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We’ve Been Educated to Obey
“Gain wealth forgetting all but self”
“During the onset of the Industrial Revolution in Eastern Massachusetts, mid-nineteenth century, there happened to be a very lively press run by working people, young women in the factories, artisans in the mills, and so on. They had their own press that was very interesting, very widely read and had a lot of support. And they bitterly condemned the way the industrial system was taking away their freedom and liberty and imposing on them rigid hierarchical structures that they didn’t want. One of their main complaints was what they called “the new spirit of the age: gain wealth forgetting all but self.” For 150 years there have been massive efforts to try to impose “the new spirit of the age” on people. But it’s so inhuman that there’s a lot of resistance, and it continues.” ― Noam Chomsky, Occupy: Reflections on Class War, Rebellion and Solidarity
Ralph Waldo Emerson was considering the question of why political leaders are interested in having public education, mass public education was just beginning, and he said that the ground on which eminent public servants urge the claims of popular education is fear. In their words, he says, this country is filling up with thousands and millions of voters, we must educate them to keep them from our throats, meaning educate them the right way, keep their perspectives…
