Time to get some thoughts out on paper, errr, computer screen. It has been a busy time of late. The world as we know it, continues to morph into something new. Which, segways nicely into what I am pondering at this time - Social Engineering.
Social Engineering:
Social Engineering is a discipline in social science that refers to efforts to influence popular attitudes and social behaviors on a large scale, whether by governments, media or private groups...........For various reasons, the term has been imbued with negative connotations. In British and Canadian jurisprudence,
changing public attitudes about a behaviour is accepted as one of the
key functions of laws prohibiting it. Governments also influence
behavior more subtly through incentives and disincentives built into
economic policy and tax policy.........( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_engineering_%28political_science%29 )
There, thanks Wikipedia for a basic definition, now we have the ground level covered........so, let's move on.
The transforming of peoples against their will and mostly by methods they do not recognize, social engineering has been around a long time. But, I am not a historian, and I am most interested in how our world, in our time has been changed. Starting with a review of what was taught in school a few decades back, subjects like Western Civ, were common in many high schools. And then somewhere along the way it became offensive for kids to learn about Western Civilization. I, personally, believe each citizen of planet Earth should know who their parents are and where they came from. So, I find it hard to understand why teaching children (who came from Europe and immigrated to the Americas (North, Central and South)) where they came from and the challenges and achievements that were made by their ancestors. It was not a mandatory course, so why were folks offended. If you did not come from Europe, don't take the course.....that's what is allowed in a free society. But, I think there may be a more sinister plot behind the removal of Western Civ from the curriculum. We are told, those who forget their history are doomed to repeat it ( George Santayana - https://www.nationalchurchillmuseum.org/blog/churchill-quote-history/ ) Not the direct quote, but words I have heard many times. So, the quickest way to change thinking is to remove a source of knowledge. So, those in power of the school boards, make the decision to remove Western Civ, thus the offended parties can be pacified. But, the social engineering is not finished with this step.
The next modification is the raising of importance of other cultures in the same schools. On its own this seems reasonable.........except, all cultures are not represented. Those who have come from European sources have lost their cultural education, because Western Civ has been dropped as a course option.
Then, the text books which explained why, where and when events in the largest conflicts in recent world history start to get watered down or worse re-written and events are debated in class out-of-context and heros are made into villians......we have a problem. (Personal opinion of modern textbooks)
In short, the current education process seems to be "dumbing-down" our society. Problem solving and critical thinking are frowned upon. The NEW math - the experience of working on mathmatical problem is more important than finding the correct answer. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, over!!! When these kids get into the workforce, they are in for a world of hurt. Bosses do not except the employee experiencing a warm fuzzy feeling when they are part of inventory. The boss wants an accurate accounting of every single item on hand at the exact time the inventory is being held. Close is not enough. Why are we letting the "system" screw-up our kids???
Now let's look at big picture stuff........where we live, work and play. Since the end of World War Two, in Canada, we as people have moved from the rural, into urban areas. This is not by chance. Slowly, through advertisement/commericialism the daily brainwashing progressed over the radiowaves, then TV and now the Internet.....about how good city life is, how it is easier to live and buy goods in the city and how the "in" crowd lives in the city not out in the country. What few noticed was what was being given up. In the city, few had their own garden, or chickens, or cows or pigs. If you wanted fresh veggies; you had to go to the store. If you wanted eggs; you had to go to the store. If you wanted milk; you had to go to the store. Once, most folks were programmed to go to the store, then they started to slowly jack up the prices. Wages were low and higher food prices keep the average person enslaved at their jobs. No more time to play. Who could afford it.
Now we find ourselves on the brink of a new change, okay not a new change, but certainly a change for us. The world continues to fight amongst its peoples and some are displaced. To keep the average folks distracted and exhausted, the best enemy ever in the history of warfare has been created - The Terrorist. They do not wear uniforms. They do not represent countries. They do not fight by the rules of land warfare. Thus, the powers that be, can proclaim any incident to be the work of terrorists, thus keeping the fear level very high. In times like these, folks can be persuaded to surrender their freedoms in exchange for security. Now, you get a democratic dictatorship........why would you give up freedom????
I will have to continue this another time.
Remember the past and prepare for the future!
Mountainman.
