Two Concepts that made America Cleverer and Stronger

When people see a country they sometime are profoundly moved by dominace and superiority of certain societies, and coming from developing nation like India it certaily was one of stuffs that piqued me about USA. And as I started looking more into sociological and historical reasons on the process of why it happened, it amazed me how small changes and some enterpreneurship made this society so much Cleverer (American produces more graduates than any other country) and Stronger (America wins more Olympic medals) than any other.

How America became Smarter
• The GI Bill and emergence of UC System, SUNY and Texas State College.
o Funding: especially Teaxas College which unlike the other state schools or private schools that depend to some degree on students fees gets its funding from “Oil Money”. Donors donated Oil field to these colleges and though in 1950’s or 40’s these oil were nothing but today and in near future it is almost like sitting on pile of Gold which you can bank whenever you are short of funds.
o Education for the Rednecks of the country: Unlike the private schools which elitist (costly as well by fraternity system made middle or lower middle class financially and sociologically out of bounds) it helped educate the mass of people.


How America become Stronger
• Free time and industry that has built around it
o Sports industry: A very recent phenomenon, mainly as after shot of industry looking into how to utilize two things that had come in American society, less working hours after Eisenhower’s 50 and then 40 hour week and mobility via cars, gave birth to people liking sports and lot of money being put into it. The after shot is the elaborate system of sports and people seeing it as an avocation, unlike few decades back when even the best Basketball player used to look for jobs inn off season. The magnanimity of it can be seen in the Career Dome of SU, when during football or basketball season it gets 10 K crowd every weekend for the games. Even a major city in India like Nagpur could feel happy to get that many people for once a year cricket One Day International game.
o Amusement Industry: Again after shot of the stuff. The enaction of cartoon characters and emergencies of amusement parks or concept of thrill like six flag which almost killed the old timers like the Atlantic city (was to a high degree marginalized in 79’s)