School Sucks: Higher Education For Self-Liberation
Summary: We need 150 monthly subscribers! If you are employed and you listen to the show and enjoy the videos, please consider making a commitment of $6.00 per month, or about $.20 per day. When we launch the new site, you have access to a bonus content section that will be updated weekly. Please click here to sign up. $6.00/Month Subscribe! You can help the show grow by committing to one of these monthly subscription levels (demonstrating how inflation affects the price of another source of knowledge). It is greatly appreciated! A New Book!(in 1960) $3/ mo A New Book! (in 1972) $6/mo A New Book! (in 1981) $9/mo A New Book! (in 1995) $15/mo A New Book! (Today) $25/mo Angel Investor $999.99/mo Contact Brett, leave comments and view shows by series: schoolsucksproject.com In my 10+ years of teaching, "school sucks" is perhaps the most common phrase I've heard students use to describe their feelings about public education. But this seemingly bitter and reductive slogan is actually quite clever. When taken literally, "school sucks" is perhaps the most accurate and astute synopsis of the system I've ever heard. Here's why... 1. The twelve-year process of an American public education has a dramatic effect on the mind of a child. When we first enter school at age six, many of our best personal attributes are already in place. We are curious, innovative, unique, creative and hopeful in ways that we will rarely be able to replicate throughout the rest of our lives. But over time, school sucks those essential attributes out of too many of us...and replaces them with predictability, obedience and apathy. 2. The public school system sucks off the productive capacity of hard-working people. The system is coercively funded through taxation. In other words, whether public education succeeds or fails (spoiler alert: it fails) at providing real education to the public, the cost goes up every year. There are no refunds. The END of Public Education? 1. END: It's over, irrelevant, useless, needs to be done away with. Does more harm than good. 2. END: (As in means to an end) We'll also explore the true intentions behind the system, which have very little to do with real education. There is substantial evidence that its failure to educate is no accident. Above all, this is a show about what one might do about these problems...
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ABOVE: Unlike BF Skinner's "box", used for the operant conditioning of rats, government school does have a way out. Jack is a fourteen-year-old who left government school to educate himself. We discuss the advantages of unschooling, talking to parents about school and politics, and public perception of home schoolers. Jack shares his story about the realizations that led to his decision to leave school, how he approached his parents, and what has happened since he withdrew. Please visit schoolsucksproject.com for full show notes, references and links.
ABOVE: Unlike BF Skinner's "box", used for the operant conditioning of rats, government school does have a way out. Jack is a fourteen-year-old who left government school to educate himself. We discuss the advantages of unschooling, talking to parents about school and politics, and public perception of home schoolers. Jack shares his story about the realizations that led to his decision to leave school, how he approached his parents, and what has happened since he withdrew. Please visit schoolsucksproject.com for full show notes, references and links.
Some additional content from my discussion with Ian Freeman of Free Talk Live, edited out of Episode 15. We cover the Free State Project, Keene, activism for liberty, and the return-on-investment of political action and civil disobedience. Most importantly, we discuss the combination of action and an educational message. Please visit schoolsucksproject.com for full show notes, references and links.
Some additional content from my discussion with Ian Freeman of Free Talk Live, edited out of Episode 15. We cover the Free State Project, Keene, activism for liberty, and the return-on-investment of political action and civil disobedience. Most importantly, we discuss the combination of action and an educational message. Please visit schoolsucksproject.com for full show notes, references and links.
Critical Thinking Question: What would you think if you saw an arsonist running back to the scene of their crime moments later...with a fire hose? Topic: Ian Freeman of Free Talk Live joins me to address the myth that government solves problems. We explore the phenomenon of unintended consequences, using the so-called 'war on drugs' as a case study. The Formula: ...the use of force leads to perverse unintended consequence leads to new problem leads to demand for government action leads to the use of force leads to perverse unintended consequence leads to new problem leads to demand for government action leads to the use of force leads to perverse unintended consequence leads to new problem leads to demand for government action leads to the use of force leads to perverse unintended consequence leads to new problem leads to demand for government action leads to...(repeat ad infinitum?) Please visit schoolsucksproject.com for full show notes, references and links.
Critical Thinking Question: What would you think if you saw an arsonist running back to the scene of their crime moments later...with a fire hose? Topic: Ian Freeman of Free Talk Live joins me to address the myth that government solves problems. We explore the phenomenon of unintended consequences, using the so-called 'war on drugs' as a case study. The Formula: ...the use of force leads to perverse unintended consequence leads to new problem leads to demand for government action leads to the use of force leads to perverse unintended consequence leads to new problem leads to demand for government action leads to the use of force leads to perverse unintended consequence leads to new problem leads to demand for government action leads to the use of force leads to perverse unintended consequence leads to new problem leads to demand for government action leads to...(repeat ad infinitum?) Please visit schoolsucksproject.com for full show notes, references and links.
