The Shock Doctrine in Wisconsin
Sorry, folks, I’ve been AWOL. Work and family issues have completely absorbed my attention for the past two weeks, so much so that I haven’t even been able to follow the news. I’ve been vaguely aware that the Mubarak regime in Wisconsin has been trying to push through union-busting legislation with the aid of the Egyptian army—no, wait. That’s not it. This is it: I’ve been vaguely aware that there have been huge demonstrations in Madison, Wisconsin, demanding that Gaddafi step down—no, wait. That’s not it either.
Here it is! Krugman explains it perfectly: it’s the Shock Doctrine at work in Wisconsin. There you go.
P.S. In more humorous news, it looks like that Craigslist Congressman was also trolling for transsexuals and cross-dressers. I realize the evidence is circumstantial, but I believe it. It’s just so perfectly in character for a conservative Christian Republican.
22 Responses to “The Shock Doctrine in Wisconsin”
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Alex says:
I am a teacher who has worked in at-risk public schools and I think the Governor of Wisconsin is wrong and extreme. But with all this pro-union and anti-union hoopla we are, as usual, not speaking about the children and the shitty education we are giving them. Unions are in part (a good part) responsible for this shitty education system. But since we are talking about extremes we are not having this conversation.
February 27th, 2011 at 9:16 am EST -
Violet Socks says:
To paraphrase Al Franken, to say that the problem with our schools is the teacher unions is like saying that the problem with al-Qaeda is that they put too much oil in their hummus.
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quixote says:
Alex, you’ve clearly never been near a classroom as an adult, if you are capable of saying that teachers’ unions are a “good part” of the problem with bad education.
When trolling, it’s a better strategy, I would think, not to be so obvious upfront about your status.
For a post on what teachers actually do, I suggest reading I Ruined Everything (and why it was more work than you thought). I haven’t seen anything, anywhere (and that includes my own writing) that makes it half as clear.
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lynnerkat says:
Really, when people have never stepped foot in a classroom, have no idea what teachers do, are expected to do, and put up with (a new theory and “vision” every year- where is my haldol?), but make all the decisions- I love it when they bloviate. Yes, teachers do it for the great money, vacations, and collective bargaining. Yeah!
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Alex says:
Violet, I take it you’ve never worked in the public school systems. I have. I worked high school in Brooklyn for years. I’m not sure where everyone is getting off here saying I haven’t. It’s bizarre.
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Alex says:
BTW, I think teachers should get paid more and I do think Unions are necessary. But they have certainly caused damage. Big time. I dare ANY OF YOU to teach in the at-risk schools I have.
Cowards.
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Alex says:
East New York anyone? Erasmus High School after the time of Barbara Streisand? I DARE ANYONE HERE to send their children or grandchildren there in it’s present day condition. Didn’t think so!
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quixote says:
Alex, the reason we’re convinced you haven’t taught is that you’re betraying such huge ignorance of the teachers’ situation and of why students have trouble learning in current environments.
If you have that much ignorance and have taught, you are — how should I put this? — a peculiarly odd duck.
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Alex says:
“Alex, the reason we’re convinced you haven’t taught is that you’re betraying such huge ignorance of the teachers’ situation and of why students have trouble learning in current environments.”
Interesting. All because I stated that I thought unions are in part responsible for some issues in today’s schools? I wonder if anyone here could even be open to the idea that unions have instigated some policies that are not beneficial for students? I did not express any extreme viewpoints as some repubs might – that unions are not necessary. I actually stated that they are and that teachers are underpaid. And I am fully aware of issues that unions are not responsible for.
So it is absolutely fascinating how incurious people are here when an idea threatens there alliance with a political party / ideology. You have a chance to have a dialogue with me in regard to my work with impoverished at-risk schools, communities and students and yet… you strangely take this in the most bizarre direction of calling me first a liar and second, “an odd duck”. Not once has anyone even expressed interest in why I might find Unions culpable at all.
I can only guess that alliance with political ideology is far more important than the children. And I can only guess that I may be perhaps one of the few if only commenters on this site who has actually worked as a teacher in poor urban environments. So sad that politics comes before children. Let me quess Quixote and lynnecat – you work corporate, right?
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DarthVelma says:
Well you certainly weren’t an English teacher. Should be “their alliance”, not “there”.
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tinfoil hattie says:
Alex: Violet didn’t even address you.
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Toonces says:
Alex, you may be sincere, but you smell like astroturf. You might want to y’know, cite some actual examples of how you believe unions have caused problems with public education instead of devoting all of your comments on the subject to your righteous indignation that people you don’t know on the internet might not believe everything you say from the word go.
