Something I took for granted was the sworn rivalry between teachers and students.
As a student I remember my teachers and I were sworn enemies. It was never stated, but it was obvious through actions and behaviors, and as quickly as the first week of kindergarten, that teachers were not there to help the students, but to take advantage of them. I do not mean in a "physical" or "sexually abusive" way, but in a financial and psychological way. It was very apparent to me at the age of 5 that the teachers were not there to help us, they were there for ulterior motives, and me and my peers would be the victims in this racket.
Obviously I could not articulate this at that time. I didn't have the vocabulary, the thought, let alone the context. But now in hindsight and knowing the racket education is, I can identify precisely what was going on. Young adults, too lazy to find real work, used "educating the children" as an excuse to avoid math, rigor or any career endeavor that required effort. And so, for 13 years, me and millions of other youth had to suffer at the hands of overpaid, overglorified, inferior-human, baby sitters, and though we couldn't articulate the argument above, we intuitively KNEW IT becuase of the day in, day out hell these morons forced upon us. It was WAR. And it was between the innocent students and the people posing as teachers (why else would "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" be so popular?).
Fast forward to today and times have definitely changed. And changed for the worse.
Instead of a Calvin and Hobbes-esque rivalry students have with teachers, they have something much worse.
A BFF relationship.
At least in the "olden days" we knew the teachers were the incompetent boobs sent there to baby sit us. It was clear they were incapable of teaching, let alone stimulating the minds of youth. They disliked math, and we go to suffer for it. So it was clear they were the enemy.
But not today.
Oh no.
Teachers are the best friends of the students. Why, they're all BFF!
Are the teachers the enemy?
No.
Are the teachers arrogant 20 somethings showing cracks as they face the realities of not being intelligent or versed enough in any one subject to capture the minds and curiosity of the students so said students naturally behave?
No.
However, are the teachers spineless 20 somethings that keep the educational standards their typically low level, but now with the added benefits of "happy warm friendship, diversity, global warming, eh.. you all get B's and are winners fuzzies?"
Yes.
It is here a very sinister development has occurred.
Instead of students having a natural and visceral hatred for their faux-teachers, teachers have developed the ability to befriend and cajole students. Beforehand, teachers would just shove whatever political agenda they had on the students, all while spectacularly displaying they had no ability to teach or pass on knowledge, making school a hell. This was not a recipe for compliance. The rebellion was akin to Steve McQueen in the Great Escape (and I don't joke about that, me and my peers in grade school came up with some insanely crafty ways to rebel and deal with the mundane hell of school).
But today, I believe teachers know they know nothing and are not interesting. And therefore they approach their students in a more ass-kissing way.
The result in an interesting one.
Unrebellious youth.
In befriending, and not teaching, students, teachers have simply managed to make students "one of the leftists, educational establishment team."
Did they learn calculus?
No, but they did learn about global warming.
Did they learn basic financial budgeting skills?
No, but they did learn how much George Bush sucks.
In other words, the students and teachers are no longer rivals, they're political allies. And in being allies, there is no distrust. And with no distrust there can be no rebellious youth. They're pawns. They're compliant. They're obedient.
The irony, of course, is that this is the complete opposite of how they view themselves and how they've been taught to perceive themselves. Most 20 somethings think they're "independent," "highly intelligent" and "very open minded." When in reality they are nothing but the most conforming generation EVER in US history.
They swallowed whole the the leftist BS shoved down their throats by their indoctrinators.
They swallowed whole the socialist ideology shoved down their throats by their educators.
The parrot and repeat what they were told to by their elders, displaying PERFECTLY they are the opposite of what they claim.
I mean, just look at a hipster. Somebody trying so hard not to conform they only end up epitomizing conformity.
The said truth is that none of you youth are "rebels." You are the most pathetic, sad, group of conforming saps the world has ever seen. And if you don't believe it, compare yourselves to the second-most pathetic group of conformists - hippie baby boomers.
You know how the baby boomers said, "don't trust anybody over 30?"
You guys can't even follow THAT simple rule! You eat up whatever older people tell you as long as it jives with what your childish brain wants to believe. Meanwhile they're robbing your future blind with entitlement programs. Not to mention does anybody see the irony of when administrators and professors of college campuses keep getting 8-12% raises each year, but their students are so brainwashed and conforming, the students blame it on republican legislatures for not spending enough on education?
So to all you idiotic youth, 90% of which join the college democrats, 90% of you who simple repeat what your professors or teachers said, 90% of which think and do the exact same thing as the other 90%,
you're not rebellious.
you're not indepdenent minded
you're not cool.
You're a bunch of pathetic, ignorant, conforming suckers too stupid and too lazy to be genuine rebels.
You want to see rebels?
Look at the college republicans or college libertarians.
But, oh wait, you can't. Your teachers said they were racists, sexist, whatever. And you mustn't disobey you teachers, now, mustn't you? Why, that would not be conforming!
