X of X. Sense and Consequence - Education, Censorship, and Hyphenation
This entry was posted on 3/4/2008 9:42 AM and is filed under uncategorized.
2 March 2008
X of X. Sense and Consequence - Education, Censorship, and Hyphenation
Currently, there are two overarching trends at odds with each other. There is the trend towards expanding the horizons and possibilities of potentiality and there is the countertrend towards closing doors to hope, education, and our future advancement. Don't believe me? Here are some real examples:
Expansion - Trend
1) Google recently announced the debut of "a free service designed for high-tech neophytes looking for a simple way to share information with other people working in the same company or attending the same class in school. With only a few clicks, just about anyone will be able to quickly set up and update a Web site featuring...pictures, calendars and video from Google Inc's YouTube subsidiary" (Michael Liedtke, "Google Unveils Tools to Set Up Web Sites," San Francisco Chronicle, 28 February 2008).
2) Interactive sites and iPods are making it easier to learn foreign languages, according to a recent article (Anne Eisenberg, "Languages less foreign, thanks to Internet," San Francisco Chronicle, 24 February 2008). In other words, through our electronic technologies, we are mediating an effective change to our learning abilities, especially as it pertains to languages. Whereas the best immersion for language learning is through direct contact and practice, e-technologies can mediate the same experience with successful results.
If only we could apply this to general education and to research and development...
3) International scientists headed by Harvard biologist, Edward O. Wilson, are working on building a Web site (Encyclopedia of Life) as an online Book of All Species (Carl Zimmer, "The Encyclopedia of Life, No Bookshelf Required," The New York Times, 26 February 2008). It is expected to include in excess of 1.77 million pages within the next decade.
Contraction - CounterTrend
1) "Parents at Woodin Elementary in Bothell are questioning why their neighborhood school with a growing enrollment and a successful English-Spanish immersion program has been slated for closure as the Northshore School District seeks ways to make up a $3.4 million budget deficit" (Lynn Thompson, "Parents question closure plan for Woodin Elementary in Bothell," The Seattle Times, 29 February 2008). If the plan goes through, about eight hundred (800) students at six (6) elementary schools will be reassigned. This disruption will result in a $700K savings.
2) "California State University East Bay has fired a math teacher after six weeks on the job because she inserted the word 'nonviolently' in her state-required Oath of Allegiance form" (Nanette Asimov, "Quaker teacher fired for changing loyalty oath," San Francisco Chronicle, 29 February 2008). Whereas school districts accepted her modifications, Cal State East Bay would not. The university's attorney, Eunice Chan, explained Cal State's reason: "Modifying the oath 'is very clearly not permissable'...'If she'd just sign the oath, the campus would have been more than willing to continue her employment.' " (Ahem, narrow-mindedness where such things have no place...)
3) "The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency, one of the nation's largest student loan operations, announced...it would suspend making federal-guaranteed loans starting early next month" (Jonathan D. Glater, "A Lender Halts U.S.-Backed Student Loans," The New York Times, 28 February 2008). Some of the factors going into this decision include: "Congress reduced subsidies to lenders in the federal-guaranteed student loan program. In addition, investors have recently shied away from purchasing securities backed by student loans, making it more costly for the lenders to raise the capital they need."
4) Recently, the New College of California has lost its accreditation, signaling its impending close and a loss for all its students (Tanya Schevitz, "Agency rescinds New College's accreditation," San Francisco Chronicle, 28 February 2008). The school is described as a "progressive alternative to traditional higher education, offering credits for life experience and unique programs like a master's degree in activism and social change." With roughly thirty faculty and thirty instructors, the school offered programs in law, psychology, and teacher credentialing, among others.
5) Last year, Morocco banned access to YouTube. Last spring, it was Thailand that banned access to YouTube. In January 2008, Turkey joined Morocco and Thailand and also banned the video site. On 24 February 2008, Pakistan joined Morocco, Thailand, and Turkey by banning access to the video site (Sadaqat Jan, "Pakistan Blocks YouTube Video Access," San Francisco Chronicle, 24 February 2008).
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So what is the problem with countertrends and why this wave towards closure?
Precisely because the US hails itself as the bastion of freedom, equality, and guaranteed civil liberties (no matter how illusory the facade) and because it perpetrates continued acts in line with non-democratic nations freely exercising censorship and tight controls over its populace, it is an outright indignity to continue living the sham by maintaining the pretense. Call a spade a spade and interject some common sense here:
With all the progressive strides we continue to achieve, there is no reason nor room for us to continue our foothold in the past, let alone sprint backwards a few leagues for each half-step forwards.
Take in point the following:
In 2005, The Seattle Times published an article asking the US why it can't be more like Finland (Robert G. Kaiser, "Why can't we be more like Finland?," The Seattle Times, 25 September 2005). Indeed, Kaiser makes great points:
"Finland is a leading example of the northern European view that a successful, competitive society should provide basic social services to all its citizens at affordable prices or at no cost. This isn't controversial in Finland; it's taken for granted.[...] If we Americans are so rich and so smart, why can't we treat our citizens as well as the Finns treat theirs?"
Suspend disbelief about Americans being "so smart" and set aside the debate about the poor quality of the US educational system, and the case Kaiser makes becomes compelling.
If America is supposed to be free, equal, and abundant with opportunity and hope, then why are we so free to be equal prey to such blatantly counter-democratic policies, legislation, and corruption?
Why do we so freely steel any opportunity of hope and equality from ourselves and our future?
Kaiser goes on to provide a 'report card' of Finland, as of 2005:
1) The World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland ranked Finland's economy as the most competitive in the world.
2) Yale and Columbia's 'sustainability index' ranks Finland first to be able to protect the natural environment over the next several decades.
3) The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development showed statistically that Finland invests more of its GDP in research and development than any other country except Sweden.
4) Transparency International's global survey reported Finland as perceptually the least corrupt country in the world.
5) Finns read newspapers and borrow library books at rates as high or higher than all other countries.
6) Finnish fifteen-year olds score first in the industrial world on comparative tests of their academic abilities.
7) Finland trains more musicians, per capita, than any other country.
If you think these statistics are exclusive to 2005, think again.
Every three years, fifty-seven (57) countries administer the Pisa exam to fifteen-year olds to measure proficiency in math, science, and reading. In 2008, Finland again ranked smartest in the world (Ellen Gamerman, "What Makes Finnish Kids So Smart?," The Wall Street Journal, 29 February 2008). To understand possible factors for the high scores, Gamerman cites the Finns' love of reading as well as the fact that they are more self-reliant.
Compare this to the herd mentality that was the basis of the Bikhchandani-Hirshleifer-Welch 'information cascades' theory of 1992 (Robert J. Shiller, "How a Bubble Stayed Under the Radar," The New York Times, 2 March 2008) and the disturbingly poor levels within the American educational system, and it becomes increasingly obvious, if not embarrassing...
By the way, one of the most fundamental Finnish values is " 'to provide equal opportunities in life for everyone' " - and Finland is a lot closer to upholding this value in truth and in practice than the US ever has, thus far. If equality of opportunity can be effected and is proven to be viable, tenable, and sustainable, and we have an excellent paragon as a model, there is no reason we can not follow suit and make good on our facade.
Why not cast aside the sham and back our ideology with substantive praxis?
Until we do, America as the 'dream of a promised land' is nothing more than a dream, flimsy, fleeting, and ephemeral...
...and so it is to Langston Hughes to remind us what happens to a dream deferred...
Hyphenation, please. There is no reason to close the doors on hope...to suffocate the imagination...
