When missionaries and traders arrived at islands and coast all over the world they built jetties and airstrips. In due time the ships would arrive and planes would land. Seeing this and the wonderful things they brought they were stunned. Look! This is what they do and look what they receive! They built their own jetties and airstrips thinking this would bring the presence of wonderful goods to them. Disappointed when the planes past over and the ports rotted they began to worship their new idols in order to please them. It was the peoples inability to please the planes and ships which caused them to fly over.
We have to avoid this cargo cult thinking. Whether it be 'we just have to do what they do and we will all rise to the top'. Crass and naive.
Or 'It's our societies fault for not copying the institutions which seem to link directly to the top well enough' which my previous self may be accused of.
My point is that the problem is systemic. Indeed saying copying the elite will get you what you want is fallacious. The interlokers of trade, networks, and values amongst a myriad of factors work against the bottom of society. Indeed I worry that an injection of cold hard cash into our schools, as we have seen in the form of PPP, may not be enough.
Beyond wealth. Fairness and accountability. Let's look for a 21st century to an eternal problem. It's a troubled and difficult road but lets looks beyond wealth and class and recognise we are citizen which have to work together, reflect and hopefully grow.
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Cargo cults and binaries... You can't do that to the English language.
ReplyDelete?
ReplyDeleteSorry, Kev, I don't get this one at all. What missionaries and traders? Where are they? What is the eternal problem? I know this sounds like i'm being awkward, but I don't understand your piece and how these thoughts fuse together.
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ReplyDeleteI'm pretty close to agreeing with you that in education society shouldn't just seek to emulate the institutions that traditionally link to its most lucrative positions. If by 'society' you mean 'the state' then I completely agree.
ReplyDeleteIn Sweden, the Netherlands New Zealand the state provides funding for each pupil, but gives it to whichever school the parent chooses to send their child. I think the state is terrible at virtually everything except national defence, foreign affairs and trade regulation, so why we assume it should run education is beyond me.
Perhaps if state backed off and allowed parents/communities/charities/not-for-profits to set up and manage schools independently, then education would finally improve. You could legislate a maximum tuition fee and allow access for all.
Sorry, posted that twice so deleted the first one.
ReplyDeleteIts about education?!
ReplyDeleteI realize the post doesn't say much by itself but it is in relation to the previous two.
ReplyDeleteYou know what missionaries are. 16th-19th century spread of capitalism and exploration by the West created cargo cults.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cargo_cult
I am criticising the discourse around class conflict and education. We follow the flawed logic and bounded thinking similar to cargo cults. We frame the education debate in the sense of public/private. Seek to either emulate successful private schools or broaden their membership. I am saying this may be quiet closed minded. We have a systemic system which seems to privaledge the few (no moral judgement on the rights or wrongs of it).
Eternal problem is just a reference to long lasting inequalities. We need to realise the systemic networks which allow for poverty to grow even while GDP increases. Go beyond 20th century thinking of class/wealth divide.
Mark's is a good example of 'other' thinking. Which ideas we find as we broaden the discourse and broaden our thinking will be interesting.