Directly, and with no indication of why I was asking or what answers I was looking for, I asked 3 classrooms of 4th graders to answer the following question, which was given to them on a placard:
What Word Best Describes This Person?
"I'm going to try to make and sell as many skateboards as possible this month. The kids will want to buy them in time for the warm weather, and I want to make as much profit as possible."
The question was given in 3 different schools, their answers offered in private, not with a show of hands for example, but handwritten.
A. hardworking
B. greedy
C. smart
Six students said hard-working, thirty-eight said greedy and fourteen said smart. Even though the responses were biased, offering the negative as a singular choice, a large majority chose 'greedy.'
This is one small example in a career of related experiences. This is also a subjective question, a characterization. When combined with the lack of formal economic education in our schools, and the inability for news presenters and journalists to pass Economics 101, it leads to a 21st century American electorate woefully illprepared to listen to policy recommendations by politicians.
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teacher (he told us when introducing the classroom changes) called "cooperative learning"
Our desks were pushed together in groups of five or six and we were told from then on that we'd be graded "as a group". We had to write a paper as a group. We were told that our grade was based on how well we "participated together" as well as the content. Meaning if we turned in absolute drivel but all got along well doing it we might be graded at the same level as a bunch of individualists who didn't produce a consensus.
The experiment was such a drain and degenerated into mindless chatter -- also we progressed at the pace of the slowest.
Anyhow, I do think there is a Dr. Evil. He or she would be the branch of government involved in teacher indoctriantion -- er, certification. This is a top down approach that assures that all potential teachers sign on to the teaching fashion of the day before they're recgnized as educators by the state.
You don't need an official, documented conspiracy to spread Socialist thinking in these programs. Just someone at the top who leans a certain way, others who follow, and others who find that contrary opinions fall on deaf ears and that they are not promoted when they operate from a different viewpoint. Soon enough, everyone's in line, and the dissenters are headed for a career in the private sector.
It works the same way with crime. For example when a President is viewed as a lawbreaker, crime rates across the country skyrocket. Not because he issued instructions --- but because a certain attitude is conveyed that spreads throughout society.
"You don't need an official, documented conspiracy to spread Socialist thinking in these programs. Just someone at the top who leans a certain way, others who follow, and others who find that contrary opinions fall on deaf ears and that they are not promoted when they operate from a different viewpoint. Soon enough, everyone's in line, and the dissenters are headed for a career in the private sector."
I see the dreaded Council on Foreign Relations the same way. I have no firsthand knowledge, but I tend to believe that it is more likely that this group is completely imbued with the socialist mindset, and that when senior members of the group say something you get 3,000 heads nodding and any dissent is frowned upon, and pretty soon its on national news and an official story is created. No one outside of the most powerful inner circle wants to be seen as "not getting it" or "not with the program," so whatever David Rockefeller thinks is right, for example, Tom Brokaw thinks is right. Then, 150 million people think its right.
Tom Mullen
www.tommullen.net
www.myspace.com/skepticsongs
things are reinforced passive aggressively. Maybe if you disagree your invitation to the next dinner gets lost in the mail
It's all in the way you ask the question. Just like pollsters can get 2 different answers out of the same person if they just phrase the question differently.
Try putting the emphasis on greed "I want to make as much profit as possible" in the first part and the emphasis on smart or hardworking at the end and I guarantee a significantly different outcome.
So the experiment doesn't bother or concern me.
If the phrase "to make as much profit as possible" was left out, then the greed # would be nonexistant. It should be understood (with out having to explicitly say so) that this skateboard maker is looking to make a profit. OF COURSE HE IS. Otherwise he would not be a businessman, he would be a non profit organization providing skateboards to the needy.
The problem lies in the phrasing of the question, not the 4th graders perception.
is too often the default position for a young person, formal, secondary, economic education is that much more important.
Lack of understanding of basic free-market economics is one of the key energy sources that fuels the Matrix this site refers to.
