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Last Updated: Sep 8th, 2009 - 08:07:52 |
The Persian Gulf War: Adult Education & Democracy
by John Ohliger
March 18, 1991
Self-righteousness is a sin. A sense of humor is a life-affirming virtue. War exalts sins and degrades virtues. Please forgive my sinning and my lack of virtue. I feel self-righteous about the Persian Gulf War and don't see anything laughable about it either; though I saw this humorous sign at the peace vigils I've joined: "IF YOU HIT A PEACE DEMONSTRATOR, YOU PROVE HIS POINT." And I'm envious of Sam Brightman's ability to see the comical side in his great column "The War Affects Adult Ed: Does Adult Ed Affect the War?" Be sure to read Sam's views in the February 11, 1991 issue of ACET, if you haven't already.
In the January 21st ACET I wrote: "The vital connection between adult education and democracy was most recently split asunder by the Republican Bush administration with the support of the Democrats by jumping into militaristic folly in the Persian Gulf, without consulting the American people."
I've been learning about, writing about, and organizing around the important relation between education and democracy for over forty years, but I'm still confused about these terms and their connection. I won't even try to define education, but here is my current understanding about democracy:
Quote-Democracy-Unquote
There are three ways of finding meaning in democracy. First, there is quote-democracy-unquote. "Democracy" is the political system we have right now, however you define it. That is what most politicians mean by the term in the United States, or in the countries we once called communist with their "peoples democracies."
Modern Democracy
Second, there is modern democracy: "Majority rule." But "minorities" (African Americans, Hispanic Americans, the poor, and women) in the United States legitimately complain that majority rule so far has protected wealthy white male interests over all others. Note Jesse Jackson's and Coretta Scott King's call for a cease-fire in the Persian Gulf, where 30 percent of the troops are African American.
Ever-Present Democracy
Third, there is ever-present democracy. This form is the hardest to define because it frequently goes beyond words. But we always know when it is present. People meshing easily in town meetings, small groups, or face-to-face communities; reaching consensus and acting together. In this timeless democracy people build on what used to be labeled the belief in "the common man," everyday mutual strengths we exhibit when we are not practicing our specialty. The difficulty with the ever-present form is that it is sometimes overwhelmed by impersonal high technology, so prevalent today.
The Relation Between Education & Democracy
Will the relation between democracy and adult education be restored in America? It can happen only after the killing stops and the U.S. intervention in the Persian Gulf has ceased. The restoration can only take place if we find some way of balancing modern and ever-present democracy. Will we develop an approach that preserves the educational value of both?
There is no relation between education and quote-democracy-unquote. It is propaganda all the way. However, it is educational to recognize how vacuous the status quo position is, on both sides of what was once the Iron Curtain.
In modern democracy active participation in political life is considered educational in itself. But as John Stuart Mill recognized, who largely created this view in the mid-19th century, such democracies allow the self-serving bright to gain more influence, those who cleverly finesse others and manipulate public opinion as they participate and learn. Obviously, these are not people we want to control our lives. Since this political form is so tied to history, clever white males who "got there first" still prevail.
If The Balance Is Not Restored
In ever-present democracy just being and living together results in learning. Here the great advantage is that it honors commonness at the fundamental local, cultural, or gender level. But learning in ever-present democracy sometimes remains at humble levels. Hope for the future depends on finding a way to combine the humility of timeless democracy with the achievement motives of the modern version. If we can't find this path, the Persian Gulf War will have been a pleasant day-at-the-beach compared with the hellacious, looming religious, cultural, and economic conflicts.
I've drawn on many sources for the above views. To learn about any source, express your opinion, or suggest how to preserve the relation between democracy and education, write Basic Choices. I'll print your views in a later column.
John Ohliger is Director of Basic Choices, Inc., A Mid-west Center for Clarifying Political & Social Options.
LERN has granted non-exclusive permission to this website to post any articles written by John Ohliger for Adult and Continuing Education Today.
© Copyright 2004 John Ohliger.com
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