How Do You Explain This?

I received the following response to the establishment-busting three-part series, “How Do You Explain This?” It adds a positive personal touch and fits so well I’m calling it “Part IV.” Wish I’d written it. Thanks, Monongahela Wry – – –

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It [Part III] started me on some ruminations. If your goal is to be thought provoking you succeeded with me at least. So here ya go.

David Farragut was ‘prizemaster’of a captured ship during The War of 1812. He was 11. (Yes, as in eleven years old) at the time. He started his life as a sailor at 9 and eventually became a storied Admiral. The Farragut class of destroyers bears his name. Seems that young David spent very little time in a classroom.

I gave a talk to a boys’ Sunday School class years ago – told em Farragut’s story. Figured I’d mix it up a little. David vs Goliath is great but they’ve heard that one before. Told ’em that being young does not mean that you can’t accomplish great things. Don’t be afraid to step out into bigger shoes. I hope it left an impression on a young mind or two.

As for me, all I wanted at 11 was to be left alone. I actually verbalized that out loud and remember the desire very very clearly.

I too spent summers anywhere but in the house. In the house I was micromanaged and suffocated. Outside was freedom. Autonomy. Self determination was found only in the woods. The only other person my age I’ve met who tells a similar story is Nancy, but there are childhood similarities and we both ended up being slightly ‘ungovernable’ as adults. (Credit to Nancy for voicing the concept of being ungovernable. Her word, I adopted it.)

Carlin once said that government wants people just smart enough to push the right button at the right time. They don’t want people who are actually educated. It seems that a formal education, started young, beats ungovernable free young minds into an easily governable submission. It almost seems like abuse if you really think on it.

We have Big Pharma, Big Ag, Big Gov, but also Big Education. People think of Big Ed just as universities with endowments and historical campuses. It’s worse – it’s confiscatory real estate taxes used to dumb down and stifle young minds in your own neighborhood starting at age 6.

Seriously – how much education do you need to teach 8th grade math and science? How many years of university do you really need to teach 2nd graders to read? It’s a self perpetuating conveyor belt. It’s Big Ed and it’s big money.

A computer at every desk in elementary school? Why? Because the tech creates a revenue stream at taxpayer expense, that’s why. A chalkboard and textbook don’t need tech support, software updates or replacement on a regular basis. There’s no money to be made by bilking the taxpayer there. Bill Gates lobbied somebody somewhere and money was made. That’s why. And don’t you dare question it because it’s all ‘for the children’ you uncaring neanderthal.

I think that school also fosters the tendency to find comfort in conformity. Conformity equals compliance. Compliance makes you governable and control-Karens get off on governing the compliant. We ‘ungovernable’ give them fits. Controlling us is like trying to stuff a cat into a pillowcase.

So we now have a few consecutive generations of governable, submissive, compliant meatbots. The cats are declawed and loaded up with college programming, psych meds and weed. They crave ‘experts’ because they’re convinced that they’re incapable. Post covid I call em sleeve rollers. [folks who roll up their sleevs for an untested vaccine without a second thought -lrw]

As an illustration I had a woman tell me that I had to call a chimney sweep to clean my chimney. Her: “you can’t just do that yourself!!” Me: “ma’am, it’s a brush on the end of a stick. Not complicated. Do you or do you not have one that I can buy?”

Another result is that corporate America is populated by legions of compliant sleeve roller drones who can’t wait to turn 62, just wishing their best years away.

They too were indoctrinated starting with an over scheduled over supervised childhood. No woods for them – too scary out there. “Stay Safe” starts in your house, then cloistered in your school and then finally in the corporate sweatshop. Whatever you do don’t rock the boat. Do what you’re told till retirement. They’re not even aware that they’re being manipulated and the few who think about it are too afraid to follow up on it. Most don’t know of any other way because there’s been no ‘expert’ to tell them that there is one.

Some day I’ll tell you about taking a gaggle of 10 year old girls canoeing on the Yough. They were my daughter’s friends and had been indoctrinated to believe that they were incapable and should be afraid. I did my best to allow them to be autonomous free rangers for a day so as to undermine the idea that they were helpless little girls. It worked and it happened remarkably quickly. Unfortunately autonomy was a revolutionary idea… so it probably was impactful! One can hope that at least a couple of ’em became free and ungovernable.

Thinking of indoctrinated rule followers, but in the corporate world, the story goes that on 9/11 employees in the towers were instructed to stay at their desks. They died. Compliance Kills. It always kills the mind but sometimes the body as well.

So. A few years ago the fire alarm sounded at Nancy’s high rise building downtown. A prerecorded message played over and over telling everyone to ‘remain in place stay at your work station’ – as the emergency lights flashed and the fire buzzer blared. Nancy said oh hell no and led a mini insurrection down the stairways to the street. My ungovernable girl. But she also grew up outside, avoiding her house as much as possible. She is able to think for herself and make her own decisions and I have to believe it’s because she proved herself to herself at a young age.

So I wonder (back to the old question) are the ungovernable ungovernable due to nature or nurture (or the lack thereof)? She and I both, as adults, derive a certain perverse pleasure in being contrary. We both also have ridiculously compliant siblings that grew up in the same house. We both left home as early as possible. We both left material success behind as adults then regained it on our own. Neither of us pines for someone to live with. Matter of fact it gives us both the willies to even think about it.

We actually have these discussions and have yet to reach a conclusion. But the conversation is excellent!

Anyway, these are the thoughts that your piece spurred.

As a postscript, those canoe trips became an annual event until one year she [my daughter] did not ask to go. I asked later why and she sheepishly told me that one of her friends had gotten her drivers license – so the gaggle of girls did the trip by themselves. I was a little bit sad – but a whole lot happy. I guess that psycological seed germinated after all.

Atta girls.

–Monongahela Wry

How Do You Explain This?, By L. Reichard White

How Do You Explain This? Part II

How Do You Explain This? Part III

HERE for updates, additions, comments, and corrections.

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