Years ago, my mother went to amazing lengths to provide formula for my baby brother. She boiled glass bottles; she boiled nipples; she boiled water to make formula, she boiled the spoon to mix it. My wife nursed our children, and my daughter nurses hers; this was “radical” 35 years ago, but is pretty “mainstream” today.
So I asked my mother why women, equipped with two convenient built-in milk dispensers, went to so much trouble to use formula. She replied, “we all used formula, we were told that it was more scientific, it was better for our children.“
The same with schools. She was told not to allow me to learn to read early, which might lead to boredom in school. The “experts” supposedly knew better than the rest of us. Home schooling stood that on its head – when parents with only a high school education often outperform professionals, the professionals might be doing something wrong.
A small but growing and influential corps no longer blindly trust the government and its tame “experts.” Is the government now losing legitimacy?
