Education and Politics

TheMudge The Real Mudge 2223 post s 7-Jul-2007 9:26 AM	It's said that democracy depends on the ability of citizens to elect competent and responsible representatives. Today, however, most politicians run for office by using propaganda and marketing tools similar to those used to sell products. Just as hype can cause many people to buy inferior products, it can cause them to elect inferior candidates. Public schools supposedly may not advance political positions, but what can they do to prepare students to vote sensibly? Do they teach enough about how our democratic government works, about the lessons of history, and about how to distinguish between propaganda and facts? ---------- Rich Turner (The Curmudgeon Himself)
Brenda 245 post s 13-Jul-2007 2:40 PM	Mudge, I don't know about the first two parts of your question, but I would like to comment on the last part. Distinguishing between propaganda and fact is part of our state standards for almost every grade. I think the problem is that many teachers don't go beyond a cursory examination of the concepts. Sometimes teachers make the distinctions so obvious that there is not much impetus for discussion. I like to show examples of German propaganda during World War II. We discuss the various techniques and how they influenced the German people. Students usually see the propaganda as negative. Then I show examples of U.S. propaganda that employ the same techniques used by the Germans. We talk about why the U.S. propaganda seems okay. Sometimes it depends on the truth or falsehood behind the propaganda, but they recognize that at other times it just seems to depend on whose side they're on. Even 7th and 8th graders can understand the difference.
Bradd 345 post s 16-Jul-2007 9:43 PM	In a nation where barely half the electorate votes for the president, and 10-15% vote in local elections, I don't think education is the answer. It is certainly a good thing to get students understanding the process, but it is probably a whistling in the dark. The appetite for 30-second sound bites, the near-illiteracy of the masses (in the sense of actually reading about issues), the manipulation of images to promote whatever the moneyed crowd wants manipulated, and the wide-spread perception of politicians being ethically and morally challenged, all serve to inculcate in people the futility of voting. The US, and the rest of the West to varying degrees, are so bloated with affluence that government becomes an afterthought. Who cares who gets elected? Nothing changes. Although there are real problems in the US with, say, poverty, the majority does not experience severe economic difficulty. In fact, the majority experiences a standard of living unheard of historically. Maybe it is for the best that only 50% vote for the president. Presumably, they are the informed group, and the other 50%, encouraged to vote, will skew the results based on how easily they are manipulated. For example, in recent years, the present mayor of NYC and the present governor of New Jersey simply BOUGHT their offices by spreading millions over the media. They were unheard of prior to their campaigns for office. As it has so far turned out, neither man seems to be a bad choice, but the message is clear - an informed (or un-informed) electorate doesn't stand a chance against big money. To your question, Rich. If the schools fail at teaching basic grammar, what hope for teaching kids the nuances of sophisticated techniques of advertising and propaganda? Civilizations ALWAYS fall from within. The seeds of destruction are always inside the apple, no amount of symptomatic band aids (education) can cure the rotteness from the outside. The really bizarre thing is, when it all falls apart, we won't know it because we will have been told we are happy.
TheMudge The Real Mudge 2238 post s 16-Jul-2007 11:00 PM	I am not suggesting, Bradd, that the failures of public education are the sole cause of our political and societal problems – far from it. However, might not better education be part of the solution? Might it not ensure that more of the people who do participate in the political process make wiser choices and are less likely to be swayed by sound bites and propaganda? ---------- Rich Turner (The Curmudgeon Himself)
Bradd 346 post s 19-Jul-2007 6:55 AM	I'm sure that "better education" is always a good thing, but I doubt it has much to do with voting. In the US, we have had 50 years of declining voter turnouts, and at the same time more students (percentage) are going on to institutions of higher learning. The analogy is imperfect, but it does suggest education is not one of the solutions.
TheMudge The Real Mudge 2243 post s 19-Jul-2007 11:10 AM	Logical fallacy, Bradd: assumption that quantity = quality. That "more students (percentage) are going on to institutions of higher learning" (quantity) does not mean that the quality of education has improved. No, I can't prove that a decline in the quality of American education necessarily correlates with Americans' lack of involvement in the political process. However, I do firmly believe that this decline in education has been going on for decades. It was noted as far back as 1983 in A Nation at Risk, a report on American education from the National Commission on Excellence in Education. Many of the findings in that report – which include indications that young people are poorly prepared for active citizenship – are as true today as they were nearly a quarter of a century ago, if not even more true. Little of real consequence has been done to correct the situation. We can have more people attending school, and we can have more of them attending institutions of higher learning, but this does not mean that they are better educated. All I'm suggesting is that, if they were, they might be more inclined to participate in responsible citizenship (e.g., voting) and more inclined to do so intelligently. ---------- Rich Turner (The Curmudgeon Himself)
Bradd 347 post s 20-Jul-2007 9:07 PM	Good point. I think we often put the burden of society's problems on education - where it doesn't belong. Or we throw money at problems. Neither solution is more than a partial fix, although money can be like cold water added to a pot of boiling water, helping to keep the lid on temporarily. A widespread, concerted effort at teaching "voting skills" may be helpful, worth a try at least.

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