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Yes, Happy Monkey said what I meant. It's like in the Chinese Job Fair IOTD: someone mentioned that even today, college graduates are pushed very singularly into either a sciences or humanities track, and the other path is completely ignored. That is not the best way, overall, to produce the most successful people, because people's innate skills are not so starkly lopsided, and the most innovative inventions and advances usually come from synthesizing knowledge or skills in multiple areas.
In addition, they still have a lot of cultural pressure to conform, which is good for solid, predictable results but never good for advancement or innovation. I guess what it really comes down to is if you think brilliance is a primary source of a country's success. And I agree that it doesn't have to be, but I think it is a primary source of international respect and being granted a de facto "leadership" position.
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