Date: Tue, 14 Jan 1997 10:31:26 +0100 (MET) From: Leslaw Smutek <leszek-AT-I-LO.tarnow.pl> Subject: M-I: Re: M-G: Communism & Family Dear Vladimir, Sorry for the delay again. Of course I wasn't offended by your remarks. I don't, however, agree with them at all. Forst, I'd like to quote myself on "collective upbringing of children" which "would put an end to any variety of opinions and ideas". You regard it as "an empty tautology that avoids the task of proving its factual assumptions". Quite nicely written! My point is that collective upbringing of children is always and ever the same, be it in Canada or New Zealand, or Greenland. If you want to see examples, just have a good look into Orwell's "1984" or Huxley's "Brave New World". A boring world of identical individuals who have the same set of beliefs, ideas, feelings and reactions, because these have been implemented in them as a result of "collective upbringing"! I realise that from a strategic point of view of Communist (Marxist) revolution this uniform upbringing is the most important issue because you can control the minds of individuals by blocking unwanted and/or undesired information. E.g. I believe that most of this list members would claim that the French or Bolshevik Revolutions were greatest events in the history of mankind. I, for one, believe them to have been merely cruel & atrocious disasters. We have different points of departure, so to speak. Now, if your idea of collective upbringing prevails, kids and adults will get to know YOUR side of the story, not mine. Now, to be quite frank, I don't opt for MY side of the story. I basically opt for THERE BEING THE RIGHT OF CHOICE which you, I'm afraid, want to take away from people. And where there is only one version, there is virtually "no variety of opinions and ideas", is there? Second, you treat private schools as "undemocratic institutions, outside of the control of society". I don't know what you need the control of society for in private schools. For me, the point is quite clear and, again, it is based upon one's personal choice: you want to attend a private school, you're free to do so. You prefer a different type of school - you're free to attend it. Please, don't say that private schools are better because then you'd have to admit, at least partly, superiority of the private to the collective, state-owned or whatever. As for democracy vs private schools, let me say that democracy has nothing to do with schools, education and/or science, so I'm afraid your proposition is faulty logically and practically. What I agree with you about is schools "perpetuating the class system and privilege, etc." And it's natural that if I want to set up my own school, it is with MY OWN money that I want to provide and build it with. If I find enough candidates to attend it, that's fine. If I don't - that's fine, too. No one else perishes but myself. As for your claim for me "to demonstrate that no private schools equals conformity", it is quite easy to prove, because it reminds one of the rules of competitiveness. Private schools have to compete because if they don't, one or more might be forced to close down as people will NATURALLY prefer better schools. When, on the other hand, all schools are owned by the state, society, the working class or whoever you please, then all will be the same. Such schools will have no motivation to be better and so you'll soon have to force people NOT TO CHOOSE some schools or NOT TO AVOID others. Such a thing occurred in Poland under the rule of the Communist Party. The solution that they found was to ascribe people living within one area, district, region TO ONE PARTICULAR SCHOOL, whether they liked it or not. Thirdly, you've written that what I want or not has supposedly nothing to do with other people's "wants". Well, I guess you're right, but then how can you be sure of what other people's "wants" are? Unless, that is, that you can provide them with their "wants". Finally, Pavko Morozov who turned his father in to the police on an allegation that he was an enemy of the working class. If this is not a horrible monstrisity, what is? Hopefully, I have not offended anybody. I am really looking forward to hearing from you soon. Leszek Smutek --- from list marxism-international-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---
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