[DataWorker]

You’re downvoted for some reason but you’re correct. Public school is about the power of the state over individuals. Data collection in the form of attendance is the business model. Schools get paid only to the extent they have data on the kids. No data means no public schools. What’s the saying, if something is free then you’re the product. True for Facebook and true for public education.

[wingspar]

>> What’s the saying, if something is free then you’re the product. True for Facebook and true for public education.

Public education is hardly free. Parents are generally required by law to educate their children. Society has generally decided to do that collectively, sharing the cost via taxes. Attendance is one tool used in enforcing the education requirement.

Are patients in countries with nationalized healthcare the ‘product’.

[Nasrudith]

Historically they were more like the livestock technically - invested in for exploitability. Don't get me wrong it does real good but the original motives weren't altruistic but power related.

If I recall correctly in the UK WWI comscription revealed a disturbingly large percentage were too unhealthy to serve in ways which could have been prevented with medical care. If it was actually altruistic or even optimality related it would have been addressed earlier for either humanitarian or productivity reasons.

[abj]

I'd love to hear some contrasting viewpoints on these posts. It seems like they have a reasonable stance at first glance.

[ellius]

It's a really hard argument to refute, because once you bring "power" and the "subconscious" into arguments almost nothing is falsifiable. Nevertheless some possible contradictory evidence:

1. Look at all of the people throughout history who fought for education, e.g. blacks in America. Obviously they perceived some value in receiving an education and did not just have it imposed on them.

2. Look at the statements of educators and public education advocates throughout history. They speak broadly about the advantage to the individual and the ability to better oneself.

I could go on, but the reality is that you can always argue that something fundamentally comes down to "power." It's such a vague concept and so ever-present in the relations of social animals like humans that it isn't really separable from anything we do. You could argue basically every idea we have is just a collective illusion to foster social cohesion. That's the thesis of the book "Sapiens," for example. I think comparing public schools to "you are the product" things like Facebook is sort of facile and silly though.