No Hickory Stick Leads to Gangs?

Cartoon of students receiving the cane, 1888 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I’m sure that gangs are a natural part of life for any minority or group of immigrants.  I have little doubt that gangs (like the poor) will always be with us.  Therefore, I’m not going to argue that I or anyone else can dream up an idea that can eliminate gangs.

But it still might be possible to make an occasional insight that would reduce the incidence of gangs.  Instead of having 100 gangs, with a little common sense, maybe we could reduce the number to 20 or even 10.

•   I’ve been watching two videos on gangs.  One describes the Hispanic “MS13″ gang.  The other tells the history of the Negro “Bloods” and “Crips” gangs.  All three gangs fight other gangs (including the cops) for territory and then extort “protection money” from the businesses in their territory.  If businesses don’t pay for “protection,” their owners can lose their property or their lives.

Extortion by gangs seems cruel and unjustifiable.  But, when you stop to think about it, there’s not much difference between the protection money extorted by the the gangs from the taxes imposed by the government.  If you don’t pay your taxes to the government “protector” (they’re here to help us, y’ know), you can also lose your property and at least your liberty.

Apparently, that’s the primary difference between gangs and government.  If you don’t pay the gangs, they’ll kill you.  If you don’t pay the government, they won’t killl you, but they might take a few years of your life.  Government is simply a “kinder, gentler” gang–but it’s still just a gang.

 

Pavlovian Economics

One of the many dogs Pavlov used in his experiments (possibly Baikalhttp://www.cshl.edu/PDogs/29.html), Pavlov Museum Ryazan, Russia. Note the saliva catch container and tube surgically implanted in the dog’s muzzle. . (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Today, I argue that gov-co’s control over economic indicators constitutes evidence of Pavlovian conditioning of the America people.

Let’s begin the argument with Wikipedia’s definition of “Pavlovian conditioning”:

 

 “Classical conditioning (also Pavlovian conditioning or respondent conditioning) is a form of learning in which one stimulus comes to signal the occurrence of a second stimulus. This is often brought about by pairing the two stimuli, as in Pavlov’s classic experiments.  Pavlov presented dogs with a ringing bell followed by food.  The food elicited salivation, and after repeated bell-food pairings, the bell also caused the dogs to salivate.  In this experiment the food is an unconditioned stimulus, salivation is an unconditioned response, the bell is neutral but then becomes a conditioned stimulus, the salivation elicited by the bell is a conditioned response.”

 

Sign of the Times

Here’s a tribute to American public school education and evidence of just how much trouble this country is really in.

This is scary.  We have enough consumers in the country who can read, but can’t count up to 15, that at least one Walmart posted the following sign:

How can people who can’t count up to 15 hold jobs and support themselves?  How long can people who can’t count to 15 remain as as “consumers”?  What happens when people who can’t count to fifteen are no longer able to pay for their “consumption”?

On the bright side, the sign features three hands, rather than two hands and one foot.  Apparently, the Americans who can’t count to fifteen still have sufficient conceptual capacity to envision an imaginary third hand, rather than take off their shoes and socks to continue counting past 10.

(Good thing the express lane limit isn’t 21, hmm?)

 

Valedictorian Speaks Out Against Schooling

Image via Wikipedia

I wonder if this high school graduate really understands what she’s saying.  You can almost hear her giggling as she makes her speech.  But her truth is almost painful to hear.  If she doesn’t yet really understand the truth she’s saying–she will.

In the meantime, I’m proud of this valedictorian and her parents.

video

00:09:27

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9M4tdMsg3ts

 

Three Videos

Image via Wikipedia

Simple.

Strong.

Sometimes powerful.

1.  Christian Nation     video   00:09:12

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oM3HeOofqIw

 

The Deliberate Dumbing Down of America

Image via Wikipedia

In the 1990′s I found a final exam for 8th grade students in Nebraska from the year 1900.  I published the century-old exam in the AntiShyster News Magazine because it was clear to me that 1) the vast majority of current American college graduates couldn’t pass the 1900 8th grade final exam; and 2) the 1900 8th grade final exam demonstrated how much children can learn if they are provided with a proper education.