#& I was saddled with all the care and upkeep of a household of 4 (+ 3 chronically ill cats)

[mindmxtters]

also I would like to thank u all for ur patience while I was MIA for so long. I was, as the kids would say, Going Through It (tm)

[gravitascivics]

A FINAL TAKE ON A DIALECTIC DEBATE

Over the last few months, this blog has reviewed and compared the content of two mental constructs:  the natural rights construct and the critical theory construct.  These views and their points of disagreement constitute what professional academics in the field of curriculum studies debate.

Actually, academics generally ascribe to the critical theory side of the debate and, on the other side, there are few academics, the educational establishment of administrators and officials as well as administrators within school districts.  

Perhaps, in this blog, the language used to describe critical theory was a bit more positive than the language used to describe natural rights.  The reader should remember that this construct has been readily dismissed by the great majority of Americans, irrespective of Bernie Sanders’ popularity during the 2016 election cycle.  It was determined, therefore, that a positive tone be taken in describing and explaining its tenets.  The reader, though, should not be misled; this writer is quite critical of critical theory.

A short anecdote gets at the very heart of what he sees as lacking with Marxian based models.  This anecdote refers to a situation that existed within the writer’s family.  Two of his family members lived in a condominium in Miami.  He would visit often and was well acquainted with the inner workings of the household.  

One of his relatives, a leftist thinking person, spouted often about the imminent demise of capitalism. He is a patriotic person and does not promote violent overthrow of the system or anything close to that.  But he did see current political and economic conditions as fundamentally bankrupt and headed for inevitable doom.  He is a bright enough fellow, college educated, and has had his share of tough times.

The apartment was not extravagant although the monthly maintenance fees were a bit high due to a swimming pool located within the complex.  These fees included the shared water costs of the entire complex.  There were no individual meters to measure water consumption, so everyone shared equally in paying the water bill for the building.

The apartment these relatives lived in had two bathrooms, one being part of the master suite.  A significant leak developed in the bathtub of the master bathroom, resulting in quite a few gallons of water being wasted per day.  When asked whether anything had been done about the leak, the reply was always no. This was the case for months.  It wasn't until the leak escalated and flooded the apartment that the issue was fixed.  And this writer said to his leftist relative, “That's why socialism won't work.”

It doesn't work because it lacks assigning personal responsibility for the upkeep, maintenance, and/or economic development of assets.  When something becomes everyone's responsibility, it becomes no one's responsibility.  Personal accountability is essential in any realistic model of the human condition. Paying the costs, be they labor, money, or the care needed to account for the wear and tear of something held dear, is hard to bear.

With this backdrop, what are the problems with critical theory?  What is not the problem is the sincerity of those advocating this view, but it otherwise has serious problems.  To begin with, generations of Americans have overwhelmingly rejected socialist thinking with some exceptions (e. g., Social Security).  There is evidence that there is something to respecting the wisdom of so many.[1]  

Yes, a lot of that indifference, if not out and out disregard, has been fueled by a well-orchestrated propaganda effort by the business community aimed at anything approaching socialist policies.  While our nation has implemented socialist type programs, the nation can be viewed as right of center along the political spectrum and, as such, tends to reject socialist approaches to problems.  

Throughout most of its history, the existence of a viable middle class has given most Americans a vested interest in the existing system.  Yet, the almost total rejection of this construct as it applies to civics and curricular issues, in general, should say something about how, to most Americans, the theory lacks any sense.  As one of its chief advocates writes about the effect of critical pedagogy, “it has never been a major theme in social education.”[2]

While all this is seen to be true, one can still garner from critical theorists and pedagogues’ insights into the oppressive conditions from which the disadvantaged suffer.  This is no small contribution.  But in terms of providing a guiding view for how schools should practically go about educating our youth, this construct is a non-starter.

Among its problems is a lack of a singular message.  Critical pedagogy, for example, has a loose and, to some degree, contradictory foundation. While the approach is influenced by the Marxian discourse of class struggle, its post structural/postmodern roots theoretically attack such mega-theories as Marxism.  

