ron paul is a god damn transexual, and i’ll be damned if i believe a word he/she says. i’ve seen his old talk show.
Originally Posted by The 984
[i]
Quote:[QUOTE]Originally Posted by Killmore View Post
[i]The Education System.If we had an education system that treated children like humans with a potential for great things instead of retarded sheep we might see a politician or two that’s capable of more than squabbling like a chicken with it’s head cut off in amongst a crowd of chickens with their heads cut off (or at least a population that’s capable of making more informed decisions rather than relying entirely on either Fox News or MSNBC to tell them what to think).[/i]
You’re saying that about an educational system that allows everyone to go to college (provided they can make the grades). Compare that to European or Asian education systems that steamroll people into set paths which preclude post-high school education solely because of how they performed on national tests when they were in the 7th grade.
The failing of the American educational system is that we’re a country of individuals, and as kids, we are taught we can be anything we want if we set our mind to it. Lift yourself up by the boot straps. All that jazz. We believe everyone has the capacity to go to college, become doctors, etc. It causes our overall performance to suffer, but I would rather that than what is essentially government decided employment.
You say our educational system treats people as sheep? Maybe in some ways. However, the sheer ideal of Worth of the Individual prevents true Sheeple, at least in the educational setting. The problem you’re getting at is not education; it’s short attention spans and Selling of Politicians. You can thank Eisenhower for that.[/i][/QUOTE]
I probably should’ve clarified that I meant only the mandatory portion of the education system (i,e, everything up until Collage which in the US at least isn’t mandatory (unless of course you want to get a job)).
As for my views on the discussion Kasey’s anecdote parallels them very well. From what I’ve seen during my time in public schools students are evaluated primarily on their ability to conform to the social norm set by either the faculty or the environment, not by the intellectual performance of the student. Usually the intellectual norm is determined not by the student with even wholly average grades, but by those at the lowest common denominator thus students possessing greater than average mental capabilities are more often than not punished rather than being rewarded for being so far from the curve (though this is namely due to the fact that again as Kasey mentioned earlier those intelligent enough to see through the mentally stifling dreck that’s usually assigned to grade schoolers are usually left to spend their days bored to tears without any real purpose). And while there is an occasional offering made by a school to cater to those with higher abilities they are only permitted to the honor after wadding through the same mind numbing schlock that they’re too bored to waste their time on. Granted not all schools treat their students in such a condescending manner however the exception seems far too uncommon for any good to come of it.
Basically my argument is to question the purpose of free reign over one’s own path when one is taught to never aspire to anything beyond what is placed in front of them.
Originally Posted by Kasey
Killmore, I saw on your profile that you’re about the same age as me. So, when you were in school did you see the effects of the ‘no child left behind’ laws? Or really, any of the many horrible issues-underfunding, overcrowding,etc.
To be honest yes and no.
In truth I was already in collage when that law came to pass, however, the issues of underfunding and overcrowding existed long before nclb along with other fun stuff like the ADD craze of the early nineties. I suppose we’re due for another boneheaded move to condemn yet another generation of students to unusual tortures.
Also I should mention that every year since I joined I have altered my birthdate to maintain a perpetual age of 20. Whether or not that is either my current age or even an age that I once had while posting on this forum is something I’ll leave to speculation.
Well, since you sid you were in college when the no child left behind shit came to pass, we could probably assume that you’re not 20. Unles you’re neo- Doogie Howser,lol.
The education systems in Canada and the US have little to do with useful education past grade 5 or so. For kids, they’re an obedience competition. For adults, they’re free daycare. For anyone seeking a real education, they’re a poor substitute for books and curiosity. They also do really bad things to a child’s confidence and natural enthusiasm for learning, to the point that it’s popular to believe you have a harder time picking things up as you get older.
The problem with the American government is the entire government and the entire body it governs. The people are stupid and the system is slow and inflexible and favours law and money over justice and fairness. If you want specifics, ask someone else, I only pay attention to this shit in a vague and disconnected way. Canada is no different.
Another problem is people aren’t paying attention and the critics seldom criticise themselves.
Yeah? Well, I’m Forty-Freakin’-Three years old and I’m not hiding it. See if you can match my zest for life when you’re my age, kids! Hah! OUCH! MY BACK, MY BACK!! :thud:
Ron Paul Roomate says, “You can’t pull clean water from a dirty stream.”