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Thread: Industry Involvement in the Education System

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    Senior Member jadebunny9's Avatar
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    Default Industry Involvement in the Education System

    Today in class we discussed about businesses breaching into the school environment. Many school budgets across the nation have been shrinking, and when you add increased student loads, you have the problem of not being able to accommodate for teaching materials. Here is where businesses step in, willing to provide materials for classroom use, but of course, with ulterior motives.

    In some schools, children are taught by Clearasil that Clearasil is the way to clear up bad skin, by Exxon's Energy Cube that fossil fuel does not pose a threat to the environment and that alternative energy is costly and hard to get, and by Pacific Lumber that forest-clearing is fine because the "Great American Forest...is renewable forever." Now as some of you might know, this is completely bogus.

    I was pretty shocked when I learned about this because I never had to go through such things when I was in K-12, or at least they weren't that blatantly obvious. If I were a parent, I would want my child to go to school for the sole purpose of learning, and not for more exposure to advertisements. Some schools are forced by a certain Whittle Communications to show its Channel One, which broadcasted news with slick graphics for 10 minutes and, surprise surprise, various commercials for 2 minutes. And then the 12-minute cycle would repeat itself. If the teacher refused to show it, he/she could be fired. Absolutely ridiculous. If I wanted more grooming of consumerism, I would have just home-tv-ed my child.

    In a class of about 60 people, only 5 people didn't want any business being involved with the school curriculum. The rest were fine with it because they didn't see any harm in it. I guess I shouldn't be surprised since most of them are business majors (no offense to any business majors in here). To some, it was okay because these businesses would provide for better facilities and supplies, so it was like choosing the lesser of two evils. One evil that shouldn't have been there in the first place.

    So what do you guys (and girls) think? Are you fine with your kids growing up and possibly studying in such environments?

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    Quote Originally Posted by jadebunny9 View Post
    In some schools, children are taught by Clearasil that Clearasil is the way to clear up bad skin, by Exxon's Energy Cube that fossil fuel does not pose a threat to the environment and that alternative energy is costly and hard to get, and by Pacific Lumber that forest-clearing is fine because the "Great American Forest...is renewable forever." Now as some of you might know, this is completely bogus.
    The problem isn't so much as the intrusion of the business sphere into education but rather the failure of the teachers and/or school to teach students essential critical thinking skills.
    "A girl asked me if she should spent money to change the way she look, I told her that she should use it to change her personality instead."

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    Senior Member jadebunny9's Avatar
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    It's sorta hard because they're too busy endorsing products.


    And yay Orange! The only one who even cared to post in the topic. I'm touched.

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    Senior Member PJ's Avatar
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    I actually think ChannelOne is a great way to keep up with the news, for people such as myself who don't watch TV otherwise.
    忽见柳荫下两个小孩子在哀哀痛哭,瞧模样正是武敦儒、武修文兄弟。郭芙大声叫道:「喂,你们在干甚麽?」武 修文回头见是郭芙,哭道:「我们在哭,你不见麽?」

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    Senior Member xJadedx's Avatar
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    I think it depends on how much the business is involved. The example you mentioned is a bit taking it too far.
    But a lot of schools say, get sponsorship from Coke versus Pepsi, and all they have to do is only sell Coke or Pepsi products at the school, which I think it's fine.
    Because I'm somewhere in between,
    My love and my agony.

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    Senior Member jadebunny9's Avatar
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    I've just caught news that some schools have banned the selling of such products at school...so the kids are forced to eat from the school food programs. I hope the quality and taste of school food has risen...because the last time I remembered, they were pretty nasty.

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