Saving Public Education is Crucial

Miscellaneous Current Events
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Opinions?

From http://berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue/2010-06-15/article/35596?headline=Saving-Public-Education-is-Crucial:

David Esler is a Berkeley resident and voter. dfvghbnjkReader Commentaries

Saving Public Education is Crucial
By David Esler
Saturday June 12, 2010

I reading the Planet’s report on the failure of Measure C to rehab Berkeley’s public swimming pools, a phrase in Measure C supporter Robert Collier’s statement jumped out at me, to wit: “…will we also allow our public education to crumble and decay?”

I have fervently believed for many years that universal public education is one of the greatest achievements of the American experiment, however, it has become painfully obvious over the last 30 years that public education – especially a system that promotes enlightened, independent-thinking citizens – is anathema to the right wing, since the last thing it wants is a truly educated electorate. Why? Because educated people figure things out – like how the political system really functions and who (or what) controls the nation. Enlightened people are much more difficult to manipulate, as well. I’m sure that the same forces that defeated Measure C with a palette of lies would just as soon be happy to see our public education system “crumble and decay,” as it most certainly will if its funding is strangled. Such is the case right now on the state level, as our Republican governor slashes the education budget in favor building more prisons and in lieu of raising taxes for the wealthiest Californians. (Meanwhile, one of the wealthiest residents of the state just spent $71 million to buy her nomination as Republican candidate for governor – imagine what $71 million [added to the $28 million her opponent spent on his campaign] could have done for higher education in the Golden State.)

Dumbing down ‘Merica (pardon the Bush-speak) has long been a goal of the political and religious right, and I give you Texas, with its recent move to inculcate fundamentalist religious principles and Orwellian revisionist history into its text books, as an example. Teaching students Creationist claptrap and that the Civil War was fought over “states rights” and not the issue of slavery may fulfill a fundamentalist right-wing goal of controlling young minds,but it doesn’t produce incisive intellects versed in the scientific principles necessary to compete in a globalized economy or independent thinkers able to decipher the political dialogue and make decisions in the best interest of the nation. And it does nothing to ease ongoing race tensions or address the stain of slavery on our national tapestry, all of which begins with enlightened education. But I digress…

Cutting funding for education on the local level is the first step down the road of institutionalized ignorance, and our democracy – and the ultimate abilities of our youth to make their way in a changing world – will be the poorer for it. The fundamentalist political right may endorse home schooling as the ultimate means of controlling its childrens’ minds, but the lack of both an objective curriculum and the peer socialization that public education provides and is based on is a deficit from which they – and our country – may never recover. Yes, taxes are a pain in the wallet, but nothing is free – or a greater and more productive investment than the objective education of our youth. Thank you, Mr. Collier, for your observation.

David Esler is a Berkeley resident and voter.

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This article makes the fallacy of assuming governmeny schools have anything to do with education, that the masses are educatable and that minimal literacy is anything but a new open wound for propagandistic sores which can be infected in those without the intellectual independence to resist such social microbes.

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I agree with Liberté’s colorful comment.

I will also add that, in the following passage, the author seems to confuse the fact that institutionalized ignorance is already upon us, and is indeed the product of public education (particularly since the Dept. of Education has assumed an increasing amount of authority). I wonder what “objective curriculum” the author has in mind, and what effect the “peer socialization” these zoos that are public schools provide has on children. One would think that children should be socialized with adults and not their equally clueless peers.

Cutting funding for education on the local level is the first step down the road of institutionalized ignorance, and our democracy – and the ultimate abilities of our youth to make their way in a changing world – will be the poorer for it. The fundamentalist political right may endorse home schooling as the ultimate means of controlling its childrens’ minds, but the lack of both an objective curriculum and the peer socialization that public education provides and is based on is a deficit from which they – and our country – may never recover. Yes, taxes are a pain in the wallet, but nothing is free – or a greater and more productive investment than the objective education of our youth. Thank you, Mr. Collier, for your observation.

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maybe Liberte just has ridiculous standards

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Ridiculous standards in what respect?

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their height

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their height

Your typical person is incapable of thinking for himself. ‘Educate’ him and you just get a religious devotee with a bunch of muddled nonsense bouncing around in his head. All these college students and academics only exist because of government subsidies and enlightenment glorification of formal education. Most real intellectuals have nothing to do with these institutions of iniquity.

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You take elitism to exciting new places

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You take elitism to exciting new places

That’s not even elitism, it’s realism. Most people lack the genetic predispositions to do anything beyond absord ideology.

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“Your typical person is incapable of thinking for himself.”

Agreed. At least in terms of higher thinking. I think the typical person knows when they’re hungry, when they’re horny, when they’re tired etc.

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LRC had an article on it yesterday relating to this. Link.

It was in reference to the following book: Link.

Aside: Liberté, are you a fan of Plato by any chance?

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I’m stickin’ with public education is cruel imprisonment.

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Wiser words have never been spoken.

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seconded.

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It’s crucial to the fastfood industry, mind numbing managerial capitalism, and maintaining a hierarchical and unquestioned state and authoritarianism. As well as the increasingly ‘naturalized’ police and security state – many of the schools acquaint children to the function of state property (as not being theirs, even if they pay taxes for it) as well as the system that maintains it. Through security cams and police officers in constant state of watchfulness. Many of the people who are spokespeople for these causes teach in the institutions, but have no connections to what the institutions produce. All they know is that the institutions produce something. Ergo, the need for them. I think it is because left-liberals believe that Republicans love capitalism that they believe that these ‘externalities’ and subsidies to corporate training that produce a type of super-capitalism are unquestionably a good. There is no question of what should be the goal of people’s lives, but what should be the goal of the state-capitalist machine.

That is what it has produced. The idea that ignorance and near non-literacy is coming in the future is false. It is already the case. The system where all the kids know what is going on and understand social life fully is a fantasy. I think the leftist philosopher/psychoanalyst Slavoj Zizek said it best that when someone says they are ‘objective’ or ‘no bullshit’ or ‘not ideological’; you should immediately suspect it is a mask for ideology.

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@ Liberte:

Most people lack the genetic predispositions to do anything beyond absord ideology.

Many argue that human beings susceptibility to propaganda might actually be an effect of public schooling itself. Wouldn’t you agree?

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Most people support public schools because they believe that their children need an education to get a good job. Generally speaking they are correct. Without a formal education there are many doors that will not be opened for you.

The mistake people make is when they confuse the value of the degree with the value of the knowledge acquired. Most of what is taught today is of little to no economic value, however there is value in the degree or diploma.

Also, all this talk of most people being incapable of thinking for themselves, may be misguided.

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I’m mostly in agrteement with Liberte’, but I wonder if it’s more of a case of most people being too lazy and distracted to think for themselves. This is where our school “system” has taken them. For instance, there are quite a few bright people at my place of work, most of whom go home and plunk themselves down in front of the toob and watch a ball game (ANY ball game - they’d probably watch tether-ball if it were telecast), rather than do something constructive, or at least interesting or intellectually challenging.

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but I wonder if it’s more of a case of most people being too lazy and distracted to think for themselves.

or perhaps they choose to invest their limited time and energy into pursuits other than economic, political and moral theory. After all if you talk to people about the right subjects many will possess an intimate knowledge and understanding.

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no, u.