msi@rayssd.UUCP (08/29/84)
( I'm reposting this, because I don't think it worked the first time. If it did, please accept my apologies for the duplication.) NOTE: My comments are what my schools teach, not what I believe, as was the original article. >> Take a look at some of the tenets installed in our kids by, among >> others, the state "education" system: >> 1. "Democracy" is the US political system. Of course. >> 2. "Democracy" is the prime value. I'm not sure what prime value means, but "best political system" also fits. >> 3. Democratic government is good; All labor unions are good. Little d -yes. Emphatic yes to unions. >> 4. Republican government is evil; All employers are evil. Little r - yes, often big-r also yes. Emphatic yes to employer comment. >> 5. Any problem is caused by a lack of government, and can only be >> cured by more government. Definitely-especially when studying history of FDR's time. >> 6. Parents are always evil; kids' bad behaviours are the result of >> parents. This is whispered behind closed faculty doors - not in front of the kids. >> 7. The "education" system is the repository of all wisdom. And academia generally. >> 8. The "education" system has no problems, except that the >> government won't provide enough money. Bad teachers say this. Good teachers think that bad teachers are the cause of all ills. I think they are right. >> 9. The opinions taught by the "education" system are the only >> valid ones; any disagreement shows you to be evil and worthy >> of destruction. Actually "evil and worthy of destruction" is a bit strong - I'd say "stupid and worthy of laughter and scorn, and not to ever be taken seriously". (forgive my split infinitive) >> --Bill Price >Where did you go to school? And what kind of school are your kids >in? Several of my friends and family are teachers, and I know of >none of them that would agree (or teach) anything but #1 (which they >would freely admit as being an oversimplification of our system of >government). >-Ed Hall >decvax!randvax!edhall I hate to tell you this, Ed, but all of my appraisals above come directly from my experience in a public high school in a typical medium-size town in Mass. And it wasn't so long ago for me, either. Also, 1,2,3,4,5,7, and 9 also reflect what I observed to be the prevailing attitude at Harvard University (where I am currently a student). (By HU, I mean the classroom slant in courses like Ec 10 (Intro Econ), and the general attitude of students and faculty alike. Any HU students or alum out there please don't take offense. I just call 'em as I see 'em.) This may not be the USSR, but the US is just as guilty of "inculcating propaganda" as our modern antagonist. By the way, the Supreme Court says that inculcating moral and societal values is a proper use of state police power, which means that states have every right, and are expected to teach such statements as the above. In fact, that's one of the primary reasons that education is a power reserved for the states. Melissa Silvestre ...allegra!rayssd!msi ...decvax!brunix!rayssd!msi "Few things are as frustrating as being a Republican in Massachusetts."
faustus@ucbvax.ARPA (Wayne Christopher) (09/01/84)
If you think that the US is just as bad as the USSR when it comes to propaganda in the educational system, you don't know much about the communist system. First, by the time a student reaches high school, he can easily read outside material about the government, etc, that gives alternatives to the stuff he has learned in school. No such opportunities in Russia. Also, the sorts of propaganda that are taught in the Russian schools don't compare at all with what is taught in the US -- it is a stated policy of the Russian educational system to "instill hatred for the enemies of the state" into the students. Maybe our system teaches that the Russians are the bad guys, or at least tries to do so, but it certainly doesn't fill the students with a desire to go and kill Russians. Besides, any time somebody doesn't like what his children are being taught, he can take them out of the public school system and put them into a private school that is more in line with what he considers to be reasonable education. Not in Russia.... Try to think a bit before you go to such lengths to blame the system here, and if you must, please suggest improvements (I haven't seen any in the current discussion.) Wayne