I happened upon an anecdote on a website some months ago that related how the author had discovered that the story of the Little Red Hen was being reinterpreted with the Little Red Hen as the villian. Originally, the Little Red Hen goes around the barnyard asking the other animals to help her bake some bread. When they all refuse, the Hen does all of the work herself. When the animals smell the food, they all want some of the bread, but the little Red Hen refuses to give them any because they had an opportunity to help make it, but chose not to do any of the work.
As the author related it, the Little Red Hen used to be the hero, demonstrating the principle that you must earn the bread that you eat. However, the teacher in the classroom opened the discussion by asking why the Little Red Hen had been so selfish, etc.
I try to resist the "worldwide conspiracy" theories, but have a 2 year old daughter and sometimes start thinking crazy thoughts that she is going to be indoctrinated. The more I listen to the conspiracy people, the more right they sound (Mel Gibson said this when researching his movie, Conspiracy Theory, LOL).
I prefer to think of it in terms of the world being swept by a socialist intellectual revolution at the turn of the last century that has permeated every aspect of our society.
I'm not sure there is a difference, I guess.
What do you think? Conspiracy or just bad ideas that caught on? Is there a difference?
Tom Mullen
www.tommullen.net
www.myspace.com/skepticsongs
i doubt it that there's a dr. evil somewhere that sends out instructions to teachers on how they should interpret stories to give them a socialist twist.
the bottom line is kids always come home after school and it's up to the parent to set them straight when they've been mislead. besides, whatever kids are made to believe, if it's misguided in some way they will quickly drop that belief when presented with the truth.
the main problem, as RP put it, is that truth is not even given as an option. once again i'll give my own experience as an example. before i heard RP speak for no more than five minutes, i never knew, nor did i care about economics, politics, etc, and i've been put through college.
so i say, no worries about the socialist rambling as long as you get a chance to expose people to the simple and elegant ideas of individual freedom and responsibility.
That's great! I say that all of the time (there is no Dr. Evil).
The only problem is, I only believe it about 97%.
WHat do you think about this woman and her story? She's not exactly an obscure nutjob.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=DDyDtYy2I0M
Tom Mullen
www.tommullen.net
www.myspace.com/skepticsongs
i don't buy it.
take high school level for example, in what class would this indoctrination take place exactly? math? physics? english?
she makes it sound like your kids go to school and there, waiting, are teachers who are bent on turning the kids over to the dark side. i'm more concerned about what they put on the tube than in school. kids don't pay much attention in school anyways, but they sure pay attention to the tv.
also, i wouldn't dismiss the internet in a discussion about education, as it's a very powerful teaching instrument these days. it's getting harder and harder to bamboozle kids because of the net.
i think she's just trying to sell her book.
Ken brings up a good point. Charlotte is giving the book away. I noticed that as well as soon as I did a search on her, so she' s obviously not trying to make the free download hard to find. So the "sell her book" theory is out. Could it just be for the attention? Come up with something, swarelis, the conspiracy nuts have me again! :)
Tom Mullen
www.tommullen.net
www.myspace.com/skepticsongs
and you probably are. However, this woman is giving specific examples of what she was trained to do, how she did it, and what the purpose was. I believe she refers to the "indoctrination" starting much earlier than high school. I think little kids would be easy to influence, especially if you were a teacher that they liked. Then, when they get home from school and get a completely different story from their parents, they're completely confused, or argue with their parents.
I know it sounds crazy. Maybe we'll all laugh about this someday in our constitutinal utopia. LOL
Tom Mullen
www.tommullen.net
www.myspace.com/skepticsongs
Did a search and came across her whole book for free!... pdf form
http://www.deliberatedumbingdown.com/
across this while watching that video...
Don't know if any of you ever saw it.. This poor girl, I felt so bad for her... but at the same time I was lmao.
What a shame.... Then they dragged her onto the Today Show? so she could defend her stupidity.
classic.
this case reinforces nothing but the fact that (in most cases, not all) growing up looking super freaking hot, women will turn out not to know a whole lot.
Is she a nut? Bitter former employee? Senile? Or is she telling the truth?
