I disagree that nuanced and sophisticated english language skills are needed for debates. Even getting into complex debates can be done without nuanced language.
I think if 3 years of English Lit were replaced with ecological science, society would be less likely to perish.
I am not as optomistic as you that somehow complex boring books are a panacea for fascism, which is not only linked to ignorance, but also religion and usually prejudiced analysis that is passed on through word of mouth or online and rarely refuted. Hamlet won’t stop Nazism.
Facism also tends to increase when groups in society feel like their quality of life is declining and they don’t understand the economics involved or how to change it and invent a type of mythology to explain things they can’t grasp. A better way of reducing fascism is by teaching an anti-fascism course in school AND reducing inflation by not doing things that will cause bizarre secondary economic effects but sound good to naive voters.
For instance:
“let’s raise the minimum wage to 30 dollar so everyone is comfortable”
vs
“let’s eliminate the minimum wage entirely and provide free health care and a $200 housing voucher for people who need it funded by taxes”
one of those makes people happy but fucks up the economy and increases inflation, and one improves things without causing bizarre secondary problems, and the average voter doesn’t know the difference
The idea that “Oh, if all the morons likely to believe facist ideology are just taught Hamlet, it will all be okay” probably over-estimates the iq of the average person who would read it. Facism stems more from changes in living standards and a lack of feelings of control rather than from an ability to reason.
I disagree that nuanced and sophisticated english language skills are needed for debates. Even getting into complex debates can be done without nuanced language.
I think if 3 years of English Lit were replaced with ecological science, society would be less likely to perish.
I am not as optomistic as you that somehow complex boring books are a panacea for fascism, which is not only linked to ignorance, but also religion and usually prejudiced analysis that is passed on through word of mouth or online and rarely refuted. Hamlet won’t stop Nazism.
Facism also tends to increase when groups in society feel like their quality of life is declining and they don’t understand the economics involved or how to change it and invent a type of mythology to explain things they can’t grasp. A better way of reducing fascism is by teaching an anti-fascism course in school AND reducing inflation by not doing things that will cause bizarre secondary economic effects but sound good to naive voters.
For instance:
“let’s raise the minimum wage to 30 dollar so everyone is comfortable”
vs
“let’s eliminate the minimum wage entirely and provide free health care and a $200 housing voucher for people who need it funded by taxes”
one of those makes people happy but fucks up the economy and increases inflation, and one improves things without causing bizarre secondary problems, and the average voter doesn’t know the difference
The idea that “Oh, if all the morons likely to believe facist ideology are just taught Hamlet, it will all be okay” probably over-estimates the iq of the average person who would read it. Facism stems more from changes in living standards and a lack of feelings of control rather than from an ability to reason.
Well, of course nobody said that, it’s a gross oversimplification of my argument - a strawman - which I guess is very fitting in this context.
That’s not true, it’s literally what you said.
To quoeth you exactly, you said “Hamlet, that will fix them Nazis.”