-=> Quoting Charles Beams to Michael Martinez <=-
 CB> In order to give your proposal some perspective, I've tried to draw on
 CB> my limited knowledge of history and geography.  One way to determine 
 CB> what society would be like without our formal educational system is to
 CB> take a look at pre-twentieth century America - before compulsory 
 CB> education.  At that time, children did not spend their time learning 
 CB> advanced skills, but worked the farm or worked in the factories for 
 CB> sixteen hours a day just to survive.  Many of those who did become 
 CB> successful in those days were the product of the limited educational 
 CB> opportunities available.
What are we doing nowadays?  We work all day at a phone-headset, in
a little cubicle with hundreds of other data-entry personnel, conducting
phone surveys.  Mindless, boring.  You don't need an education for that.
 CB> Another place to look is modern day Africa where emerging third world 
 CB> nations are trying to claw and scratch their way into the modern age. 
The only reason they're trying to claw their way, is because that's the
only hope they have to buffer the onslaught of being overrun by powerful
industrial countries who strip them of their natural resources.  They 
haven't asked for it.
 CB> As I understand it, one of the ways they hope to progress is by
 CB> adopting  formal educational programs such as are found in most of the
 CB> world's  leading nations.  Interesting, isn't it, that all of the
 CB> nations now  leading the world, from Japan to the U.S., all have
 CB> compulsory education? 
Consider your wording : "leading the world".  Do you think that to
lead the world is an honorable goal?  To impose your thoughts of what
things should be like on other cultures, more often than not against 
their will; to fashion a world economy which makes only a few people
rich, but which you as a country must participate in or else become
poorer than you were before ...
 CB> And let's look at the results of a badly educated populace.  If we 
 CB> examine the very people you are speaking to - those who are weeded out
 CB> of our system - high school dropouts - then, in fact, these should be 
 CB> the best educated people in our nation according to your theory.
No, because there are _no other opportunities_ allowed.  School is it.
It's the only thing that recieves federal funding.  It's the only place
with well-equipped labs and fancy computers.  It's the only place,
outside of corporate labs, where up-to-date research is done.  It's the
only place where it's allowed to be done, unless you're a millionaire
and can set up your own shop.  School is accredited, it's got the stamp
of approval.  If you don't make it in school, forget it, you're going
to rot.
 CB> they not the kids who have the most time to pursue the things that 
 CB> interest them - to educate themselves in the fields that are their 
 CB> greatest strengths?
yes, but where can they go to nourish themselves?  Where are they allowed
to go?
 CB> Can you point to any models of nations, or classes of people, that
 CB> have succeeded based on the model you're promoting?
Every current third-world fringe culture and most pre-19th century
world cultures.
-michael
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