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[Clansgian AT wmconnect.com]

I had hoped to find a link to this but I'll have to try to give you my own 
summary so bear with me.

The talk show person Neal Boortz told the tale of how just after the collapse 
of the Soviet Union he went to Russia to visit an Russian acquaintance.  
Communism and the communist mindset didn't fall with the Soviet Union and is 
in a 
transition to this day.  Back then all the mechanism for a communist economy 
and society were still in place.  So Boortz relates how that during the stay 
he 
waited in a long line to buy bread at the breadstore and they had only one 
kind of bread.  He went to a separate dairy store and stood in line for a 
long 
time to find he had a choice of three cheeses.  Same with the butcher and 
several other stores.  When he was discussing his experience with his 
hostess, she 
asked what was different in America.  He related grocery stores and marts.

She was skeptical to the point of disbelief.  And individual concern would 
buy goods and put them on shelves against the outside chance that someone 
would 
buy them at a higher price??  Preposterous!  It would never work.  Oh, it 
might be the way to do business for a few degenerate capitalist but surely 
the 
poor people would suffer immersurably.  Nyet, not even to be remotely 
considered 
as a general plan.

Shortly afterwards Boortz was able to invite her to come visit in the states 
and as soon as the plane touched down at Hartfield, he took her to a grocery 
store before aught else.  She was confused and dazzed, unable to believe what 
she saw.

It reminded me of the flick Moscow on the Hudson where the character played 
by Robin Williams defects to the US and when the person he is staying with 
sends him to the grocery store to buy coffee, he is faced with dozens of 
choices:  
Folgers, Maxwell House, Starbucks, freeze dried, beans, drip grind, 
Columbian, Arabica, Brazilian, dark roast, hazlenut flavored ....  he freaks 
out and 
collapses.

Those firmly within the PS mindset, or just the schooling mindset whether 
governemtn schools or not, are much like Boortz's Russian friend.  They view 
'education' as a single piece of mirthless bread got after waiting in a long 
line 
and there is NO other way to distribute bread that would not leave the masses 
hungry.  Those outside that paradigm are in an extensive bakery shop full of 
rye, pumpernickel, sourdough, salt risen, raisin, brioche, tortillas, pita, 
doughnuts, eclairs, etc. with no waiting in the thirteen year long line.

The edges of the indoctrination bubble are impenetrable.  Any attempt to to 
explain the nature, purpose, and function of schooling is bounced back from 
the 
walls of the bubble as "Not all schools are bad."  "I know some teachers and 
they are good people."

Yes.  I doubt that the Soviet bread stores were *bad* per se.  Doubtless they 
were run and manned by people who were good people.  But it doesn't follow 
that that way of merchandising was the only way or was anything but very bad 
itself.