George Carlin caught on to "education reformers" many years ago. Video. Naughty words bleeped out.

[madfloridian]

Last edited Mon Dec 9, 2013, 07:21 PM - Edit history (1)

If George Carlin caught on to this years ago, I wonder why so many are in denial now that it is actually happening right under our noses? I wonder why those of us who talk openly about what this "reform" really is are frowned upon, often put on ignore.

I guess the truth hurts now what we can actually see it happening in education and in the attacks on the safety nets for seniors and the needy.

Here is the transcript of the part about education:

Transcript for George Carlin on who really controls America

Excerpt:

They spend billions of dollars every year lobbying -- lobbying to get what they want. Well, we know what they want -- they want MORE for themselves and less for everybody else. But I'll tell you what they don't want. They DON'T want a population of citizens capable of critical thinking. They don't want well-informed, well-educated people capable of critical thinking. They're not interested in that, that doesn't help them. That's against their interests. That's right. They don't want people who are smart enough to sit around the kitchen table and figure out how badly they're getting ****** by system that threw them overboard 30 ******' years ago. They don't want that. You know what they want? They want OBEDIENT WORKERS. OBEDIENT WORKERS. People who are just smart enough to run the machines and do the paperwork, and just dumb enough to passively accept all these increasingly ******** jobs with the lower pay, the longer hours, the reduced benefits, the end of overtime, and the vanishing pension that disappears the minute you go to collect it.

On edit: I did not make the video. I did not bleep out the words. Whoever made the video did that.

[madfloridian]

1. More from the transcript

Forget the politicians, they're an irrelevancy. The politicians are put there to give you the idea that you have freedom of choice. You don't. You have no choice. You have owners. They own you. They own everything.

They've long since bought and paid for the Senate, the Congress, the statehouses, the city halls. They've got the judges in their back pockets,

and they own all the big media companies, so that they control just about all of the news and information you get to hear.

[liberal_at_heart]

2. kick. It's time for us to pick up where George left off. We must tell the truth about education.

We must tell the truth even when no one wants to hear the truth.

[madfloridian]

3. It's a helpless feeling really.

I remember during the build up to the invasion of Iraq that I felt the same way. Then I thought we might make a difference, but we did not. There was satisfaction in knowing we tried.

And today, I would like to think that the teachers rising up, the parents becoming outraged, would matter a little. I am noticing that the reforming just keeps right on like a steamroller.

Somehow thinking we tried just isn't enough anymore.

[liberal_at_heart]

4. government is a slow moving machine. It will take years for them to admit that No Child Left Behind,

Race to the Top, Common Core Curriculum, and standardized testing are a failure. Until they admit that it will be up to parents and teachers to find alternatives. We may have start supporting home schooling and charters and make sure that we have a seat at the table. We need to form liberal home schools and charters where all children are welcome, funding is a priority and shared equally among schools, and teachers have more say in curriculum building. We will have to be the answer. We cannot depend on our stupid politicians to change anything.

[Egalitarian Thug]

5. George always gets a K&R from me. n/t

[tabasco]

24. Me too.

An under-rated genius.

[BlueStreak]

6. Any idea when he did that? I'm guessing about 2002

because he made some strong references to testing, which was a big focus of Bush's program.

He didn't mention charters, which is the big scam that Democrats and Republicans alike have been pushing on us full steam ahead for the past 10 years.

He died in 2008. I don't now how active he was near the end.

[madfloridian]

8. I looked and looked, couldn't find a date.

I even typed in the name on the transcript. I must be missing something.

[JackInGreen]

17. That's from 'Life is worth losing'

HBO special in 2006. The man knew what he was talking about.

[madfloridian]

18. Thanks!

I saw that on HBO. Seems much longer ago. Appreciate the response.

[bbgrunt]

7. it's called the American dream because you have to be asleep to believe it. k and r

[madfloridian]

13. .....

