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RE: A Tale of Two Cages

in #politics8 years ago (edited)

I grew up in a Scandinavian social democracy, with Labor Party parents, so I know the left wing point of view very well: We're all the same on the inside. It's merely circumstances that make us different, so we all deserve to have the same things, and (if you extend that line of thinking a bit) we thus all have the ability to do anything, given the right nurturing. That, and nothing else, is what the cloned lab mice are meant to symbolize.

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Perhaps there are cultural differences that are causing some friction here, then. Here in the US, the problem with the education system is that the funding mechanism for schools relies on property taxes. Affluent areas have well funded schools and schools in impoverished areas languish. The issue with education isn't whether or not students who have shown aptitude are allowed to flourish, it's whether children are able to achieve their potential to the extent of their abilities. There is a hard limit to what can be achieved by children from poor communities, while the children of the wealthy are nearly guaranteed success regardless of their individual talents. Add to the mix the racism that plagues our society...

So left wing approaches to education here attempt to mitigate the problems that come from inequality that actually prevent intelligent and talented individuals from achieving excellence. The same social factors allow mediocrity to achieve stellar results, due to inherited advantages.