Education.

Wealth should not be the goal that drives you towards a formal education, that isn't a hunger for knowledge it is just greed. A formal education has nothing to do with how smart you are, and the lack of one does not insure stupidity. Schools teach everyone the same thing, and instill the same values on everyone. Everyone who receives an "A" marked the same answers on the test, and holds the same thoughts in their head about whatever the subject might be. Of course biases and opinions are formed, but none of the students ever assumes that what they were taught is wrong or not factual. The teacher never lies, the teacher is not human. The system never lies, the system is not human. The book never lies because it was provided by the teacher and approved by the system. Unchecked trust in anything is never good, and only leads to extortion. The systematic passing of a formal education, through the process of marking the same answer as everyone else, is considered intelligence. That sounds like the definition of average.

Subjects which when considered could make you seriously think against these institutions, and those that support them, are never brought up. Schools are narrowed down to a few subjects, and when students are allowed to think "freely" the subjects are narrowed down based on other external and internal factors. Never mind the fact that students hardly have anytime to delve into other subjects outside of school. Between the work required of school, and the natural feeling of a need to have an enjoyable time, what time is there for the student to learn on their own? On the off chance that they do it is usually something brought directly to their attention through the mass media. Subjects found through the mass media usually, if not always, follow the same trends as the school subjects do. Then again, what do I know? I'm just a student.

If your opinion is one that you came to as a result of school, the chances are it is the opinion they want you to have. Even any negative opinions of the institutions is directed towards something meaningless. Phrases with no meaning are invented and your negative thoughts are directed at those and sometimes even welcomed. The student doesn't discuss their legitimate disapproval of the actual overall system, instead they discuss their negative feelings toward homework, subjects, projects, teachers, rules, and other minor issues that exist within the system. The redirection of our thought from what really effects us onto smaller, insignificant, and often fabricated subjects is what makes every system in the United States work.

The systems don't work to our advantage. Of course, school and mass media wouldn't openly tell us that. People might announce that they have stolen, or lied, or caused harm to someone because their "conscious" might make them regret it and feel sorrowful. Systems, however, do not have feelings, or a "conscious." They will continue to rape until forced to stop. Our system is one that not only limits free thought in every possible way, but promotes and rewards for conformity.

A Concerned Student

Dear Dr. _____ ______, 

                Today during first lunch there was an issue with the appropriateness of a phrase on my shirt. The specific phrase says, "Fuck Armageddon this is hell." Now mind you this is not the first time I've worn the shirt to school, and in the past, as well as today, I cover the word "Fuck" with a piece of black electrical tape, and have had no problems with it not being "School Appropriate."   Today during lunch I was approached by Mrs. _____ and was told I would have to change my shirt or turn it inside out. I asked if the tape had fallen off, and she responded to me saying it's wasn't just the one word, all the words on the back were not appropriate for school. A fellow student _______ _____ was sitting next to me and said, "Even Armageddon?" and Mrs. _____ repeated that all the words were inappropriate.  I've gotten used to this irrational fear of "Curse Words" that you all have, but really? Armageddon and hell? This was news to me, as well as the rest of my peers at the table.

                First off, I felt very disrespected because I was told I was not allowed to say something that is part of my beliefs, but the part that gets to me most was that no good logical reason was given or has ever been given. I understand you think that I am just a student and that, you all powerful administrators, don't have to answer to me. But the fact of the matter is we live in a society that claims to be fair, criminals are given a trial and reasons should be listed as to why something is wrong.

                Beyond my feeling of disrespect was a feeling of being singled out. A lot of the things we think are morally wrong come from religion. But according to the First Amendment of the U.S Constitution we are given religious freedom, and the right to believe, say and think what we want. I see that this is apparent among other beliefs and religions in our school. But I was singled out because my beliefs and opinions seem morally wrong, when these morals you have established were originally based in religion. In a way I feel punished because I've chosen the one choice that isn't ok. Whether or not my beliefs are based in an official faith, is irrelevant because it is my belief that these religions are wastes of time, money and good resources while deciding for yourself what you believe it a much better process. Then again maybe it's me as a person and not my beliefs because even when I was of the Catholic faith situations like this occurred. One specific one was during a Friday in lent I was in I.S.S at _____ Middle School, the way lunch worked was we were given one entrée and had no choice in the matter. Because it was lent I wasn't allowed to eat meat because of my faith. When I brought this up to the Faculty member in charge of the I.S.S students she simply said to not eat the meat then.  I don't think you're trying to say my beliefs don't matter just because they're my beliefs, but perhaps you are.

                I'm aware that you will probably tell me that it's wrong for me to say such things because it will offend people. But censorship and taking away my right to say what I want deeply offends me more than anything ever has. I suppose it is because I'm not a part of the majority that your fairness can be incoherent towards me. Some things that offend some people don't offend others, so naturally only a majority that feel the same way are free from being offended. But the truth of the matter is that many things I see in my day to day routine offend me. However, I'm not asking you to abolish these offensive practices because I am understanding that with different people comes different opinions. Making me change my shirt because it "needs to be censored" to me is no different than segregation between races. It doesn't seem that far from reality that I would be forced to drink out of a different drinking fountain because I choose to swear, or talk of Armageddon and Hell. When in fact the power of words is created in the human mind, just as the difference between two races is.  I'm fully aware that America isn't the land of the completely free, but to me that doesn't make it ok. Or do you feel that it does?

