Here is an article, entitled Capitalism vs. education: Why our free-market obsession is wrecking the future that I dredged up from the bottom of the internet known as Salon.com. Written by Eric Levitz, the article takes issue with Barack Obama’s 2014 State of The Union Address and how the phrase “income inequality” was scrapped from initial drafts and replaced with an emphasis on “ladders of opportunity”. Levitz’s grievance is that Obama didn’t call for “radical income distribution or a proposal for aggressive government hiring”, but instead spoke about social mobility and the need to improve education. For once, I will have to defend Obama. American students have much lower test scores than most other developed countries (especially in math)[1] and Obama’s suggestion that this needs to improve is backed by good sense. After all, how are Americans supposed to compete internationally if their math and science skills are so poor compared to those of people in China or Korea? If the goal is to reduce inequality, then the need for better education seems obvious. Levitz references David Blacker’s book The Falling Rate of Learning and the Neoliberal Endgame, which essentially argues that education reform should not be attempted since he believes it’s too ingrained in capitalism. Levitz writes,
“His book
advises activists to adopt an attitude of fatalism. In his narrative, hope is
found in the fact that even neoliberal capitalism is helplessly constrained by
a system larger than itself, namely that of the environment. The task for the
left then, is to prepare, psychologically and experimentally, for inevitable
collapse.”
I hope I am not alone in my opinion that this is a disgusting
and reprehensible point of view. If David Blacker truly thought that there was
a structural problem in the education system then it would be irresponsible of
him to be so indifferent to it. Even though his arguments amount to little more
than baseless conspiracy theories, they reflect the sinister mentality that
underlines all socialist doctrine, namely, that socialists would rather see the
world destroyed if they cannot impose their system of beliefs on others. His is
the attitude of a spoiled brat who throws a tantrum when he fails to get his
way. This fatalist attitude only demonstrates that people like Blacker and
Levitz don’t care about the well-being of the country as much as they care
about peddling their sick, weakling beliefs. This becomes more apparent later
in the article when Blacker writes that his goals for education reform include:
“unionization, desegregation, and inclusion.” These are vague terms when used
in this context, but one can see that what Blacker means is that he wants to
warp curriculums to a socialist view of the world. The goal of education is to
equip children with the knowledge and skills to become successful in life.
Indoctrinating children with Marxian jargon will certainly not provide them
with a sufficient education and I for one am glad that our current education
system does not cater to Blacker’s vision.
Capitalism is the most compassionate and ethical economic
platform there is. When Obama chose to emphasize practical initiatives like
education reform, instead of pandering to bitter politics of class division and
envy of the rich, he was extolling the value of capitalism rather than whiny
entitlement. The United States was a country founded on the principle that any
individual can improve their status through effort and cultivation of his
talents, a principle that remains true to this day. Raising the standard of
education and improving math and science skills will make more young people
self-sufficient so they can meet the demands of today’s economy. Eric Levitz
and David Blacker do not want anyone to have this freedom to succeed. If they
had their way, individuals would become the property of the state, to be
utilized and disposed of at whim. It's nonsense like this article that makes me
wonder whether Salon.com’s readership haven’t all been lobotomized with
icepicks yet.
[1] http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/12/american-schools-vs-the-world-expensive-unequal-bad-at-math/281983/
