In a discussion about an acute cultural issue, Vivek Ramaswamy, the Efficiency Department director nominated by President-elect Trump, touched upon the topic of how to educate the next generation of Americans.
On Thursday, December 26th, he raised an important question on social media X about cultivating and attracting top tech talents in a fiercely competitive globalized world.
Ramaswamy, a second-generation Indian immigrant, was nominated by Trump to co-lead the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (D.O.G.E) along with Elon Musk, a billionaire and first-generation immigrant from South Africa.
He first pointed out that top tech companies often hire foreign-born and first-generation immigrant engineers rather than “native” Americans, not because Americans are inherently deficient in intelligence. He stated that this is a lazy and incorrect explanation, and a key factor causing this phenomenon lies in cultural issues.
“Our American culture has long – at least since the 90s, and possibly even longer – glorified mediocrity over excellence,” he wrote. “This phenomenon didn’t start from college education but has manifested since childhood.”
Ramaswamy bluntly stated that sharp problems demand sharp answers. If we truly want to address this issue, everyone must face reality.
He then listed some American cultural issues that he observed. He mentioned that a society that praises prom queens over math Olympiad champions, or athletes over valedictorians at graduation ceremonies, cannot nurture the best engineers.
Ramaswamy noted that he knows many immigrant parents from the 90s who actively restricted their children’s viewing time of mediocre TV shows, and these children later became highly successful STEM graduates.
He wrote, “More movies like ‘Whiplash,’ fewer reruns of ‘Friends’; more math tutoring, less all-night partying; more weekend science competitions, less Saturday morning cartoons; more reading, less TV; more creating, less wasting away; more participation in extracurricular activities, less aimless wandering in malls.”
Ramaswamy admitted that most ordinary American parents would look skeptically at those demanding strict requirements from their children, and most ordinary American kids would look down on those who were strictly disciplined. However, “if you aspire to mediocrity from a young age, then all you’ll end up with is mediocrity.”
He suggested that everyone should close their eyes and honestly think about how outstanding families from the 90s or today educate their children.
“In the fiercely competitive global market of technical talents, ‘mediocrity’ is not enough,” Ramaswamy cautioned.
He stated that now might be America’s “Sputnik moment.”
“We have woken up from slumber in the past, and we can do it again this time. Trump’s election may herald the beginning of a new golden age for America, but only if our culture fully awakens,” he wrote.
“Shaping a culture that once again prioritizes achievement over idleness; excellence over mediocrity; creativity over conformity; diligence over laziness,” Ramaswamy proposed.
During the subsequent Q&A session, Ramaswamy further expressed that America used to be a nation full of innovation and vitality, making significant contributions to the world, and now America seems to have lost this trait. He hopes that America can regain this innovative spirit and return to its past glory.