[Talk] Education as a Political Propaganda
Note:
Bleeped out my profanity because the internet is full of sensitive souls.
Please use your imagination for the asterisks.
Also, the following content might be offensive to people who believe in
creationalism and other conservative notions.
This will also probably be offensive to people who think they're so patriotic
that they have to oppose everything our current Taiwanese government is
doing because they think there's a political conspiracy going on.
Viewers who are easily offended by sarcasm should think twice before
reading. This is the internet. Don't like, Don't read.
===========================
Every once in a while, the ruling party dominating the education board(s) is
replaced after an election.
Cue textbook material rewrite, changing of standards, etc.
And acres of lost trees, but that's another story.
Sound familiar?
Certainly. And this is a sad, repetitive, irritating phenomenon happens
all over the world. Governments have to have some way to control their
citizens, correct? Brainwashing is inevitable, after all. Or attempts to
brainwash. Especially those made from the society, with people attempting
to force their debatable beliefs on others, such as some homophobe trying
to convince the world that homosexuality is wrong, that marriage can only
be between people of opposite sexes, and blah blah blah. Or some religious
believers saying that abortion is wrong and blah blah blah.
Wait, that happens in the government as well.
But I digress--the point I'm trying to make here is that education
can never be about education. Or at least for the standardized,
pre-college education. The world is, of course, biased, and textbook writers
and editors are going to write what they think, to support a certain
viewpoint, theory, or whatever. Since this is unavoidable, as there is no such
thing as an unbiased person/viewpoint, I don't take as much of an issue with
it...
Until politics is involved. (Which, sadly, cannot be prevented)
****. I am so, ****ing sick of bigoted politicians trying to manipulate
education with their stupid beliefs. They lose sight of the actual point of
education and turn it into one huge political crusade to brainwash the
younger generation into sheep that will support them in the future. Brainwash
them into believing what they believe, because they think what they believe
is the absolute right and of course everyone else in the world should think
so.
Yes, I am talking about DPP, KMT, Republicans, Democrats, leftists, rightists,
whatever other ruling party out there.
I must say, due to my own personal preferences, I am more inclined to get
pissed off with conservatism and other illogical stuff.
Does Kansas Board ring a bell? Well, a few years ago, they were quite
notorious for trying to teach 'intelligent' design in their
science curriculum. Science, by default, requires some evidence through
scientific methods, evidence and testing methods that Creationalism
clearly lacks. Yeah. I believe in 'intelligent' design alright.
I believe that the Flying Spaghetti Monster created the world, and may its
noodly appendages bless everyone with more pasta.
No, seriously.
Trying force one's religious beliefs in school is not cool.
Separation of Church and State, for whatever is out there's sake!!
Written in the First Ammendment, and yet ignored by these religious
crusaders who believe that they are doing what their slavedriving Spiritual
Master wants them to do, but as usual, they are actually just doing what they
THEMSELVES want to do.
Urrgh.
If one MUST have their children learn the wonders of whatever religion they
believe in, they should do it behind the doors of their homes.
By mentioning the Flying Sphaghetti Monster, and bless his noodliness,
we can see where this Creationalism issue can go. There will be endless
debates about exactly WHICH creator they are implying--Yahweh, Allah,
God, Buddha, some Hindu god, or my personal favorite, the Flying
Sphaghetti Monster itself, etc.
You know why? Because there's not even an ounce of plausible evidence
for Creationalism...aside from:
~*I FEEL that there is a creator behind this all*~
Why?
Because LOOKIES! There is a pattern in all creation, which is divine and a
sign from our Creator, blah blah blah this is all our Creator's doing,
our Creator's art, blah blah blah...
Why?
Because *I* believe it's right.
Not convincing enough? There is plenty of evidence:
1. Because the leading preacher in my religious institution says
so--screw other believers who believe in Evolution, they are delusional
and they interpreted our Creator's message wrong, they aren't staying
true to the holy scriptures. Our ancestors are NOT tetrapods or monkeys!
2. Because my parents said so, ever since I was a kid who barely knew how to
write, much less speak. Oh no, environment has NOTHING to do with a
person's beliefs, it's right because it's right. They also happened
to teach me that homosexuality is an abomination, that women are
inferior to men because our Creator is a male, and they taught me
stories about sinful people who go to hell. Oh, I was scared, but
that's not the reason I believe that they're right. Are
you kidding? But hell is really scary, I advise you to convert to my
religion before you are doomed to eternal suffering. If you believe,
you can do anything you want, like cheating people of their money and
ruining the global economy and waging war and killing people. Our lord
will forgive you, if you worship him, that is.
3. Because I can talk to our Creator, and my Creator says so. I am NOT
schizophrenic.
4. Etc.
Which will eventually lead to:
~*By the way, my Creator is the One True Creator. All other Creators out
there are false!!11!! Even though I didn't specify which Creator I was
talking about, there is only One True Creator, which happens to be
the Creator I believe in! You pagans are under the influence of an
evil being, snap out of it before you go to hell!! I am doing this
for your own good!!!*~
...Gee, thanks, but no thanks.
I would write more, but I'm getting really off topic. Not saying that
all believers of that certain religion are like that, but those who are
sure have a loud voice.
Anyhow, this is the exact reason why politics should NEVER mingle
with religion, and NEVER use religion as their political propaganda,
but what the hell, those zealots don't care.