Anyone who has info on her, please jump in!
Tom Mullen
www.tommullen.net
www.myspace.com/skepticsongs
some validity to what she is saying. Especially when it comes to the (some) schools becoming places of socialization and not learning (I'm getting this from the book). Whether or not this is a top down conspiracy of some type or just an issue of very bad educators wanting to just get everyone through the system.. I suppose you could make the case for both. From what I have gathered in a few moments I think she brings up some issues that every good parent should be aware of.
I'm all for homeschooling and maybe someday I'll be given the opportunity.
but you have to admit that David S makes a very good point. it's a little unreasonable to require a 4th grader to understand free-market economics.
1) Economic standards are a part of curriculum frameworks across the country, usually part of social studies. 1st graders differentiate between economic needs and wants for example, an ice cream cone vs. a warm sweater. 2nd graders learn concepts such as jobs and paychecks and government services such as . By 4th grade, natural, human and capital resources are to be covered, as well as profit. Though teachers often cover the concepts, they are themselves confused about economics, anti-capitalist, ill-equipped with text materials or all of the above.
2) Because profit is covered in 4th grade, and because the question is subjective, it is appropriate. The negative association with the pursuit of profit is a significant barrier.
Getting that result from 4th graders doesn't worry me. But I'd guess you would probably get the same result from college students. That would worry me!
It seems the skateboard maker is providing a convenient service to the children who want skateboards in time for warm weather. If we eliminated his profit he would be nothing more than a slave, and have zero incentive to make any skateboards at all, end result, the kids would either have to pay extra to get their skateboards from someone else less convenient or not have a skateboard at all. Its not like the skateboard maker is forcing anyone to buy his skateboards.
I wish public schools didn't have a monopoly on our education, especially when the education is socialist.
mean that you think monopolies may indeed exist?
Here's a pretty good read along these lines:
http://www.deliberatedumbingdown.com/pages/reviews4.html
Who doesn't want as much as possible for the least amount of effort (in time, resources, whatever). Combine that natural tendency with an economic landscape in which most people aren't their own boss (self-employed, owners), there is oftentimes a disconnect between effort put into work and reward - those who work at a large company well understand this.
So when many people don't see in their daily life the positive (non zero-sum) outcome of free enterprise, the benefit from the "selfish" pursuit of profit (which, when money is obtained not through force but through consent, requires those providing the good/service to meet the demands of the marketplace), but instead are immersed in a mixed market landscape where government keeps on taking from them while at the same time devaluing their money, and where individual talent is many times lost in large corporate interests, it is no wonder they are skeptical (to say the least) towards those who hold faith in the market and entrepreneurs who actually do see the rewards for their work. And that's just adults - when you take into consideration children who do not yet participate in the market, it's all just emotionalism. And modern liberalism is the outcome of emotional reaction to today's economic reality.
to get a good job (working for someone else). Not to think for ourselves or outside the box. Reward for obeying the rules; punishment for thinking on your own. When you are climbing the corporate ladder, there is always a big butt ahead of you, and they are looking at their friend's butt ahead of them!
"Draw THIS cat" Johnny drew a cat with a tree, green grass, a blue sky, and the sun. "NO, Johnny, I said to draw THIS cat". (Obey but do not create.) Soon, Johnny was only able to draw "THIS cat".
We should teach our children to discover their unique ability and sole purpose, and follow that for happiness. A job or career should not be sought for the money - it should be doing what comes naturally. We often see in others what that unique ability may be, but do not see it in ourselves. It is a great journey of discovery and once recognized, should be utilized to it's fullest extent.
Mentor and encourage our children to do what they love, to create value (become a Producer), and become prosperous by counting on themselves and their abilities. "Wealth is a product of man's capacity to think." Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged
Did Sister Theressa say to herself, "I want to grow up to be poor and live in poverty"? She followed her heart (sole purpose) and look at what she accomplished. Yet, she was poor and wealthy. She could ask for huge sums of money to assist her cause, and these needs would be honored.