Economic Reductionism (& Idiocy) In Raleigh

by Michael Sean Winters

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Governor Pat McCrory of North Carolina did an interview with former Education Secretary Bill Bennett in which he said the following, according to the Huff Post:

“So I’m going to adjust my education curriculum to what business and commerce needs to get our kids jobs as opposed to moving back in with their parents after they graduate with debt," McCrory said, adding, "What are we teaching these courses for if they're not going to help get a job?"

Excuse me, but Mr. Bennett - of all people - should know better. The purposes of education are many, including familiarity with, say, the U.S. Constitution so one can be a more informed citizen, and of history, which teaches many lessons but may not help one get hired as a manager at the local bank. I detest this kind of reductionism of education to a breeding ground for employees. Reducing persons to their economic significance is something Marxists and some capitalists, like Gov. McCrory, evidently share, but it is repugnant no matter who is advocating it.

 

 

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