To answer your question: the author, John Taylor Gatto is mainly talking about the American system of public compulsery schooling. However he traces its history back to Prussia in the 19th century and shows how the principles behind it have been adopted by most if not all the countries of the West (thus the French and British too), in their desire to create a proletariat class that would make up the overwhelming majority of the population. Their purpose was to create a class of people who, above all would learn to obey “experts” without thinking (thus eradicating their ability to think for themselves) and who would become unquestioning consumers in the then new industrial societies being formed. While only, I believe, 5% of the population would be allowed to receive a higher quality education where in contrast, would learn among many other things, the ability to think for themselves, which would turn them into the ruling class of their respective societies. It was all part of the scientific management of the masses which, by the 19th century, technology made possible on a national and now international scale. It was reasoned that what people would lose in freedom they would gain in security (where have we heard this before lately?). They would become captives without realizing it and loving their captivity. The system worked and still works beyond their wildest expectations, but like a parasite, it has been playing a big role in many of today’s problems. All of this is expounded in his book: The Underground History of American Education, but a lot of it can apply just as well to Canada, the UK, and other western countries.
Thank you again for your thoughts, Maha. You never cease to force us to think.

So true and sad and hilarious, ya BB!!
Ugh. Eww. Ick. There is so much stupid in this world.

Kent – Which educational system? British / French / North American? (I believe those are the three leaders; my preference is the French one cus they teach you all about history of oppression and civil liberties).
I agree; part of the problem is that KIDS THESE DAYS don’t read anything anymore.
When I have children, I am doing what my momma did for me; only 30 minutes of TV a day (which I had to bank to watch a movie), the rest was spent playing and going to museums and being creative.
No internets until my kids turn 32. For real.

Michelle – Laughed out loud at your comment. Love that your first sentence requires brain power to be understood (YOU IS A SMARTY PANTS) and then it’s followed up with: “But the shit you speak of?”
I have missed you. *Sigh*.

xox m

Expression can take advantage of the medium it flows through and manipulate it, and I can appreciate that (a lot of e. e. cummings and the like is completely lost when slapped up on a website).

But the shit you speak of?

I’m with you on this one.

In describing why so many young people (and adults) are writing like this, someone pointed out that this was the legacy of the MTV generation. Whoever this person was, he or she was only partially correct. I’ve been reading a series of interesting books where the author explains that the roots of this problem go back to the 19th century and the educational system that evolved from it. A system of education that, according to the author, works extremely well at what it was designed to do, and what it was designed to do is not what most of us have been led to believe, but I digress.
This is not to absolve anyone, of course, since learning to read and write properly really isn’t that hard. Bottom line is, people write this way because very few people read anymore. Reading and writing go hand in hand, and in order to read, one has to have a real love of learning that goes way beyond our modern utilitarian (and therefore short sighted view) of what a real education is all about.
Cheers.

Kids these days!
Steve