MovieChat Forums > Atlas Shrugged: Part III (2014) Discussion > The problem with an elitist system.

The problem with an elitist system.

posted 10 years ago by MidnightThud
7 replies | jump to latest

One women says she is home schooling because she left the real world and could not let her kids go into an education system that does not her children think.

See here is the thing. That's gibberish, jingoism that means NOTHING.

No educational system could possible be acceptable to everyone. One thousand parents by human nature would have one thousand variances of what and how things should be taught. The fact that this valley cant even have a school curriculum she agrees with shows this!!!

This is why societies need standardisation, some rules and some focus.

The Simpsons had is correct when they had Comic Book Guy decree that like Vulcans the populace of Springfield would only have sex once every 8(?) years?

Rules are fine if THEY make the rules.

[–] ejonconrad 10 years ago

One women says she is home schooling because she left the real world and could not let her kids go into an education system that does not her children think.

The funny thing is that at that point, she's talking about the educational system in Galt's Gulch.

[–] Huskie_Jon 10 years ago

No educational system could possible be acceptable to everyone. One thousand parents by human nature would have one thousand variances of what and how things should be taught. The fact that this valley cant even have a school curriculum she agrees with shows this!!!

Under a completely privatized education system, parents do not have to agree with every piece of minutia being taught to the students, but they could decide for themselves and their children what is the best education for their money. It would be similar to higher education, where there are many different colleges and universities of varying cost, emphasis and quality. Hopefully without the tuition increasing at ten times the rate of inflation, as it has been doing for the last forty years with higher education.

Our present education system gives everyone the same curriculum, like it or not, and the same lousy quality. It is much like cafeteria food. If you want to send your child to a better school, you have to pay twice. Among the few people who can afford to do that are the rich politicians who prefer to lock the less fortunate into the lousy public schools system.

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A dope trailer is no place for a kitty.

[–] JohnJackson12 10 years ago

Huh? You say no curriculum could please everyone? Well, yeah, isn't that the point of home schooling? As for your ideas that we "need standardization", who's standards? Yours, mine, who makes this call of what is standard and what is not?

Besides, most people only home school because public schools have gotten so far off from what they think their kids should be taught. I imagine most parents would settle for a school that they have a few nitpicks about so long as the core curriculum was in line with what they want.

You also make the typical straw man about "no rules", who is ever saying there should be no rules, Capitalism is not anarchy, if you want to criticize Capitalism fine, but at least know what it is first.

[–] MidnightThud 10 years ago

But that is the point. This woman took her kids out of public schooling - fine - people choose that option for a myriad of reasons. BUT she is still home schooling in the Valley, a valley that's supposed to be all free, open and like minded.

And home schooling only works if its allowed by a greater society that accommodates that minority. Imagine a society where everyone home schooled and taught English, accountancy, Science etc differently. That society would be an unwieldy, clumsy and unworkable basket case.

[–] JohnJackson12 10 years ago

Well I'm not here to defend this movie, in fact I think this film is a joke and horrible advertisement for Capitalism.

A society that accommodates the minority you wrote as an "if" - well, sure, if you live by the motto of "might makes right", but I don't, I do believe an individuals rights should always be protected so long as they are not harming another person or damaging their property, I'd like to know how would you feel if you are in a society and the majority continually forces you to do things you don't want to do. Sure, the mob can always impose it's will by force, but is that right?

However, I don't think your scenario has much basis in reality. You are ignoring self-interest, if there is a language that better helps people to communicate, do business, etc, people as a whole will adopt that language without having to have a gun pointed at their head. Likewise with science, well, sure, you can teach your kids that pouring water in your gas tank will make your car run, but I'm pretty sure not too many people, including your kids, are going to follow down that path.

[–] MidnightThud 10 years ago

In many way we are talking about the same thing.

My comment about educational standardisation says though. a society needs to have some base points of agreement and procedure. In life a country drives on the same side of the road. some would love to drive on the other, some down the middle, zig zag etc. Same with money - a society cant really run too well with a dozen formal currencies (ignoring the black market/cash economies for this discussion.

The film though alludes to a superior level of society that will somehow come together and agree on how we underlings should be arranged. Go to any dinner party with 8 people (especially if 1 is a doctor and another a Lawyer etc) and you know that's just not reality.

[–] JohnJackson12 10 years ago

Well, again, I'm not defending the film, and I'm not suggesting anarchy, but see a road is something that is public, you are out there with other people so yes, some sort of rules need to be drawn up, that goes in line with protecting people's rights and I agree a 3rd party (government) has a very necessary role in those situations.