Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Education Tyranny
What is it with people who use their education as an excuse to belittle those who either a) do not conform to their world view or b) they think are beneath them? As if by understanding and using words like ‘paradigm’ they find themselves unable to understand their own arrogance and elitism. Ironically, many of them spout all sorts of righteous understanding about the state of the world, leading the unsuspecting newcomer to believe they have entered into enlightened dialogue.
It must be fun to lash out with self-gratifying bile, but to come even close to enlightenment you need to be clean – how can you claim moral high ground when your prejudice is hanging out? You need to shed the ‘isms’, starting with egotism and working your way through sexism; racism and bigotry (And I know bigotry isn’t an ‘ism’ smartarse).
At the risk of sounding preachy, it is important to realise that, rightly of wrongly, education is a privilege not afforded to everyone in equal measure (some not at all) and to use your education against those who you feel have a lesser education, is morally corrupt; ignorant and frankly reeks of class elitism.
Unfortunately education and a sharp wit do not necessarily equate to intelligence, if it did we would quite possibly be living in a far more progressive world where the many are not abused by the few; where education could be used to improve the situation rather than to climb some cliquey ladder while kicking those who you perceive to be on a lower rung.
Hey, I know that on the scale of world problems this may appear a small issue, but I believe that we need intelligent dialogue in our attempts to change the way things are going, and dialogue cannot be termed intelligent when it is laced with prejudice.
There are those out there that advertise themselves as serious commentators; going under names that invoke revolutionary thinking (my name is Che) and posting well informed analysis of current affairs. They even appear to adhere to some or other ideology. Fair enough, but a closer look reveals minds more interested in measuring penis length than stretching understanding.
Clever and witty comebacks are fine, as punctuation in any dialogue, but when they become the dialogue then all construction is lost and we fall into egotism and public masturbation. To those who wish to continue, please feel free to correct my punctuation and grammar. Prove me wrong.
Here in Mexico, a kinder and gentler nation which has preserved the great native secret of how people ought to live and let live among each other, a person who in arrogance acts rude and crude, is said to be "mal educado". That means “poorly educated”.
It does not refer to years of formal schooling, which can and often does show in rudeness and crudeness. Rather, it has to do with more important childhood lessons of social grace taught by one's mother. Diverting an arrogant's game by questioning "¿Y como está tu mama?", or "And, how is your mother?" can place a fix on what is really going on.
Tendency to diverge from a mother's teachings under cloak of cyber anonymity often causes wonder if this is a proper medium for encouraging social revolution. Too much shouting “Look at me”. Too little listening. Too much worship of status conferred through raping the world. Too many believing personal existence matters. Too many smart ones who’ve never used it to survive. Too many seeing difference in people rather than similarity. And all couched in words, empty words of little substance. Code words for "I", "me", "my", and "mine".
Everything started the day I was born. I had no mama, no papa. Nobody nurtured, pained, or worked for me. I knew all that had to be. Nobody built that world around me. It was just there. And I deserved every bit of it. I owe nothing to anyone. Why should I suffer from guilt of what passed before? Why should I pay for others older or with less because I made everything. I, me, my, mine.
Perhaps though, we can start from here, realizing everyone gets to where they will be from where they are.
I,m going out on a lemb saying this but im a me and you are a you but togther we are a us .We all have to breath the air we all have to have water we all have to find our me samness to finley have world peace but in doing so we have to rember we are all human.Be safe walk in peace allways Sonshine P.S. may we all be we's in our me'ness
Unfortunately, i am beginning to realise that the left is too busy sqabbling about who is the real left, the genuine left, the more left than left, to make a difference.
If things are to change it will have to come about by people in the middle: conservative liberal democrat tory labour - political affiliations no longer make any difference.
People on all sides seem to be pissed off with the way things are going.
People need to take back control of those who represent them. Bring pressure to bear on our governments, use economic power, shout, write, communicate your dissatifaction.
It's a slim chance but its worth taking.
Maybe Pisces, maybe. You might be right if democracy works. The view seems to depend on that. I personally don't know if such is so or what is or isn't "left" and have tendency to leave such labels and the various acys, ists, and isms alone to be expounded upon by others sharper or more interested than myself. The topic was considered in depth in a previous thread here, and I point you there. It was initiated last December and comes as close as any in exploring that in terms of this forum. It is titled "What's Left" and linked here.