Cleo H. Cherryholmes writes:

Critical pedagogy is a vague and ambiguous term. … [C]ritical pedagogy has referred to curriculum theory's “reconceptualist” movement … This movement has never been unified and continues to defy easy description.[3]

With such a diverse foundation, advocates have found it impossible to zero in on concrete curricular and instructional strategies.  They are, for the most part, constrained to making opaque theoretical arguments or reporting how prevailing conditions warrant our ire at the oppressive conditions that exist.

In terms of making their case about the oppressive conditions they perceive, they pursue several approaches. For example, they might limit themselves to reciting statistics and descriptive accounts which document the mal-distribution of economic values in our society.  These accounts are analyzed according to race, gender, ethnicity, age and other categories, proving that certain groups are marginalized; these groups are castigated, in prevailing discourses, as “others.”[4]

This critique could also add other issues.  For example, this approach to civics tends to be a single-issue approach and disregards other areas of concern such as the degradation of the environment.  Another shortcoming is this approach’s disregard for the attempts that the American nation has made to meet the needs of both the laboring class and the disadvantaged.  One can argue that America is still a place where someone with modest beginnings can make something of him/herself.  

This latter point reflects problems with how exploitation is defined by critical theorists.  Perhaps a better definition, other than what is offered by Galtung (in the previous posting), is as follows:  an oppressive society is one in which acts denying reasonable liberty or equality occur and the victimized party(ies) have no political, legal, economic or other means, short of violence, to effectively fight against the offensive condition(s).  While this has been the case against certain groups in the past, it is not the US today.

A lot more can be said about both critical theory and natural rights construct.  Hopefully, the reader can gather the essence of what divides these educators.  But beyond that, the above reviews attempt to highlight what each of these constructs lacks in fulfilling its function to guide civics educators on what should be included in terms of governmental and political content.  The lack is so pronounced that another way or view should be considered.  This blog is dedicated to another view.

 [1] James Surowiecki,   The Wisdom of Crowds:  Why the Many are Smarter than the Few and How Collective Wisdom Shapes Business, Economics. Societies, and Nations (New York, NY:  Doubleday, 2004).

[2] Cleo H. Cherryholmes, “Critical Pedagogy and Social Education,” Handbook on Teaching Social Issues:  NCSS Bulletin 93, eds. Ronald W. Evans and David Warren Saxe (Washington, DC:  National Council of the Social Studies, 1996), 75-80, 75.

 [3] Ibid., 75.

[4] Donna M. Gollnick and Phillip C. Chinn, Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill, 1998) AND Michael Apple, Cultural Politics and Education (New York, NY: Teachers College Press, 1996).

[elizabeth4u851]

Know your Worth Guys!

