Friday 3 December 2010

The State: Using Violence So You Don't Have To

A couple of weeks ago, Lord Norton spoke in the Lords about the need for schools to teach children how government works.

[...] if citizenship education disappears, then we will end up with a massive divide between those who do understand how our political system works, and how they can contribute to it, and those who have a limited awareness and for whom the political system may be a closed book.
That may be all well and good, but one would have more respect for such a position if it weren't seemingly wedded to the assumption that the system we have now is entirely perfect.

For example, if films such as this were shown to kids as a basis for discussion of the very concept of violence-backed, enforced state funding by taxation, we could truly be said to be providing an all-round education on political matters.


Of course, this doesn't only hold true for taxation. One could also query the strength of mandate for coercion and restriction of liberty - in any of tens of thousands of policy areas - afforded to government by an electoral system which is inflexible and reliant on a minority of voters, and which offers very little to those who may object strongly to certain policies.

Unfortunately, any state-funded teacher who dared to raise such ideas would be more likely to be sacked than applauded, one suspects.


11 comments:

Angry Exile said...

Excellent stuff, soon to be nicked and reposted.

Unfortunately, any state-funded teacher who dared to raise such ideas would be more likely to be sacked than applauded, one suspects.

Natch, since their livelihood rests on threatening violence against George. Show the kiddies this and one of them might ask awkward questions.

Twisted Root said...

Here's another link which is much along the same lines.

http://www.isil.org/resources/introduction.swf

It's a kind of ladybird book guide to libertarianism and ought to be shown at the begining of each school day.

scorpy66 said...

What a great little video! I shall be very glad use it with my A level General Studies group - to stimulate debate about rights v responsibilities of citizens, of course. Definitely not to be subversive. Perish the thought! ;-)

Dick Puddlecote said...

AE: I did actually write just such a thing about teachers, but deleted it before publishing.

Reason being, a libertarian (or even stateless) society wouldn't mean the end of education, since parents would still absolutely need schooling and be very willing to pay for it. In fact, without the middle man of government, by its very nature, reducing the cost-efficiency of each £ spent, the teacher could earn more money for his skills.

Especially if he was good enough to want to teach more than just what government has decreed he should. His services would be at a premium compared with those who are only able to instruct by rote.

Twisted Root: Yes, I have seen that before on YouTube I think, but thanks for the link to the .swf version. Agreed that it is great for kids as a resource to enable alternative thinking.

Not that the state would be very happy with such a prospect, of course. ;)

Dick Puddlecote said...

Scorpy: Do it on the QT, we wouldn't want one of the good ones in education being carpeted, would we? ;)

Angry Exile said...

DP, you're quite right about education. I was ignoring the private sector and home educators and just looking at it from the POV of those schools and teachers answerable to and paid by the state. Certainly many of them could earn more freely than through the state, but the state is a safe option which guarantees a certain amount. As well as that I suspect most of them - like most people - are in favour of the state running things if only because they've never let themselves dream of an alternative.

Junican said...

I wonder if we are not getting carried away a bit! General Education only came about because of Gov edict.

What seems to me to be the problem is that the Education Dept has expanded way beyond what is reasonable. By interfering too much, it has stultified independent initiative.

Who was the arsehole who thought up 'league tables'? Can anyone think of anything worse than league tables for encouraging mediocrity?

Anonymous said...

Am I alone in considering the latest developments in the Spanish air controllers strike somewhat sinister?

Air traffic controllers ordered into work under threat of jail. Once forced to attend they are to be "supervised" in their towers by the Spanish Army.

All loudly cheered by the Spanish people and the BBC. State abuse and violence is fine if it means I get my holiday seems to be the attitude.

We are all fooked.

Anonymous said...

Anon

you have a point, a little browsing around Spanish history turns up El Partido de la Porra AKA "The Bludgeon Party"

All those cheering chimps look like turkeys voting for Xmas

Anonymous said...

So true Anon, thugs revert to type very easily.

The latest on the BBC stated that "The Spanish Army are to compel the air traffic controllers to do their job". Again with no outrage or condemnation that such coercion is morally reprehensible.

I guess we can all look forward to similar Governmental assistance to do our jobs soon. We are no longer freemen but simply a resource unit to be used and discarded at will by the elite.

Anonymous said...

Good point about the Spanish army forcing the air-controllers back to work under threat of gun.

I think it's along the line of thinking, where if it's not me directly being threatened, someone else's rights, liberties and freedoms being eliminated by state violence, then "don't affect me" and "can't happen here" thought patter, all brought about in a large way of course by the acceptance of the smoking bans.

Buy into that one, ignoring the loss of liberty, freedom, choice and property rights, then the rest follows easily until it "does affect me" and "can happen here" sets in, by which time it's too late.