Chapter One
Beyond the Educational Frontier: The Great American Dream Freeze
Beyond the Educational Frontier: The Great American Dream Freeze
The book starts out by discussing the western frontier as the 'Great American Dream.' This was around 1850 and America was advertising the west as an oasis of opportunity. Although this was not the case and very few actually reaped any benefits. This was due to the fact that individuals who were higher up in the railroad companies, mine owners and successful farmers and ranchers were those who benefited from the 'Great American Dream' being advertised at the time. While I was reading the first few pages it brought to mind the movie Far and Away and the style in which America was being advertised in the mid to late 1800's to those in Ireland. The movie depicted this era as America having land that was being given away for free. All one had to do was show up and work hard and all their hopes and dreams would come true. It was this 'folklore' of capitalism at the time that enticed so many to come to the 'new west.' Although the truth was the majority of individuals that arrived were no better off than they were before.
The next 'folklore' of capitalism came from educational reformers. This idea has been discussed in class, that education actually is the panacea for all of the social ills that exist, such as racism, and if one could not make it then it was because they were basically not too bright or lazy. I do not believe this theory because I think that there is still racism and sexism so deeply embedded in society that we either cannot see it, or choose to ignore it. For example, two weeks ago I was watching the news and somewhere in the U.S.A a group had burnt the following into a field: I (insert the swastika sign here) Obama. I still am not quite sure what to think about this. These education reformers at the time believed that education was the end to all economic strife. All we need to do is to give each child the opportunity to make something of themselves. The following situation has also also been discussed in class, by the time the 1950's rolled around there were too many grads from high school and university. They were starting to saturate the economy. By 1968 - 1973 public support for education started to wane. School had started to fail in its ability to support the myth of equal opportunity. In class our professor mentioned the fact that citizens with Ph. D's were driving cabs.
The 1960's - early 1970's brought about complacency in regards to education which lead to unrest. It was a decade of upheaval. JFK, Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King were assassinated, the 'summer of love' came to a terrible end with the free Rolling Stones concert at Altimont, where the Hells Angels were hired for security and a young black male was beaten to death with a pool cue, which in retrospect many believed to be the antithesis of Woodstock. Four students were shot dead at a riot at Kent State in 1968. There were countless other revolutions going on at the time that dealt with the Vietnam war that was a losing battle, human rights movement for blacks, the woman's movement, gay right movement (MILK is a very good movie in my opinion that deals with this issue) and rights for those who where handicapped to name a few situations. It was quite the time to be alive. The privileged believed that social programs could restore harmony. Many individuals believed that within the free enterprise system, social progress could be achieved through the pursuit of enlightenment and government initiative, especially in the realm of vocational training.
To be continued...
The next 'folklore' of capitalism came from educational reformers. This idea has been discussed in class, that education actually is the panacea for all of the social ills that exist, such as racism, and if one could not make it then it was because they were basically not too bright or lazy. I do not believe this theory because I think that there is still racism and sexism so deeply embedded in society that we either cannot see it, or choose to ignore it. For example, two weeks ago I was watching the news and somewhere in the U.S.A a group had burnt the following into a field: I (insert the swastika sign here) Obama. I still am not quite sure what to think about this. These education reformers at the time believed that education was the end to all economic strife. All we need to do is to give each child the opportunity to make something of themselves. The following situation has also also been discussed in class, by the time the 1950's rolled around there were too many grads from high school and university. They were starting to saturate the economy. By 1968 - 1973 public support for education started to wane. School had started to fail in its ability to support the myth of equal opportunity. In class our professor mentioned the fact that citizens with Ph. D's were driving cabs.
The 1960's - early 1970's brought about complacency in regards to education which lead to unrest. It was a decade of upheaval. JFK, Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King were assassinated, the 'summer of love' came to a terrible end with the free Rolling Stones concert at Altimont, where the Hells Angels were hired for security and a young black male was beaten to death with a pool cue, which in retrospect many believed to be the antithesis of Woodstock. Four students were shot dead at a riot at Kent State in 1968. There were countless other revolutions going on at the time that dealt with the Vietnam war that was a losing battle, human rights movement for blacks, the woman's movement, gay right movement (MILK is a very good movie in my opinion that deals with this issue) and rights for those who where handicapped to name a few situations. It was quite the time to be alive. The privileged believed that social programs could restore harmony. Many individuals believed that within the free enterprise system, social progress could be achieved through the pursuit of enlightenment and government initiative, especially in the realm of vocational training.
To be continued...
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