Teacher makes students pay for class and exam questions

[BelgianMadCow]

Last edited Fri Feb 21, 2014, 09:20 PM - Edit history (2)

In the course social philosophy, in the second year of bachelor social work, the neoliberal utopia of the American philosopher Ayn Rand was on the agenda. Because learning works not just via theory, but also practice, the teacher tried to make the normative character of neoliberalism tangible. The evening before class, the students got the following message:

Dear students,

After an insight I will tomorrow present the neoliberal philosophy of Ayn Rand. I believe it can solve current problems in society, and will therefore apply it in my classes. This way, you can experience its value first-hand. From the basic axiom of randian philosophy it follows that I have the right to determine, in all freedom, under which conditions you are allowed to acces my product, namely my ideas.

Tomorrow, upon entering the auditorium, I will ask you to pay 5 or 10 euros, depending on whether you choose to follow the entire course or a part. If you want to increase your market value on the labour market with my ideas and name on your diploma, it's only logical that you pay accordingly. Those who cannot pay, will not get the course. From understanding Rand, it has become clear to me that the government unjustly taxes me, one of the Atlases that carry the world and makes the economy go round, based on an absurd idea like "the common good". In doing so, I'm underpaid for my services and courses. Therefore, I have the right to ask you, who live on welfare, namely child allowance and grants, to compensate me for these unjust taxes.

In the game, the teacher had briefed five "moles" and had given them the amount to be paid up front, and they would be the first ones to pay. His moles informed him via screenshots of a Facebook page only privy to students where the students ventilated their opinion of his plans in no uncertain terms.

At the start of class, only the five moles paid. Everybody else refused to pay, which of course, besides the Facebook page, was another act of resistance. Great! During class itself, the teacher presented the randian argument about why he was allowed to be selfish. He explained that the relationship student-teacher would become a purely economical one, in which market laws dictate adequate behaviour.

At the start of the semester, he had informed students they could get exam questions, and now he let them know how to obtain them. They are for sale. Those who already had a decent income had obviously worked hard, and had earned more money. He would sell them an easy set of questions for 10 euro. The fact they had some income was rewarded with easier questions. After all, there's no point in making someone prove themselves twice.
Those with a smaller income could buy a set with difficult questions for 5 euro. Since they hadn't achieved as much, of course they had to prove themselves more. Those without any income got no questions. There's no such thing as a free lunch! It's only fair!

Finally, he warned students they had better pass the first time around, because next year places would be limited to 30 and sold to the highest bidder in a campus auction.

Consternation in the auditorium was total, after which the teacher ended the game and they had a discussion about concepts like individuality, solidarity and the relationship individual-society. I think they get it now.

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This is from a newsletter of a major school associated with one of Belgium's most reputed universities. I couldn't help but giggle and translate it for you, thought you might enjoy. I've also been asked to give a lecture there about democracy, based on my experience in Occupy and the new cooperative bank I'm involved with, NewB. It will be a critique of the current political and economical system, but I will focus on alternatives, like cooperatives and lottery as an alternative to elections. There will be some major Richard Wolff channeling going on.

[Mnemosyne]

1. A brilliant lesson. nt

[Go Vols]

2. +1

[Lifelong Protester]

6. I just have to tell you I love your sig line

eom

[dlwickham]

3. isn't this how education works in this country

you pay out the wazoo to get the name of a good school on your diploma and that goes a long way in determining whether you get a good job or not?

[BelgianMadCow]

5. It looks safe to say the US is indeed full-blown neoliberal

it's important to understand that neoliberalism and liberalism are very different animals. Neoliberalism is the idea that there is no society, and that the economy can and should dominate politics. It's also pretty obvious that the current EU is a neoliberal project - to wit, the troika's actions in Greece, Portugal, Spain and Ireland.

"Neoliberalism is a political philosophy whose advocates support economic liberalizations, free trade and open markets, privatization, deregulation, and enhancing the role of the private sector in modern society."

[chrisa]

23. That's exactly how it works. That's why ivy league schools are so full of entitled idiots.

They're as dumb as a rock, but their parents donate to the school, continuing the trend of buying their special snowflake through life.

[UtahLib]

4. Bookmarked - enjoyed reading nt

[okaawhatever]

7. Since you are being asked to speak on democracy perhaps you should contact local

churches and businesses. Explain to them you will be educating a bunch of future voters and are willing to auction your services to the highest bidder. The individual with the highest bid will be able to dictate the curriculum and "facts" presented. After the students complete the lesson and are on their way to being brain washed you can explain they have just learned how most of American democracy works.

[BelgianMadCow]

8. Would be funny - but no can do

the only people whose bidding I do, is the poor. I guess I'm what Chris Hedges calls a déclassé intellectual

And in Occupy, the disenfranchised people part of the local group said "you speak for us". I cannot tell you how much that lifted my spirits, and still does.

[okaawhatever]

9. I was just kidding, but of course, if students ask why the poor in countries

like the US don't have a stronger voice in Congress you can tell them because they can't afford to pay for it. That I'm only half kidding about.

