The Year of the Flood
makes us question if our society is heading towards the deadly epidemic that
swept over the people of this book. While it’s true that a lot of us have
started to become increasingly aware of the problems going on with our consumerist
society, why have no concrete actions been taken? Many think that nothing can
be done; no real solution can ever appear, so why bother? Even while reading The Year of the Flood, there is a sense
of futility. Most of the people that live in the HelthWyzer compound are
oblivious to the problems going on, and when other people do attempt change,
such as Bernice and all the other protesters, they are simply killed off. People are indoctrinated to believe the Corporations are perfect and to live outside the compound's safe haven would be hell.
What makes people so compliant to follow the rules of society?
One of the main issues is our educational system. Even in the Atwood's book, there is a strong parallel between the impact of two very different educational systems, one that resembles more to the one we use in North America, and one that is more hands on education, tailored to specific needs. In the HelthWyzer compound, children go to high school and college, and when they do not make it into prestigious jobs among the numerous branches of the Corporation, they get sent into the pleebs or into other mundane jobs. That is not too different than schools we go to today. The main problem with our educational system, and that of the HelthWyzer compound, is that students learn to conform and obey. There is no need to find an answer that does not fit within the choices of A B C D. Children are afraid of going below the "average" range of standardized testing, because they are always told that to be below could be detrimental to their education and therefore their futures.
We are not teaching students to cooperate with one another, to think creatively, to think about ways to improve the world we live in. No. We are teaching them to listen to ONE single person standing in front of them. Teachers often joke that classes are dictatorships, but we all know it is no joke. What were to happen if we taught our children more hands on skills, like the Gardeners of Atwood's novel? The Gardeners teach their children the necessary skills to be able to fend for themselves, how to be part of a prosperous eco-system instead of trying to be dictators of the beings. At the end of the day, the Gardeners adapt the schooling of their young to teach them skills that they can actually apply to their lives, instead of just enforcing results in standardized exams. They have better adapted to their reality, unlike the HelthWyzer compound, and actually worry about the future of their children.
However, there are flaws in the Gardener's educational system too. By the end of the book, only a small amount of individuals survived. It is clear that the Gardeners were not able to fully survive and were slowly falling to the Waterless Flood. They also had very narrow minded educations that only focused on certain limited aspects and refused to see outside out of their groups and ideas.
There needs to be a serious reform in our educational system, not an extreme overthrow to the other side of the spectrum. There needs to be right balance between the Gardeners teaching methods of practical skills and teaching the standard theory of subjects found in regular school systems.
Educating the young to obey their teachers, and inevitably the government, is not the only problem in our society. What are some of the other factors as to why people willingly follow? Do you think education is one of the problems?
Works Cited
Image 1: "What Does School Really Teach Children?" January 18, 2013. Knowledgeoftoday.org. Web. May 3, 2014
Image 2: "Benefits of Homeschooling?" February 2014. Bruggietales.blogspot.ca. Web. May 3, 2014
I definitely agree that our current educational system is heavily flawed. Students receive a biased, narrow-minded education. In high school, students are refrained from thinking freely and creatively. Teachers essentially tell students how to think and what to think. I believe the main reason people willingly follow is ignorance. Most parents, and students for that matter, accept the current educational system like it is because they are unaware of its flaws and the effects they have on the way they learn and understand various concepts. I really like the angle you took with this post; it was really interesting! Good job!
ReplyDeleteWell, I think that if we lived in a dictatorship, education would definitely be one of the reasons that people blindly follow the government as the school would probably teach students to obey/love their government. But, since we don't, I do think that school is somewhat beneficial. Most people don't really know anything about politics unless they learn about it in school. I think I would be completely oblivious if it weren't for discussions we have in school. However, I do see your point. Schools do teach us to obey a higher up and perform well in order to get somewhere in life, which signifies that in order to succeed, we must follow the government. Unless we overthrow the government and start a whole new education system, we have no other choice but to follow society's path to achievement.
ReplyDeleteOne of the things that I think is wrong with the education system is the lack of communication. I think that every single class should allow their students to have discussions when doing work or discussing an idea. My Creativity course last semester really made me see that discussing with others really stimulates your thoughts and makes you more creative. We learn from other people.
It does in fact seem that education is taught from a biased perspective. When I think of this, I go back to my high school Ethics and Religious Culture course which although supposed to be open minded and accepting of all religions, was in the end heavily biased to the teacher's own nationality and religion. High school students are too scared to disobey their teachers and are afraid of punishment and as such, will not speak up about their will to be taught more openly and freely. It is evident that schools do not teach nearly enough basic skills that will have meaning in our lives down the road. These tools could go a long way in creating exemplary human beings in our society.
