Truth Hurts: Only If You Know It

The attached link from the new HBO show The Newsroom provides a compelling and painfully honest opinion on the state of our nation. The protagonist is angry and hurt, ashamed even, at how far we have fallen. His frustration with the lack of awareness among his young listeners and others is palpable. The Rising Above the Gathering Storm report (2007), the 2008 USDOE update on the 1983 A Nation at Risk report, much of what Thomas L. Friedman writes about and countless other reports with which too few are familiar, highlight our declining status in contrast with the rest of the world. The reality of the poor quality of our education system- in part due to less than adequate preparation of teachers, budget cuts, and a dysfunctional social support system- leads to poor health choices and outcomes, less than optimum preparation for and participation in a productive workforce, and the reality of our national decline.
Some might respond with a smirk and a this is a TV show remark. Until we face the facts the protagonist is highlighting. . .and make major improvements in social, educational, and political systems and services, the national decline will continue.
Truth hurts, but only if you know it.
There is cursing in the clip. I don’t wish to offend anyone so please take note of the caution. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIffq85zMI4&feature=related
Your thoughts?