Robin and the Forum,
Let me first say that indeed Robin, I do believe that corporate advertising and mass marketed commercialized "culture" are the roots of a lack of analytical thinking on the part of the general populace. We are constantly bombarded with messages to conform to dominant culture (without questioning what the dominant culture is and who controls/manufactures it). Bear with me this morning folks, I'm a little groggy, and the synapses aren't firing as quickly (just getting over a nasty case of giardia). Now on to Robin's questions: Theoretically, I would indeed support such a course in the Minneapolis Public Schools. I believe that the basic role of education is to teach individuals to think critically and analytically. If young people are taught to question, explore, and analyze, we will find our society radically transformed from the one in which we live today. Our school system was set up and designed to mass produce workers for an industrial world. It is no coincidence that the advent of mass free public education went hand in hand with the society re-shaping Industrial Revolution. This is not new news to folks, or, at the very least, it shouldn't be. If young people are taught the critical skills necessary to make informed decisions for themselves, we will have a citizenry that can truly begin to dismantle the bigotry and isms that will, if unstopped, prove to be our ultimate demise. I believe that education should be a tool to serve the individual. I don't believe that education should be a tool to mold the individual to serve corporate interests. On to Robin's second question: I am absolutely opposed to product placement and advertising in schools. I remember what it was to be a poor student in the Minneapolis Public Schools. There is already enormous pressure to conform. Students are pressured to wear the right clothes, have the right haircut, have the right shoes, shop at the right stores, and the students that are unable to do these things are immeadiate outcasts. Being isolated and feeling exposed are definate factors in why many students (poor, GLBT, students of color, etc.) fail to excel. I would support a district wide ban on all advertisements and product placements in schools. Students get enough advertisement attacks outside of the school building, they don't need their education to be any more commercialized than it already is. Brandon Lacy Campos Powderhorn Park [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
