TED Conversations

Ricky Thompson

This conversation is closed. Start a new conversation
or join one »

Does society deliberately and systemically under-educate a major proportion of its citizens in order to condition them for lower paid jobs?

Do the establishment really want a more educated general populace or are they in fact purposely ensuring an uneducated class in order to lower their expecations and obtain a 'flexible' workforce?

If so...

...what mechanisms do they use to do so?

....are they right to do so?

0
Share:

Showing single comment thread. View the full conversation.

  • thumb

    Fritzie Reisner 100+

    • +1
    Host
    Jun 18 2012: I do not know how this works in other countries, but in the United States there is no intention or conspiracy to produce an uneducated class to condition them for lower paid jobs. Many lower-paid jobs are held by bright, educated people, particularly when the economy is slow, and businesses appreciate the availability of smart, literate people when the economy expands. Furthermore, schooling is not just vocational preparation but also about creating an educated citizenry, prepared to participate in decisionmaking in an ever changing world. On the economic front, again, there is widespread belief within the states (that set educational standards school kids need to meet) that an educated workforce attracts businesses that require educated workers. No state would cultivate an economic underclass in the hope of not attracting employers who appreciate an educated workforce.
    • thumb

      Linda Taylor 50+

      • 0
      Jun 19 2012: I agree. Because as I posted elsewhere, many people with baccalaureate degrees are working retail here. As Fritzie said, lower-paid jobs are held by bright educated people. The rest tend to be incarcerated.
    • thumb

      Ricky Thompson

      • 0
      Jun 19 2012: Haha! I really hope you didn't mean that last sentence, Linda!
      • thumb

        Linda Taylor 50+

        • 0
        Jun 19 2012: I wish I was. Been learning about this through experience. Working in certain population groups in my area of the country I find out that for many unemployed men, the only health and dental they have access to is through the jail system. Even know some petty criminals who commit minor crimes because they need dentures. This causes an interesting phenomena called revolving door jail. Once you have a record nowadays, the record can be accessed by anyone so these people have a harder time finding a job especially when the market is flooded with baccalaureate prepared people. So they do the best they can until they need dialysis or something like that and then they commit crimes to be able to access healthcare. Which of course stops as soon as they are released. But they still need healthcare, cannot get a job.... etc.

        Sorry I do not have statistics to support my assertion. It really is based on my experience.
        • thumb

          Ricky Thompson

          • +1
          Jun 20 2012: Wow...I appreciate the National Health Service here in the UK more than ever now.

          Again...wow.

Showing single comment thread. View the full conversation.