How Education Became a Tool For The Elite | Weapons Of Mass Instruction by John Gatto

[@cd6834]

In junior high, I realized we were being trained for a job not educated for a career nor to find our creative passion. Great book pick as always, thank you.

[@The_Cause]

Yes indeed! Thanks so much for watching my friend and stay blessed!

[@aLadNamedNathan]

I had the same math teacher for seventh and eighth grades. It was very obvious that he didn't want to be there. One day, he decided that he wasn't going to teach math for a while, so he spent several weeks giving us career advice--of a sort. It was mostly him recounting his experiences in college and in various jobs. He had set his aims high. He went to West Point straight out of high school--but he only lasted one year there. He had also gone to law school at some point, but he washed out there as well. His advice probably would have been useful to twelfth graders, but at the age of 12 or 13, I was too young to get any benefit out of it at the time--I still had no idea whatsoever what career path I wanted to follow at that age.

[@emilymiller1792]

You shouldn't be educated for a career either. You should be educated to shoulder adulthood as a free person in a free, self-governing society.

[@selim.digital]

I'm a high school science teacher. This book completely changed how I think about my job. I don't think I am wasting my time with students but I have moved away from testing and focus on student led projects. I am grateful for this man and his writing.

[@Icarusolympus]

A few years ago the people in Egypt were not happy with the quality of their education system, so the Egyptian president said "Good education will create people who are hard to control so we will not be improving the education system" He said that on national TV. It is one thing when thinkers say this about the education system but it is very surprising to see the president say that.

[@aLadNamedNathan]

He said the quiet part out loud.

[@JustinThorLPs]

The problem with this is that the Egyptian People isn't ruled by the Egyptian government. So having a population that is hard to control. is someone elses policy. You think closely about that. And remember what country is threatening economic sanctions because Venezuela didn't vote the way that country wanted them to. or how Ukraine spending a decade shelling its civilian population for voting the wrong way, is upholding democracy and when the Russian government tries to help liberate those people from tyranny, that's anti democracy.

[@The_Cause]

Wow! Thanks so much for sharing. I would love to visit Egypt one day. So much history and culture there.

[@shedactivist]

I am 60 now and it is only these last few years, since the pandemic, that I have woken up. I struggle with a the enormous sense of betrayal by all the institutions that I was taught to trust. Perversely, I was even taught to mistrust the Christian way by the modern atheists. As you say, it is never too late to start a classical education and never too late to atone for one's sins.

[@The_Cause]

Yes indeed! Like pops use to tell. “There is no better time than the present.” I feel the same way though. It’s hard to trust anything these days. It’s good that we are waking up though. Now to start fixing it! Haha Thanks for watching and stay blessed my friend!

[@jimmyhill9743]

My older brother remembers a class. In which at the start of the school year. They were each given a checkbook. They were given a certain amount of money each week. But also expenses. Part of there grade came from balancing that checkbook, and keeping it balanced to the positive.

[@The_Cause]

That’s really nice! We definitely never had any of that down here. I wonder if different parts of the county are provided different curriculums? For instance I could see Vermont having something completely different than us or Mississippi. Curious about that.

[@katie7748]

I'd had a similar idea years ago and will be implementing it in our homeschool when the time comes. For now, I am laying the groundwork.

[@TheNonPerfectHomeschoolingMom]

We never had that in GA or TN 😂

[@gh05tparkourfreerunning31]

@@TheNonPerfectHomeschoolingMom Nor in AZ or VA

[@emilymiller1792]

The goal of my schooling was not to alienate me or my classmates from ourselves and our own strength, nor to alienate us from anyone or anything else. Our diverse backgrounds were celebrated as special things to be shared and appreciated, but we were were also educated into the Western Culture that shaped our country and our Founding documents and Founding spirit. . We interviewed family members when doing journalistic writing, in middle school much of our writing centered around understanding ourselves and what we as individuals liked and thought. I had the opposite experience, overall, from Gatto's statement.

[@debbiecartagena]

So much to ponder on this video. The best solution would be self-cultivation. All our life we've been trained to work for money only to be spent on stuffs we don't even need. Highly appreciate you for making this video! I've added Gatto's book on my list.

[@The_Cause]

Self-cultivation indeed! In a way that is exactly what we are doing here. Thanks so much for watching my friend and stay blessed!

[@homediddy383]

This is the content I’ve been searching for. Thank you

[@The_Cause]

Thanks so much for the kindness and welcome to my channel! I hope you enjoy the other videos and I truly appreciate you watching. Stay blessed my friend!

[@HybridSchoolMom]

Thank you for this review. I read the book some time ago, after I’ve already played an active role in schooling my older kids for 10+ years to meet them where they were academically.. They’re in highschool now, going to an alternative instead of our neighborhood school. I do have a second set of kids, each one 10 years younger than my older set. Since learning from experience and books and observation of those around, I’m going about this schooling thing differently this second time around. I didn’t do bad with my first set, I just want to do better this time. It won’t just be academics but a whole happy child with full access to nature and personal freedom to cultivate their creativity. Know better Do better.

[@The_Cause]

Know better Do better! I love that. We are still learning and I am sure there are things we are going to mess up on. As long as we try and do our best I feel that is what matters. We see the problem and we are actively trying to fix it. I truly hope the best for you on the second go around! Thanks for watching and stay blessed!

[@HybridSchoolMom]

@The_Cause loving and involved parents/guardians can’t mess up a child. Everything else can though. Even good things can be bad things for a particular individual. Just because something is good for others or seen as the best, it doesn’t mean it is for all or that one child. Always start where they are and go from there. If anything, this is the biggest __ (I don’t know what word to explain it), “mistake” (?)) done by parents in homeschooling: taking a child out of a system that conforms them to the masses only to do the same to the child in their chosen homeschooling circles. Not every child is a genius or love to be with people debating. Some love to create art and be alone. Should one have a taste and experience in communicating well, written and verbally? Yes! We can do hard things. But to keep them into a debate team or any “prestigious” homeschool group activity, no. Homeschooling is the best tool or opportunity to mold them in who they are with our parental guidance and wisdom but because we parents don’t know different due to our upbringing in a system and fear we fail them, outside of it, we don’t do as well as we could have. I’m very fortunate to have round 2 and always happy to share when people ask questions in my local groups. It’s the “let’s ask the tk-12th grade mom.” Others have poured so much knowledge and paying their wisdom and knowledge forward. Anyway, thank you for your videos. I was led here due to classical education topics but have stayed due to the books and insights. I don’t have people around me who dive into these (or those that read to learn and not merely validate with books), so thank you for making another be less alone in these 3am thoughts over books. I recommend reading books and writings on Holt, if you have not already.