Critical Thinking Question: You know that light at the end of the tunnel that political leaders are always pointing at... Telling us to be hopeful about... Directing us to follow them in that direction... What if that distant illumination is actually the headlight on a big, dirty oncoming train with no brakes? Topic: A continuation of the previous topic. Gardner Goldsmith (Liberty Conspiracy) and I switch from the legend of Abraham Lincoln to the legend of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. We talk mostly about WWII, but I've included some additional audio covering the New Deal and Social Security - the lasting effect and current implications of FDR's policies. Please visit schoolsucksproject.com for full show notes, references and links.
Critical Thinking Question: You know that light at the end of the tunnel that political leaders are always pointing at... Telling us to be hopeful about... Directing us to follow them in that direction... What if that distant illumination is actually the headlight on a big, dirty oncoming train with no brakes? Topic: A continuation of the previous topic. Gardner Goldsmith (Liberty Conspiracy) and I switch from the legend of Abraham Lincoln to the legend of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. We talk mostly about WWII, but I've included some additional audio covering the New Deal and Social Security - the lasting effect and current implications of FDR's policies. Please visit schoolsucksproject.com for full show notes, references and links.
Critical Thinking Question: How compelling could a mythology be if it didn't have any gods? Topic: Honestly, Abe...aggression doesn't solve problems. The truth about the greatest American (government school) hero. Gardner Goldsmith of Liberty Conspiracy Podcast joins me for this discussion. Please visit schoolsucksproject.com for full show notes, references and links.
Critical Thinking Question: How compelling could a mythology be if it didn't have any gods? Topic: Honestly, Abe...aggression doesn't solve problems. The truth about the greatest American (government school) hero. Gardner Goldsmith of Liberty Conspiracy Podcast joins me for this discussion. Please visit schoolsucksproject.com for full show notes, references and links.
Critical Thinking Question: How does the supposed mistreatment of a piece of cloth by the owner of said piece of cloth become a more serious offense than the violation of the property rights of the owner of this cloth? Topic: The Pledge of allegiance. Enough said. IDOL 1. An image used as an object of worship. A false god. 2. One that is adored, often blindly or excessively. 3. Something visible but without substance. [Middle English, from Old French idole, from Late Latin dlum, from Greek eidlon, phantom, idol, from eidos, form; see weid- in Indo-European roots.] Please visit schoolsucksproject.com for full show notes, references and links.
Critical Thinking Question: How does the supposed mistreatment of a piece of cloth by the owner of said piece of cloth become a more serious offense than the violation of the property rights of the owner of this cloth? Topic: The Pledge of allegiance. Enough said. IDOL 1. An image used as an object of worship. A false god. 2. One that is adored, often blindly or excessively. 3. Something visible but without substance. [Middle English, from Old French idole, from Late Latin dlum, from Greek eidlon, phantom, idol, from eidos, form; see weid- in Indo-European roots.] Please visit schoolsucksproject.com for full show notes, references and links.
FOREGROUND: The State BACKGROUND: The Future (American History F-ed #2) The second installment in a series of shows about government school's history curriculum. We'll explore the lies, myths, omissions and distortions used to indoctrinate blind patriotism (aka nationalism aka mysticism). Critical Thinking Question: In school we are led to believe that we are all living in someone's ideal vision of what society should be... But who's vision is it? And what were their ideals? And all things considered, does this even matter? Topic: Truth, justice, and the American way... What is this way? Where does it come from? And where does it lead? The dreaded America/Third Reich...Bush/Hitler...Obama/Hitler comparisons. Please visit schoolsucksproject.com for full show notes, references and links.
FOREGROUND: The State BACKGROUND: The Future (American History F-ed #2) The second installment in a series of shows about government school's history curriculum. We'll explore the lies, myths, omissions and distortions used to indoctrinate blind patriotism (aka nationalism aka mysticism). Critical Thinking Question: In school we are led to believe that we are all living in someone's ideal vision of what society should be... But who's vision is it? And what were their ideals? And all things considered, does this even matter? Topic: Truth, justice, and the American way... What is this way? Where does it come from? And where does it lead? The dreaded America/Third Reich...Bush/Hitler...Obama/Hitler comparisons. Please visit schoolsucksproject.com for full show notes, references and links.
ABOVE: Not the easiest place to look for those who have hidden their identity behind nationalism, bigotry and mysticism An introduction to a series of shows about government school's history curriculum. We'll explore the lies, myths, omissions and distortions used to indoctrinate blind patriotism (aka nationalism aka mysticism). Topic: The purpose of the American History curriculum in government school SEEMS to be two-fold: 1. Build up a mythology about America and government when we're most impressionable (Grades 1-6) 2. Make history seem so boring and pointless that we never want to learn anything else about it again (Grades 7-12) Please visit the website for full show notes, references and links.
