I am not sure what its based on but someone in high places must think that everyone already knows how to handle and use a gun, safely and effectively — or, that any bonehead can figure it out on his own. 

This is interesting at a time when police officers learning how to use their weapons actually study for about a thousand hours before they are allowed to carry. Or maybe its a hundred. Someone straighten this out. But it's not "nothing." 

Suppose you want to shoot deer or carry rifles around in feilds acting like you want to. Ten hours of study is going to help you learn the do's and dont's relative to this endeavor. I'ts the law. 

But suppose you want to buy a Glock and carry it around, just in case some tough hombre draws down on you. Well, good news! You don't need education.

I think its obvious, isn't it? Assuming the Glock is loaded, just point it at the dude, tell him he made your day and pull the trigger!

Oh ... you can Google afterwards how far bullets fly, but there is no skill involved here and nothing really to know. Yes, there is that nagging issue of legalities, when is it OK to kill someone ... but, hey, just Google it. 

I think this is really freeing. I think I am going to start practicing medicine because doctors, I hear, are paid well. Need your arm cut off? Come to me. It's fairly straight forward, I bet. Stitching wounds is a snap ... I sewed up some jeans years back. And psychology — who needs to study? All you need is common sense and you can tell anyone what they need to do, what their problem is and to quit belly aching about their past. 

I really think this opens up new territory for all of us. You don't need to do well in school to run a state, you don't need to study to become an expert ... you don't need expertise. Why waste time studying photography? The cameras do it all. They are working on cars that drive on autopilot ... computers will monitor the road, conditions, assess danger and choose the best path to your destination for you. Screw drivers ed and all that nonsense. I bet planes are easy to fly, too. Why complicate things with training?

I'd love to hear from anyone supporting this idea that gun owners should not be required to study gun handling, saftety and operation. I find this new thinking ... well, energizing. Tell us what else we dont need to know about.