Know Your Worth Guys!… you too can be Used Why do we always think that only girls can be used and dumped sexually? Is it because we assume this is men’s world? And everything that happens is to please the man? So when a guy and a girl have pre-marital sex (fornication), the guys goes about bragging that he has used the girl especially after break up! A lady was sharing with me recently and was saying he felt used and dumped, and that she lost more than the guy!, then I told her that, the guy was equally used by her, in fact, the guy lost so many things, he lost his relationship with God and so on! So guys listen! When you sleep with a woman, you are also being used! You are open to cross infections; in fact, you are the bigger loser! So what are you bragging about? That girl has equally used you for all you care! Why do you think some ladies seduced guys to sleep with them? Some of this girls also sees some of you guys as objects to satisfy their own sexual pleasure and pervasion, it’s just that women by their nature don’t brag about their sexual encounters like guys do, but believe me, some of them discuss you guys in their rooms or hostels same way you guys do! And some guys are been used by “sugar moms” who treat them as sex boys, some guys in the process has been used for ritual purposes, some guys have slept with demon possessed and dangerous girls to the ruin of their destinies! The wisest king that ever lived captures it all when he wrote, in the concluding part of his story “With her enticing speech she caused him to yield, with her flattering lips she seduced him. Immediately he went after her, as an ox goes to the slaughter, Or as a fool to the correction of the stocks, till an arrow struck his liver. As a bird hastens to the snare, He did not know it would cost his life.Now therefore, listen to me, my children; Pay attention to the words of my mouth: Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways, Do not stray into her paths; For she has cast down many wounded, And all who were slain by her were strong men. Her house is the way to hell, descending to the chambers of death”. Proverb 7: 6-27 (kjv + nlt). Did u read that? “She has cast many wounded”! (Who then is using who?), “she has cast many wounded” and her captives were strong men! Her house is the way to hell descending to the chambers of death! Bros, be wise, the devil is using those girls to kill your destiny! Be wise! My brother, God has placed great value over your life, why will you allow one girl to destroy that value! Why will you destroy your life as a result of momentary enjoyment? I know some guys who ruined their future as a result of sexual promiscuity, they were busy running after girls instead of facing their life’s goals and career, instead of serving God, they were busy serving their libido, today they are regretting how they wasted their lives, they thought they were using those girls and dumping them not knowing that they were equally being used and their lives getting wasted! You may argue that you can’t get pregnant, but have you forgotten that you are going to be held responsible? Stop running after girls for immoralities, the bible says “he that commits fornication lacks understanding, he that does it, destroys his own soul” and equally warns “flee fornication, every sin that a man commits is without the body but he that commit fornication sin against his own body, what! Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have of God and ye are not of your own. For you are bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit which are God’s”- 1 Cor. 6: 16-20 Know your worth guy! Don’t misuse your life. You’ve got responsibilities as a man. Understand your roles in marriage! Your Responsibilities As a Man in Marriage In marriage, a man is saddled with so many responsibilities that he can’t afford to be unprepared in his single’s life. Knowing your responsibilities and roles will enable you to wake up and begin to prepare ahead. Remember marriage is for men and not for boys. The man as a leader: The man’s role in the bible starts with leadership! The man must be able t be a leader at home, providing leadership to his wife and children. 1 Timothy chapter 3 talks about whosoever want to be a deacon in the church must first of all be able to rule his own house well, otherwise, how will he lead the church. So you have a responsibility to lead your home. If you can’t lead yourself now, how will you provide leadership for your home? Don’t forget leadership is influence. You must influence your children positively, train them in the way of the Lord. The man as a husband: Ephesians 5:25 says, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church”. Love is not just saying verbally ” I love you” As a husband, you must be ready to sacrifice so many things for your wife, just as Christ demonstrated His love for us by sacrificing His life. Love is Sacrifice! Are you preparing now for that? 1 Peter 3: 7 says “Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered” .If you understand these scriptures, you will have a different view about women! You’ve got a role to perform as a husband! The man as a provider: “Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” 1 Timothy 5:8. As the man you are expected to provide financially for your home, it doesn’t matter how wealthy your wife may be, you still have to contribute to your family upkeep. So what are you doing now to prepare for those responsibilities! Don’t misunderstand me; you don’t have to be very rich before you get married. But you have to be able to provide the basic things, food, clothing and accommodation! Be focused and determined to succeed in life… a woman will rather marry a guy that is poor today but have a great vision for his life and is working towards it than a guy who has no future ambition but is boasting with the cash he has now! The man as a protector: “Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them” Colossians 3:19. Rather than being harsh with your wife, you need to protect and care for them. If you don’t know how to treat ladies right now, how will you treat your wife rightly? As a single guy, you should never abuse girls (and anybody) let alone your wife when you are married. The man as a father: Not only do you have responsibilities to your wife when you are married. You equally have great responsibilities to your children, you must provide for them, and lead them rightly! No wonder the bible says “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” Ephesians 6: 4 The man as a role model and mentor: The younger generation is looking up to you to serve as a role model for them; they are looking up to you for mentorship! What do you have to offer this generation? Can young people look up to you? Remember you cannot be a mentor to that young girl you are always trying to romance at the slightest opportunity, or trying to take advantage of sexually. On a final note! To be the real man you ought to be, you have to know the best Man that ever lived, His name is Jesus. He came to the world to show unto us what it mean to be the REAL MAN!, The bible says that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son (Jesus), that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. Today you can become THE REAL MAN and a NEW MAN, by accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior. You can do that right now by praying this simple prayer! Dear God, I have seen myself as a sinner in dire need of a Savior, today I confess and forsake all my sins (mention the sins), forgive me Lord Jesus, and I accept you Lord Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior. Come into my heart Lord Jesus. Be the Lord of my life. Give me the power to sin no more. Let your Spirit and Power begin to rule over my life henceforth. I am your Lord. Thank you for dying for me, thank you for saving me. In Jesus name I prayed amen. If you sincerely prayed this prayer I want to congratulate and welcome you to God’s special family I will like to hear from you.