For a great book about the Bush/Cheney era, get a copy of Ron Suskind’s “The Way of the World”. Your blood will boil to get the inside scoop on just how corrupt, cynical, and perverted they were. Preventing a repeat is only possible if enough people understand how these people and corporations operate, and then raise a lot of hell.
At th…
For a great book about the Bush/Cheney era, get a copy of Ron Suskind’s “The Way of the World”. Your blood will boil to get the inside scoop on just how corrupt, cynical, and perverted they were. Preventing a repeat is only possible if enough people understand how these people and corporations operate, and then raise a lot of hell.
At the risk of being accused of beating a dead horse, splitting hairs, and horrible heresy, I offer the following points. The people got hornswaggled really badly for decades, and only the people can reverse this treacherous trend away from any semblance of equality and from democracy. The Mid-term elections gave us reason to hope. But legislators can only do so much and hope without action and meaningful change backed by public support is self-delusion. The Jan. 6th report and referrals and indictments will also give us an injection of optimism in the near future. It must not end in complacency and apathy.
Back to my obsession. Our colleges and universities have largely been co-opted. They are far too dependent on and closely tied to corporations. They are glorified junior high schools. Research that should be accessible is locked behind pay walls.
Public school teachers can be made into scapegoats only because they are part of a political state apparatus working within the bureaucracy established to comply with state law. They are government agents. Once again, the solution is not privatization. The solution is to eliminate the attendance law to get the government out of the role of setting the parameters of and definitions for “education” and socialization. Expertise in education or in schooling is pure pretension. Education is not a science and curriculum should not EVER be dictated by or designed by people with axes to grind and positions to protect as officials. Let me repeat: We have state schools, not public schools.
This is illustrated by a call today by a caller who advised of a new law or statute requiring courses in “critical thinking”, I believe he was calling from IL. One logically assumes that this is at least a good start toward the elusive goal of critically thinking citizens. It may be better than nothing or totally ignoring the issue. However, they may as well begin requiring courses in breathing, walking, or just in thinking. Critical thinking skills are developed through practice, experience, observation, private rumination, reading extensively and reading diverse material, and living in a real world, as opposed to one artificially created by egotistical nerds and academicians. Sorry.
This is the kind of error that has come from the myth that schools can educate. That myth is then immediately compounded by the myth that children can be forced to go to school to become educated. This is how we got Reagan in the first place. This is the root cause of authoritarianism and variations of supremacy. Most of those right-wing extremists learned their lessons very well in their schools. To obey is to be a good citizen. To complete assignments is to obey and keep busy. Too busy for critical thinking. And then there is homework. Thinking can wait. Grades, evaluation, and diplomas are just too important.
For a great book about the Bush/Cheney era, get a copy of Ron Suskind’s “The Way of the World”. Your blood will boil to get the inside scoop on just how corrupt, cynical, and perverted they were. Preventing a repeat is only possible if enough people understand how these people and corporations operate, and then raise a lot of hell.
At the risk of being accused of beating a dead horse, splitting hairs, and horrible heresy, I offer the following points. The people got hornswaggled really badly for decades, and only the people can reverse this treacherous trend away from any semblance of equality and from democracy. The Mid-term elections gave us reason to hope. But legislators can only do so much and hope without action and meaningful change backed by public support is self-delusion. The Jan. 6th report and referrals and indictments will also give us an injection of optimism in the near future. It must not end in complacency and apathy.
Back to my obsession. Our colleges and universities have largely been co-opted. They are far too dependent on and closely tied to corporations. They are glorified junior high schools. Research that should be accessible is locked behind pay walls.
Public school teachers can be made into scapegoats only because they are part of a political state apparatus working within the bureaucracy established to comply with state law. They are government agents. Once again, the solution is not privatization. The solution is to eliminate the attendance law to get the government out of the role of setting the parameters of and definitions for “education” and socialization. Expertise in education or in schooling is pure pretension. Education is not a science and curriculum should not EVER be dictated by or designed by people with axes to grind and positions to protect as officials. Let me repeat: We have state schools, not public schools.
This is illustrated by a call today by a caller who advised of a new law or statute requiring courses in “critical thinking”, I believe he was calling from IL. One logically assumes that this is at least a good start toward the elusive goal of critically thinking citizens. It may be better than nothing or totally ignoring the issue. However, they may as well begin requiring courses in breathing, walking, or just in thinking. Critical thinking skills are developed through practice, experience, observation, private rumination, reading extensively and reading diverse material, and living in a real world, as opposed to one artificially created by egotistical nerds and academicians. Sorry.
This is the kind of error that has come from the myth that schools can educate. That myth is then immediately compounded by the myth that children can be forced to go to school to become educated. This is how we got Reagan in the first place. This is the root cause of authoritarianism and variations of supremacy. Most of those right-wing extremists learned their lessons very well in their schools. To obey is to be a good citizen. To complete assignments is to obey and keep busy. Too busy for critical thinking. And then there is homework. Thinking can wait. Grades, evaluation, and diplomas are just too important.