April 8, 2018
"A Better Way"
Well, the first week of April is past us. Here in Kansas
City, it's 37˚F as I write this at 08:49 hours. They weatherman saws that it
will snow this afternoon and tonight, but if history proves anything; we'll
also have swim trunks and hotdogs ready for a year party.
Last
evening, my daughter and I watched a movie by Michael Moore called "Where
to Invade Next." I thought it was going to be about going to war with Iran
or Russia, or some extremely scary proposition of the sort. I was pleasantly
surprised that, just like "Fahrenheit 911..." it was based upon
interviews, fact gathering, and downright honesty on Michael's part.
I'll
preface this by saying that I don't agree with everything Michael Moore stands
for, and I do not think that everything presented in this or any other documentary
is a perfect doctrine or has all the "stand alone" facts to make us
change our policies. I understand processes, and I (believe me) know full well
that the wheels of government are slow to turn, and excruciatingly slow to implement
change. The movie entails Mr. Moore visiting schools, factories, and prisons in
countries such as Germany, Portugal, Italy, Norway, and France. He visits
schools where students enjoy their day at school, eat nutritious lunches, and
treat one another with respect and dignity. He speaks with teachers and
administrators that all agree on two things about education in the United
States... 1) that standardized testing is a pathetic joke, and 2) that charging
students outlandish tuitions and placing them in insurmountable debt after
college is ludicrous and self defeating.
In several
of the countries, he talks with chefs who prepare children's school lunches. The
meals look like fancy restaurant dishes, and the children are taught the proper
methodology of using utensils, as well as table manners. I found it incredibly
awesome that Mr. Moore offered the children at one table a drink of Coca-Cola,
and they all declined to taste it, except one girl.
The big
surprise was the visits to two factories; one for motorcycle, and the other for
clothing. The workers at both places were happy to go to work, unionized, and
receive excellent vacation packages and liberal benefits. He spoke with an
Italian couple whose husband had been thinking of migrating to the United
States. I think Mr. Moore might have dissuaded him when he told him that he
wouldn't have nine weeks of vacation at any job in the USA, unless he worked in
Congress. The managers at the motorcycle plant explained to Mr. Moore that their
company has these workers's happiness in mind. They furthermore explained that
they were not on a path to get richer, just to be happy...like their workers. They
also explained the importance of liberal maternity leaves, and creating stress
free environments.
There was
a visit to prison systems in Norway. The prison ideology is very different
there, because it focuses on rehabilitation and the ideology of humanity. I believe
these are good concepts, but would be very hard to apply in the USA; we have
more people in prisons that most of these country's populations. The police
officers that were interviewed commented that the death penalty should never be
used. I strongly disagree with that, but that is another topic for another
time.
The final
topic I want to discuss was Mr. Moore's trip to Germany. The schools and
workplaces had similar ideologies and policies as some of the other countries,
but Germany stands out in two major areas. The corporations had employees on
their review boards. The employees represent the views of the workers. You can
say that this is the same as a union, but it operates differently. I highly
suggest you reading that whole thing for yourself. The biggest and most
profound item that I was overjoyed to see in Germany was this; the Germans
teach the children very thoroughly about the events of World War II, the rise
of Hitler, and the holocaust. The children are taught that the country was at fault
of allowing this to happen, and that it was wrong. They don't get a sugar
coated story about these events the way that American kids are told about the
plight of the North American Indians, or the truths about Vietnam or 911. Children
are encouraged to search out the truth, and study the facts pertaining to their
subjects.
I thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Moore's movie, and highly
recommend it.
Follow me on:
Twitter: JimCulp@gmjim13
Blog: http://jimculp.blogspot.com
