[lbo-talk] School Debate: Central Focus

[c b]

At 11:42 AM 2/15/2012, Wojtek S wrote:
>Doug: "Also, none of the progressive education types I've interviewed
>on the radio, and I've interviewed many of the luminaries, want to
>talk about how American anti-intellectualism figures into the
>problem."
>
>[WS:] This is my impression too. Based on my experience, many of
>these progressive & liberal types with whom I rub elbows around here
>do not want to acknowledge the deeply embedded anti-intellectualism,
>it seems to offend their populist sensibilities ("the people" can do
>no wrong). Blaming schools and teachers seems like an acceptable
>cope-out to them - it is the school's fault, not the people's and
>their anti-intellectualism. On the rare occasions when I point this
>out, those progressive and liberal types get really defensive and
>upset, which tells me that it hits the weak spot. And many of them
>support the charter school approach too.
>
>Wojtek

^^^^^^^^^
CB: I think you guys are spot on concerning anti-intellectualism and
its inculcation in US Americans at the elementary and secondary level.

 Good students are called "nerds",  chastised by other students for
"raising the curve". It's envy , but more than envy.  I think US
"libertarianism/anarchism" or the bourgeois concept of liberty/freedom
has some determining effect here,  too; and inversely this is a main
site of that worldview being inculcated in Americans. "Question
authority !" , i.e. disobey the teacher, get out of homework. I really
want to say that the irrational hatred of teachers' unions that is now
rife in the US is significantly rooted in the ruling class
manipulating this "Bowery Boys' "cultural tradition among the US 99%.

Of course, the presumption that students are distributed over a normal
curve of intellectual ability sets this up, as well; it's
overdetermined ( lol).

Ultimately determining of the whole assault and disorganizing of the
public schools is the fact that the ruling class doesn't want large
numbers of the working class to be doing a lot of critical, analytical
and socio- historical thinking. The purpose of attacks on teachers ,
their unions, charter schools , vouchers and financial dictators with
no background in education running schools( in Detroit) is to lower
the level of thinking by the masses. Imagine if the vast majority of
working class youth graduated from high school ready for college and,
most of them or a large percentage couldn't afford it.