> snip
>
> I have always tried not to an elitist academic. I seldom lose my temper
> and I always treat students with respect. I am not telling you these
> things as a joke or to make fun of students. But it seems to me that
> capitalism has succeeded rather well in preparing young people to
> believe just about anything and not to know how to analyze anything.
>
>
Mike,
I think your analysis is right on the mark about what has happened to students. I don't know where you teach, but KPFK just had Jonathan Kozol on the radio and he was talking about what poor conditions exist in so many schools across the nation. He said when all schools provide for their students like Beverly Hills High school that would be a mark of progress. I'm not so sure. I visited Beverly Hills High school when my daughter was school age and the kids there seemed about as disinterested in learning as y ou describe in your email.
But, then it seems that the majority of adults in Los Angeles are "clueless" too. Maybe I've been living here too long???
Marta Russell