[BelgianMadCow]

13. I understood :-) sorry for being overly serious. But here's where it gets interesting:

indeed, in the US politicians are simply for sale since elections are corrupted through money. The kind of donations and advertising etc that is allowed in the US was outlawed in Belgium in the eighties.
We have a social democratic party that is part of the federal coalition. University is virtually free, and healthcare universal.

And still, our politicians have saved our banks, leaving us with a 10-30 % deficit increase and outstanding guarantees. They have signed on to the EU fiscal compact which simply outlaws keynesian spending in crisis times and locks in austerity. No New Deal for us, then. They are allowing Europe to negotiate a "free trade" treaty with Big Brother. Our media are becoming increasingly consolidated and often lie through omission. And in foreign policy matters, we usually toe the US line. So things are better, even markedly, but almost equally in peril as in the US.

We are in the same boat.

[WinkyDink]

10. That WAS an insight on the teacher's part! LOVE it!

[1000words]

11. Good teacher

Love it.

[zeemike]

12. Bwahahahaha...brialiant.

Thanks for posting this...we would like to borrow that teacher for a while...as many as you can spare really.

[Starry Messenger]

14. This is awesome. :)

[Diclotican]

15. BelgianMadCow

BelgianMadCow

A great way to show off, how a randian way of life, and world would be... Them with money - wil manage - the one withouth the money - not so well...

Diclotican

[BelgianMadCow]

22. But - learning to share and exchange services (like in LETS)

whilst building a local network can give those of us without much money a very resilient way to tackle difficulty & crisis.
And we need to redefine / re-appropriate money. Which is why OWS had to be demonized, but it hasn't worked. I think it, or something like it, is surging again.

[Diclotican]

24. BelgianMadCow

BelgianMadCow

Indeed - there have Internet properly been the best tool we others have to work and to give us a voice in this world, where money is seen as the only way to do anything - I guess when Internet was given over to everyone - the power of the net was not even believed to be that much for the ones in power - as long as we was busy looking at porn or to chat about the latest gossip it would just be similar to what TV become in the 1980s-1990s..

Today - some is trying to "throttle" the net - but the power of the people is fighting against it - And I'm not so sure the ones who want to throttle it - and make it difficult for "dissent" to have a voice will ever be able to win that battle - In the horrible years when Bush jr was in power - DU was seen as a sane oases in a world who looked going off the hinges, specially around the start of the Iraq war - it was one of the few places I could go - and get more sane facts to use in my debates from the ones who suppered that madness - and who was never shy of telling how horrible we, the others was, for not supporting the war - because it was flawed and with no facts to support it - just lies and coverups... And I guess most of us, got it right in the end....

Internet - and social networks both in real life, and on the internet - will do a lot to make it more difficult for the powers to be - to do as they want - squash anyone who want to fight them - as OWS did a few years bach - It was many who demonized it - as rebels and haters - but the fact OWS managed to survive in a way - the genie was out of the bottle - the powers to be was seeing something they have not seen for a while - a lot of angry people who was not afraid of showing it anymore.. Not that the powers to be learned anything about it - but then again - so was not ancient regimes in the past either learning anything - before the peasants was burning their castles and shopping off their heads... It have happend before - it could happend again..

Diclotican

[Luminous Animal]

16. This is very good. Thank you for posting.

[MrScorpio]

17. Link?

I want to shoot to a Rand loving friend. It it in French or Flemish?

[BelgianMadCow]

18. can't find a direct link on their site, and it's in flemish

I got it in the mail. If you really want, send me a PM and I'll mail it to you.

on edit: and that you know about the french and flemish it could have been german as well, though

[MrScorpio]

21. I was in Germany for a while, so I know a bit about Belgium

Spent plenty of time on Beligian roads, going between Germany and Holland. By the way, although I know my Randian friend speaks French, I doubt it if she knows any Flemish.

So, if you can't find it, it's alright.

[silverweb]

19. Brilliant.

[blackspade]

20. Nicely one!

[jsr]

25. Recommend

[barbtries]

26. thank you

i would love to have been at the ensuing discussion.
i'm intrigued by your bank NewB. could this replace my accounts currently with corporate banks?

[BelgianMadCow]

29. NewB plans to be a full service bank, yes. It has also written directly in its statutes

- that it will serve the real economy - no trading for own account, no investment banking
- that it will be transparant
- that it will be sober - no bonuses, no company cars except for commercial people, and a max difference highest-lowest wage of 5
- that it will be "our" bank - they strongly value the input and cooperation of the participants (and I have experienced that first hand)

But, it's a local (belgian) initiative, and still on the path to forming a bank, so no direct option for you I'm guessing.

[barbtries]

32. not at this early date

keep us posted, thanks.

[malthaussen]

27. Of course a shocker in Belgium.

In the entitled US universities, the response would be "My Daddy already paid."

-- Mal

[valerief]

28. I LOVE this! nt

[Initech]

30. Officer Barbrady from South Park reviews Atlas Shrugged:

[El_Johns]

31. kr. would like to see some similar experimentation in us universities.