[@The_Cause]

Thank you for the great advice and the book recommendation on Holt. I have never heard of him. Just looked him up and I am surprised I haven’t. Thanks my friend!

[@diassmaker]

This kind of content is a beacon of hope to those engaged in the habit of thinking and questioning what they've been taught. Thanks so much for sharing!

[@The_Cause]

I truly appreciate hearing that my friend! I enjoy learning about this stuff and it is nice to share as I go along. Thanks for watching and stay blessed!

[@CornerTalker]

1 Wow - i just finished watching "Why was Syme Vaporized in Orwell's 1984." He was loyal to the regime, but he was too bright. Big Brother knew that was dangerous. 2 As a high-school student, I never recognized the irony of skipping English class and going to the library to read Tolkien, Jack London, and Ray Bradbury. I almost failed the class I did this so often. 3 When I traveled to Germany, I was SHOCKED to find out what their high-school students were being taught. 4 As a student in teacher's college, I knew something was wrong with what they were teaching us, but I didn't have the background to argue against the professors. Later, I read Allan Bloom's "Closing of the American Mind" and Hirsch's "The School's we Need and Why we don't have Them." Prospective teachers should read the last for themselves, without asking their professor's opinions about it first.

[@emilymiller1792]

Mortimer Adler's works (e.g., The Paideia Proposal) and Neil Postman's works (e.g., The End of Education) are excellent, too.

[@TheNonPerfectHomeschoolingMom]

Thank you for the new book recommendations I can move on to after this one! ❤🙏

[@TheNonPerfectHomeschoolingMom]

@@emilymiller1792 Thank you for the new recommendation ❤🙏

[@emilymiller1792]

@@TheNonPerfectHomeschoolingMom You're welcome! Charlotte Mason also has some good books on the philosophy of education. She is often used in classical homeschooling but could inform public education, too.

[@The_Cause]

I would love to hear how your education experience went. Let me know down below. And if you are feeling froggy order some bomb coffee! www.cedarotacoffee.com/

[@tjsurname119]

Dear Rob, well your most kind coffee chat about this book led this household into an interactive chat between my Loved One and I validating every one of not only your experiences with schooling, but our experiences validated the truth of every one of those most wise quotes that you shared through the presentation. It is Sunday this end and needless to say that pausing to consider your presentation and topping up the coffee created a most enjoyable. . . .oops 3 hours of time invested in reflection, discussion and contemplation. What a wonderful Gift to the world your series is. Had it not been for your series, I would have never found time to discover the very great riches of this treasury of books. GOD Bless you Rob, and whatever it took for GOD to build such a thoughtful and intelligent young Man as He created in you, we thank GOD for that !

[@Tim_G_Bennett]

School was the worst thing that ever happened to me, it left me depressed and with learnt helplessness. I found out in my late 30's that I have dyslexia and ASD1. I'm still in the processes of totally rebuilding myself.

[@Durufle68]

Brilliant discussion as always!!! Such thought-provoking information. Thanks for contributing to my learning.

[@The_Cause]

No problem at all! I truly appreciate you tuning and hope you stay blessed my friend!

[@nikolavanzettiteslasacco4991]

John Taylor gatto legacy will live through all of us.

[@The_Cause]

I think so as well. Truly appreciate you watching my friend and stay blessed!

[@flomoyo]

This is one of the best videos I've seen in my life (and I'm turning 28 in January).

[@The_Cause]

That is awesome to hear! I truly appreciate you watching and hope you have a blessed New Year!

[@jimmyhill9743]

When me and my brother were in junior high school. We both wanted to take German language courses. The guidance teacher, had mom come to the school. A finally convinced our mother our English grades were not good enough for us to take the courses. I think our grades were around a C. Years later mom wished she had never listened to her. Because of so much German industry coming to our area.

[@The_Cause]

Dang! Ya we didn’t have the info back then to question things as much. German I hear is a hard language but learning young would have prolly been easier.

[@guesswhatilearnedtoday1087]

Thanks for your calm, rational coverage of an important issue. I have been evaluating many of my opinions lately and this video was helpful.

[@The_Cause]

You and me both. The more I read, the more I question. Hopefully one day I can start connecting more of the dots. Thanks so much for watching and stay blessed my friend!

[@Reneé_winters]

Same... I've been following this school of thought for sometime now. Concepts like minimalism and understanding the dangers of consumerism is very very important. Our life goal was never to just collect material possessions but instead focus on ourselves, look inwards and feed good stuff to ourselves n our families. This channel is amazing. I read books like burnout society, George Orwell's 1984 and that's been an eye opener

[@readlikeaman]

Man, the whole idea of not choosing to subject your kids to that kind of a system is so huge dude!!! we homeschool, and I’ve talked with my wife a lot in this past year and come to a place where I legitimately think you can’t take an honest look at the school system in the US as a conservative, a Christian or even someone with just basic common sense and NOT conclude that you should find a different option! It’s so bad… haven’t had a chance to read this book yet, but I appreciate the super in-depth review!

[@The_Cause]

I 100% agree.. It may be different in other locations but down here in Louisiana we have to put in the time to homeschool. How long have you all been homeschooling?

[@readlikeaman]

@@The_Cause yeah man, our oldest is 10 and we’ve been homeschooling the whole time! Got four of the five doing it right now and it’s crazy but so good! I come from a homeschool family and honestly can’t imagine any other way. It just makes so much more sense to me. How about you guys?

[@TheNonPerfectHomeschoolingMom]

We are brand new to homeschooling our 3 kids. Their old public school said my 9 year old was reading and doing math at Kindergarten level so I figured I can’t mess up any more than that and now we have started homeschooling 😂❤🙏

[@readlikeaman]

@@TheNonPerfectHomeschoolingMom haha! that's the spirit :D for reals though, i think it is the single best decision you can make for your kids and if you walk humbly and prayerfully into it, you will be covered with amazing amounts of grace! Keep learning and growing yourself and just bring your kids along for the ride my friend! 🔥

[@TheNonPerfectHomeschoolingMom]

@ Thank you 🙏❤️ Your words of encouragement mean a lot!

[@Buz.0]

Incredibly insightful. Appreciate the personal examples and how these experiences relate to the book. Being ignorant to our surroundings is a scary thing

[@The_Cause]

It is indeed. I look back and realize how gullible I was with all of this. Thanks so much for watching and stay blessed my friend!