Kids are terrified of rebellion because they want to get good jobs, and business has never fought against edukation, diversity, immigration, and even environmental regulations! You see "green" charity initiatives in every corporate web site!
ReplyDeleteIf business won't ever stand up for itself (until it outsources without warning at the last minute!), students have no chance at all. Kids now know that they can't get away with the rebelliousness of earlier, more prosperous times.
It's not a money problem. Corporations have massive marketing and media and PR and lobbying budgets. They just lack SPINES.
You've got to factor in a far more sinister and nefarious element into the equation than mere "buddy buddy" relationships - drugging.
ReplyDeleteThe smarter kids, the ones with the extreme anti-authoritarian tendancies that end up leading all the weaker ones in rebellion, have no choice but to fake compliance/friendliness with their captors or get drugged into a stupor by shrinks.
I guarantee you that out there there's a large underbelly of kids that are as smart as hell and would love to rebel... but they can't as to do so would be tantamount to suicide.
But kids don't stay kids forever, they grow up - and when they do there will be hell to pay. There isn't a better education for becoming a ruthless, violent saboteur than being forced to lie, cheat and fake sincerity for a minimum of 12 years surrounded by people who constantly threaten to destroy your soul with forced consumption of psychiatric "medication"...
Hell, I can't think of anything else that such a system COULD produce!
You took all the words out of my mouth. I knew "education" and the current system was a racket but I couldn't articulate why for much of my life. I told Clarissa this the other week about how I was diagnosed with autism early in life and all and how I was able to overcome the most severe aspects of my condition, including the inability walk and limited speaking abilities for about the first 5 years of my life. I was able to progress so far that the elementary school teachers put me in a regular education classroom in the 5th grade where I took classes in ever since. The school wasted so much of my time trying to intervene in my class schedule throughout my high school years and put me in an "Integrated Algebra Strategies" course without taking in consideration of the poor track record my eighth grade math teacher had. I was able to prove them wrong and they took me out of the class in the 10th grade, but it still didn't stop them from putting me in a "study skills" class for the first two years of high school as well, which I had to have since the 6th grade, despite my ability to complete homework assignments independently without anyone telling me otherwise.
ReplyDeleteMy mother can attest to this fact. To this day, I still have mixed feelings towards education because along the way, I did meet legitimate teachers and paraprofessionals that actually cared about the students they taught and a couple of more conservative teachers who taught courses like AP Government. After all, this is Georgia we're talking about. For the majority of my high school tenure, I was battling so much damn red tape. Even signing up for a class like AP World History ended up being a struggle because certain bureaucrats at the school didn't think I'd be capable of such a class because of my "condition," yet I was also able to prove them wrong by earning a B average in the class and scoring my first 5 on an AP exam. These certain bureaucrats also berated me heavily during my senior year when I had one of the hardest schedules I ever had with the new course schedules the state of Georgia had required that students take (earth systems, anatomy and physiology, forensics, and biotechnology) for the new science requirement, which I also thought was a scam because none of those courses have anything to do with balancing a checkbook or what not. I even emailed a few of my teachers with a proposal that would have revamped the current system of taking AP Government and AP Macroeconomics in two separate semesters by expanding both courses to two semesters and adding AP Microeconomics as a course. I don't believe they implemented my suggestion, most likely due to the curriculum requirements of the county and state.
One thing that did make my happy is that when my SSI benefits were (and temporarily still are) taken away and I got to see the reasons why this had been done, I noticed that they said that even though I am autistic, they looked at the records that my doctor and former high school sent them and saw that despite of my condition, I am still able to cognitively function and think normally like everyone else and some other reasons that I can't remember exactly from the top of my head. That has ended up being one of my greatest triumphs in life.
Sadly, at my heavy opposition, I might have to get reevaluated so I am reeligible to continue receiving these "benefits" because of what has been going on with having to move out of this house and some car payments that my mother still has to make among other things. I've never really been able to use much of this money as it has always gone towards paying bills and such and my mother said this would be temporarily until I start to work. Ugh.
Do you think I'm a true "rebel" for being able to think this way and question what my elders and the media have been shoving down my throat for the past 18 years or to be a defender of the ideals of common sense?
Alex P. Keaton was a true rebel. He still is, more than ever.
ReplyDeleteFrancois
This probably explains the growing number of sex scandals occurring in schools, especially between male students and female teachers.
ReplyDeleteFrom my memory the teacher/student alliance began in 1993.
ReplyDeletekids want good grades
ReplyDeleteteachers want to give good grades because of performance related pay / bonus. and they look good as teachers when they produce classes full of 'high-achievers'
why would they be anything but bestest-buddies?
I mean, clearly, the kids get screwed over in the long term because they don't know as much as they should, or claim...but the teacher has already trousered the cash (more likely handbagged the cash, come to think of it)
One difference between the Captain's day and the present is the existence of social media whereby students can destroy a teacher's reputation with impunity. The BFF approach is in part a survival strategy devised to help teachers mitigate this threat. A teacher's reputation is only one tweet away from ruin and most teachers are very much aware of this.
