Lots of folks are clamoring for "change." Some are still bent on "Hope and Change," while others want to "change" back to before this huge government morass. Oh, we talk the talk, but when it comes to walking the walk, we're lacking somehow. I'm not sure why.
I think I wrote to someone the other day about the "woosification of America." We've been taught not to be confrontational. Schools claim they teach "critical thinking," but I think they don't. They are far too concerned with test scores rather than any type of thinking. They certainly don't encourage any thinking that isn't establishment thinking, that is, the right thinking of the education-types. Schools can't handle thinking that isn't their own. So, people can challenge the power structure, but when faced with real change, they back down. They have been taught to do so. "Let's not point fingers." "Let's move on." "Let's not cast blame." (All foolishness--all this does is allow people to do things for which they are never accountable.) Besides, to get ahead we've been taught (through actions, if not words) to go along, not to really question those who can give us promotions, grades, etc., no matter how silly they act.
Schools also teach that "feeling" is the equivalent of "thinking." It isn't, yet students write papers which cannot be "wrong" because it's how they feel. Their opinions can't be "wrong." Try this one on them: What if one thinks Hitler should be "St. Adolf?" Well, if it's someone's opinion, it holds that this is a truth.
Perhaps, too, we are too involved with things that don't matter. What's more important in people's lives than American Idol, the Super Bowl, etc.? Not much. Go ahead, try to engage someone(s) into a meaningful conversation and see how long it takes to deteriorate into, say, the latest television shows. (OK, I fully realize the importance of digressions and distractions. Yes, they are important. But they shouldn't dominate our lives, our thinking, etc.) So, while many mouth the word "Change," they don't have time for it. These diversions get in the way.
Here's something from David Brooks: "Very few people have the genius to come up with a comprehensive and rigorous worldview" to actually envision and enact change. How right he is. And that, again, is a direct product of our education or lack of it. People have their "opinions" based on very little; so when they are challenged by reasoned opposition, they inevitably give up. In a way, Brooks calls such an opinion "a feeble spasm."
Students have not been exposed to "great ideas," deep thinking of past philosophers. There are a variety of reasons for that--the poor quality of far too many teachers and the weak education they received en route to their "certification," the idea that these deep thinkers were merely old white men, the obsession with tests, etc. People, then, want change, but have no viable alternative to fill the gap. They have no idea of a replacement.
Note, not the Tea Parties, but the Occupy Wall Street protesters. Listen to them. They want "change," but it seems all they really want is to change some people's wealth to them. They just babble on, rambling about nothing but envy of others.
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2 comments:
I completely agree about the "woosification of America" and how that has been influenced by the education system. I tend to think the schools still had some merits when I went through but I can clearly see that some fellow graduates seem to have gone to a different school. I had an exchange with a fellow graduate in which her final comment was "Why would somebody post something on the internet that wasn't true?" I thought we all were getting out of MHS with a certain level of critical thinking abilities but I guess not.
I do have to take issue with your broad characterization of all Occupy protestors as envious people just wanting other people's money. There were many protestors who were very clear on the message that they were protesting the unlimited corporate and union money in our election process that is subverting our democracy. I think that should be a very valid concern to just about everyone regardless of political persuasion. Here's a guy who's saying exactly that:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4YF12USoEg&feature=related
Now Obama is breaking his promise (again) going the SuperPAC route and we go even further away from having elections that aren't seriously influenced by nameless and faceless organizations.
Well, my view is that "unlimited corporate and union money" never forced me to vote for any particular candidate nor for any particular issue. Perhaps our "democracy" would be better served by lists of who gets how much money (and from whom) and then we all vote for someone else. At the least, it would be great to laugh at the big donors who just wasted their money!
Yeah, I realize some, but I'd guess not a majority, of the Occupiers are not the "enviers." I likely shouldn't generalize quite so much. But I do firmly believe that envy is behind much of the movement. Many of them are being manipulated by others taking advantage of the envy factor. It's a logical product of the "I, Me, Mine" philosophy that seems to have pervaded much of society over the past few decades.
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