THE CADRE, TUES., OCT. 23, 1973 Editorial Page.2 Underdeveloping the Person' -Stan Dalton The predominant idiology which permeates every pore of contemporary western civilization is without question, Capitalism: it's ‘central metropolis is the United States and, all other capitalist nations (with the exception of Japan) are but its' Satellites which are, themselves, metropolis - satellites. ~ The United States bleeds every nation it lays hands to, that it may realize as far as it can, its capitalist aspirations, values, etc. “Prince Edward Island, as the satellite (Canada) is, it- self, not a metropolis. Its' resources, talent, brains, etc., are bought up, or lured away by, the great metropolis' which can better offer an opportunity for our citizens to actualize their capitalist aspirations and values. The problem is simple" al— though we are a satellite, we are infused with capital- ist (metropolis) values: but the opportunity for their actuality is minimal, neces- sitating migration to the metropolis for actualization of values which cry for and demand, actualization. Thus, we inevitably educate for the metropolis. The major problem in mys mind is,£of course, the ed— ucational system which is the principle means by which these values are- perpetuated thus perpetuating capitalist idiology and, thus maintaining an educational system the only result of which is, mental crippling. But how? Quite simply actually. As stated above, in order that capitalism as an idiology should maintain itself, it must educate with its own to flu Dear Sir: Because our previous letter (Cadre, October 15) may have - given the wrong impression to the University Community- a letter written as a joke and not intended for public— ation (our apologies, Mr. MacLean) — we would like to express how we feel about being a part of the Univer— sity Community. Since we are located in Dalton Hall and are surround— Editor end in view. Thus, the individual (or person) throughout his educational career,is educated (or 'steepedin) capitalist values. He is taught or told he must acquire certain skills so as to compete in capitalist society. The more proficient he becomes, the more successful he will be. This is true from kindergar- ten, through to the Ph.D.: the latter promising the ultimate success. However, in order that the / person succeeds in campet- itive capitalist society, he must specialize. Now, to specialize, he must concen— trate his attention and en— ergies on one field only -' to the exclusion of all others, except insofar as a few others apply to his chosen field. What occurs now is, the person, in pursuing this one goal must neglect his self in lieu of his goal. The result being, he develops as a capitalist cog to fit the capitalist wheel, but as a person he must under- develop. And this is neces- rsarily so. His choice is, whether he is aware of it or not, to obidiently com- pete and conform to capital— ist idiology or, to reject this educational system in favor of self—development. Since education for capital- ism begins very early - at hindergarten and before — it -is no surprixe that the person's capacity for crea- tivity by the time he is out of high school: universtiy: or post-doctoral work, is extremely low. CREATIVITY HAS BEEN STIFLED SO THAT EDUCATION FOR CAPITALISM COULD BE!! .Capitalism requires con- ed by beautiful trees we have been enjoying the fall in a new and different way. From the second and third floor one gets the feeling of warmness and relaxation from the multi-colored leaves. This adds to the atmosphere of our depart- ment. Because we are cent— rally located we are for— tunate to have other Science, Arts, and Education stu— dents to join us in some courses. This provides us with other viewpoints and creates an opportunity for further enrichment. Our new location makes it poss- ible for us to spend time“ between classes in the Lib— rary or in the Barn- just simple things, but rarely fiexperienced by Home Ec'ers' Letters to Editor Con't. Page 4- formity in order for it to be maintained, therefore, capitalist mentality must be perpetuated rather than creativity. Respect for the arts: philosophy, classical music, skulpure, painting, poetry, etc. are of second- ary value since they do not "immediately contribute t0" the aims fostered by capital? ism: thus Rental stagnation occurs which is character— istic of the cog. ,1 With this lack of mental stimulation, the intellect stagnates - creativity, criticism, and originality, all but disappear. The person then becomes a living manifestation of the contradictions inherent in capitalism. What form do these manifestr ations take? Reluctance to engage in con— versations which are by nature "deep", thus, conver- sation is rendered superfic- ial. Furthermore, in universities, there is a re- luctance to take courses which require independent thought, and where it is a "must", temptation to pla- giorism and for using some- one elses essays or writing ability, is the logical re- sult. Moreover, the students' ability to criticize either course material or contemp- orary events, is minimal. Rather than put forth his own opinion, he relies heavily on traditional views, or parental attitudes. A "passing the buck" attitude is prevolent where he would otherwise formulate his own View. ‘ It is by no means surprising to me that politics , relig— ion, economics, and all social concerns.receive ab— solutely no criticism from Island youth or their' parents. THE CAPITALIST MENTALITY WILL NOT PERMIT IT! They remain, therefore, subordinate to capitalist domination — as slaves — because they cannot think beyond it, which is a nec— essary concition before this infection can be cured. Nevertheless, they feel the pain of personal under— development, but being un— able to throw the yoke aside, they run into~the‘ ipen arms (sic!) of Christ— ianity which permits an‘ excape from this cruel reality of capitalism. Alas, they fail there too, because that is to jump from the frying pan into the fire since Christianity offers only the impossible — deliVerance from the reality of human existence. . Oh, if we could but see our idols for what they are!