Quote Originally Posted by Banquo's Ghost View Post
Not stupid - uneducated.

It suits governments of modern democracies to minimise the education of their citizens whilst manipulating the information they to which they do have access. Thus, government by sound bite and celebrity culture becomes ever more possible, and a populace untrained in debate and thought easily confused to the point of apathy.

Putin's nurturing of the myth of Stalin is merely a few steps along the road from what already occurs in much of the West. A dumb, blonde clothes horse is as effective a "hero" for the consumerist UK as the hard, ruthless, end-justifies-the-means "hero" is for the KGB-led Russia.

Education is perhaps the most important right of all, after the right to life. Yet how far down government's budget priorities - far below war, bankers, and "security" - do we see it every year?

Ironically, Soviet Russia had a world-leading education system, the recipients of which were repressed from exploiting. Now the citizenry has some kind of democracy, the state education system has been left to rot into a pitiful condition.

Perhaps this is the natural end-state of liberal democracy. By definition, government seeks to govern, and rarely recognises the concept of limits to its power.
Another nail hit squarely on it's head. Great post. I'm utterly appalled at the lack of education the young 'uns get these days. In fact it's bordering on criminal. The best bit is that the government is touting the rise in GCSE results as a vindication of it's education policies, when in fact what in reality is happening is that the pupils are acheiving even more worthless pieces of paper.

When 20-25% of school leavers are functionally illiterate and innumerate it should be a badge of shame, not celebration.

Anyway, not wanting to hi-jack the thread, I'll take JAGs advice and shut up.