Philosophy Now Forum

I was searching for people discussing the philosophy of democracy and found this forum. I am so excited to be here, and especially pleased that I get to use my favorite user's name, Athena.

Ever since my son and daughter left home, my life focus has been education and democracy. This is because my grandmother was a teacher and her generation defended democracy in the class room. Something the US stopped doing with the passing of the 1958 National Defense Education Act. I was in school when that act was implemented and remember vividly our teachers walking around as though they were in shock. That was during the cold war, when we ducking under our desk, in case of nuclear war. So I was afraid when my teachers were acting so strangely. Finally, a male teacher announced, we had just changed the purpose of education. We began educating for a technological society with unknown values. When my grandmother died and the US declared a national youth crisis, I began researching.

I hope others care about what I have written, because I have a lot to say. For years I researched the history of education, by collecting old books about education and old text books, and I have some very interesting books. Because we replaced our liberal education with Germany's model of education, I also collect old books about Germany, that have very interesting to things to about the New World Order or what Eisenhower called the Military Industrial Complex, and later the Bush family called the New World Order. Today it is not only children who need to learn of democracy, but the adults as well.

Germany was a Christian Republic and what we defended our democracy against it. Public education is like a genii in a bottle. The defined purpose is the wish and the students are the genii. We changed that wish when we mobilized for the first world war, by adding vocational training. We changed that wish more dramatically in 1958, when we adopted the German model of education and began preparing our young to be products for industry, and to serve the Military Industrial Complex. What our schools are manifesting is not what they manifested when my grandmother was a teacher. Only when democracy is defended in the classroom is it defended.

Athena wrote:I was searching for people discussing the philosophy of democracy and found this forum. I am so excited to be here, and especially pleased that I get to use my favorite user's name, Athena.

Ever since my son and daughter left home, my life focus has been education and democracy. This is because my grandmother was a teacher and her generation defended democracy in the class room. Something the US stopped doing with the passing of the 1958 National Defense Education Act. I was in school when that act was implemented and remember vividly our teachers walking around as though they were in shock. That was during the cold war, when we ducking under our desk, in case of nuclear war. So I was afraid when my teachers were acting so strangely. Finally, a male teacher announced, we had just changed the purpose of education. We began educating for a technological society with unknown values. When my grandmother died and the US declared a national youth crisis, I began researching.

I hope others care about what I have written, because I have a lot to say. For years I researched the history of education, by collecting old books about education and old text books, and I have some very interesting books. Because we replaced our liberal education with Germany's model of education, I also collect old books about Germany, that have very interesting to things to about the New World Order or what Eisenhower called the Military Industrial Complex, and later the Bush family called the New World Order. Today it is not only children who need to learn of democracy, but the adults as well.

Germany was a Christian Republic and what we defended our democracy against it. Public education is like a genii in a bottle. The defined purpose is the wish and the students are the genii. We changed that wish when we mobilized for the first world war, by adding vocational training. We changed that wish more dramatically in 1958, when we adopted the German model of education and began preparing our young to be products for industry, and to serve the Military Industrial Complex. What our schools are manifesting is not what they manifested when my grandmother was a teacher. Only when democracy is defended in the classroom is it defended.

It is my view that the country that makes the biggest noise about democracy is most likely to be the country with the worst form of it. All that bluster it basically pretence.
In the USA you have a clear choice. Either you vote for a plutocrat who wants to serve his own interests and the interests of the military/industrial complex, or you vote for a plutocrat who wants to serve his own interests.
The people of the world have had a lot of hope in Obama, but he has proved to fit into the same mould as every other President. The only difference is that he is more able to articulate his dissimulations, than previous Presidents.
His recent speech to the combined houses of gov. was a shameful indictment on the American system. It was as if he was selling soap-powder saying the words ;'you need to pass this bill" 17 times. But worst still he had to remind them all of their basic duty and some of the basic creed; their responsibilities to the people they are supposed to represent. This plea should not be necessary.
Shameful!

... so your problem with him saying "you need to pass this bill" is what? Presumably he indeed thought they did need to pass the bill, or he wouldn't have put it in front of them?

RickLewis wrote:... so your problem with him saying "you need to pass this bill" is what? Presumably he indeed thought they did need to pass the bill, or he wouldn't have put it in front of them?

Why did he say it 17 times?
His speech ran to about 40mins. It sounded like he was trying to sell something no one wants.
It was is worst ever speech. His International speeches seemed designed to address a more intelligent audience who were actually listening.

He is smart enough to know that the Repugs will stop the Bill. They have no reason to make him look good.
His only hope is to make them look mean and self-serving: which is ridiculously enough not an easy job considering the American public.
But then no one ever got rich over-estimating the discriminating qualities of the American public.

But the same of that speech does not rest on his shoulders. The shame is that so few of the politicians to whom he addressed it are so far removed from the needs and aspirations of the public that they simply do not represent anyone but themselves.