Don’t you just love it when people are willing to speak the truth about American institutions like the educational system, the economic system, and our system of government? When people speak out against various wrongs and injustices in our system without sugarcoating anything?
Me too!
And thank goodness for a guy like Noam Chomsky who does just that.
In his book Requiem for the American Dream, he makes bold statements about everything wrong with American democracy and, well, America in general. Statements that, until you see or hear them, tend to go right over your head because you think “Nooo, America is waaaay better than that! Educational systems aren’t that shallow. Systems aren’t that corrupt.”
It’s a hard pill to swallow but yes, my friends, it is that corrupt (score one for the pessimists).
Let’s start with a glance at his views of the educational system, which I’d say is most relevant to us since we’re college students. Looking back, you can see the indoctrination he sheds light on from pages 19 to 21, as well as on pages 30 to 31. It starts in grade school, where students are tailored to memorize a certain set of skills that help them pass a test rather than learning concepts and skills that can actually be applied to life. At this time some are still allowed the youthful creativity that comes with being a child.
Then middle school and high school hit you, and suddenly your creativity is sapped away. It becomes all about taking higher level classes, achieving higher test scores to make the school rank highly, being a super-student getting involved in school and sports and outdoor activities all while balancing the need to complete busywork so you can get straight A’s.
Because B’s will never be good enough.
Because C’s and D’s imply that the system is working just fine but you aren’t.
Now in that, I understand that there are kids who just don’t try, hence the poor grades, but perhaps their unwillingness to put in the effort is also a reflection of a broken educational system. After all, if there are “doctors who give drugs to children in impoverished areas to try to improve their performance, knowing perfectly well that there’s nothing wrong with the children–there’s something wrong with the society,” (21). If a child has to be pumped full of drugs just to succeed in school, perhaps that school isn’t structured in a way to help them succeed through their own abilities. Perhaps society has purposely created an educational natural selection to weed out the kids who can’t stack up so only the “best” students get to achieve what every student is meant to achieve; so that the supposedly damaged kids who can’t perform will be sorted into menial jobs that nobody wants while the straight A’s and honor students get a shot at greatness.
I know because I’ve lived it. I’ve seen friends expelled because they couldn’t fit into the schools standards; intelligent people flunking out of high school or college because they couldn’t meet the school's expectations.
Because in American schools our intelligence and skills are most often not measured. It is our ability to follow orders that is tested.
We continue to support a system that doesn’t support all of us; some still live with the remnants of the “separate but equal” clause because the majority of America is too slow and complacent to acknowledge that it’s still an issue today; kids can no longer aspire to be artists or musicians or dancers or anything creative because those occupations do not meet the American expectations.
Why do I find this so problematic?
Why is it that broken educational systems and stymied creativity are so important to me?
This is my life. This was my dream, to pursue the arts in the country where I believed as a child that I could.
Here I am now, pursuing environmental engineering because I was told artists can almost never be successful. Because I was made to feel like my art and writing wasn’t good enough to stack up to the greats.
Here I am unable to get my creative juices to flow as they did 10, 8, even 5 years ago.
I know what Chomsky says about the broken system is true, but despite my mostly pessimistic outlook on life I hope for a day where my future children won’t live with this.
I want to believe that one day, we can change the systems that control us for the better.
I think you're right about indoctrination regarding systems beginning in the K-12 systems and going through college. We're taught the way we should think about things, particularly about American systems. We skim over the parts that make America look bad and focus on the parts that make us look good.
ReplyDeleteAnd the degree of indoctrination depends on where you go to school.
It was really bad when I went to school. I didn't even know about Jim Crow and the detention of people of Japanese descent during World War 2. I felt so disillusioned.
Your statements really resonate with me. I've always wanted to be a writer, ever since I was very little, and was always told to pursue a job that will get me 'real', substantial success. Just because some jobs are more difficult to be successful with, doesn't mean they should be disregarded. Pursue what you love and if you stop loving it, find something else. Money is great, but happiness is more important in my mind, and money certainly does not equivocate it.
ReplyDeleteThe school system does certainly push down creativity, especially when it comes to reading. Fantasy novels are replaced with heavy textbooks that make reading a burden rather than something enjoyable. As a reader, I've always been bothered by that thought, and I too want to change the system for my children at some point in the future. They deserve better than this.
-Jenna Shapiro
You bring light to a very important issue in today's society. Creative careers aren't as encouraged as they used to be. We are shamed for daring to follow a career in the arts, and labeled as a dreamer or told that we have our head in the clouds and that we need to think of something more realistic to be successful at. I am pursuing a major in film production and the times I've heard some of my family members question my choice and judge me for it are too many. I also hope that one day, the arts are appreciated and encouraged to follow even if it means having to work a little harder to succeed.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your post, as I felt I could relate with your main points. When Chomsky brought up his arguments on education, it really made me think back on all of my K-12 years, thus realizing that he was right! I vividly remember having about an hour long period of music class in elementary school that I loved so much! It was truly something I valued, until 4th grade, when the teacher stopped coming because (as we were told) "the school couldn't afford it anymore". Couldn't afford it..or didn't want to afford it anymore? It really is a shame that opportunities for creativity such as music or art class were removed from schools, as opposed to a different class or activity, simply because they are not valued enough by society. I hope that within the next couple of years we are able to diminish these "expectations" of an ideal American, because limiting children to a future that is appropriate in the eyes of society, is certainly unfair.
ReplyDeleteChomsky's allegations are often hard for Americans to follow and accept. We seem to take the easy way out of all situations. We avoid the issues existing in today's society. The issue of restricted education gives the illusion that children have no room for growth. In fact, this growth is so artificial, it copies and pastes onto the next little boy or girl. This lack of youthful creativity is replaced by the next app on the next, big tablet. I thoroughly enjoyed your post in the sense that you encourage solutions and acknowledge Chomsky's points. Your support goes even further to demonstrate the effects of societal restriction, something we all must come to face and unite to diminish.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everything you spoke about in your blog, and I really enjoyed reading it because you have a strong voice and clear way of addressing your readers. Growing up, we are all told to follow our dreams and pursue a career that we love. However, then everything we have ever known is suddenly flipped upside down and the priority becomes finding a job that pays well. Not everyone is meant to be a doctor or a lawyer, several people find their passion in art or dance as you mentioned, and it is not fair that society sets those people up to fail. Our priorities become being the best student, not being the best person or being ourselves. We all conform in order to reach our end goal of attending a top university and scoring a job that pays well. Our educational system forces us to give up our unique qualities and merely focus on acing tests, and this is not how it should be.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your statement that the school system could put more emphasis on the use of creativity in grading students. I also believe that the school system puts much more emphasis than necessary on unneeded skills for certain students. I would like to see schools have more practical programs for students who know what they want do after high school instead of making them take classes they will not need after high school. I also feel that schools should try to shift away from having too many classes where the objective is to memorize facts for a test just to forget them later on because it would be more helpful for society for students to apply practical skills in their life. There are some schools that do this where they tailor programs to certain students with clear goals but I think most schools still need to work on having a more personalized and practical experience for their students.
ReplyDeleteI personally think a huge problem is that society makes it look as if school is the only payh to success , however school systems are not meant for everyone. I also have friends who were crazy smart and dropped out because they were odd to the system. School is not for everyone, sometimes work... hands on work is the best path to success. It all depends. Either way , you are also verrry correct that the system has now eradicated creativity and individuality, and that is completely sad... it is making humans like robots designed for a motonous purpose" It would be nice to hear that you were able to get back to your passion for writing .. i really hope you find a way to do so.
ReplyDelete