The ironies and inconsistencies abound. Good explanations which clearly point to significant and demonstrable ideas and theories are hard to come by. If Trump has the kind of power he claims to have, he will shut down Substack and anything like it quickly. You are right that many people have chosen Trump and fascism because that is what …
The ironies and inconsistencies abound. Good explanations which clearly point to significant and demonstrable ideas and theories are hard to come by. If Trump has the kind of power he claims to have, he will shut down Substack and anything like it quickly. You are right that many people have chosen Trump and fascism because that is what they want or believe in because of ignorance and contempt for others, including or especially, liberals.
Thom seems to believe that if we just had brought back civics and history classes in public schools that everyone (or some appreciable proportion of students) would therefore be conversant with how government works in a democracy and this situation could thereby have been avoided. That is utter nonsense. What people need to see and comprehend is how a demagogue gains attention, approval, and power and how his interests and actions conflict with their own interests and the welfare of the people generally. People need to know the difference between real facts, data, statistics, and information with regard to a variety of issues, and the kind of manipulated information, lies, and deception which Fox and other right-wing media and bought-off politicians dish out by the trainload. People need to have a fundamental capacity for discerning motives and human behavior and the ability to think critically. I’ve said it here at least a dozen times; one does not learn critical thinking in a class, and a class in critical thinking is a waste of time for the most part because it is not a skill that can be taught as one teaches algebra or history. Furthermore, to gain authentic knowledge in history, algebra, or any other subject students must be fully engaged VOLUNTARILY, and must be able to get beyond abstraction and academic role-playing to incorporate (create) knowledge which is useful and personal. Thom is stuck in reverse when it comes to education and schooling and sees everyone who criticizes schools as a reactionary trying to destroy schools. That is very sad. The first and most critical issue is compulsory attendance law and the authoritarian bureaucracy it necessitates. The only possible outcomes are mis-education, demoralization, anti-intellectual attitudes, sclerotic policies and practices, and frustration.
The ironies and inconsistencies abound. Good explanations which clearly point to significant and demonstrable ideas and theories are hard to come by. If Trump has the kind of power he claims to have, he will shut down Substack and anything like it quickly. You are right that many people have chosen Trump and fascism because that is what they want or believe in because of ignorance and contempt for others, including or especially, liberals.
Thom seems to believe that if we just had brought back civics and history classes in public schools that everyone (or some appreciable proportion of students) would therefore be conversant with how government works in a democracy and this situation could thereby have been avoided. That is utter nonsense. What people need to see and comprehend is how a demagogue gains attention, approval, and power and how his interests and actions conflict with their own interests and the welfare of the people generally. People need to know the difference between real facts, data, statistics, and information with regard to a variety of issues, and the kind of manipulated information, lies, and deception which Fox and other right-wing media and bought-off politicians dish out by the trainload. People need to have a fundamental capacity for discerning motives and human behavior and the ability to think critically. I’ve said it here at least a dozen times; one does not learn critical thinking in a class, and a class in critical thinking is a waste of time for the most part because it is not a skill that can be taught as one teaches algebra or history. Furthermore, to gain authentic knowledge in history, algebra, or any other subject students must be fully engaged VOLUNTARILY, and must be able to get beyond abstraction and academic role-playing to incorporate (create) knowledge which is useful and personal. Thom is stuck in reverse when it comes to education and schooling and sees everyone who criticizes schools as a reactionary trying to destroy schools. That is very sad. The first and most critical issue is compulsory attendance law and the authoritarian bureaucracy it necessitates. The only possible outcomes are mis-education, demoralization, anti-intellectual attitudes, sclerotic policies and practices, and frustration.