                I'm not even certain about the legality of what was done here. The first amendment of the constitution guarantees me the right to freedom of speech. Dictionary.reference.com defines freedom of speech as, "The right to speak without censorship or restraint by the government." If I'm understanding what I'm learning in AP GOPO then the Constitution is part of the Federal Government which supersedes the State Government, and the School District is part of the State Government. Which means you don't have the right to impose censorship upon students. Then the issue of clear and present danger has to be taken into account. Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., suggested that "the question in every case is whether the words used are used in such circumstances and are of such a nature as to create a clear and present danger that they will bring about the substantive evils that Congress has a right to prevent." I believe he made the point that no one has a constitutional right to shout “Fire!” in a theater full of people when there is actually no fire, for such action would pose a “clear and present danger” to public safety. But my words were not posing any danger what so ever to anyone. The constitution is up to interpreting and I've heard the argument that the words were printed on my shirt and not spoken, (However there are the same rules against me saying those words in school) in response to this I must mention that I have a strong belief in freedom of expression which is used to indicate not only freedom of verbal speech but any form of receiving and sending information, regardless of the medium used. Denying me that is another way I am denied what I strongly believe in during school.

                This whole event has left me feeling unsure if _______ Public Schools is a place where I wish to pursue my education. However, with only the rest of my senior year left I'm not left with many options aside from dropping out, and despite all this I still feel a formal education is important. Besides I wouldn't want to let down my country by dropping out, the way my country has let me down by falsely guaranteeing me rights and ignoring my beliefs. 

                                                                                Sincerely,                                                                                                                                                                                                            _____ ______.

Time for something completely different.

He calls himself an activist
but where is the activist at without the act?

Ignorance and fear

A few day's ago in health class, a fellow student asked me "Nolan, why do you like to read." Being absorbed in my book I simply responded, "I enjoy it." Looking back on it now, I should have responded with "Why do you consent to live in ignorance and fear?" 

Ignorance is the state in which a person lacks knowledge, sophistication or intelligence. I do not really see how any one can knowingly be ignorant and not want to do something about it. However, it is something I see everyday. People just do not seem to care, and it is not something new. I see plenty of adults who have lived their whole lives in ignorance. Still, I wonder is that any way to live? It is clear that we have different goals and thought processes. 

Do people fear knowledge? Well I would hope not. What I see is that people fear being different, and they fear working for something. They prefer to take the easy way out. They choose to subject their selves to fear of God, fear of change and fear of truth. I do not get it, and perhaps I never will. 

Knowledge is our strongest strong point, and our weakest weak point, because with knowledge comes ignorance. We were given the power to think, it would be a shame not to use it. Promote thought, promote change. 

Incoherent Fairness.

For this blog I first need to fill you in on a little bit about me. My girlfriend's uncle is in the army, and was recently stationed in Iraq, when he came back he brought a bracelet of spent shells. This bracelet was too big for her to wear, so she let’s me wear it. I wore it nearly everyday. One day some teacher/administrator told me not to wear it any more. This teacher/administrator had actually joked with me about them being live and going off in my eyes, so when he told me to take them off and never wear them again, I wasn’t sure whether or not if he was joking. I continued to wear them and one day he saw them and took them away from me. I spent 3 days after school trying to track him down to get them, and finally got them from the principle.

Now here is where today’s subject rises. Should people be allowed to do something, that others are not allowed to, because of culture/religion? Why are ideologies passed down through a religion any more important than those that are formed on ones own or passed down by any other means? My view is that censoring things is wrong, yet I would have to cover the word "Fuck" on a t-shirt because there is a school rule against profanity. However, a Muslim is allowed to wear a head garment, while there is a school rule against wearing hats, head bands, bandannas or anything of the sort. In fact, the veils are not even a religious ideology as much as they are a cultural thing. It never says that woman have to wear them in the Quran. Yet they are allowed too in school. If the bullet bracelet was a part of my religion/culture would I then be allowed to wear them? If some ones culture had them carrying a knife/gun around all the time would school let them do that? Of course not, they would say veils don’t hurt any one, well neither does the word fuck, neither does a hat, and neither do spent shells.
What we see here is contradictory rules in the school system, something looked at from one point of view as fair, is very unfair, and one sided from the other. This, my friend, is what out entire world is based of off. This is incoherent fairness at its best.

The Start.

Most people start their blogs with a little bit about them selves. They usually talk about who they are. However, in this blog who I am is of little importance in comparison to what I am and what I stand for. What I am is a human, who chooses to think using his mind, to formulate ideas, to search for the truth, and to do all of this using logic and reasoning. This country, or this world rather, needs more than a human, it needs change. The purpose of this blog is to not only inform you, but also to open your eyes on things that rarely are brought up in day-to-day conversation. The sum of our parts is greater than us as a whole. I am just one part in the plan for change, one gear in the machine of truth. What this machine really needs is you.