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"The Story of Stuff" is no more indoctrination than having children recite the Pledge of Allegiance or learn the theory of evolution.
Glenn Beck and others of his ilk are constantly accusing people of trying to indoctrinate children whern they disagree with the conclusions that a particular piece of science or literature reaches. Unfortunatel;y, in our society, too many people have forgotten the ability to think for themselves or reach their own conclusions. Everyone assumes, especially Glenn Beck and other radical talk show hosts, that everything a person hears will automatically be accepted as truth.
"The Story of Stuff" is an interesting learning tool that can help children to understand the need to recycle; however, children also need to understand the impact that recycling has on the economy and on the use of energy. In many cases, recycling something takes substantially more energy use that making it from original materials.
If the movie is being shown to children who are old enough to debate the science of recycling, then there is no indoctrination. If we are accusing teachers of indoctrination because they are showing movies to children, we should also villify Dr. Seuss for his work "The Lorax" and hundreds of other children's authors over the years for promoting sustainability.
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personal opinion
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kty2777
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I can see why a stark consumerist would consider it propaganda. It shows where things come from, but one could easily argue that it calls into question the ethics of the capitalist "greed is good" model. Which I think should be questioned from time to time to keep people informed and companies on their toes.
Pretty heavy stuff for young children, but is it "indoctrination"?
Personally I don't believe so. I think it does talk about the evils of big business (which should please liberals) & it warns about the perils of uncontrolled spending (which conservatives should appreciate)
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I'm for education about the process of how things are built and how government regulation is handled, but not with bad facts.
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It always cracks me up that parents will throw a fit over a video at school but will allow their kids to watch Family Guy and SpongeBob at home.
Kids are presented with all kinds of things that sometimes we don't agree with. At the end of they day, it's our responsibility to help them grow up to be productive adults that can think for themselves and form their own opinions.
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Sure, my politics are showing, a lot, but showing a video is not "propaganda," at least not how people are using the term. "Propaganda" is a politicized term that, nowadays, just means something that expresses an opinion you disagree with. Under that definition, everything counts as propaganda.
So is the solution to avoid it all? Hardly. We live in a country founded on the First Amendment. The way to deal with ideas you disagree is not to silence them. It is to entertain them and then think critically to decide what you think is right. And education is supposed to develop people's critical thinking skills, not float students through a life of unchallenging material they never have to think about, until they're all grown up and have opinions, but can't tell you why.
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1. teaching someone to accept doctrines uncritically
Familiarity information: INDOCTRINATION used as a noun is very rare.
Why are parents today so afraid of information?
Guess what?
Most of the facts and information that is local, state, and federal approved to be taught to American children IS propaganda.
All public school curriculum have books written with the bias of its publishers, professors, and Boards of Education.
Look at the history that is taught.
Do you think the school books let students know about the affair that Roosevelt was having? Or that Kennedy was legally drugged with narcotics and other mind altering drugs during the Cuban Missile Crisis?
Check out Harcore History with Dan Carlin at www.dancarlin.com.
I suggest reading "Lies My Teacher Told Me" by sociologist James W. Loewen and "A People's History of the United States" by Howard Zinn.
Most of the approved history books taught in public schools only scratch the surface on what truly happened and sometimes contradicts the real historical facts. You want to know the meat, marrow and sinew of history? Then you need to read a book, no make that read several books, watch a documentary or two, ask others what they know and then draw your own conclusions.
Public school history is all revisionist history.
Even the science books are biased. Old scientific theories are held up by the scientific establishment, and new theories have a tough time to be accepted even if the data appears to be true. Remember how Copernicus was rewarded when he challenged the conventional wisdom of a flat earth in his writing of De revolutionibus orbium coelestium?
Even science facts change.
In fact, most of the books are written by publishers with the first goal is to sell books and second to properly tell the truth second. Many have mistakes in them, but because state approves it then it must be official history.
The only absolute non propaganda skill taught is math. That is a universally accepted truth with little room for interpretation.
As for indoctrination, I think that word has recently been overly misused. Students are "indoctrinated" into all kinds of misleading information about American culture everyday.
For example, the idealist propaganda that America is a Meritocracy; if you study hard and work hard, then you will be rewarded with success. This is an American myth. Of course, I would like to believe in the Horatio Alger story too and hardworking immigrants that come the America help prop this up, but the reality is it matters more who you know and what social circle you are surrounded by which gives you an advantage and more opportunities than someone without.
Read Freakonomics by
The evening news, Time, Newsweek, your local paper, books with a single author...its all biased.
In a nutshell. All information can be viewed as propaganda. Instead of pre censoring information, which by the way will make them more curious to seek it out, allow them to take it in.
Question it.
Discuss it.