ReplyDeleteIt does in fact seem that education is taught from a biased perspective. When I think of this, I go back to my high school Ethics and Religious Culture course which although supposed to be open minded and accepting of all religions, was in the end heavily biased to the teacher's own nationality and religion. High school students are too scared to disobey their teachers and are afraid of punishment and as such, will not speak up about their will to be taught more openly and freely. It is evident that schools do not teach nearly enough basic skills that will have meaning in our lives down the road. These tools could go a long way in creating exemplary human beings in our society.
ReplyDeleteI feel rather conflicted about your post. On the one hand, I agree with many of the things you've said and I strongly believe that our education system could use improvement, but on the other hand, I don't think that this system is necessarily holding back everyone. I think that despite the specific things we are told and taught, there will always be some people who will question everything and these are the people who will not sit back like the others and obey the government. We see some of these people protesting in the streets or raising awareness with online resources. These people exist, but the problem is that the larger part of the population is full of the people who listened and did as they were told. Then again, I don’t think it is right to say that these people are wrong for doing so because it is in fact what they have been taught to do. I believe that the biggest pressure to obey and follow the rules lies with the idea that if we rebel, we ultimately don’t succeed. This is what makes me believe that a change in our education system is necessary. There is more to life than standardized testing and although some people may thrive in these situations, it does not necessarily mean they will when faced with real problems. The same thing can be said for those who failed; a few high school tests will not define how they handle real life situations. Perhaps it’s time our education system stopped holding everyone back with their specific teaching and testing methods and began to show students that there is more to life than the things you learn in school.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting how you incorporated the educational aspect of society in your entry. It reminds me, like many parts of this book, of the communist manifesto. In case you haven't read it, Karl Marx describes a crisis between feudalistic lifestyles and bourgeoisie lifestyles in that the bourgeoisie--capitalism--will eventually lead to over production and not enough buyers as well as a very frustrated middle class of proletariat workers. The solution to this crisis is through the middle class factory workers forming an army against the capitalists, but the irony is that the capitalists created this middle class. This idea relates to the book in the way that in order for these corporations to function they have to created a poorer class of people that are disconnected from their wealth and production, however the only thing that threatens their position is this class of people--the proletariats. Perhaps it relates to education in the sense that if this problem truly does exist then we shouldn't rely on the system to change, rather the students to take action.
ReplyDeleteEducation is a huge problem.
ReplyDeleteIn "The Year of the Flood" there is a concrete education, but it reminds me really of the one we current are being filtered through. It's like it's dismissible, much like the Gardeners and their beliefs at times.
When I'm in school, I fail to see that I'm living in a real, present time. Within the walls of a classroom, I very seldom feel like the creative ideas that are being shared are valued beyond the 1h15m allotted time. I get the impression that we're supposed to pretend to be creative for effort, but everyone really knows we're just pretending and that we mustn't condone one another's creative thoughts. No, no!
All of these feelings transcend, however, to when I'm out of school, living a real life, with things I have to accomplish - like paying bills, and tipping at a restaurant.
I have never, not even for a split second, heard any teacher, instructor, professor - older person in an educational institution - discuss how to manage money, manage time efficiently in a real life setting, or tip a good or bad waitress. So here we are: products of our environment - walking around without the tools to take care of ourselves if we need to.
I do not blame the education system for all problems, I think it is society at large that is the problem. Our education system is a reaction to the needs of society. And, what we need is not writes, philosophers, painters what good are they other than making people think. And, we all know how important it is that no one think. That is why our system puts a higher importance on the concrete learning. Things like engineers, accountants, economic experts and blue-collar workers. People who get things done! I think we got to see this in the book. Just look at the two schools Ren had to choose from. The school for scientist or the art school. In the science school when you leave you get a job with the corporation and when you go to the art school well, you become a high-class hooker. And of course the art school was run down and under funded. The fact is the school system in the book was a caricature of reality.
ReplyDeleteAs for what makes people willing to follow well, I think it is years of abrasion. By that I mean as young people our minds are free and we think freely but over time we are made aware that all actions have a consequence. And by the time this idea begins to settle in we have been listing to others for so long we fall into a pit of apathy. From then on we are incapable of empathy or a freewill to do the right thing, So, finally, no the educations is not the problem we are.