ReplyDeleteI'm not saying it's right but we all have to contend with this brave new world.
It's also a very lonely world for those of us who do teach, know what we're talking about, and try to give our students real-life solutions to the economic ills/status-quo government.
ReplyDeleteSo many kids, including myself in college, used to be afraid because it was a type of social and academic suicide to out yourself as a conservative. It wasn't until I was in graduate school that I felt comfortable enough in my standing to start fighting back. Mind you, I graduated at the top of my class in both my undergrad and grad programs, which I'm sure was salt in the wounds of my liberal professors.
Those arguments were bloody and I stood alone during every discussion. Today, it's a little different. It really inspiring how outspoken many conservative students are becoming. They also have a greater understanding of what's going on and their arguments have substance, as opposed from something parroted from Jon Stewart or Rachel Maddow. BARF.
Be patient, Captain. There are MANY people in their 20s and younger who see what's going on and are eager to change the world. Those of us who get it are really pissed off because it seems we're disproportionately saddled with the burdens of this declining economy and society.
Roberto, as someone with "Asperger's" or just generally awkward social skills, I can say my best theory on autism is that it's like wisdom teeth. You have excess teeth because cave men were expected to lose or grind down a few in a hard life. Autism is like excess brain cells. You overthink too much.
ReplyDeleteOnce you get into more parties (and booze), greasy bar food, fights, crazy ex's, and general life experience, you kill off the slower brain cells and normalize later in life. It's a quirk of civilization.
It is people like Roberto that make me feel like America is worth fighting for. Maybe I am too young but I do not embrace the "enjoy the decline" mentality. I don't think Roberto should either.
ReplyDeleteI want to be a CPA, then I am going to be a CPA. I am going to be what I want to be and who I want to be.
Yep. As their BFFs they're much better at indoctrinating the kids to love big government:
ReplyDeletehttp://dailycaller.com/2012/11/28/majority-of-young-voters-wants-bigger-government/?print=1
You've really hit on something with this post. In the sixties, Baby Boomers viewed most of their teachers (and most politicians) as the enemy, which is as it should be. Youth should rebel against their elders--isn't that the whole point of being young?
ReplyDeleteWe Boomers may have been total idiots, but at least when we were young we were actually rebelling against an establishment that was very real and clearly dysfunctional.
Now most students follow their teachers in total lockstep. If the young are too clueless to rebel against an establishment that is clearly much more dysfunctional than the one we Boomers inherited, then what hope is there for future change?
America really is doomed.
But today, the great majority of students
Armstrong and Miller (the British comedians) have been pursuing this theme for some time now.
ReplyDeleteWorth a look (there's a bunch of clips on Youtube).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLb7tOl-pHc&feature=bf_prev&list=PLE77ED09F9874FA10
Perhaps the young don't rebel because if they say "the wrong thing," it always runs the risk of being posted everywhere on Facebook where employers, being the tight-knit community that they tend to be, then subsequently black list the said individual.
ReplyDeleteThey play along with education for much the same reasons; employers utilize "screening devices" that cancel out any candidate for employment if there isn’t the right series of letters in front of their names.
So the young don't play along to "fit in," nor for politics, nor because they think it's cool to be friends with the teacher. They conform due to genuine fear.
We don't have freedom of speech in this society. The fact of the matter is if you say one tongue slip that goes against the herd, and it's then posted in a public sphere online - you can run the risk of being permanently unemployable.
I dream of one day becoming rich, not because I care for the material possessions or because I’m a capitalist, it’s the only way I can truly achieve freedom of speech. If I didn’t have to worry about having a job to survive, there is no limit as to how far I would go. . . I have A LOT tucked in my mind I want unleashed upon this world.
Who are the college republicans or college libertarians ?
ReplyDeleteNot from US, but would be nice to talk about it in next posts.
Who are the college republicans or college libertarians ?
ReplyDeleteNot from US, but would be nice to talk about it in next posts.
I hate to admit it,but you're right. At some point, probably around 2002,things changed in such a way that in order to be a rebel you had to do the opposite of what James Dean,et.al., did to be a rebel.
ReplyDeleteNow,being a capitalist, or traditionalist, or self-sufficient individualist (non-welfare recipient) is about as "on the edge" as being a satanist punk rocker was in times past.
Our culture has been pulled completely inside-out. We have crossed the fucking rubicon.
Capitalism breeds conformity and stupidity, so of course it will require idiot students and myopic teachers.
ReplyDeleteI'm about to graduate high school and you've got about everything right in this post, although I'd say the figure is closer to %99. It's really sad to actually hear some teachers on campus say "The only reason communism works is because of greed" or "It looks great on paper!". Although I do have a good relationship with my econ teacher who is a kenyesian, I've pointed out the fallacies and I've gotten him to concede that I was right that felt awesome! The only signs of intelligence I see are from fellow libertarians or conservative peers.
ReplyDelete