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I don't know what to say. The original inhabitants were forced... Their land was taken from them, that's no comparision... That's not a free market situation. And a free market only about $$$? Are you the FDR troll here or what?

Hmmm, some concrete thoughts... Bring a short article/text to class. News article? A history text? Could be good to jump-start a meaningful conversation. Asking: What's the first (English) word that comes to mind if you hear.... terrorism? Quantitative Easing? (that's a tough one ) This is an interesting thought experiment, as we come up with ideas, some of them can maybe be applied in our everyday conversations.

Being from Belgium and not having a college degree (graduated high school, A2 diploma), I can start a business. See this link. I have this degree and so I could start a business, no problem. This class 'bedrijfsbeheer' was a part of my education in high-school.

Can I ask, how many students do you have in such a class (average)? Interesting topic to chat about with my girlfriend, as she is an aspiring teacher. If I can get some valuable ideas out of our conversations about this, I'll be sure to mention them in this thread. Good luck.

After reading about it, I'll be sure to check it out! Just hope it doesn't get too melo-romantic.

When reading this I see my former classmates flashing before my eyes... My guess to improve this situation and get them to talk about more important topics is the why-question. For example, throw into the group: why do you find talking about politics or society not interesting. I can imagine the reasons: boring, not interesting,... But if you get just one or two person(s) to eventually open up to the subjects, chance is the group will start talking with you about it on a more professional level. Teachers like you can mean a huge difference in somebody's life, sometimes a teacher like you is the only one that can open their eyes to reality for just a moment. Some take that moment with them in their lives and develop it further... You are not to be judged for working in a public school system (previous poster...), we need people like you inside that system, it can save people from an apathetic life. Just as a teacher was able to diversify my interests in life... From nihilistic to interested and critical.

A government without nationalism? I don't, because all kinds of government use some kind of nationalist propaganda. A government 'governs' a nation, right? Again, in a free market society, would there be a need of borders? Need of a nation? I see a free market society emphasizing on cultural values, morality, ethics... But not the virtue of 'nation'. EDIT: Why would individuals have a need of nation? Quote from rosencrantz in this thread.

A lot of people do not seem to have a lot of problems with nationalism here, which surprises me. When we would have a free market society, borders become rather meaningless if I'm not mistaken? Don't get me wrong, we have compulsory voting (enforced) here and I voted for the Flemish Nationalists, because there isn't really a better alternative. How do you guys see nationalism work in a free market society? With nationalism, wouldn't there be a rise of organisation(s) which relies on force to put out its cultural values etc.? Is nationalism not like a government: forcefully expansive? Yes, I have read various definitions of nationalism, and that is why this concerns me. It is a very broad term.

Well hey neighbor, thanks for the heads-up! Well things have changed a lot in our public school system, and of course it got worse. They're constantly lowering the bar for everyone... I believe that this is the case in a lot of countries. Immigration is a factor, as is the intent of the government to make sure we don't get children to think critically/rationally... What I do hear from my girlfriend is that Dutch people are a lot mouthier and question a lot more what's being said. This year she will graduate as a ancient greek/latin teacher. She recalls a Dutch professor giving class in front of a Flemish audience... He kept asking surprised: 'Doesn't anybody have any questions?'. It seems that the Flemish students are a lot more apathic.

Hello everyone, I'm Kevin, 27 years old. Glad to be a part of the community. After government high-school I've been a welder for about 6 years. Last year in July I was given the opportunity to start working as an NDT (non-destructive testing) inspector. I have a modest whisky collection. It's an investment, although I can enjoy drinking the water of life too. Believing we are near what may be the biggest economic crash in history, I've started to convert some of my currency (not money!) to Bitcoin. I'm starting to look at gold and silver too. Stocks, I need to learn more about. What is certain is that fiat currency will fail. I'm trying to have more and more meaningful conversations with the people around me. Mainly about the financial system/situation and how we must strive to make governments smaller and eventually non-existent. Even though most people are skeptical about this, because their mainstream thoughts feelings fog their rationality, I get a lot of satisfaction just dealing with the subject.