A Satirical Take on Global Economic Disparity on Medium and Beyond 2.0
From the viewpoint of an everyday teacher in Morocco, let’s examine how a vague policy could present itself.
Hello, my dear reader! If you are curious about 2.0, you should read my first part. However, I'm not sure if it was mind-blowing or not.
Click it here if you want to read the first part.
Prelude
You know, I received some intriguing feedback from folks all over the world, sort of. I mean, one minute I’m chatting with a person from a fancy capitalist country, and the next, someone from a non-capitalist country jumps in!
It’s like a global party of perspectives, and they all agreed on one thing: “I might be writing some seriously thought-provoking stuff that rocks their minds a bit!”
Like, whoa! Oh-la-la! They’ve never thought about things the way I do. Hmm… So, naturally, I thought – Why not give the amazing EduCreate community on Medium a taste of my modest brilliance or so?
Disclaimer
The story is completely fictional, and consequently all the dialogs and e-mails are fictional — all for the sake of narrative.
I want to apologize if my words in this artucle have offended anyone from Morocco. I mentioned the country because, as a child, I used to watch soap operas with my mother while she cooked. One of the shows, called “The Clone.”
I remember the heroine named Jadie and that hero named Lucas, and it was set in Morocco. Watching the show was my way of experiencing life in a country I had never heard of before, and it left a lasting impression on me. I meant it as a tribute to the people of that country and didn’t intend to cause any offense.
However, before we start, let me tell you a couple of real words based on my personal experience with Medium and the importance of existing articles for free.
I remember how I was totally engrossed in this mind-blowing free article on Medium I stumbled upon.
On Medium! — I think this is the best platform for writers and readers at the moment! Honestly! 😇 But my take on this story is deeper, and thank you, Michael King; I was blown away by that story and the style! 👏👏👏
Shout out ‘Thanks’ to that guy! He also partly inspired me to write on Medium.
The quality of that content is off the charts! I couldn’t tear myself away from it. Okay, are you ready for my story? Here we go, my friend!
Moroccan Teacher
Here I am, a teacher from Morocco! Picture me scrolling through Medium.
Holy guacamole! These writers are something else! How did I not know about this before? It’s like a whole new universe of interesting and useful information!
Naturally, I went down the rabbit hole and started exploring the platform.
Turns out, a bunch of articles is paid, and you know what? I’m cool with that. I mean, labor should be rewarded, right? So far, so good. Keep moving, my friend!
Then it hit me — I thought — Hey! Wait a minute! — even free users can start writing!? Really? Like, are you kidding me? This platform is a ray of sunshine in a cloudy world! If I polish up my English skills, I can share my thoughts and the issues we face in our schools with the whole wide world! How’s that for some cool motivation? Wow!
I dug deeper and discovered that my country wasn’t on the list of affiliate programs.
Come o-o-n? Perhaps, someone in the successful countries could be bummed about this, but hey, it’s everywhere for “the rest of the world”, right? There’s always the top league with the big shots, and then there’s everyone else. But you know what? It doesn’t dampen my spirits one bit because I can still inspire my students to reach for the stars. Who knows, maybe one of them will become the next big-shot screenwriter or writer extraordinaire?
So, things are still going pretty darn well. I’m working on my English skills, trying to figure out how AI can magically enhance my writing prowess.
Hey, who knows? Maybe I’ll even find some teacher buddies from around the globe. Birds of a feather, am I right?
And then, out of the blue, I stumbled upon this ad below:
Hmm… professor tells me that he’s created this awesome community where educators and related professionals come together.
The goal? — To share experiences, lend a helping hand, have meaningful conversations, and hey, maybe even earn a little something on the side.
Now, don’t get me wrong, making money isn’t my main focus, but all these other perks? They’ve got me jumping for joy! I can’t wait to start writing for this fantastic community of like-minded souls. Woohoo!
So there I am, all excited about this community! First of all, I decided to do a quick Google search on Lance Cummings.
I immediately switched on my profiler skills! 🕵️♂️
Number 1 and number 5 look like the same person. He doesn’t look like a writer, though, but what if he’s using the bars as a handle? Then maybe! There are so many different sports these days; if people are slapping at competitions, maybe barbells instead of pens too?
Number 2—immediate No! The photo looks like it came from a billboard during the pre-election campaign. He looks like a politician, a public figure, but not an educator.
Numbers 3 and 4 look like the same person, or maybe they are twins? Hmm, are they from parallel realities?
God, I already have ideas for a book! By the way, he looks like an educator, and smiles just like… just like an American! Yeah! Like from a Colgate ad. Well, let’s have a look…
Hmm…Come on, the guy sounds important! A professor with his own writing courses? That’s some serious stuff, ma-a-an! And you know what? It’s actually an incredible opportunity! Gosh, a professor in the field of writing! So this must be one of those people who goes around the world teaching people how to write novels?
Of course, he is!
What else would a professor in the field of writing do? It makes sense to teach others how to write, to teach writers. Oooh! So he’s also making Hollywood movies, I suppose? Just teaching the future screenwriters? That Writing Instruction!
Yeah, it’s obvious!
He is definitely a cool dude, anyways!
Whoa? Some columns, some quotes! Nothing makes sense to me, but it looks very serious!
I can imagine that my students would be over the moon knowing that a professor from America — a real Professor From America — reads about our school and our country! Even he leaves comments!
Oh-ho! He’s like, you know, from Hollywood movies! Is he such a professor who would be wearing real glasses? One of the world’s top experts in his writing field, he is interested in our country, our education, our teachers, and so on, right?
Hey! — My adorable little munchkins would be so darn thrilled!
Hey, wait! Wait a minute! Hmm, he’s a bit too professorial! Just like Hollywood clichés, maybe he’s an actor? Checking, hmm, no, not an actor, but he sure looks like a professor! He really looks kind of young, but that’s okay; he’s been working on it — older every day.
