tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post1852085520284877507..comments2023-12-28T06:30:48.808-05:00Comments on The Rule of Reason: The Ashes of Universal National ServiceUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-17630532125614382492007-09-17T13:37:00.000-04:002007-09-17T13:37:00.000-04:00Great article, and yes I remember the movie Swing ...Great article, and yes I remember the movie Swing Kids as a great examination of the themes you addressed (not to mention great dance sequences.) <BR/><BR/>In addition to those advocating universal national service there is another movement in America called "Character Education" that is similarly alarming and eerily similar to the workings of the Nazi propaganda machine. <BR/><BR/>Here in Topeka, Kansas there has been a city-wide campaign of "Character Education" going on for several years. The city is littered with massive billboards listing the virtues selected for compliant citizens and there are endless programs for school children on the character traits of virtuous citizens. Other cities around the country are following suit and national politicians are now clamoring to endorse "character education" just as they they have been preaching universal national service. <BR/><BR/>The hideous thing about the character education movement is not even the millions in taxpayer dollars that go to fund it nationwide, but that the main curriculum being used and endorsed by politicians, police, school officials, etc. is a Bible-based program called "Commands of Christ" that has simply been re-named and re-tooled for the general public. The lack of opposition to this is yet another guage of how ominously close we have come to a kind of Christian fascism in America.<BR/><BR/>Here is an article I submitted to our local paper to help expose the evils of "character education."<BR/><BR/>"Road to Serfdom Paved With Character Education"<BR/><BR/>Imagine living in a future totalitarian society where billboards stare down upon the masses preaching the virtues of obedience and servitude to the state. Imagine school children taught to sacrifice themselves unquestioningly to the collective and to loyally submit to anyone in positions of authority. Think this dystopian nightmare could never happen here? Well break out those paper coveralls comrade; the future has arrived. <BR/> <BR/>Across America scores of quasi-governmental bodies and official committees are now promoting the cause of “character education” for the masses. These nebulous partnerships between faith leaders, educators and police are blessed by local officials to go into schools teaching their list of “character traits” for the compliant citizen. <BR/> <BR/>The national curriculum of choice is called Character First! published by the Character Training Institute in Oklahoma City. The man behind Character First! is evangelical Christian guru Bill Gothard, whose "Institute for Basic Life Principles" boasts 2.5 million graduates of its Bible-based seminars. <BR/> <BR/>The developers of this curriculum have created a list of 49 character traits; a thinly secularized version of Gothard’s 49 “Commands of Christ.” Although references to God and Christianity have been removed, the basic concepts are drawn directly from Gothard’s views on Biblical morality. <BR/><BR/>The curriculum is permeated by two major themes, self-sacrifice and submission to authorities. Here is a sampling of the virtues listed:<BR/> <BR/>Obedience: Quickly and cheerfully carrying out the proper direction of my authorities.<BR/><BR/>Flexibility: Being willing to change plans or ideas according to the wishes of my authorities.<BR/><BR/>Deference: Limiting my freedom so I do not offend the tastes of those around me.<BR/><BR/>Honor: Respecting those in positions of leadership because of the higher authorities they represent.<BR/> <BR/>Other concepts include Loyalty, Self-Control, Orderliness, and even “Faith.”<BR/> <BR/>Advocates of the Character First! program are not simply religious conservatives. Liberal politicians nationwide are equally eager to force public schools to teach Character First! programs. Some 250 school districts nationwide are now using the curriculum, and over 50 communities (including Topeka) have begun calling themselves “cities of character.” <BR/> <BR/>Topeka just received a $1.8 million federal grant to promote such programs in its schools, and the city is littered with billboards extolling themes of sacrifice, order and obedience. <BR/> <BR/>The question is not which grab bag of character traits should be taught, but rather “Should government have any role whatsoever in teaching these ideas?” and “What philosophical ideals give rise to this Orwellian nightmare in the first place?” <BR/> <BR/>The philosopher Ayn Rand named the ethical and political underpinnings of this worldview the “altruist-collectivist” creed. Altruism, for Rand, must be distinguished from benevolence toward those who warrant it. “The basic principle of altruism is that man has no right to exist for his own sake, that service to others is the only justification of his existence, and that self-sacrifice is the highest moral duty, virtue, and value.” It views man as a sacrificial animal who must live solely to serve the interests of others - society, family, tribe, the state, or God. <BR/> <BR/>Embracing altruism as an ethical system leads directly to collectivism as one's political philosophy. Collectivism holds that individuals have no inalienable rights apart from the collective and that the group or its leaders may take away the life, liberty, or property of any individual whenever it pleases. <BR/> <BR/>Society has yet to challenge the altruist-collectivist ethic that produces social engineering schemes such as “character education.” In an era of increased governmental control over all aspects of our lives, it is no wonder that educators and political leaders of all types are eager to promote ideas of blind loyalty and deference to authority. Concern for individual rights and independent thinking can then be obscured in favor of following orders “quickly and cheerfully”, “limiting my freedoms”, and “being willing to change plans and ideas” in conforming to the arbitrary whims of society and its overseers. <BR/><BR/>Humanity does not need “character education” schemes promoted by mystical authorities. We need an objective philosophy of rational self-interest, individualism, and limited government.<BR/> <BR/>David Claassen-Wilson<BR/>Lawrence, KSAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com