Time for a little refresher on some common sense that I learned in my childhood. It has to do with something called “false equivalency” - although I have to admit that I did not know at that time that it was called as such. This is an important form of logic that needs to be applied in our time. It is about values that are fundamental to our identity and institutions as Americans: equality and fairness. These seem to be simple concepts, but they can be distorted by that evil of logic called false equivalency.
Imagine two drivers going down the highway. One is breaking the speed limit by 3 mph and the other is breaking it by 33 mph. Both are breaking the law. But are they breaking it equally? Should they be treated the same? Or imagine twins having a birthday. Grandpa gives $100 to one child and gives $10 to the other. He gave them both gifts. Is that being treated fairly or equally? Is Grandpa playing favorites? Now consider American politics. I often hear the phrase “both sides do it” to justify dislike for major political parties, but not all things are equal or fair. In the recall elections in Wisconsin (2014) the Republican brand received money from out of state special interests groups (primarily individual billionaires and corporations) at a rate of 10 to 1 when compared to the Democratic brand receiving money from out of state interest groups (primarily unions and small donors). That amount of money disparity made a huge difference in how the issues were framed and what information the people of the state heard and came to believe as truth. Was the effect of the out of state special interest money equal? Was it fair? And concerning the issue of compromise of which I have written previously, when one side is willing to compromise by meeting the other side halfway, but the other side is only willing to go a tenth of the way (if at all), are they acting equally and fairly with each other? Common sense tells me to be careful about blaming both sides when they may both be doing something, but one side is doing it to a much greater degree. The rule of false equivalency in logic can enable us to recognize and confront situations that are not fair or equal. When one side insists on having it all its own way then it is our civic responsibility to stand up and confront them with that stubbornness. My common sense tells me to beware of lumping together the deeds and misdeeds of our political parties in a rejection of both those parties. Yes, let us hold them accountable, but let us hold them accountable to the degree they are responsible. Don’t let anyone fool you with false equivalency when things are not equal or fair. It’s a matter of common sense.
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As I was driving the other day, I encountered a truck that was proudly displaying a bumpersticker that made me think that is was again time for some common sense reflections. The slogans on that vehicle were “Save the Republic” and “Fight Socialism” and they reminded me again of how sadly uninformed many of our citizens are. Unfortunately many of our people are not aware of the enlightenment principles our nation is founded upon and of the social contract that we, as citizens of this country, have with our fellow citizens and government.
If I had the opportunity to speak with the displayer of those slogans, I would have asked, “Have you been driving that nice truck of yours on the roads that were paid for with our tax dollars?” That is a form of socialism. “Did you, or your children, receive an education in our public schools?” That is a form of socialism. “Have you, or your parents, received any benefits from Social Security or Medicare?” That is a form of socialism. In the mad rush toward libertarianism and the desire to get rid of “big government” are we forgetting that this nation began when groups of people committed their “lives, fortunes, and sacred honor” to a common cause and to working together to accomplish great things? When the American colonists joined together in their fight for liberty it wasn’t just a fight “to do whatever I please,” and a fight to get rid of government. It was a fight to establish a society that would promote the common good and to provide a government that was responsive to the needs of the people. We have been struggling now for over 200 years to make a more perfect society. We have achieved some great things and we have much more to accomplish. We are continually fighting to “save the republic”. But we do ourselves a disservice when we equate that to fighting socialism. Call on each other to fight oppression, to fight injustice, to fight hatred, to fight inequality, to fight for a more just society, and to work together in common cause for the good of all of people. But let us not call upon ourselves to fight for our ourselves as individuals at the expense of our fellow citizens. Perhaps, I have misunderstood the point the displayer of that bumpersticker desired to make. Perhaps they were trying to communicate their concern over the connection between big business and government. I know that in the past some people have voiced concern that government might control businesses and corporations, calling that socialism. I appreciate that concern, however, the reality today is quite different. A common sense look at our nation today will show us a frightening degree of influence by big business over our government. We should be telling corporations and businesses to get out of controlling our government, not for government to get out of regulating businesses for the common good. Benjamin Franklin, one of our nation’s most successful early capitalists and most dedicated of public servants, said some common sense words many years ago when the founders were struggling to establish this republic, “We must hang together, or we shall hang separately.” That commitment was also a form of socialism. My common sense tells me that we can accomplish great things when we work together as we have in the past. Are we, today, willing to pledge “our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor” to our common cause? I want to believe we are. The Emperor Has No Clothes (origninally published June 2015)
I can still remember the childhood feelings of delight, amusement, and even that slight degree of chagrin at those who fell for the charade, that I experienced when I first read the children’s fable, The Emperor Has No Clothes. Today, with perhaps a lesser sense of delight and amusement, and a greater degree of chagrin, I feel I must at least whisper to those around me the equivalent of, “The emperor has no clothes.” I wonder, doesn’t everyone else see this? Are they afraid to speak out? Who is this emperor of whom I speak? It is not a who, but a what. It is the current ruling culture of education in America. We are being bombarded with the belief that if we can test, score, and quantify every child in America into a myriad of numbers and data then we can provide them with instruction that improves their scores and thereby makes them and their educators successful. Educational institutions are being overwhelmed with pressure from within and without by multitudes of acronyms such as CC, RTI, PBIS, testing of all sorts, and data which is collected, collated, and compared. Politicians and administrators often compete to find their favorite ways to evaluate and judge “by the numbers.” In the quest to turn education into pure science they have turned away from understanding that the sharing of learning is a passion of the heart. Have we forgotten the simple, homespun garment which has clothed education since at least the time of Socrates? That which best evokes learning can be boiled down to two simple items cut from the same cloth. The cloth of love. A teacher must love their subject, and they must love their students. I know it has been the case for me, and I suspect it is for most who read this, that most of what I have learned from others in life I have learned from those who loved me and who loved what they were doing. These people were my school teachers and my teachers in other arenas of life. Certainly people can learn some things without this, but if we want to provide the best for our students we must start by doing better for the teachers who do so much for them. We need to be able support them as they help our children learn. The last couple of decades have seen the respect we bear our teachers gradually erode until today they are often considered to be the problem in education we have to fix. In this attempt to fix them we have allowed education to become clothed with the emperor’s clothes. Teachers are required to prepare their students for standardized tests, evaluated on their students’ achievements, micro-managed to frustration, critiqued and criticized at every turn. Learning becomes secondary to following the rules, filling out the forms, and getting the highest scores. Rather than demonizing and tying the hands of our teachers I suggest we give our trust and respect to teachers. Their lives are driven by a passion for what they teach and by their genuine care for our young people. They work every day with our children because they care. They know better than anyone what learning is about. That is why they are teaching. Teachers teach, not because they are incapable of doing other work, but because they can do what precious few people can do - teach - and they have a passion for doing it! We can encourage and embrace their creativity in the classroom. We can give them the freedom to do what they are good at. There are problems in every educational system, but is the solution to enter the land of illusion fostered by data-driven decisions and turn away from trusting teachers filled with caring hearts and with a passion for learning? You may be seeing things differently than I do, and I may only be one voice, but I know what I see, and so I say it, “The emperor has no clothes.” |
Time for Common Sense AgainCommon sense commmentary by Joel Kreger (unless noted and credited to a guest writer) Archives
November 2018
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