[@RossArlenTieken]

As a teacher, These are the problems I'm trying to fix. Don't be scared about offending, but challenge educators to step up and fix it. Don't take Gaito's book as anti-education, see it as anti-consumerism.

[@The_Cause]

Really good point. Take what you can from it and try and improve what you have control over. Truly appreciate you watching my friend and stay blessed!

[@Bre-o6i]

You’re wise!! I respect that

[@camgere]

Great video! 6:15 “In the new fashion different goals were promulgated goals for which self-reliance Ingenuity, courage, competence and other Frontier virtues became liabilities because they threatened the authority of management. Under the new system, the goals of good moral values, good citizenship, skills and good personal development, were exchanged for a novel fourth purpose, becoming a human resource to be spent by businessmen and politicians.” High school prepared me to be a good, little worker droid, who shuts up and does what he is told. Of course, the principal would brag at graduation about how we were taught courage, ethics and leadership.

[@The_Cause]

It is a good wake up call for sure. Whether it is malicious acts of political force or complete an utter ignorance on my part, I fell for it all as well. Thanks for watching and stay blessed my friend!

[@tjsurname119]

Dear Rob, Thank you, this is one of your best yet and it does seem with every book that these wonderful times that we so look forward to in our household become even more precious. Albeit that you are across the pond, as we sit in Australia and enjoy this series of yours we join you for a coffee and send up prayers of thanks and gratitude for the very great and important way you are serving a mission which I am increasingly inclined to perceive as a very timely Divine Calling and Mission, rather than a mere "Cause", Friend. GOD Bless you and yours.

[@The_Cause]

Oh wow!! Thank you so much for the kind words my friend! I love hearing that people on the other side of the world are watching. Sometimes I don’t realize how far my little channel reaches out. I am going to continue to keep learning and in the process share what I learn. I hope to do this for a long time. Thanks so much for watching and stay blessed my friend!

[@PeterPerry18]

Hey Rob, I don’t usually comment. I like to minimize online engagement for hopefully obvious reasons. But I do share your sentiments and thinks it’s important to let you know that others feel the same way. I’d recommend reading books about localism (I personally think that’s the solution to this problem) and Vaclav Havel’s book The Power of the Powerless. Along with that read Emerson (especially his essay on Self-Reliance) and William James’s work. Keep up the good fight man! We are in this together!

[@The_Cause]

Well I understand your reasoning completely but I truly appreciate you breaking your rule and offering some advice. I will most definitely look into that and check those books out. Thanks so much for watching my friend and stay blessed!

[@emilymiller1792]

It depends on how and what was taught. I was taught to obey authority only up to a point--if they were unjust, all bets were off. Speaking Truth to authority praised. I was taught Antigone, Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau, and Josef Schultz. They tried to teach us to analyze information and derive meaning from what we read, including by teaching us about logical fallacies, advertising campaigns, and propaganda. We were expected to know a great deal across many domains. It wasn't perfect; I had gaps, but my public education taught me a great deal about standing on my own two feet and speaking Truth as best I could, among other necessary skills.

[@TheNonPerfectHomeschoolingMom]

Thank you for these book recommendations! My daughter will love Antigone! ❤

[@emilymiller1792]

@Sabrinalives You can find videos of Antigone being performed, but there are excellent lines in there, so reading or studying it is very worthwhile.

[@klosnj11]

It has been my opinion that those who believe they can shape society with impunity are those with the greatest hubris of mankind. All our efforts have unintended consequences, and often to take action driving in one way can lead to the opposite outcome. Trying to make a more educated population may create a nation of fools. Trying to engineer a loyal obedient populace may create a nation of angry revolutionaries. Trying to ensure mental health and self esteem may create a generation of anxious, depressed, self hateing children. The best we can do is make changes within our own lives and help other individuals to do the same. When progress is granular, the average increases.

[@The_Cause]

What a well put comment. That literally sums up how I feel about all of this as well. Wish I could go back and add this to the video! Thanks so much for watching and stay blessed my friend!

[@cryptomancer2927]

You should read Democracy and Education by John Dewey. He was an educational philosopher during the 40s and 50s. He was shunned due to the cold war and his critique being against the established norm (so naturally he was called a communist). The crux of his argument is that you have to have an educated populace to have a democracy.

[@The_Cause]

I will most definitely be reading through his works or at least a couple this year. I am very interested in this subject and I am not as familiar with Dewey as I should be. I agree with his argument and would predict if our Republic is to fall it will be because of education or the lack thereof. Thanks so much for watching and I appreciate the recommendation. Stay blessed my friend!

[@mathiusq9128]

“Human Resources “ wow hearing the phrase in this context really turns on the lights.

[@The_Cause]

It sure does! Lol Thanks for watching my friend and stay blessed.

[@karensmith4283]

Thank you for posting your review of this book. Its something i worry about constantly as a mother. I have a 6 year old son and he is now attending a private school (founding father type education). We held him back a year as his birthday is late but also because statistically boys mature slower so why rush "schooling". My husband and I have decided to spend the money on this private elementary education for fundamental understanding and logic and not force the typical college path. I struggle though with understanding if we're making the right choice. I worry about my son's ability to compete in a world that only cares about useless diplomas. Any insight or advice about how to not fall into the public school education trap likes this book talks about would be greatly appreciated.

[@The_Cause]

I can tell how much you care from the post. That alone shows you are making the right decision. From my experience at work, I think there is going to come a time when people who truly know how to think through problems and confidently make decisions will be the most in-demand resource. I have noticed that nobody wants to take the lead or make decisions at work anymore. The younger generation is so dependent on help to make a decision that it is hard to get projects completed. I do not know how you feel but I do not see much competition in the workplace anymore for people who can lead. If you focus on giving your kids the education that allows them to reason, use language to argue their points effectively, and sprinkle in logic and respect. I mean, I do not know how they could be worse off than what is currently coming out of the public school system. Once education became free it diluted the degrees down. I have a degree and I would honestly not hire based on degree but by which school the degree was offered. I think that will be the decision process in the future. Give me a student who went to Hillsdale over Harvard. I want someone on my team who can act independently and take action to learn and research "how" on their own. Sorry for the rant and hope it helps answer your question. Stay blessed my dear friend and keep up the great work. It will pay dividends to your child later down the road.