[liberal_at_heart]

9. we just found out our son has dysgrapghia and yet still has to follow Common Core Curriculum

in his special education English class. I told him the same thing I told him when they tried to make him follow Common Core in his special education math class in middle school. You do the best you can do and don't worry if an assignment doesn't get finished or you don't do as well on a test as you had hoped. I told him from the very beginning, it is not he is failing the school district . It is the school district who is failing him. I told him you learn differently and they don't know how to teach you. But I have also told him he cannot give up. He has to try, but not to worry about grades. I don't give a shit what kind of grades his school district wants to give him. As far as I'm concerned if my son gets an F, it is the school district who has earned the F, not my son.

[madfloridian]

10. Not long ago we could exempt special ed from standardized testing.

Now with the new reforms being forced on the schools, the standardized multiple choice bubble in tests are required pretty much for everyone. In our area I do know that teachers' grades no longer count, grade books are useless in determining progress....only the high stakes tests count.
Honor students end up in remedial classes if they fail the high stakes testing.

Many teachers are rebelling as much as they can, and parents are opting out in groups now.

It's not so much the fault of the schools themselves as the fault of the top down unreasonable directives coming from the state department.

Your son's problem would mean he would have trouble filling in little circles. Am I correct on that? It would be so hard.

[Smarmie Doofus]

28. I taught profoundly retarded kids and even THEY had to follow CCSS.

Mindlessness.

Mind.

Less.

Ness.

Public education in the Obama era.

[madfloridian]

29. I had heard that was happening. It's tragic and sad. Do Obama and Arne realize this?

Or are they snowed by the talk of the reformers? and their money?

I have worked with special ed, never profound though, and it is heartbreaking to think of their being tested like that.

[Smarmie Doofus]

31. I can't imagine that either of them know that that population even exists.

Much less is taught in public school.

Nor do they give a fuck.

Re. testing: severely/profoundly retarded are usually exempt from standardized testing but each state has to devise an "Alternate Assessment", under NCLB.

In NYS it's unbelievably complicated, time consuming , bureaucratic, and pointless. Has to be seen to be believed.

Other states: pretty much the same story, from what I've gathered. Mix politics and ed bureaucracy and you've got a lethal mix.

What a catastrophe for everyone --- this corporate "reform" craze.

[msanthrope]

11. Did you just censor George Carlin using the word 'fuck?' Epic Fail. And you

win the Unintentional Irony Award of 2013.

[geomon666]

23. Was just about to say the same.

I mean, really?

[madfloridian]

25. Read the last sentence of my post.

I took the time to put it in there on edit. I just assumed that people would know not to edit Carlin's language and would understand that there was a touch there of surprise.

I did not make the video. I should have used the HBO version which is not edited.....but I had not seen it when I posted this.

Anything else I can help you with? The secret is to read the whole post.

[valerief]

12. If they can convince each new generation to die or be maimed in war for them,

they can convince that new generation of anything.

[A HERETIC I AM]

14. Here's an extended version of the same bit for grownups

(meaning it has the "naughty" words)

[Auggie]

16. Thanks. I never get tired of this.

[madfloridian]

19. .....

[JimboBillyBubbaBob]

30. That was great.

I miss his style.

[geckosfeet]

15. One of his classics - "It's called the American dream, because you have to be asleep to believe it."

[FloriTexan]

20. Spot on...

Very scary. I do see that happening now. I feel that way in my job...they just want a piece of furniture...We are to be seen, not heard.

[madfloridian]

21. Agreed.

I believe most jobs are like that now. It's a shame.

Are you still freezing or is the weather better?

[Starry Messenger]

22. k&r

[RedCappedBandit]

26. George Fuckin Carlin.

Fuckin right.

[muntrv]

27. I always liked his solution to the homeless problem.

[Michigan-Arizona]

32. He was spot on once again

Had never seen this one on the homeless problem.... Thank you for posting it.....