I didn’t go to church today, but this post from author MT McGuire is as good a sermon as any I’ve heard. A provocative, thoughtful piece that makes me sit up in the back pew of my church here at home. (Yes, I’m a devoted back-pew Anglican.)
I’ve just been reading an excellent post on Jim Webster’s blog about education. If you haven’t tried Jim’s blog you really should, all his posts are thought provoking, interesting and grounded common sense. Jim is smart.
He talks about education: what we should teach our children, what he’d like to see them taught, how we should teach our children and whether, actually, everyone needs to go to university. He makes the good point that because so many of our political leaders have been university educated, they tend to think that what worked for them will work for everyone – ergo that everyone should be able to go to university. And Jim makes the point that we’ve sort of dropped the ‘be able’ from that sentence, so now it’s considered essential that you go to uni if you want to make anything of yourself. But it doesn’t always work like that.
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Cynthia Reyes 
Oh nos! I have well commented on there! And was perusing another.depends on your priorities I guess.
It’s partly the debate between you and MT that follows her post that makes me realize this is a provocative post that MT has written. Agree or disagree, she makes us think, and she’s the first to say: “I think I got that part wrong.” Q: Will you two please have a dinner-party and invite me, pretty please? I’d just sit there and listen to the two of you all evening long.
Vegetarian please. More later …
Eeee pet, thanks for sharing. I am having a darned good chat with Roughseas on there at the moment. I don’t agree with her view on immigration entirely BUT can see how she got there, looking at it from builder/tradesman/site worker’s point of view…
Eeee pet, I have totally enjoyed your discussion and am asking you two to have a dinner-party and invite me along – just to listen to you two discuss these issues. Love it!
About which you know how much? You are mixing undercutting the rate with no skill and pushing people out of work.
Huh? If you’re replying to me, RoughSeas, I don’t have to know much to find the debate between you two fascinating. In fact, I’m learning!
Nah. Replying to MT. But off to sleeps now 💤
Okay, gotta go check it out now!
Oh. Eeek!
Lol.
About which I know nothing. That was my point. That what you said on my blog throws a completely different light on it from a point if view I don’t know about. I meant YOU were looking at it from the builder/tradesman/site worker’s point of view. We need the non verbal 90% here I think. We are crossing the beams ghostbusters style and chaos is ensuing.
Sounds juicy. However, I shall have to get back to it, as I see that it has more than 2000 words (as if I am not verbose at times, I am trying to be more Hemingwayesque, rather than rambling on in my usuall William Faulkerneresque run on sentences. Wait, I just violated that). Anyway, Linda has a wheelbarrow full of weeds for me to compost and we plant to get out to see Hidden Figures this afternoon. Back later.
Oscar
Let me know what you think of Hidden Figures.
I did not bring enough tissues… In some ways, I am glad that culturally we are moving beyond African-American characters who are slaves or street criminals. I find “integration” themed films tend to turn into sentimental plots, or the African-American person gains status by matching/exceeding the white norms. I am pleased when literature, films, and theatre show protrayals of African-Amerian people who have talent, are successful, and have intact families, as was brought out in this movie. On the other hand, maybe we have taken for granted the liberty that we have had for several decades. Slavery, disenfranchisement, and risk of toltalitarian governing are not so far away.
Thanks for sharing this thoughtful and provocative post Cynthia. I added my own rant to the comments but didn’t read the discourse mentioned above. Maybe I will revisit!
As a grey (literally) American I say Ugh to all of that.
Hah!
Do you remember when we were all victims of the mass media? I think it’s Facebook now.
My goodness Cynthia! This is wonderful exciting stuff! Thank-you for sharing MTM’s post. I agreed with a lot of what she said especially with regard to education. I also have a lot of sympathy with many of Roughseasinthemed’s arguments. This kind of debate is what is missing from British politics and I would guess from other countries politics too.
I think one thing that’s so good about their debate is that we know that they like and respect each other. They disagree on some points, and agree on others, and aren’t afraid to say so. Those two elements are missing from so much of public discourse now.
Very true. People have become so afraid of expressing their views these days in case they offend someone or someone abuses them. Very sad.
Lively exchange. I left a comments on MTM’s blog. I’ll take sugar and milk with my tea, thank you… Do be mother… Now, what point were you making…
Oscar
Wow. I read Jim Webster’s post, MT’s post and the very lively and informative comments. The only thing missing in the discussion in inequality, unless I missed it, was a discussion of healthcare, which is in a real crisis here in the United States. Having been through a few health crises now, with and without insurance, I see healthcare as an integral part of discussions of inequality, at least here in the U.S. I kept spreadsheets, notebooks, and have numbers, but only one politician, a local one, over the last 6 years was at least willing to meet with me to discuss the problem, and he was not a representative of my own party affiliation, or even connected with my district. Unfortunately, he could do nothing except listen. He eventually left politics as he could not stand the system.
National news here in the U.S. is increasingly depressing. If there is any silver lining to all of this, I am hoping the current situation forces both parties to reevaluate themselves and finally work for the common good in the end. Unfortunately, the old saying about what happens to snowballs in Hell may apply. 🙂
Very well said, Lavinia. Perhaps because I live in a country where health care is a given, I do wish that other countries saw it in a similar way. I also hear you about your US politics. It has become such an uncivil discourse; that’s sad. One reason I appreciate the debate between MT and RoughSeas is their respect for each other in the debate. We need more like this in our world.
We did mention health care although fleetingly. We spoke about pressures on the NHS, and insufficient care for the elderly and mentally ill. I worked in the NHS for ten (?) years so it’s a topic dear to my heart. Thanks for reading that chat between me and MT. As Cynthia says, MT and I agree on many things, differ on others. Share some experiences, but not all. Our debate has involved long comments from each, but otherwise how do we share our point of view?
I enjoy the long comments and lively debate. It is part of how I learn things. Comment on!
My blog is debate friendly, and I sometimes forget others may not be. But, as C says, MT and I know each other so we can witter away merrily!
I did go and read this and it was excellent! Thanks.
That was a very interesting read, Cynthia. Thanks for sharing. It touches upon so many things of importance. Of course, what may ultimately stick in my mind is the term “Nylon-haired hate-carrot” but hey, I’m a visual person. 😛