[@marcoscaba3846]

Pardon the length of my posting. Education for what is needed is older than writing. Not belonging to a group meant an almost certain death in the wild. Certain skill sets even became an identity. We still have last names such as Farmer, Hunter, Potter, Miller, Mason, Smith, Wright etc... Corporations and politicians see us as resources, but so are they. For most products of "modern education" the thirst for understanding one's self is replaced with looking for a pacifying product or action that needs to be purchased and or an act that needs to be performed. Many claim to not have time for self education today, but they have time for sports on TV, lounging around and doing nothing. Yet always, there were those that were non-conformists. For good or bad, they are the ones that changed the direction of human advancement. What was their secret? Time to think and experiment with their ideas. That may be something born with. Their names became synonymous with advancement, knowledge, power and wealth such as Cervantes, Einstein, Da Vinci, Milton, Nietzsche, Rothchild, Sun Tzu, Minamoto, Shakespeare, Washington etc... I leave you with an example of a unique way my father used to teach me. Once two religious missionaries came to my father's house. Being a good host he welcomed them. After a short time they began talking about the twelve apostles. He corrected them stating there are thirteen. They looked at each other and asked him who was the thirteenth apostle. He replied he was. They left. Afterwards he told me never let another tell you what god wants of you, that is between you and the creator.

[@The_Cause]

Beautiful comment and I no worries at all about the length. I agree and learned a lot from it. The non-conformist are the ones who indeed change the world! Thanks so much for watching and stay blessed!

[@Fernie4243]

There are some good interviews of Mr Gatto to online as well. When do you plan to do the video on The Republic? When I was reading Plato I was intimidated by its size and skipped it and haven't gone back. I'm ready now and would like to attempt completing it before your analysis. Thank you again for a great video.

[@The_Cause]

It will be a few weeks for sure. I am going to finish the last two episodes of Paradise Lost before I jump back over to this series. So end of August most likely. Thanks so much for watching and stay blessed.

[@caedean]

Great video. Really enjoy your channel. Keep up the good work. I would like to continue watching your videos for years to come.

[@The_Cause]

Haha thanks so much! I truly enjoy making these videos so I plan on doing this for years. Thanks so much for watching and stay my friend!

[@psikeyhackr6914]

*The Screwing of the Average Man* (1974) by David Hapgood I started reading Science Fiction in 4th grade. My mother sent me to a Catholic grammar school where the silly nuns NEVER taught science. The Hard SF I read gave a totally different perspective of reality than I got from the nuns. I have just seen videos of Gatto. But I suspect it would not bother me in the slightest. Lots of teachers are barely smart enough to be worth paying attention to.

[@The_Cause]

I am going to have to look that one up as I have not heard of it. Gatto is definitely not for everyone but it was a good read. I truly appreciate you watching my friend and stay blessed!

[@f.prince6642]

12:58 lol I feel like you are referring to what me and my wife joking call the “leather jackets” she was someone who had those friends I was someone who did not 😂

[@thekingoffailure9967]

Bro needs to read Chomsky’s Manufacturing Consent

[@The_Cause]

I will most definitely check it out. Thanks so much for watching and stay blessed my friend!

[@thekingoffailure9967]

@@The_CauseI’m gonna enjoy hearing this person’s perspective as well, thanks for what you do. I’m killing my internet brain rot slowly

[@The_Cause]

You and I both my friend. Cheers to fixing our brains and pulling our heads out of .... well good luck my friend!

[@randolphpinkle4482]

A very fair and balanced analysis. I found Gatto's main argument fascinating and very persuasive, but some of his tangential arguments did border on conspiracy theories. The thought did pass through my mind a few times that Gatto is a crackpot, but with many seeds of truth.

[@The_Cause]

haha I thought the same. I went down a few rabbit holes and many of the arguments seemed pretty legit. The problem is you would have to really study that time period or person that he is referencing to really peace it together. We have all said a few sentences in life that if we were judged on just those words would paint us in a poor light. This happens to historical figures a good bit. Truly appreciate you watching my friend and stay blessed!

[@malcolmstevenson6402]

Here in the UK, elitism has been the norm for centuries and it always starts with education. If born here, it is important to choose your parents carefully. 😂

[@TheNonPerfectHomeschoolingMom]

Homeschooling is the remedy ❤

[@TheNonPerfectHomeschoolingMom]

Watched until the end, shared 3x and liked ❤ Thank you for highlighting the most important points of this book. I’m still a little fuzzy on how and when the U.S. switched from homeschooling to this 12 year prison sentence but I’ll reread book to find out 😊

[@The_Cause]

Thank you so much for the kind words and for the support in sharing! That really means a lot! Homeschooling is what we are pursuing and so far we have no regrets. I think compulsory schooling really started to take shape during the industrial revolution of the late 1800s. John Dewey would be a good read as he was one of the major influences on our modern set up. Thanks so much for watching and have a blessed Christmas my friend!

[@HybridSchoolMom]

@@TheNonPerfectHomeschoolingMomread on the writings of late John Holt as he covers this. Teach Your Own book covers some of this info.

[@benrex7775]

Another thing I like to mention. Why do people celebrate entrepreneurship so much? I hate doing all the legal work and finance work. I'm also bad at networking and marketing. I'd much rather have someone else do that job for me and I can get the work done instead. And I also like to have a 9/5 job and then go home and stop thinking about it. If I'm an entrepreneur that is not an option. At least I have never heard of one who could do that. Not everyone is made out to work on all the things which are required to run a company. And I usually like the bosses better who first worked under someone else and only after getting practical experience went the management.

[@katie7748]

I have many thoughts on this, and I, too, have noticed this push over the years. Alas, I'd be here all day if I got into it.

[@benrex7775]

@@katie7748 Could you give me a few of your thoughts on it? Because not many people voice those thoughts and I want to hear what other people think about this.

