Quote: Oldfred

Now we offer our children what....car-washing and the fast-food trade and the like.

This is hardly what our youngsters deserve. :naughtie:

Fred

I know that I am being presumptuous in jotting out my feelings on education over there. But really, it is about education everywhere. What I have been intrigued with is who made the convention that a person should spent around 16 t0 20 years studying in schools and colleges; and that otherwise he or she is not a fit person!

What is the need for everyone to have ‘higher education’? What I would propose is that primary education till up to the age of around 12 should be made more focused and intelligently designed. With lot of government funds pumped in. For example, what does a man need to make his intelligence stand him in good stead? Good English skills, writing ability, reading ability, vocabulary, good maths, a good understanding in general science, and geography, and some amount of general knowledge. If one’s language ability is good, then much knowledge naturally gets imbibed in. And much on personal responsibilities to one’s own life. Beyond all this, exposure and interaction with real life scenes.

Along with it, let the child learn a lot of skills, like good computer application skills as well as software and hardware knowledge. And then there are be a choice from a lot of other technical skills, like that of mechanic, electronic maintenance, professional culinary skills and so many others. And let persons who do have the necessary aptitude only go in for higher education. Yet, let not the higher educated alone corner the white-collar jobs. Let there be open competition for all jobs like Bank jobs, government jobs, and many other things, wherein all, including the non-higher educated also can show their mettle. Let there be in-house training for those who have passed the open competitive exams.

Only for specialised jobs, like college teaching, doctoring, engineering, such jobs like Historian, geologist, anthropologist etc. should require higher education degrees. It can save a lot people from slogging out in colleges, to gain knowledge, which if they want is very much available in books, that can be read by anyone with necessary reading skills.

There might be something to be said about how tuned teachers are to what are the real needs of a growing person.

(I must admit that with regard to the things I have jotted, I do actually feel that I am on slippery grounds).

I am here quoting a few words from my own book, which I know may not be directly connected to the subject matter here. But then, I would appreciate someone reading it.

QUOTE

The English Student under Siege: Now we can take the factor of education. In the English nations, technical and medical education may be expensive. But it is very cheap in the Third World nations. Now, if the English students are forced to go to the Third World nations to study, they face the unnerving situation of being forced to concede to feudal, lower level positioning in colleges, and other educational institutions. When I say it now, the reader may not comprehend the full intensity of the problem that I am alluding to. But it is a theme with a singular level of power, and any English student made to move to these levels may come back with deep mental scars to his personality, which would again lead to deep scars on the English society. For, it may be understood that in feudal nations, the schools and other educational institutions are the breeding ground of feudal positioning, with the teaching and other staff retaining the superior posts. This feudal stature and design would, in the case of many students, be a life long binding thing, from which a few may escape.

At the same time, all students from other nations, including the non-English nations of Europe would be able to endure it, and possibly make the best of it. And in the whole bargain, the English youngster would stand to lose much. And again, if he or she were to rebel against the sinister feudal lower level positioning, then he or she would be labelled as having ego problems. The situation would grow worse, when the local psychologists pronounce that the student is having mental instability problems, including signs of schizophrenia. Actually, what the English nations should understand is that the British went to war against China, in what is now known as the Opium Wars, mainly due to this psychological issue.

The cumulative affect of this theme would be that many doctors, engineers, and other technically skilled persons from the non-English nations would barge on the English nations, leading to very unique historical issues.

All the themes dealt here need really deep reflection and study. But this is not the space for that.

I must say that I am not ready to debate on the quoted part, for it comes in connection to some other themes, which have not come in the quotation.

Continued

Thank you, Ranslow!

For the deep interest you have taken in studying my views.

Yet, I must say that you have gone to a very, very different direction from what I was trying to convey.

Basically it came from one major problem. You were trying to imagine a scenario that cannot be understood in English, for there is no suitable comparable theme over there.

I really do wonder why it is not visible to people over there that there is a difference to persons who talk other languages, to those who speak English. Maybe you seem to identify the difference to racial character. Yet, have you noticed that, for example, a person of Japanese race, born and bred in England, who speaks only English, is definitely different in physical features, from a Japanese person who is a native of Japan, and speaks only Japanese?

