From the first page, I was captivated and, cliché as it is, I truly couldn’t put it down. I read the book swiftly, entranced by Westover’s vivid depiction of growing up in rural Idaho in a religious fundamentalist, survivalist family. School was where the devil hides, often clothed as socialists, or so her father said. In piercing prose, Westover offers an eloquent illustration of conviction blurring into paranoia, ideology into lunacy. She describes how fragile those lines can be.
Tag: responsibility
Forget the Data, College is a Religion
The psychological benefit of going along with the dominant belief, gaining the prestige it entails, and not risking being seen as a non-believer motivate all kinds of actions detrimental to a person’s individual goals and aspirations. Attending college is the most pervasive religious act today.
The Computers Are Slow Today
How many times have you heard a bank teller, or an airline attendant, or a medical office person say “the computers are slow today,” like there is a cosmic miasma through which computers must swim to get their work done?
That’s Not Feminism: 3 Ways Women Advocate For Their Own Oppression
Something I often see in the feminist movement (and I am a feminist!) is women demanding for something that appears on the outside will liberate them, but in reality, it only furthers their oppression. Usually, the very nature of the thing they are asking for, the very concept of it is bred from patriarchal ideals and ways of thinking.
Points of Ignorance
I don’t expect a person to be an expert in everything, but when you are completely ignorant in some area, you have a responsibility to not open your yap and ignorantly preach at others. It’s why I respected Stephen Hawking’s contributions to science, but discounted his opinions about government. In one area he was an expert; in the other he was as ignorant as any gutter drunk. And I could point out example after example.
Unschooling and Grit
At a friend’s birthday party this weekend, the topic of unschooling came up. After I had explained, thoroughly I thought, that we don’t replicate school-at-home, that we learn in and from our daily life in the city, that the children’s interests guide their learning, that we live as if school doesn’t exist, the person paused and asked: “So do you give them exams?”
Alternatives to the Welfare State
In my last article, I discussed how the U.S. is a welfare state, what that means, and how it violates the principles of Freedom and Responsibility. However, one might ask how those currently on welfare would survive without the welfare state. It’s a valid question.
Ansel Adams Was Unschooled; How to Solve America’s Creativity Crisis
Ansel’s father recognized his son’s natural exuberance and determined that Ansel needed more freedom to thrive. When Ansel was 12, his father removed him from school and homeschooled him, granting him abundant freedom and opportunity to pursue his own interests and passions. At home, Ansel learned to play the piano, becoming a professional musician before devoting his life to photography.
The Responsibility of Gun Ownership
As a gun owner, you don’t have the responsibility to surrender your rights just because some evil loser murdered people. You don’t have the responsibility to act as though anti-gun bigots, or their demands, are reasonable. You don’t have the responsibility to obey counterfeit “laws”. You have the responsibility to not harm the innocent. I know you are already living up to your responsibility.
The Welfare State: Where’s the Freedom and Responsibility?
The number of people on benefits is growing, while the relative number of people supporting those benefits is decreasing. There was a time when there were no benefits, and people were expected to exercise personal responsibility regarding their financial situation. Now, as much as 70% of American families receive more from the government than they pay in taxes. This is not sustainable, any more than it is moral.