[@benrex7775]

I went to public school in Switzerland. In Switzerland 95% of all children go to public school. And Switzerland is one of the few countries where the average student from public school performs better than the students form private schools. The reason may be that only children of expats and difficult children are sent to the private schools. Theoretically everybody is allowed to attend various schools. Homeschooling is also allowed at many places, although with various levels of freedom. I think one of the reasons why Swiss democracy works so well is because we have a decent understanding of each other. We put the children of every social class into the same classroom. We also have a few other things that forces a mixed interaction of our population. Which allows us to learn to know each other and to respect each other when we cast our vote. As long as our public school works at least somewhat well I think it is a good thing. After all it prevents social bubbles from forming. Also I've heard it many times that Americans loathe their highschool while I have never heard the same from any (former) Swiss highschooler. Of course I don't know, but there exists the possibility, that American school system is just shit. I don't want to oversell our school and politics though. It is all about comparing between Switzerland and other real countries, not between Switzerland and an imaginary perfect country. We also have certain restructuring of our school into the progressive direction. I looked into Swiss homeschooling, because I want to be aware of the options, even though only very few Swiss people do that. I think it is possible that there is some merit to the idea that school was invented to be a tool for the influential to manipulate the masses. But then again, just because the general idea was invented by some snob, doesn't mean it stayed the same after hundreds of years of implementation. If I want to have consumer products, it needs an industry. If I want an industry, some people need to build and maintain that industry. And you don't build and maintain that industry through liberal arts alone. Sometimes having external requirements on the worker comes with the job. So if some person from a liberal arts background or some social work background says what should be changed to make things freer I sometimes don't take it too seriously. In the imaginary world of liberal arts and social work you can make up any theory you want. But if you have to build your machine you are bound by physics and technology and economy, among other things.

[@CheapSeats]

Let’s settle in and see what’s up. It was a great read, now let’s enjoy the review. 👍

[@The_Cause]

Hope you enjoy it my friend! Stay blessed!

[@CheapSeats]

@@The_Cause it was right on target. Let’s continue the dialogue onward into The Republic… Persevere, Rob.

[@The_Cause]

Yes indeed! To the Republic!

[@lapatossu5976]

It's an amazing time to be alive. Vive la révolution!

[@The_Cause]

It is indeed! Change is coming.

[@aLadNamedNathan]

"May you live in interesting times" is generally not considered to be an utterance of well-wishing.

[@The_Cause]

Indeed it is not. All the famous periods in history have been the most brutal years to be alive it seems. We shall see.

[@lapatossu5976]

@@aLadNamedNathan Life is an adventure. Might as well make it an exciting one. :)

[@aLadNamedNathan]

@@lapatossu5976 Depends on your personality.

[@TheWBWoman]

Great topic! Kind of a sidebar but It's interesting how you perceived joining the military as derailing you & wasting your time whereas I never would have been able to go to college if not for enlisting in the military & getting the GI Bill & then special military scholarships. I took some night college courses when I was in the military also which helped a lot. I would have much rather gone straight to college after high school but it was financially impossible so I utilized Uncle Sam to get as much out of him as he got out of me.

[@The_Cause]

I went back and listened because I did not remember saying the military wasted my time. Right after I mention the military I say my school years wasted my time. The military like you mentioned gave me an education in life and then I used the GI bill when I got out. If it came across as disparaging that was not my intention. Although I stand by the recruiter being sly and smooth! Haha he got me to sign! Thanks for watching and stay blessed my friend!

[@TheWBWoman]

@@The_Cause Thanks for the clarification! I hear you - My reserve recruiter was above board & honest but when I went active duty, the active duty recruiter did push me into a career field I was overqualified for & unhappy in. Worked out fine for me in the end but like you, I didn't appreciate the lack of transparency from that 2nd recruiter.

[@oliverwarren1074]

Never assign to malice that which can be attributed to incompetence. I think suggesting that the education system is deliberately designed this way on purpose is an overreach. It's more likely that it's designed by committee, and that standardised testing is the best way to judge peoples capabilities, and over time that has morphed into a system that teaches how to pass tests, not how to think independently. But the idea that that is to 'control people' is in my opinion, not reasonable. Every country has its own education systems and some are better than others but they're almost all teaching to tests.

[@The_Cause]

So there is no dragon to slay? How else can we ban together and fight off something evil? Surely it can’t be our ignorance and incompetence that has gotten us into this situation… in all seriousness I can agree with that. I think we often times find villains where this is only ignorance. Very good point and thanks so much for sharing. Truly appreciate you watching and stay blessed my friend!

[@yramagicman675]

The problem with the idea that the education system in the US, if not the west generally, isn't designed from malice is that it's easy to show that it is. Unfortunately KZbin doesn't appreciate links, so backing this statement up with sources is something I'm unable to do adequately. At the end of the day, it's clear, both from Gatto's book, and other sources, that modern education is an instrument of control more than it is a tool for education. I don't know how you define malice, but subverting the good (education) into a tool for control sure sounds like malice.

[@katie7748]

You've got it backwards. Many who think like you do think that way because they don't want to admit otherwise to themselves. They can't handle it. Sigh.

[@yramagicman675]

@@katie7748 I have it backwards? Or op has it backwards? If I'm wrong please elaborate and tell me what I need to read to understand the positive perspective. I don't like my cynical take on this, but it feels like the realistic point of view. I would be delighted to find out that I'm wrong.

[@emilymiller1792]

​@The_Cause Both are there--incompetence and malice. But, like so many areas of life, it is that good people did not stand up to speak against ignorance, incompetence, or malice. "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” ~unknown but summarizes: "“Let not any one pacify his conscience by the delusion that he can do no harm if he takes no part, and forms no opinion. Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing. He is not a good man who, without a protest, allows wrong to be committed in his name, and with the means which he helps to supply, because he will not trouble himself to use his mind on the subject.” ~John Stuart Mill

[@VIsionsOfJenna]

Richard Grove did an amazing interview with Gatto. It's on KZbin and definitely worth the watch. (Careful with Grove's other work -- it's all red pills.)

[@The_Cause]

I will have to look that one up. Is "Red Pill" all the Andrew Tate type stuff? Thanks for watching and stay blessed!

[@VIsionsOfJenna]

@@The_Cause No, Grove seems to be stable, kind, good and happily married. His red pills are all political, Global American Empire stuff. He was a 9/11 whistleblower 20 years ago (he should have been in the towers that day). Opened his eyes and sparked his interest in his own miseducation, which led him to Gatto. (Among too much more. His current project is called Grand Theft World.)

[@Zayn.A]

@@VIsionsOfJenna I completely disagree with you. He does not represent the "Red Pill" movement, which in my opinion is a failed idea to begin with. Grove applies the Liberal Arts to engage within our current political landscape which is so well-barraged with propaganda. Grove is an excellent Forensic Historian. The best aspect about him is that he never forces his beliefs on you but rather asks questions and shows his Artifacts (as he calls it to refer to books). He presents his books and evidences for the audiences to assess and decide. And he sure asks all the right questions whether it be the JFK assassination, 9/11, Covid, Russia/Ukraine or Israel/Palestine. I recommend anyone and everyone to give him a listen.

[@aLadNamedNathan]

Isn't it the blue pill that makes one a conformist?

