| "Education": Instead of the traditional positive association with our greatest national attributes, the term now seems to elicit immediate concern and is synonymous with a crisis. This represents a major success for the "New Right". If you don't recall "The New Right" was a 1980's term for Ronald Reagan's new brand of conservatism that swept the country and represented rebranding of Barry Goldwater's libertarian conservatism.
Rebranding of "education" to a negative, particularly public k-12 education, was one of the highest priorities on the New Right's agenda. They saw teachers as liberal, corrupting communists and, thus, destroying this bastion of corrupting liberalism i.e. the "education establishment" by replacing it with state-subsidized religious and charter schools was one of their highest priorities. They saw the prototypical public teacher as as educated, activist woman in the feminist mode, or an emasculated male, as they reviled teachers.
Note that this movement continues on today, but it has been joined by a group of elite conservative Democrats who vent their frustration at public schools. Their anger originates from the panacea that expansive social programs of the "Great Society" would solve all the ills of society, especially urban poverty. Although many of these program are quite successful, they can't bear the reality that the problems are intractable and more complex than anyone ever imagined; thus the "frustrated ex-liberal" backlash and teachers make an inviting target. Barak Obama and his Education Secretary Arne Duncan are the prototypes.
Finally, we must add anti-intellectuals, the religious right, and the corporate anti-unionists to the mix. To the latter, public employees are a target because they represent a strong block of unionized workers in America. (Yes, the New Right agenda to expunge unions from the private sector has been largely successful.) So, the public sector unions, including teachers unions and public employees are the last bastion in the view of conservatives. Wiping out public employee and teacher unions represents their final front in the war against socialism in anti-labor terms. Note that (please note the disclosure) I, as a card carrying MEA-MFT (teachers union) member, a union President and a college Professor at a public university, also embody that evil.
All this has reportedly has come to fruition in "Waiting for Superman". The movie is supposed to be an emotional tear-jerker about the modern deprivation our youth by the education establishment. Let's find out:
"The Missoula Education Foundation hosts a screening of the education documentary "Waiting for Superman" on Monday at 4:30 p.m. at the Wilma Theatre, 131 S. Higgins Ave. The movie will be followed by a panel discussion, with an audience question-and-answer period. Admission to the event is $5.50." (posted in yesterday's Missoulian)
My prejudices are obvious. I'll be there to oppose the conservative agenda and support my K-12 brethren. However, I am also going to try to objectively watch the movie and then attend the forum. I'll do a post-mortem here tomorrow. |