Yeah, I know, I'm not American, so why the hell should I give a
damn? Well, I have an attachment so I can't help getting worked up over
whatever's happening across the Pacific here.
Especially when it has to do with education, since I studied there for
a while, throughout middleschool and two years into highschool.
This Creationalism issue has been going on when I was still back
in the States, so it really irked me.
And it still irks me.
Back on topic, I think the governments of Korea, PRoC, and Japan's involvement
in brainwashing their citizens are quite notorious.
As for Taiwan's own cute little KMT and DPP's recent (or not so recent)
debate...Which I myself find a bit special since to me, this has nothing to
do with political conspiracy--in specific, it has nothing to do with
the government trying to sell Taiwan to China--but like usual, certain people
like to interpret everything as some sort of political conspiracy.
Big deal to them. They should move to the States, really.
They'd have a blast there since the US is super anti-Communist China as well.
Not to say I'm pro-Communist China, I hate PRC's government, but yeah, some
Americans are taking their anti-Communist China sentiments as far as certain
DPP supporters.
Anyhow, We all know the endless debate in Taiwan over highschool history
criteria. In particular, how much "Chinese" History should be taught,
and how much "Taiwanese" history should be taught, and blah blah blah.
I will admit that I'm much more interested in the 4000+ years of "Chinese"
History. And it's funny that we don't learn much about Communist China, so
what should we call Communist China history? I myself am not going
to call the Communist China history as "Chinese" History, it just
sounds wrong to me. YMMV on that anyway.
But still, if I say in public that I am more interested in "Chinese" History
than I am in "Taiwanese" History, certain people are going to point
fingers at me and say that I'm an unpatriotic asswipe who wants to
sell out my country. Okay...Whatever.
Nevertheless, what is happening with Texas Board as of the late is the main
cause of my infuriation and frustration.
--HERE BEGINS THE ACTUAL POINT OF THIS LONG-ASS RANT--
(which is shorter than the rant above)
Trying to manipulate History Textbooks into watering down slavery and the
civil rights movement? ****.
What the ****. I can't even....URGH!!!!! WTF is happening over there?!
Trying to emphasize the Jeudo-Christian influence on the Founding Fathers
to water down the meaning of 'Separation of Church and State'?! ****ing hells.
Jefferson is a deist. They keep wanting to forget Jefferson had ever existed
just because he didn't like organized religion and wrote essays that pointed
out the shortcomings of organized religion. I can't believe they're trying
to change the meaning of 'Seperation of Church and State'. Bet that has been
a pain in their necks for a loooooong time, they just HAD to find a way to
undermine it.
Implying that globalization and the UN is trying to undermine the US
sovereignity? ****, this one is funny, for a change. It's called the global
trend, okay? If you want to play in the international world, you have to
compromise. That is not called undermining US sovereignity. This ridiculous,
bordering hilarious view reminds me of a certain conservative, bigoted
religious preacher I had to suffer under throughout my AP World History
course when I was still back in the States.
There were other changes, but I only saw this in the news.
This is just ****ed up. Texas's textbook publishers will be printing this
new, conservative **** since they will be using these new, 'improved'
standards. And Texas's publishers are one of the major publishers in the
States, which means this **** they're going to print is going to affect
other states.
Not to mention, a while ago these bigoted asshats on Texas Board were
trying to water down the evidence for evolution as well. Seriously,
WTF. They claim they're just fixing what the leftists have done,
but no, that's not what I think.
Can governments ever STOP using education as a political propaganda?
Sadly, no. After all, the best way to brainwash the mass is through education--
engraving opinions into kids who are in elementary school, kids who have no
critical thinking ability. It'll be too late once they reach highschool,
since they've been brainwashed throughout elementary and middle school. Some
critical thinkers will be able to escape this, but alas, the majority of
human beings will not stop and think about what is wrong with the things
they are taught. After all, critical thinking is such a hassle, it brings
in uncertainty and we are all averse to uncertainty, we like holding
something solid in our hand and feeling good about ourselves for believing
in what we believe and thinking that others are mistakened because they
are wrong and we are right. Well, ****, nothing is THAT easy.
Anyhow, another way the government distracts, controls, or attempts to
control, public opinion is through media and news reporting (this is pretty
bad in Taiwan).And news reporting can count as education, in a sense.
Always take the news with a grain of salt, don't believe what you read.
They always skewer the news into reporting something that is to their
political advantage. Recent (or not so recent) piss-off in Taiwan
(I don't really watch the news anymore, but this was reported when
I was eating out and I had no choice) is the intentional mistranslation
of 'We never asked America for help' into something totally, totally
different. So, when one reads the news, one has to decide oneself
whether to believe it, because when the news is too black and white,
something is fishy. There will be some truth in the news, but most
of the time, what is reported is not the full story. They always tone
down the details that are disadvantageous to whatever political party
they are from.
Oh yeah, another example of recent political manipulation of the media
in the States is the constant emphasis on Toyota car deficiencies.
Hello? They're not the only one with the problem. But no, the newspaper and
media are really just doing this so they can save the American car industry.
Toyota still has a positive revenue, because everyone knows that the
government is just trying to beat Toyota down.
Admittedly, the news report on the Texas Board issue I've read is also
a political propaganda, but the elementary through highschool criteria
were changed, and no matter what, it didn't change for the better.
This world is hardly black and white. We all dislike the uncertainty
of the gray area, but that's just how **** works.
May edit later.
--
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