New ideas are teachable moments to try install what you value and how you perceive the world. It is important that students become independent thinkers. Unless you fear what your sons and daughters think, then I suggest moving into an Amish community.
And remember the words of our wife cheating 32nd President, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."
Source(s):
http://www.amazon.com/Lies-My-Teacher-Told-Everything/dp/0684818868
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-k...
http://www.bede.org.uk/copernicus.htm
http://www.audioenglish.net/dictionary/indoctrination.htm
http://www.dancarlin.com/disp.php/hharchive
Tags: school, public, censorship, history
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It is not evil, it is just obviously biased toward the social justice and economic justice theories as promoted by the Tides Foundation. Presenting it as indisputable fact is patently dishonest and certainly smacks of propaganda.
The video is certainly filled with several well known propaganda techniques such as Assertiveness, Card Stacking, Glittering Generalities, Pinpointing the Enemy, and Simplification (Stereotyping).
I don't think the video would be harmful. My wife teaches middle school and her students could easily recognize this piece for what it is, and chalk it up to the goofiness of whatever teacher tried to pass it off as fact. Personally I think it might be useful, especially if presented side by side with a video from another point of view, and then use them both to teach evaluation of information sources.
As for Glenn Beck and Fox news? I don't watch either and frankly don't care too much about what they think, as it has no bearing on my day to day life or that of my children. I suspect that folks who get all up in arms about Beck and Fox are wasting a lot of time and energy for little reason. Perhaps they could put that time and energy to better use learning how to evaluate sources.
This video is a great start in learning to evaluate sources.
Check out Authority, Bias, and Accuracy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvVhN3_ex_8
Source(s):
http://www.tidesfoundation.org/
http://library.thinkquest.org/C0111500/proptech.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvVhN3_ex_8
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Answered Question
M$3.25
October 02, 2009 10:22 PM
Is showing the <a href="http://www.mahalo.com/Story of Stuff">Story of Stuff</a> to school children educational or an evil form of Indoctrination?
You can watch the 20 Minute film here, it's being shown in classrooms.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLBE5QAYXp8
Naturally, Fox News has issue with this, Glenn Beck calls it a form of Indoctrination and invites children on his show who had issue with the video. So what do you think? Is this video harmful or helpful to children?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLBE5QAYXp8
Naturally, Fox News has issue with this, Glenn Beck calls it a form of Indoctrination and invites children on his show who had issue with the video. So what do you think? Is this video harmful or helpful to children?
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Yes (5)
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Interesting: buddawiggi M$0.05, robbrown M$0.05, shewolfsilver M$0.05, chriswingate M$0.05, stanar M$0.05
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Best Answer Decided by Votes
| October 03, 2009 03:49 PM |
Glenn Beck and others of his ilk are constantly accusing people of trying to indoctrinate children whern they disagree with the conclusions that a particular piece of science or literature reaches. Unfortunatel;y, in our society, too many people have forgotten the ability to think for themselves or reach their own conclusions. Everyone assumes, especially Glenn Beck and other radical talk show hosts, that everything a person hears will automatically be accepted as truth.
"The Story of Stuff" is an interesting learning tool that can help children to understand the need to recycle; however, children also need to understand the impact that recycling has on the economy and on the use of energy. In many cases, recycling something takes substantially more energy use that making it from original materials.
If the movie is being shown to children who are old enough to debate the science of recycling, then there is no indoctrination. If we are accusing teachers of indoctrination because they are showing movies to children, we should also villify Dr. Seuss for his work "The Lorax" and hundreds of other children's authors over the years for promoting sustainability.
Source(s):
personal opinion
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kty2777
October 07, 2009 12:11 AM
a great answer - you explain why people should think for themselves but be given information to make real and informed conclusions - you have also avoided an emotional response :)
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Other Answers (8)
October 02, 2009 11:23 PM
Very educational indeed should be taught in every class room in every country i do not understand how this can be a form of Indoctrination. We can tell children that santa clause will bring toys for them but not how the big nations on earth is polluting the world .Shame shame shame just a shame.This video is the truth only the truth and nothing but the truth. What most people do not understand is that we are destroying the earth,destroying animals,destroying the environment,destroying life,human beings are committing human genocide. We cannot bury our heads in the ground and pretend that nothing is going on. You have children,women and men in Ethiopia and Sudan dying from hunger while in America food is thrown away. What the lady is saying is right. Some people hate to hear the truth especially if it is something about them which would make them look bad so of course. Glenn Beck would have a problem. The lady is speaking about America and what America an Americans are doing to the earth.
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October 02, 2009 11:39 PM
It is evil, evil, EVIL, I could hear the devil speaking through that woman, she must be a witch . . . ok not so much. I can see why a stark consumerist would consider it propaganda. It shows where things come from, but one could easily argue that it calls into question the ethics of the capitalist "greed is good" model. Which I think should be questioned from time to time to keep people informed and companies on their toes.
