Did You Learn What You Think You Learned?

I have been wondering lately, in the wake of a number of "mis-steps" and flagrant violations of both the spirit and the letter of the law, what has happened to investigative journalism and, more importantly, the public's lack of ire with their body politic. Over the last several months, the nation has been treated to several examples (as if we needed more) of the current administrations inability to govern and their complete disregard for the laws of the land. Sadly, this is not a new trend. While I barely remember the hoopla that was Watergate (being 10 and living in Canada, it was not that big a deal to me at the time), I appreciated the issues. I do remember watching the Iran-Contra hearings with interest as well as following the impeachment trial of President Clinton. However, I am left almost speechless by the lack of any sort of outrage by the American people over the acts of their current government. From on-going illegal wiretaps to questionable use of intelligence to flagrant violations of the very Constitution they are supposed to be upholding, I am simply flabbergasted. Or at least I was. I am beginning to understand a little.

I am finishing up a book that I am sure Orwell would have enjoyed called the Language Police. While there are several poignant passages, I wanted to share a couple. These are in relation to the lack of reading standards in state curriculum for literature:

"It seems that many education officials are no longer willing to take responsibility for teaching the American cultural heritage or the cultural heritage of English-speaking people." (pg 126)

"The popular culture-making machine cares not one whit for taste and judgment but reaches insistently for the lowest common denominator, the point at which its purveyors can maximize their profit." (pg126).

For me, this begins to answer a number of questions about the current generation (that being those who went through school in the late 1980s and early 1990s). I was not exposed to the 'homogenization' (one might say the dumbing down) of literature. I was forced to read it and 'evaluate' it both for its merit and its value, as well as the pure literary content. In the current lash up that is the US education system, there appears to be so little controversy that I question how any cognitive thinking can occur. And if you cannot find controversy in the educational environment, how can you question cognitively the actions, both good and bad, of your government? It is '1984' all over again.