And let’s see where this professor is from again. Hmm… he’s from North Carolina. That’s probably somewhere near Canada, near North Dakota.
For sure!
I remember North Dakota from one episode of Supernatural titled “Folsom Prison Blues.”
Just a moment… What’s there? Google shows…
Hey?! North Carolina must be East Carolina, and it would sound even more enigmatic, right? Why is North Carolina not actually North? You know, it’s hard to understand Americans sometimes. It’s really hard.
With my heart pounding, I dived into reading more about this professor, thinking he must be a saint or something. And then it happened. The moment that knocked me back to reality.
Are you ready?
Oh, boy! Turns out, his introduction-welcoming-helping article is only for high-society users — paying users! Can you believe it? Seriously?
Then I found out that it’s actually the same in other communities on Medium (at least two).
It’s like If you want to read about how to write for a publication, you have to pay first — to read for money— then maybe write for...👏
Nothing personal!
I was sitting there, staring at the screen, feeling like I just got a virtual slap in the face. It’s like a balloon of excitement popped, and I was left deflated.
Hmm, I thought this was all about sharing, helping each other out, and building a supportive community. But no, they gotta lock up the good stuff behind a paywall. Bummer, man. Total bummer.
So, feeling a mix of frustration and a hint of desperation, I decided to reach out to the professor:
“Good Day, Professor! Please forgive me for asking; this might not be a smart question, but I’m a total newbie to this whole Medium thing. Do I have to be a paying user to write? You see, I’m just a simple teacher from Morocco, and I wanted to write from the heart. I know I won’t make any money out of it, and I totally get it. I couldn’t read your story, though. I’m guessing it’s probably behind a paywall. Sorry to bug you again.”
As I hit that send button, I could feel my motivation slipping away. It’s like I’m caught up in another one of those tired, old stories about the so-called ‘White Gentleman.’
Ugh, here we go again. It’s like they only care about the rich and powerful while we poor folks are left to fend for ourselves. I mean, seriously, they don’t give a damn about the poor unless they need cheap labor to make their fancy Nike and Adidas shoes, sometimes even exploiting child labor in Bangladesh, or maybe it’s just gossip about children. Yeah, because it is too horrible to believe. Gossips, right?
But when it comes to just sharing our stories with the world? Nah, they couldn’t care less. These Americans, they just don’t get it. They fail to understand that even just showcasing our students on an international platform like this could mean the world to them. It’s a reason for the whole class to rejoice and have a moment of pride.
It’s a reason for those kids to go home with smiles on their faces, even after toiling in the fields and picking up coffee until the sun sets alongside their hardworking mothers. The students could tell their parents about this heartwarming moment of getting some feedback from a large man from America, from the professor! But, no, people from ‘Hi-So’ they don’t see that.
Hey! Just wait!
Something unexpected happened!
The professor actually responded to me.
Come on, friend! Let’s take a look 🔎, hmm...
“Hello there, a teacher from Morocco! Who cares if you’re not a paid user? We welcome teachers like you with open arms. I never even considered that my article, which was meant to call for help, might not be accessible to everyone. Here, keep this link. It will take you to our group and some of the principles we stand for. I’m really striving to create a friendly community where we can share experiences, engage in discussions, and hopefully even become friends.”
A wave of relief washed over me as I read the professor’s words.
Oh, it was all just a misunderstanding! Phew! And these ideas of the professor are actually pretty awesome. What a genuinely good person. I feel so silly for thinking so poorly of them just moments ago. I’ll definitely make it a point to personally apologize to the professor. I was totally in the wrong. It’s shameful… I should have known better than to judge everyone with the same brush. As a teacher, I’m truly embarrassed…
Alright, now it’s time to follow through on the professor’s suggestion and subscribe to this publishing house they mentioned. It’s supposed to create a welcoming environment for newcomers, right?
Well, well, well, let’s see…
Hey!
Hold on a second!
I quickly realized that almost all the articles were written by American teachers. Amigo! Oh, boy! And you know what? What did I need to do to read them?
Yep, you guessed it — Pay Up!” 👏
The fun factor took a nosedive.
I knew it! My suspicions were right! These capitalists have once again created something solely to squeeze even more money out of the less fortunate! They want to get even richer at the expense of whom? You got it — us poor folks! It’s the same old story! They lure us, teachers, in to write for free because they know we can’t make money off Medium. We’re not in the top league of high-class countries either. And now, they want us to not only write for free but also pay to read what they write!
Well, no, gentlemen, this is where I draw the line. This is not a mutually beneficial collaboration! This is definitely not a friendly community in any way! In Morocco, we have a whole different definition of mutually beneficial cooperation, and we certainly don’t pay for friendship in my country. Friendship should never come at a “Franklin” price!
How could I have made such a mistake in trusting the professor and this community?
What do we expect from the world when people in our own profession, who should logically be at the forefront of advocating for equality, moral values, and ethics, are so blindly willing to exploit their fellow colleagues?
No, we won’t bow down to this.
Goodbye, Professor. Goodbye, Medium.
It’s all the same as before…
Finita La Commedia!
Bravissimo!👏
Instead of Conclusion
By the way, all of MidJourney’s pictures show what MidJourney thinks classrooms in Moroccan schools look like. But we won’t find out about it, and do you know why?
Why?
Hmm... maybe because nobody needs the voices of Africa, as in this case? Or maybe nobody cares about the Moroccan teacher because he doesn’t carry the green Franklin sheets in his hard-working hand?
Yea, he’s redundant for those with “blue blood…" ?
Curtains!
The Clone soundtrack, “ Adriana Mezzadri — Marcas De Ayer,” started playing softly.
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