” .. any serious criticism of the powers that be .. ”
A very serious criticism could take the form of a popular vote on govt. budgets, but some how that can’t happen. How many citizens would vote to keep spending as we do ? Not Many. I’d bet most voters could get along with spending half of what they spend now.
All those benefiting from it (current spending) would vote to keep spending as we are, and that is probably at least half of Americans at this time.
MikeK
September 9, 2016 11:20 am
I think the take-away from Bertrand Russell’s quote is that when your 10 year old comes home from school with a note from the principal saying he’s been naughty… that you should pat him on the back and buy’m a Happy Meal!! I mean, as a parent, what’s the way out of this subtle conditioning our kids will be exposed to? Is home-schooling the only option? Then what? If we raise our kids to think for themselves we raise a malcontent or social misfit? Will the cops hunt down our teenage kid in the future because they sense something ‘different’ about their attitude? Maybe… just maybe… at some point it’s best to just drink the Kool-Aid and fit in.
Spinolator
September 9, 2016 3:54 pm
Brilliant. I doubt this is taught in school anywhere…
Capt Blyth
September 10, 2016 3:56 am
No but the moral is the same as in the book “Mutiny on the Bounty”. It’s up to the individual to decide who they want to be.
” .. any serious criticism of the powers that be .. ”
A very serious criticism could take the form of a popular vote on govt. budgets, but some how that can’t happen. How many citizens would vote to keep spending as we do ? Not Many. I’d bet most voters could get along with spending half of what they spend now.
All those benefiting from it (current spending) would vote to keep spending as we are, and that is probably at least half of Americans at this time.
I think the take-away from Bertrand Russell’s quote is that when your 10 year old comes home from school with a note from the principal saying he’s been naughty… that you should pat him on the back and buy’m a Happy Meal!! I mean, as a parent, what’s the way out of this subtle conditioning our kids will be exposed to? Is home-schooling the only option? Then what? If we raise our kids to think for themselves we raise a malcontent or social misfit? Will the cops hunt down our teenage kid in the future because they sense something ‘different’ about their attitude? Maybe… just maybe… at some point it’s best to just drink the Kool-Aid and fit in.
Brilliant. I doubt this is taught in school anywhere…
No but the moral is the same as in the book “Mutiny on the Bounty”. It’s up to the individual to decide who they want to be.