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Your links don't really support your view that Americans despise working hard in school. As an American, my perspective is that working hard in school is widely

Your links don't really support your view that Americans despise working hard in school. As an American, my perspective is that working hard in school is widely respected and encouraged in US culture. The poll where a majority says "other people don't pursue STEM because they're lazy" is just another in a long history of American polls where respondents assume something incorrect about everyone else in the country. You should not put much stock in these opinions. Paul Graham's "nerds" article is fairly out of date, and I would also encourage you to read between the lines a bit. Paul and his friends graded everyone by popularity and assumed everyone else was doing the same. Were they? In my experience, probably not. Popular kids generally just consider themselves normal and don't look down on the "nerds", so much as just not think about them much because they're in a different friend group that they don't interact with. > Being smart seems to make you unpopular. This is not true. > most smart kids don't really want to be popular. This is DEFINITELY not true, and you should be skeptical of anyone saying "I don't want to be popular" in the middle of a widely published essay about how smart and successful they are. I attended high school many years after Paul, so it's possible what he describes was true at the time, but I don't think it is anymore. Finally, you're right that Kobe Bryant is admired more than the average hard worker in school, and that's because he was among the best in the world. Results matter in American culture, and a kid in high school working just as hard as Kobe to be the best player on his team is not going to be as celebrated as Kobe Bryant, even if he's putting in just as much effort.

borroka 3y ago
"Finally, you're right that Kobe Bryant is admired more than the average hard worker in school, and that's because he was among the best in the world." All over the world, sportsmen and entertainment personalities are celebrated more than other workers who, in theory and intuitively, should be celebrated more. For example, among the celebrities, in theory and intuitively, we should find the best scientists, surgeons, and administrators that a country can offer. But do we? No, we don't. To use a recent example, if you think about it, it is curious that the hype about Oppenheimer has been about the film itself, Nolan the director, and Murphy the performer, and not Oppenheimer the scientist and the Manhattan Project as a formidable government-sponsored science and technology initiative. Yes, there has been some minor residual interest in the real people, science and technology associated with Los Alamos on the part of viewers, but nothing particularly relevant. Today, Mr. Oppenheimer, academic and/or govt employee, would have to work for 30+ years (probably more...) to earn the same money that Murphy earned pretending to be Oppenheimer in a movie. If that's not funny and ridiculous, I don't know what is.
hintymad 3y ago
I'd be happy that I was wrong, as I do hope the US value hardworking in school.
onetimeusename 3y ago
Ya I don't think Americans dislike hard academic work and STEM is not every single job. Most jobs don't even really require a bachelor's degree and I think most Americans are aware of that. There just isn't a need for everyone to get a PhD from an elite university in STEM, that's a recipe for disaster. I actually think what OP is saying is kind of an offensive and inaccurate view of Americans.

borroka 3y ago

"Finally, you're right that Kobe Bryant is admired more than the average hard worker in school, and that's because he was among the best in the world." All over the world, sportsmen and entertainment personalities are celebrated more than other workers who, in theory and intuitively, should be celebrated more. For example, among the celebrities, in theory and intuitively, we should find the best scientists, surgeons, and administrators that a country can offer. But do we? No, we don't. To use a recent example, if you think about it, it is curious that the hype about Oppenheimer has been about the film itself, Nolan the director, and Murphy the performer, and not Oppenheimer the scientist and the Manhattan Project as a formidable government-sponsored science and technology initiative. Yes, there has been some minor residual interest in the real people, science and technology associated with Los Alamos on the part of viewers, but nothing particularly relevant. Today, Mr. Oppenheimer, academic and/or govt employee, would have to work for 30+ years (probably more...) to earn the same money that Murphy earned pretending to be Oppenheimer in a movie. If that's not funny and ridiculous, I don't know what is.

hintymad 3y ago

I'd be happy that I was wrong, as I do hope the US value hardworking in school.

onetimeusename 3y ago

Ya I don't think Americans dislike hard academic work and STEM is not every single job. Most jobs don't even really require a bachelor's degree and I think most Americans are aware of that. There just isn't a need for everyone to get a PhD from an elite university in STEM, that's a recipe for disaster. I actually think what OP is saying is kind of an offensive and inaccurate view of Americans.