Pretty heavy stuff for young children, but is it "indoctrination"?
Personally I don't believe so. I think it does talk about the evils of big business (which should please liberals) & it warns about the perils of uncontrolled spending (which conservatives should appreciate)
Permalink | Report
October 03, 2009 03:04 AM
What is the grade level that this covers?
@jammons said he watched it in college.
I personally think it might be a little harsh for the younger kids.
Looking at it from my perspective and experience. When I was in 3rd grade I already worried about the environment and world in general. I didn't need a short movie to show me. I gave my entire 3rd grade allowance to Green Peace. I lost sleep some nights thinking about this stuff.
I worried about baby harp seals for crying out loud!
The point I'm trying to make it this:
Don't freak out the kids when they're too young. They'll just end up having to be medicated to make it through grade school.
I think that High School would be the youngest group to show that to.
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@jammons said he watched it in college.
I personally think it might be a little harsh for the younger kids.
Looking at it from my perspective and experience. When I was in 3rd grade I already worried about the environment and world in general. I didn't need a short movie to show me. I gave my entire 3rd grade allowance to Green Peace. I lost sleep some nights thinking about this stuff.
I worried about baby harp seals for crying out loud!
The point I'm trying to make it this:
Don't freak out the kids when they're too young. They'll just end up having to be medicated to make it through grade school.
I think that High School would be the youngest group to show that to.
October 03, 2009 01:47 PM
Good question, I know that when I was into GIJoe and Transformers . . . wait bad example that could describe last week ;)
Take 2:
Good question, I know that as a young child this would've made me want to curl up in a ball and scream. Here is what is on the site:
"First, please help us raise the last $20,000 needed to develop a two-week middle and high school level educational module with the film at its core. Our partner Facing the Future, a nationally-recognized curriculum developer, has received commitments for 75% of the funding we need." http://www.storyofstuff.com/blog/?p=26
Sounds like > Jr High is the concentration.
Report
Take 2:
Good question, I know that as a young child this would've made me want to curl up in a ball and scream. Here is what is on the site:
"First, please help us raise the last $20,000 needed to develop a two-week middle and high school level educational module with the film at its core. Our partner Facing the Future, a nationally-recognized curriculum developer, has received commitments for 75% of the funding we need." http://www.storyofstuff.com/blog/?p=26
Sounds like > Jr High is the concentration.
October 03, 2009 12:28 AM
I watched this in a college class on alternative business methods. The group's concensus afterwards was that it was pretty shameless propaganda. There are a number of important issues which are glazed over in the video and her use of hyperbole is painful at times. In addition, and I don't have time to look up examples at the moment, but a lot of her numbers and percentages are just plain wrong. I don't think it's appropriate for children because it is misinformation. I'm for education about the process of how things are built and how government regulation is handled, but not with bad facts.
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Voted as best: ewpldf
October 03, 2009 11:05 AM
Kids and adults get misinformation all the time from on own government. Bad facts abound everywhere. You need to be a skeptic and check up yourself which is now easier than ever in this digital age.
Report
October 03, 2009 03:03 PM
Teaching children incorrect facts and when you are called on it, telling them to check up on them by themselves is just plain ridiculous.
Report
October 03, 2009 01:41 AM
It is the parent's responsibility to discuss any idea that is presented to their children. It always cracks me up that parents will throw a fit over a video at school but will allow their kids to watch Family Guy and SpongeBob at home.
Kids are presented with all kinds of things that sometimes we don't agree with. At the end of they day, it's our responsibility to help them grow up to be productive adults that can think for themselves and form their own opinions.
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Helpful: argmatrixman9000, jeffhoard, shewolfsilver, beast1oh1
Tip cmajaski for this answer
October 03, 2009 03:23 PM
I think that being productive might somehow be construed as trashing the planet. LOL.
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October 03, 2009 05:46 AM
If Glenn Beck says something, you can be fairly sure that the opposite is true. Sure, my politics are showing, a lot, but showing a video is not "propaganda," at least not how people are using the term. "Propaganda" is a politicized term that, nowadays, just means something that expresses an opinion you disagree with. Under that definition, everything counts as propaganda.
So is the solution to avoid it all? Hardly. We live in a country founded on the First Amendment. The way to deal with ideas you disagree is not to silence them. It is to entertain them and then think critically to decide what you think is right. And education is supposed to develop people's critical thinking skills, not float students through a life of unchallenging material they never have to think about, until they're all grown up and have opinions, but can't tell you why.
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Helpful: jeffhoard, buddawiggi, shewolfsilver
Unhelpful: beast1oh1
Tip thebandit for this answer
October 03, 2009 03:25 PM
The first amendment is not intended to allow you to teach my children that your opinions are fact and mine are not. Preface this propaganda as one foundations opinion. This is an accurate representation of the beliefs held by the Tides Foundation. It is not fact, and should not be taught as fact.
