Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!rutgers!lll-lcc!ames!sdcsvax!ucsdhub!hp-sdd!hplabs!hplabsz!taylor From: GUTHERY%ASC@sdr.slb.com (Guthery) Newsgroups: comp.society Subject: Education vs. Right Think Message-ID: <1172@hplabsz.HPL.HP.COM> Date: Sun, 6-Dec-87 01:09:45 EST Article-I.D.: hplabsz.1172 Posted: Sun Dec 6 01:09:45 1987 Date-Received: Fri, 11-Dec-87 04:59:02 EST Sender: taylor@hplabsz.HPL.HP.COM Lines: 25 Approved: taylor@hplabs Gerry Gleason writes: > ................ We must choose between creating ever-more-complex > weapons systems, and systems to eliminate poverty through education > (in my opinion this is the only way to solve this and related problems > such as over-population and hunger), care for our environment, or > reach for the stars. First, American public school systems can't teach simple arithmetic or spelling. Can you imagine what a garbled mess they'd make of complex issues such as world hunger and genetic engineering? Secondly, "education" as used in the above quote usually means "propagandize" or "brain wash". In other words, if we fill folks full of "right think" about these issues and then the issues will somehow magically go away. In fact what goes away is our ability to talk about them or deal with them. Like unpopular individuals in Soviet history, they become non-issues because we are not permitted to speak their name. We are seeing more and more of this approach to problem solving. Rather than address the problem directly with all of its glory, complexity, and intricacy, we work instead on the language we use to talk about the problem. While I'm sure the reasons are many, a prominent player is the recasting of the word "education" by those who think we can solve problems by chanting patently false political cliches.