The Right’s Fear of Education: What I Learned As a (Former) Conservative Military Man

[KT2000]

2. familiar with the anti-education mindset

When I moved to a rural community with a long history of logging and mill work. I was shocked to see the anti-education feeling people had for their own children. Some of it comes from fathers who do not want their children to do better than they did. It is a class consciousness that fears their children entering a higher class.

It also has to do with living with cynicism. If a parent lives with cynicism about their place in life and their child becomes educated and does well, the cynicism has to be replaced with the concept of one's own failure. Social customs such as early drinking, early pregnancies, trouble with the law are tolerated and encouraged as family values - the world view remains intact.

Teachers in such communities are very challenged and many times heartbroken when they see talented kids succumb to such pressures from families and peers. Other students from upper class play a role too.