There is a lot of rhetoric floating around about America, our fabled freedom, and bringing that freedom and democracy to the poor, beleaguered souls of the miserable desert countries.
But are we really all that free? We have the appearance of freedom, sure, and a voice in government and the direction of our lives. True.
But freedom begins in the mind, is guided by our early experiences and our expectations of life. Do you think that the average American thinks about things? Does Joe Sixpack contemplate the impact of environmental or deficit-spending policies on his children's future?
I have the knee-jerk response, more often than not, that the average American is an idiot -- only really interested in life at an animal level of intellect. Food. Sex. Money. What affects them now, or tomorrow, but with little mind to next year or a hundred years from now.
After all, just look at the level of discourse in politics to see the level people are expected to think at. Issues? What's an issue? Instead, let's rant about irrelevencies! Let's lie and distort and deceive! And not nearly enough people seem to notice, or to care.
I also know that this sells people short. Are we the pathetic, self-centered, shallow-minded creatures that we are because of inherent biological structure? I don't think so. People are amazing creations, and all of us start out with huge potentials.
It is just possible that everyone has a lot more potential, a lot more ability, than I think. Than even they think. But for some reason, by some means, most of us have been convinced that we are much less than we are.
We have been shackled in our minds.
One man, John Gatto, lays the blame for our sheeplike behavior, and our internal rebellion and frustration with this behavior, firmly on the doorstep of the school system.
He has a book, published on paper but also free online, discussing his ideas. Sure, he has a huge axe to grind (and after thirty years teaching in New York, who wouldn't?). Sure, his rhetoric is pretty heavy. But he also references a bunch of documentation -- it would be interesting to do the research and see how close to reality his perception is.
Check it out yourself at:
http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/chapters/index.htm