Carrol strikes me as not especially into flying the banner of 'faux populism' as a substitute for radical left activity -- I mean, srsly, Carrol = Baffler? WTF? nor does he strike me as someone who thinks that the masses do not have any pathologies systematically created by capitalism.
My guess is that his view is much like mine: who gives a shit? What changes once you find out, that, OMIGOD! colleges don't produce critical thinking skills because Capital doesn't want us smart enough to figure out we are enchained.
r u fuckinnnnnn kiddddinggggg meeeee??????
As Lt Ripley said, "Have IQs dropped sharply since I've been away?"
IOW, this is news to anyone? of course not. so, this discussion is irrelevant for telling us what we need to do to address the problem, yes? we already know the enemy is capitalism. this data point does nothing to change how we go about it. (there's an answer to my provocation, but why make it so damn easy. Rigor requires working for it, damn it.)
As a personal issue, sure: worrying about Ivan's education and whether it will be rigorous enough for your standards is pretty normal for us, mostly members of the PeeEmmCee. But it's not like no one already knew that we have shitty schools, that they are credential mills and have been for a long time, because George Bush sure as shit didn't learn critical thinking skills at Harvard and neither did Facebook's Winklevii twins. And if y'all really think, with zero evidence, that things have changed that drastically then, really now, you know the answer: the adaptations of capitalism.
Also, what Charles describes is functionalist explanation: ruling class is threatened by X; ruling class, therefore, stamps out X <-- wow, rilly? it's that simple? fuckmedead.
If Charles is right, then since the entire planet is run by capital, it's a fucking problem everywhere.
But the subtext to this discussion is that, Oh! Noes! It's happening here, in the u.s.of.a. and somehow we are unique and magic and special and it shouldn't happen here.
well, why the hell shouldn't it happen here? why shouldn't the u.s.of.a be the place where critical thinking skills. reading, etc.
If y'all agree with this, great. It might be that there is something exciting and thrilling about pissing and moaning in a corner about the state of the world, depressing yourselves about how it's so hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhharrrrrrrrrrrrd for lefties to change the world because, not only is capital against us, but capital produces a working class against us too.
yeah, and?
and Carrol is the depressive? LOL
-- http://cleandraws.com Wear Clean Draws ('coz there's 5 million ways to kill a CEO)