Know Power, Know Responsibility: How to unleash the potential of every child in America

Part 1 — Chapter 8: Preserving Our Democracy

Author’s Note: I will publish additional sections of this book each week. You can find previously posted sections at the following links: Note to Parents of School Age Children and Note to Teachers, School Administrators, and Other School Staff here; Introduction here; Prologues Part 1 and 2 here; Prologues Part 3 and 4 here; Part 1-Chapters 0 and 1 here; Chapter 2 here; Chapter 3 here; Chapter 4 here; Chapters 5 and 6 here; and Chapter 7 here.

CHAPTER 8 — Preserving our Democracy

I don’t believe our schools contribute to a compliant populace by design or that there is some conspiracy at play, but I do believe our democracy is at risk if we don’t change our educational system.

Our country was founded on the ideal that all men are created equal, largely in response to abuses under the rule of a monarchy. Colonists believed that all citizens (though only property-owning men at that time) should have a voice and influence over the laws of a country and the running of its government. Our democratic republic, of course, is the result of the revolution fueled by this belief.

Our founding fathers understood that, for the democracy to work, the population must be educated. That is, the people selecting our government leaders must be able to understand pressing issues, sort facts from bluster and opinion, and choose the person that will best serve their interests. Essentially, for our democracy to work as intended, voters must be able to think critically. In addition, they must be willing and able to stand up to those who would try to manipulate them into acting against their values, beliefs, or best interests.

I believe our democracy is threatened. A fairly small number of influential people and groups have amassed an inordinate amount of power to influence our nation’s politics. These people and groups claim vast vocal support, at least in part, due to people supporting anything they do or say. Many supporters refuse to take a step back and consider whether the people and groups they are following are acting morally, appropriately, or in their best interests. They have aligned themselves and now feel obligated to stand with them for reasons explained in chapter 7.

Others, who may not be aligned with manipulative individuals and groups, have largely chosen to steer clear of the fray because they feel they have no power or influence. They accept what those in power say and do as mostly inevitable. Even when our “leaders” make decisions with which most disagree or find disturbing, they will not take any significant action. Years of compliance-centric schooling are likely a contributing factor to this willingness to acquiesce.

GERRYMANDERING

Gerrymandering demonstrates how a compliance mindset and lack of critical thinking threatens our democracy. For reasons cited in Chapters 7 and 8, many people align themselves with one or the other major political party and rarely deviate from voting with that party. Sophisticated computer programs allow the party in power to draw legislative and congressional district boundaries that consolidate as many voters of the opposition party as possible into the smallest number of districts. This dilutes the power of the opposing party’s voters and can lock in the majority’s control for a decade or more, even if the majority of voters in the state support the opposing party and oppose gerrymandering.

Some states where citizens can force binding referendums have adopted an independent process for establishing these boundaries so the parties are unable to influence them. These state’s consistently have more competitive elections that require candidates to be responsive to the voters. States that allow gerrymandering have less competitive elections, and the candidates are more responsive to those with power and influence rather than to voters themselves.

When something inarguably horrific happens, there may be shared outrage and mourning. However, even then it can quickly turn into partisan attacks used to maintain or increase the divisiveness among groups. Occasionally, someone will have the courage to protest or even condemn an act or statement from their group, but others in the group then attack that messenger and continue toeing the group’s line.

As noted previously, the underlying values among most Americans are not all that different, regardless of their ideologies or the groups with which they align themselves. In numerous circumstances, when ideologies and politics are out of mind, people get along, work together, support many of the same causes, and generally have good relationships. However, on high-profile issues, they may find themselves treating each other like lifelong enemies. Too often, this animosity is fueled by those who seek to benefit from the divisiveness or whose power and influence would be threatened by thoughtful dialogues, objective thinking, and setting aside of partisan biases.

However, that’s what the vast majority of us should want — for individuals to be well-informed, think objectively, and set aside (at least temporarily) partisan biases to have thoughtful dialogues with others, including those with whom we disagree. That is what the founders of our country seemed to have intended. A plutocracy — government by the wealthy — can be just as bad as a monarchy. If those who are ruling are selfish and self-serving, we are right back where we were prior to the Revolutionary War.

To strengthen our democracy, we need a school structure that ensures students learn to think critically and to recognize and counter those who would manipulate them. It needs to encourage thoughtful dialogues and dissension and foster collaboration for developing mutually agreeable solutions to challenges. The structure must model effective democracy by treating students as the critical heart of the school, just as citizens are the heart of our democracy. None of this can simply be taught; it must be modeled and practiced so it becomes ingrained in the very essence of our students, much as our current structure ingrains compliance.

ARE COOPERATION AND COMPROMISE DIRTY WORDS?

As noted previously, an absence of personal power or control often leads people to align themselves with groups that wield power. Some such groups have narrow agendas primarily benefitting the group leaders, though they’ll claim their agenda is what’s best for everyone in the group. The leaders leverage the absence of critical thinking and moral courage to manipulate members into believing that compromise is a sign of weakness. They demonize anyone who calls for compromise and anyone showing the moral courage to challenge the group leaders.

While some will leave a group when they realize what’s happening, those remaining often become stronger in their refusal to compromise on the group’s agenda even as they compromise their personal values. They may state their distaste for things being said or done or the way the agenda is being carried out, but they maintain their support as long as they believe those in power are acting in their best interest, though they won’t think critically about it. Like kings of old, the leaders have us, their followers, waging their battles while they grow in wealth and power.

Our collective willingness to compromise our personal values to support “our” group’s agenda and the subsequent divisiveness have fueled congressional dysfunction. Congress feels no compulsion to work in a bipartisan manner and seek collaborative solutions despite record low approval of Congress by US citizens. In fact, rather than answer to those who want a cooperative and effective Congress, the elected officials move further and further toward extreme partisanship due to the threat of facing an intraparty primary opponent who is even more extreme. Some who have tried to act in a cooperative, bipartisan manner have lost primary elections to more extreme candidates.

We must ensure future generations are able to think critically and develop the self-confidence to demonstrate moral courage, or the dysfunction of our government will only get worse. The fate of our democracy may hang in the balance.

Continue with the next section of Know Power, Know Responsibility (Part 1 — Chapter 9), here:

Kevin Miller is a Boomer who joined the Army during the Cold War and continues to serve. He has spent 30-plus years working in K-12 education as a teacher, administrator, and consultant and is now on a mission to reinvent our school model. His book Know Power, Know Responsibility provides the imperatives for a complete redesign of schools and the way to get there. See his website knowresponsibility.com to learn more.