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kk says:
Alex, I’m with you on this one.. I don’t know why the others are ganging up on you. you sure didn’t sound like a troll to me.
cheers -
Violet Socks says:
kk, you’re in Australia. You’ve left only a handful of comments on this blog over the past several years, none of which suggest that you know anything about American education or unions or anything else.
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Violet Socks says:
Alex, what raises eyebrows is your assertion that unions are in “good part” responsible for the problems in our public education. That is a quite remarkable thing to say, and it’s quite different from saying that some unions have sometimes imposed counterproductive strategies in some school systems. No, you said unions are in “good part” responsible for the whole mess.
I’m not a public school teacher myself, but my family is full of them. So I find your sentiment quite unusual.
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Grace says:
Alex, I would be interested in you giving some concrete examples of how the teachers’unions have been part of the problem. I also get a little impatient when people (anyone,not just you) make broad generalizations about important subjects without backing it up. Otherwise, they sound like empty slogans, and it’s not 2012 yet.
My first reaction to the question of why the educational public system fails the children, is something like: “It’s the unequal distribution of wealth, stupid.” That’s why schools in poor, inner-city areas suck, and those in places like Beverly Hills and Manhattan still do well. Ah…and the other important fact that the majority of school teachers are women, also makes a nice difference in terms of why their salaries, well….suck too. So, if we are going to have a decent, well-informed conversation, let’s get the facts, learn from each other, debate, and move on.
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lynnerkat says:
Memphis City Schools, 10 yrs.
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Sameol says:
You really can’t understand why you’re causing suspicion, Alex? You start out with vague, familiar platitudes, then when you’re challenged, you complain that people are “incurious” and failing to engage you despite your tremendous expertise, you throw in some additional common “what about the children, callous ideologues” talking points-once again, while failing to make one substantive point on the subject. Most people on the front lines, so to speak, have spent a tremendous amount of time thinking about these issues and don’t need some undefined form of special encouragement to persuade them to share their in-depth thoughts.
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Unree says:
Trying to give Alex the benefit of the doubt, I’m thinking maybe ze means to say that unions focus first on the needs of their members while they should be focusing first on the children.
But once you say that teachers have no rights as employees, you’re giving a ton of power to the people who want to fire and mistreat them. Where’s your skepticism now, Alex? Why do you trust these bosses? Do you think they have the children in mind?
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Grace says:
Saying that teachers unions should focus on the children first instead of the needs of their members, is like saying that the firefighters’ unions (overwhelmingly men) should concentrate on the potential victims of fire rather than their rights as workers.
And I can’t help but suspect that there may be a conscious or unconscious mindset at play, that assumes that because women are mostly seen working ss teachers (especially in elementary and middle-schools), thay they are supposed to be dedicated, “selfless,” uncomplaining, nurturing, work just out of love, putting up with low salaries,etc., all for the sake of the children. Does it ring any bell? Because it does too many for me.
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Ciardha says:
This is off topic for the post, but it’s about feminism and misogyny and I’m sitting here sick with disgust about it. Here’s what I wrote in my live journal today and the link to what upset me.
International Women’s Day is about the struggle for equality of women around the world past , present and future. A “dudenation” type on a website I frequent started a thread on IWD and tried to turn it into a shallow second mothers day thing, ranting about how no one better post “a wall of text” about women’s rights or the thread would be shut down. …
http://www.narusaku.com/index......06&hlIronically, the Japanese male writer that the fictional couple Naruto and Sakura comes from is pro feminist, and believes the world would be a much better place if men would listen to feminist women.
I posted a short paragraph about what the day is really about and threw up a whole slew of links.
If you want to join and add your comments before the dude has it shut down the link is above. I just think about how sad Masashi Kishimoto would be to see the misogyny that is so heavy in the American fandom- much much worse than in the Japanese fandom, in fact. It’s a good thing he doesn’t surf the web (he still doesn’t own a device that surfs the web, and he’s fairly young- 36) and see the level of misogyny and gross sexual degradation directed the female characters that speak their minds and are respected for doing so in the manga.
The guy that started this thread is a prime example of that, he constantly attacks any of the female characters that do speak their minds. He rabidly goes after any female poster that expresses pro feminist thoughts.
And note the fear of male anger in the female’s responses masked in “this is just a celebration” comments. In other words “shut up or he’ll start hitting”. Rather ironic in light of what the day is about and what happened to the global IWD website and at several marches around the world. No one has to actually hit them or hack the thread to silence them, they are already silenced.
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Carmonn says:
The testimony of some of the Women of the Revolution is really heartbreaking. It’s as if it never crossed their minds that the men could turn on them, never mind would.
It seems, though, that most of the coverage is going to the fact that a couple of women showed up to cheer on the thugs who were doing the attacking and groping, plus the contention that the organizers brought the whole thing on themselves by not organizing well enough to bring out a bigger crowd, so good to see, as usual, blame being put squarely where it belongs.
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