[@VIsionsOfJenna]

@@Zayn.A I didn't mean to imply a negative opinion of him, obviously I have followed his work for awhile. I guess I meant red pill in the original Matrix question of "Are you sure you want to know?"

[@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee]

One thing is for sure. I don’t know how teachers do it without coffee!

[@The_Cause]

All teachers deserve free coffee in my opinion! haha

[@SyedtheITguy]

John Taylor Gatto and Hamza Yusuf Hensen lecture - kzbin.info/www/bejne/i6XWlJ9ppZKroassi=u2LEJ07m1V3xp0Hy

[@The_Cause]

Oh wow! I did not realize he interviewed him as well! Thanks for sharing buddy! Stay blessed!

[@marksaleski9890]

The thing is, we have moved far beyond a mass production economy, and much more of a service economy. What has not changed is what I like to call The Religion of Maximizing Shareholder Value. THAT, is the most important thing. Now, has the educational system been set up explicitly for that purpose? I don't think so, though there are parts of it (your reference to all of the testing) that make it appear that way. I say this because my wife worked as a teacher for decades. Systems of public and private education are set up in such a scattershot manner that there's not way there's a supposed "hidden hand" directing all of it. Still, what has always sort of depressed me (and I should say that I'm 62 and retired from a career in software development) is the anti-intellectualism that has only grown over the decades. It's encouraged from so many different angles. Hilariously, you get politicians who were educated at Ivy League schools sneering about "the elites," because that's become a sort of dog whistle to blue collar people. Heck, I have relatives in my own family who somehow thought that I was a snob because I went to college. My dad worked in a factory. These relatives went to trade schools to become electricians, carpenters, etc...and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. I mean, it's very, very hard work and I have total respect for it. It just wasn't for me. I've had my head in books since I was about 10 so my path was somewhat clear. It's just a shame that we've gotten to the state where the banning of books has become more common than the promotion of learning the classics. But hey, learning the classics has little value as it does not lead to the maximization of shareholder value. Call me cynical but that seems to be the road we're on of late.

[@emilymiller1792]

The hidden hand is in NGOs, fads from colleges of education, and the interference by the federal and even state departments of education (NCLB, Common Core).

[@The_Cause]

Thanks so much for the insightful comment. I love this. You bring up some great points that I had not thought about. I wonder how we have gotten to this point as well and I think it goes far beyond just schooling. Truly appreciate you watching my friend and stay blessed!

[@marksaleski9890]

@@The_Cause Thanks. I'd like to add a little about my education that really did give some hints into the current culture about learning as a vehicle for commerce. For whatever reasons (I was good at math?), I was started at the University of Maine in mechanical engineering. One semester in and it was obviously not a good fit. I was miserable until I took a required programming course and absolutely loved it. I decided to change majors to computer science. OK. So at the time the cs dept. there was a part of the college of arts & sciences, so there were a lot of humanities electives that you had to take. I took a lot of philosophy and psychology, mostly because I found them interesting. Sure, the readings (in philosophy especially) were difficult but still, a light of mind-opening. Many years later, when I'd been working for quite some time, I'd have these strange conversations with co-workers who questioned the validity and value of these courses. Why would I care about what John Stuart Mill had to say? What does that have to do with software. The answer if of course quite complex but you see how this points to my earlier comment. It really is a sad thing that people see the value in this stuff.

[@jimmyhill9743]

I can relate to that

[@11227denis]

Can someone give an example though? Went through school, studied well, became an engineer, and cultivated the mind since childhood to now with a library card and books at home. How does the current education system prevent this? Is it testing? I don’t have a dog in the fight. It just seems to me that the educational system isn’t necessary to blame here any more than teachers unions and parents.

[@edheldude]

It's not about preventing anything. I was like you, indenpendent-minded and non-conforming. But the school's format, the building etc. is the curriculum for most people, and what they learn is to sit down, shut up, do the work you're given, and be externally motivated and rewarded. If you deviate from this, you will be punished / unloved. The propaganda works through influencing people, not forcing them. In my country you have a duty to be schooled by the state. The chains are invisible as they are subconsciously internalized as habits and beliefs. The techniques are known and you compromise people bit by bit.

[@11227denis]

@ By “sit down”, perhaps more play time would help. Regarding “shut up”, what do you mean here? Do you think the classroom should be more back and forth between students and teachers? Is the format of just listening to the teacher seen as too restrictive?

[@cameronfoy3662]

I've been scrolling these comments to find one like yours. I personally think that a lot of the argument is afraid and conspiratorial more than anything. Yes, the wage gap is terrifying and yes it has only gotten worse, but to say that it's because of modern education is a bit ridiculous and out of left field. Some of the best predictors of the quality of someone's financial future - other than familial income or class - are grades in school and level of educational attainment. I will never say that the system is designed for everyone, but I take issue with the notion that modern schooling only hurts people. I have spent my own free time volunteering to help children with their homework. The children that are in trouble are the children that can't or refuse to do their homework. I had Latino grade schoolers tell me that they refuse to do homework because it's for the Chinese. That type of thinking is not from modern schooling, it's from an uneducated household and frankly outdated cultural beliefs. In my opinion, it takes a whole lot of arrogance to say that homeschooling is the answer when you have the resources to provide for your family and also homeschool them, assuming the education is quality for that matter. I certainly believe that some can do it - I think highly of this KZbinr mind you - but I've even seen the effect of bad homeschooling in my own extended family. One's financial futures is quite dire, only because their scared, hyper-religious parents thought they were doing what was right. I say all this having attended a highly ranked school district in Texas, so of course I'm biased due to the relatively great facilities I had access to, but I have also had family that attended public schools in very rural, small towns. The culture of those towns is what you can imagine - conspiratorial and antieducation. The only one that made it out is the one that stuck with school. The rest are subject to low hourly wages for the rest of their lives, unless they intervene. That would take quite the unlearning of taught culture, though. I do not think the status quo is perfect, but I think anger around this topic is misguided.

[@11227denis]

@@cameronfoy3662 I sympathize with your comment. I really appreciate you giving your time to those kids. In fairness to Latin culture, it heavily depends. I’m Cuban and grew up in ghetto Miami Dade County. The only thing I had going for me were supportive parents and my mom would have slapped me (in the 90s) had I said an excuse that studies were for other kids. Not even out of respect for them, but out of respect for myself. I’m now in Texas too, moved due to the housing crash, another thing that I think leads to poverty (staying in one spot). I scrolled around too wondering if anyone was gonna present a counter but unfortunately, I think, like you said, while the current schooling system is not perfect, I think it’s other frustrations that are leading people to use education as a scape goat.

