Quote:
Originally Posted by coberst
Public policy is to restrict the view of citizens to those matters that will best enhance GDP. GDP is not enhanced by independent critical thinking citizens.
William Graham Sumner, a distinguished anthropologist states the ideal:
“The critical habit of thought, if usual in a society, will pervade its entire mores, because it is a way of taking up the problems of life.”
Just as a critical habit of thought pervades the entire mores of a society so does a naive habit of thought pervade the mores of a society.
Quickie from wiki: “Blinders, also known as blinkers or winkers, are a piece of horse tack that restricts the horse's vision to the rear and, in some cases, to the side. They usually are made of leather or plastic cups that are placed on either side of the eyes, either attached to a bridle or to an independent hood. Many racehorse trainers believe this keeps the horse focused on what is in front of him, encouraging him to pay attention to the race rather than other distractions, such as crowds. Additionally, blinkers (then usually known as winkers) are commonly seen on driving horses, to keep them from being distracted or spooked, especially on crowded city streets. A “set of winkers” can refer to the whole bridle, particularly the heavy bridle used on draft horses.”
Our culture and its associated educational system prepare young people for the work place so that as they reach adulthood they can easily assimilate into a work force that will help to maximize production and consumption, i.e. they will help maximize GDP. Our educational system graduates young people with a “set of winkers” sturdily attached to the cultural tack that will restrict the individual’s intellectual vision to those personal and community activities that will best enhance national GDP.
As a result our citizens are not prepared to deal with the complexities that result from our ingeniously developed high tech culture.
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The culture of the US is that 'We the GREATEST country ever, but you're so, so screwed if you try to leave.' They don't educate us like the rest of the world (who, by the way, can be considered 'more intelligent'.) They make it nearly impossible for someone to transfer countries - try moving to England with your license. Get a new one, apparently. Your Bachelor's degree? Not really as high as it is in the States.
We really should be able to 'Europeanise' the states - not government-wise, necessarily, but education-wise. It's the GDP that believes that the power of ONE EFFING NATION overrules the power of like TWENTY.
