Molyneux at school: Government is your family

[tasmlab]

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/08/30/what-is-government-elementary-students-taught-its-your-family/

 

Instead of all of the mental gyrations to understand that government is the family, one school is just coming out and saying it.  Stef might have to get his resume in order if the government is just going to come out and say it's the family.  At public school no less.

[cherapple]

So blatant, chilling, 1984. 

[Wesley]

This is one of the instances where I wonder which is better. This overt propaganda, or the subtle and implicit varieties that people may not even realize exist. 

[Pepin]

I think this is a positive direction because the more aware people are of their projections, the less they will want to project. Though this is a guess, I would say that right now we are at the metaphorical stage where "you can think of government as X" with the less educated and "the government is a projection early childhood" in more educated circles. At the current time, people are more likely to see it as an interesting observation that has a lot of positive benefits with no real negative impact, but as time progresses I would put forward that people are more and more likely to attribute the negative properties to it.

 

I find blatant propaganda easier to point out to people because it doesn't sound so abstract when you talk about it. I get the impression that it sounds like you're making a stretch of an argument when talking about subtle forms of propaganda.

[prohexa]

This is one of the instances where I wonder which is better. This overt propaganda, or the subtle and implicit varieties that people may not even realize exist. 

 

I fully agree, but I suspect this is actually worse. To children this is not overt propaganda but rather hard facts, delivered by the seemingly all-knowing adults around them that they love and trust. It's difficult to later question what you already know are facts. Of course, displaying the propaganda this openly at least provides a chance for the few involved and thinking parents to step in and explain reality to their children but I'm afraid they are an extremely small minority.

 

I've been reading up a bit on North Korea recently and it's scary how even the most blatant lies and ridiculous myths are accepted as absolute truths by the vast majority there. Propaganda doesn't even have to subtle, only constant...

[Rob_Ilir]

This feels like a desperate "all in" from the teachers union. No longer will they tolerate anything but a parental role in moral questions, or you snowball through fail.I guess the teacher who went through with the test felt anointed by the state, a licence to play carrots and sticks with weaker others.

[Ruben Zandstra]

Imagine questioning this kind of insulting drivel as a child, facing 30 kids and a teacher.

Not me thank you, M'am! 

I've been filling out nice and thoughtful answers to similar crap like crazy when I had years more to go. 

[John Corvidae]

Clear sign of the times.  Time to take your kids out of the propaganda center.  This is a slow and deliberate march toward a Brave New World.  I'm sure this is just the first of a long line of 'family-branded' state propaganda.