[@davidronin1536]

Amen

[@The_Cause]

Yes indeed! Thanks so much for watching my friend and stay blessed!

[@aLadNamedNathan]

"We suppress genius because we haven't yet figured out how to manage a population of educated men and women." And with that one sentence, my entire educational career suddenly makes sense to me now, where it didn't before. There used to be a TV commercial for the United Negro College Fund that ran for years and years which had the slogan, "A mind is a terrible thing to waste." I always wondered why the school system seemed so hellbent on wasting my mind when the UNCF's slogan was so self-evidently true. Now I see that they undermined me at every possible turn because they were afraid of me--and I guess rightly so because I would dearly love to smash the corrupt society we live in. During the summer before I started first grade (my state didn't have compulsory kindergarten back then), I was playing in the dirt in my front yard one evening. I suddenly became aware of two women standing in the street and staring at me. They asked me if I was Nathan. This freaked me out that two strangers knew my name. I was preparing to flee what I saw as potential kidnappers, but they asked if my parents were at home. I went and got my parents, who invited the ladies in--but I was told to stay outside. My parents were soon engaged in an argument with them--complete with shouting and swearing. I was scared because I knew the argument was about me, but I had no idea why. After the women left, my parents told me that these ladies were wanting to put me in the Head Start program, which was new at the time. My parents were offended that the school system considered our family disadvantaged. In truth, every government program finds people to fill its aims whether they fit or not because they have to spend all the money they've been allocated. What the Head Start program really was was just federal money being thrown at the already-existing bottom track at my school. My parents saw to it that I was put in the top track, which is where I belonged based on my IQ. My brother was also put in the top track when he started school two years later. Due to when his birthday falls, he was the youngest kid in his class. While he actually passed first grade, he was dead last in his class. The school wanted him to repeat first grade, and my parents acquiesced. What really makes no sense to me was not that he repeated the grade, but that he was also bumped down to the bottom track Head Start program. The government got its way with him. The government finally got its way with me, too. I was in the top track all the way through fifth grade, but in sixth grade they bumped me down to the bottom track as well. I didn't understand what was going on in sixth grade, but in seventh grade I figured it out. My first report card of seventh grade was straight D minuses. My parents went down to have a talk with the school counsellor, who looked at my records and told them, "Nathan has obviously been put in the wrong class." My parents told me to see the principal the next morning before school started because the counsellor had made an appointment with him for me. When I went in, the principal obviously didn't give a rat's behind about me or my success in school. He only grudgingly made a few changes in my schedule. Funnily enough, when I got back into some top-track classes, I suddenly started making A's again. But I was still shut out of the elite circle of the smart kids. Even when I was in high school, the school administration fought me over the electives I wanted to take. It was a given in my family that I would go to college, but the principal consistently tried to force me into vo-tech rather than letting me take college-bound courses. I have nothing against vo-tech, but I am the most unmechanically-inclined person you could hope to meet. I didn't belong there. I did belong in college-bound courses--not that I did all that well in college. I don't mean that I couldn't do the work, but I never fit in. It was clear to me that all my professors looked down their noses at me. I was too much of a threat to their establishment, so they didn't want me thinking for myself, either.

[@The_Cause]

I truly appreciate hearing your story and thanks so much for sharing it! A mind is a terrible thing to waste and your experience is sadly familiar. I imagine the public schools are different in nicer communities but for many that is our reality. I truly wish you the best my friend and would encourage to continue to self educate and grow as a person. That is what I have started to do and it has been a very rewarding experience so far. Thanks so much again and stay blessed brother!

[@katie7748]

I'm reminded of Carlin's bit on education. And I remember those commercials, too.

[@meofamily4]

Let me start with your title -- How Education Became A Tool For The Elite. If we were looking to the origin of that purpose for education, we'd have to go back to centuries before the birth of Christ. The education offered the Ancient Greeks was the tools needed to run the city-state: obviously, that is only meaningful if it is offered only to the elite, in the first place. Similarly, the education offered in Ancient China was for prospective civil servants -- that is, the political and social elite. In the Middle Ages, the Roman Catholic Church only offered education in Latin, not in the languages of the vulgar masses (the 'vulgar tongue'). We're also talking about education solely for and by the Elite. Now, let's move on to Mr Gatto's main complaint against American education. (I've read several of his books, and he doesn't really change his message from one to the next.) American education, according to him, is modeled after the Prussian educational system of the nineteenth century. The claim is supported by quotations from U.S. educational reformers who praised the Prussian educational system. The problem is, these "reforms" of 19th-century American educational institutions were intended to take inefficient, outdated schools intended purely to prepare doctors, lawyers, and ministers, and improve them along the lines of the Prussian schools, which from the time of the founding of the University of Berlin in 1810, were aimed at preparing the "whole man" for whatever vocation he intended -- as a German fluent in both Latin and Greek classics -- to enter. Compare, for example, the number of world-rank German-speaking world-rank scientists in the latter half of the 19th century to those hailing from the United States. The former outnumber the latter by a factor of perhaps ten, even though there were more people in the U.S. than in Germany. The German educational institution insisted that "character" was to be formed equally as much as the imbibing of knowledge. Mr Gatto ignores these features of the context of the reform of the American school system after the conclusion of the Civil War; he un-historically transfers this misleading condemnation of the Prussian system to the period following World War Two, 80 years later. Mass education was a purely American initiative and development; the Germans were still, even after 1945, right on down to today, only interested in preparing the economic, social, and political Elite in their universities. In complete contrast to the United States.

[@The_Cause]

Thanks for sharing my friend. I think you and Gatto are pointing out the same shadow from two different directions. To me his main argument is how our schooling system has been highjacked to make us mass consumers. As far as this being the first time it has ever happened I agree it is not. A short walk with Gibbons and we will see that it is all just repeating. I think he fluffed the book up as well and I do not believe it all to be true. But personal experience through the system and comparing the different places I have been has made me aware that it could be much better if we wanted it to be. But even if only a 1/3 is rooted in fact, that is enough for me to want to change. I think it can be improved. We just have to find a way to get the majority in n the same page so we can do so. I truly appreciate you sharing and I honestly enjoyed reading through your history. Comments like this are the most helpful for me. I am not saying I’m right, I just see a problem that I don’t see anyone trying to fix. Stay blessed my friend!