There is power in words, sentences, and dialogues that can really cripple or develop a person’s personality, with long-term effects, if exposure is enduring.

When I said feudal words, you will think of ‘thou’, ‘thine’, ‘thy’, Your Majesty, Your lordship, and all such usages, that were part of English language. Though there is a slight similarity, at a comparable level to the feudal languages, these terms are just of very meagre comparison.

But how do I convey, what I meant to say? In a few paragraphs, it is more or less impossible. And I must say that it is not an issue of one person being superior to another, but of every person competing for supremacy, and being in a continuing mental state of insecurity.

Just see a local TV programme from any Asian nations, or even Russia, or of some European nation, or South American nation. (I must admit that I do not know where all, the languages have this affliction). You will find a lot of behaviours, of the politicians, bureaucrats, and people on the road, which are from an English experience very curious. Yet, when the same persons come to English nations, you might find that when you deal with them at an individual level, in perfect English, they do not have such anomalous character.

Quote:Ranslow

QUOTE

It is not the language that makes the people but rather it is the people who make the language.

And I would contend that it not the character of the people, but the language of the people that has more power socially. May I be so rude to say that if a person of perfect English racial breed, were to be brought up in a language environment of say, Tamil, Malayalam, Chinese etc., the obvious mental and physical postures, would be most naturally of that language.

Again, don’t you see that there has been historically a bit of difference between the English and the Europeans? For example, with the French? The social institutions were similar, with landed aristocracy being in power in both nations. Yet, the mental effect on the people of both nations were not similar. May I contend that the people of England were not so mentally subservient, in spite of similar social structure?

Quote:Ranslow

QUOTE

there are difference in How English speaking people communicate with each other based on social status.

True, and I am well aware of class issues in Britain. Yet, what I meant to say again doesn’t really come in compartments of class.

How do I put it to you in a few words? Well, if you want to insult a person, call him a dog, a son of a bitch, arse hole, be markedly impolite; yet, in feudal languages, you do not need to insult him, call him names, be impolite; Just change the social level of the words connected to that person, like that of He, She, His, You, and so many other words, and usages. All this you can do with perfect politeness. There is strangulation in politeness. All the other person can do is to wriggle inside the cocoon he has been put inside. And endure and enjoy it.

And imagine of his continuing aim to make amends, at the earliest opportunity.

There is a lot of cumulative social effect of this communication issue. Like slowing down of social communication, sluggishness entering into efficient institutions, increasing bureaucratic arrogance, changes in the demeanour of children, social indiscipline and many, many other negative themes.

Also, it does give a very new attribute to poverty, and to that of being an employee. The last two items are not something the English persons have ever experienced; but at the moment I do discern a very grave looming threat in this regard-in this so-called age of globalisation.

Again what has all this to do with English nations? Well, I do discern a lot of affects of this virus, in the modern English social systems. For, if what Oldfred has said is true:

Quote: Oldfred: Whatever happened to the UK

Incidently, yesterday I was concerned about the health of a friend of mine who is 98 years old. I called a doctor who agreed with my concern and at 12.45pm she phoned for an ambulance to take my friend to hospital. The ambulance duly arrive

4 (yes four) hours later.

You may see this as a minor issue, but let me assure you gentlemen, that it is an issue of the whole social computer being infected. For there are links in the social communication that is disrupting the work of a lot many efficient links. And you may not be able to find a direct link to the cause, for it comes travelling over a lot of person’s mind, creating a lot of aberrant moods.

The most funny thing about this whole theme is that if I had put this idea to a lot of citizens of many other nations, like that of China, Japan, Pakistan, India, Korea, South American nations, even Germany and certain others, I am sure that they would easily understand what I am saying; even though I must admit that they would themselves be bit shocked by the range of connections I have made on this theme. Yet, the English persons do not seem to have the slightest idea of what I am saying.

And mind you, it is not a racial issue, but one connected to software.