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October 03, 2009 11:02 AM
INDOCTRINATION (noun) From Audioenglish.net 1. teaching someone to accept doctrines uncritically
Familiarity information: INDOCTRINATION used as a noun is very rare.
Why are parents today so afraid of information?
Guess what?
Most of the facts and information that is local, state, and federal approved to be taught to American children IS propaganda.
All public school curriculum have books written with the bias of its publishers, professors, and Boards of Education.
Look at the history that is taught.
Do you think the school books let students know about the affair that Roosevelt was having? Or that Kennedy was legally drugged with narcotics and other mind altering drugs during the Cuban Missile Crisis?
Check out Harcore History with Dan Carlin at www.dancarlin.com.
I suggest reading "Lies My Teacher Told Me" by sociologist James W. Loewen and "A People's History of the United States" by Howard Zinn.
Most of the approved history books taught in public schools only scratch the surface on what truly happened and sometimes contradicts the real historical facts. You want to know the meat, marrow and sinew of history? Then you need to read a book, no make that read several books, watch a documentary or two, ask others what they know and then draw your own conclusions.
Public school history is all revisionist history.
Even the science books are biased. Old scientific theories are held up by the scientific establishment, and new theories have a tough time to be accepted even if the data appears to be true. Remember how Copernicus was rewarded when he challenged the conventional wisdom of a flat earth in his writing of De revolutionibus orbium coelestium?
Even science facts change.
In fact, most of the books are written by publishers with the first goal is to sell books and second to properly tell the truth second. Many have mistakes in them, but because state approves it then it must be official history.
The only absolute non propaganda skill taught is math. That is a universally accepted truth with little room for interpretation.
As for indoctrination, I think that word has recently been overly misused. Students are "indoctrinated" into all kinds of misleading information about American culture everyday.
For example, the idealist propaganda that America is a Meritocracy; if you study hard and work hard, then you will be rewarded with success. This is an American myth. Of course, I would like to believe in the Horatio Alger story too and hardworking immigrants that come the America help prop this up, but the reality is it matters more who you know and what social circle you are surrounded by which gives you an advantage and more opportunities than someone without.
Read Freakonomics by
The evening news, Time, Newsweek, your local paper, books with a single author...its all biased.
In a nutshell. All information can be viewed as propaganda. Instead of pre censoring information, which by the way will make them more curious to seek it out, allow them to take it in.
Question it.
Discuss it.
New ideas are teachable moments to try install what you value and how you perceive the world. It is important that students become independent thinkers. Unless you fear what your sons and daughters think, then I suggest moving into an Amish community.
And remember the words of our wife cheating 32nd President, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."
Source(s):
http://www.amazon.com/Lies-My-Teacher-Told-Everything/dp/0684818868
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-k...
http://www.bede.org.uk/copernicus.htm
http://www.audioenglish.net/dictionary/indoctrination.htm
http://www.dancarlin.com/disp.php/hharchive
Tags: school, public, censorship, history
Helpful Answer?
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Unhelpful: beast1oh1
Tip tranhawk for this answer
October 03, 2009 03:57 PM
This is obviously an opinion piece that is being presented as fact. It is completely in line with the beliefs and goals of the Tides foundation, who funded it. The funding source of any presentation is obviously the first place to search for potential sources of bias. Bias does not always equate to incorrect or useless information, but it should always be investigated when evaluating the potential "skew" of the information. It is not evil, it is just obviously biased toward the social justice and economic justice theories as promoted by the Tides Foundation. Presenting it as indisputable fact is patently dishonest and certainly smacks of propaganda.
The video is certainly filled with several well known propaganda techniques such as Assertiveness, Card Stacking, Glittering Generalities, Pinpointing the Enemy, and Simplification (Stereotyping).
I don't think the video would be harmful. My wife teaches middle school and her students could easily recognize this piece for what it is, and chalk it up to the goofiness of whatever teacher tried to pass it off as fact. Personally I think it might be useful, especially if presented side by side with a video from another point of view, and then use them both to teach evaluation of information sources.
As for Glenn Beck and Fox news? I don't watch either and frankly don't care too much about what they think, as it has no bearing on my day to day life or that of my children. I suspect that folks who get all up in arms about Beck and Fox are wasting a lot of time and energy for little reason. Perhaps they could put that time and energy to better use learning how to evaluate sources.
This video is a great start in learning to evaluate sources.
Check out Authority, Bias, and Accuracy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvVhN3_ex_8
Source(s):
http://www.tidesfoundation.org/
http://library.thinkquest.org/C0111500/proptech.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvVhN3_ex_8
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