[@meofamily4]

@@The_Cause Thank you for reading my comment, and taking it well. To give Gatto his due, the fact remains that the U.S. educational system (outside of what influence the Prussian system has had on it) does not accomplish its stated goals well. I taught in public schools for more than 25 years. We say, but we do not carry it out, that we teach to the individual. We present the same stuff to all, whether or not it makes any connection to them.

[@The_Cause]

Like a young General once said, “I am here to learn not to teach.” This entire YT project is just for me to learn and better educate myself. If you have information that is correct and accurate, then I am open ears to hear it. Thanks for being polite in your rebuttal. It is easier to connect and absorb the info when it is civil discourse. Hope you have a great weekend!

[@emilymiller1792]

You shouldn't "manage" a group of educated men and women who are a free people. And, people in a constitutional republic like our own should not be managed at all. People who are not free to self-direct are managed.

[@useyourbrain1539]

Sometimes footnote verification is good enough left to rational common sense.

[@The_Cause]

Agreed. Very good way to put it! Thanks so much for watching and stay blessed my friend!

[@useyourbrain1539]

@@The_Cause To you as well.

[@cara15]

I thought this was a crummy book with little to say. No, the school system does not have your child's best interests at heart. But that's more a result of a bureaucracy trying to perpetuate itself, a bureaucracy which often attracts those who can't cut it in serious academics. Gatto provides quotes in bad faith to sell this problem as an exciting conspiracy. And he primarily supports his argument with silly examples of drop-out billionaires (felt like the majority of the content of this book), which could just as easily prove that the exceptional are ultimately not hindered by this system. Yes, any parent who cares should take an active role in their child's education. But there's the problem; many parent's don't care. (And the ones who do don't know where to begin!) Under Gatto's "open source education" these kids would spend all their time on TV and iPads, the nightmare "unschoolers" who have come to the internet's attention lately. Do we owe every citizen an education? If so, what kind? And why has education drifted over the last century from true liberal arts-- the moral shaping a man needed to think, free of vice-- to shallow specialized training? Sputnik, trickle down philosophy from the universities, there's a lot to this problem and Gatto doesn't seem to take it seriously. Just a bitter ex-teacher trying to sell books. I'd recommend "The Dilemma of Education in a Democracy" (Richard Powers) and "The Closing of the American Mind" (Allan Bloom) for anyone interested in why the change came about, and what education should be in the first place. Also the first in this video series was great (Defense of Classical Education), amusing how totally opposed it is to this goofy book. But kudos to Gatto, "You only hated school because it was meticulously plotted mind control!1!" is a great sell.

[@The_Cause]

I think many of the points you are bringing up are a result of our failures in the school. I do not think anything you mentioned is very far off from what Gatto was pointing out. I agree he wrote it to sell books and like I mentioned in the video even if only 1/3 is true it still holds weight. lol good questions that we need to answer and I will humbly admit I have no clue where to start. I will most definitely look up the books you recommended. I have heard of Bloom but not the other. Livingston and Gatto are on two different levels of writing because one had a far superior education in my opinion. Two teachers about a century apart with completely different methods of communicating an idea. Thanks so much for watching and stay blessed my friend!

[@Walter-os6ne]

Free your mind and your ass will follow.

[@The_Cause]

Haha I like that! Thanks for watching and stay blessed!

[@xenocephalus]

@@The_Cause I also like this one: “If you want to get laid, go to college. If you want an education, go to the library.” ― Frank Zappa.

[@RanmaSyaoranSaotome]

As an Englishman, I went to this work wanting to understand why my American peers can often be so woefully inarticulate when engaged in conversation among internationals in comparison to other cultures. I wasn't left informed, because after looking up the sources he references, they seldom if ever supported what he claimed. Instead, he chose to cherrypick statistics and give us tales of a tiny minority of famous figures who were successful despite odds to support his theories, rather than quote facts and evidence. Add to this the heavily sophistic use of analogies, metaphors and emotional rhetorical tricks to twist the words of others to push forward his own narrative and you have a conspiratorial rant, rather than an academic investigation. This is especially the case when he writes about anything concerning his notion that the Government is dumbing down students - there's not a single source to support this claim, because it obviously isn't true. When looking at the growing (mostly right wing) American home-educational movement, studies are now showing how thousands of children are being left behind by incompetent parent 'teachers' who have no ability to instruct, which demonstrates Gatto's arguments that "children would natively seek out an education by learning from their environments and peers" is flawed. Some might argue that is his true legacy; not the students that he tutored as a teacher, but that thousands are now languishing without an education, dumbed down from their potential, by parents inspired by his writings whose children could have been far ahead of where they are now if only they had been allowed to attend a school. Ultimately, Gatto could have criticised a number of legitimate concerns found in American education; creationism being taught in the place of evolution, the trivium being replaced with religious flag worship or the regressive narratives being pushed in red states (e.g; Texan Republican Senators decreeing "We oppose the teaching of critical thinking skills which have the purpose of challenging the student’s fixed beliefs and undermining parental authority", which, ironically as Gatto was a Republican, would dumb down students). Instead he ignored all this and chose to envision an elite cabal of secret figures in high places scheming against the common student, when the real culprits could be argued to be the academically incompetent ultraconservatives his political party of choice put into office - especially as he endorsed Trump in 2016 via his blog.

[@CheapSeats]

Cite the source/studies that you say shows homeschooled children falling behind public school children please.

[@The_Cause]

Maybe they do things different in England, but creationism is not taught in our public schools here in the states. Evolution is. The problem with politicization is in blinds people to the truth. If you choose not to see what is clearly going on in front of you then it is not everyone else that is wrong. It is you choosing to view it in a way that is not accurate or reasonable. The hardest pill for anyone to swallow in life is to realize that what they have thought was correct their entire life may in fact actually not be what is right at all. If only we could all just be a little more opened minded. I have hope for us. But I think it will take pain to make us see. Stay blessed my friend!

[@aLadNamedNathan]

Spoken like a true conformist. Congratulations!

[@zacbarnes2187]

I think there needs to be a balance. I went to a great set of schools in Virginia and had a fairly thorough education. I know many children here in Texas who are home schooled who are articulate, compassionate, and ahead of their peers. Some kids need the structure of an institution, some thrive under other conditions. Allowing there to be space for both of these things to be true is crucial or we fall into a demonization of the other, I will agree that the culture wars of America are fierce and highly publicized. They are great headline news for our overseas friends. However, the reality is not so radical in my experience. The key is to look past the talking points to the people who are actually living it out. 😃

[@RanmaSyaoranSaotome]

@@aLadNamedNathan Charming ad-hominin attack which typifies avoiding discussion.