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Stop Stealing Dreams (what is school for?) - Seth Godin

Stop Stealing Dreams (what is school for?) - Seth Godin

Stop Stealing Dreams (what is school for?) - Seth Godin

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Fortunately <strong>for</strong> my side of the argument, the economy <strong>is</strong> now rein<strong>for</strong>cing th<strong>is</strong><br />

notion. Simple skills and cheap pleasures (bread and circuses) worked <strong>for</strong> a long<br />

time, but they no longer scale to quiet the masses. The basic skills aren’t enough<br />

to support the circuses that we’ve been sold.<br />

The <strong>for</strong>k in th<strong>is</strong> road <strong>is</strong> ever more pronounced because there’s now so much<br />

more to choose from. A citizen can spend h<strong>is</strong> spare time getting smarter, more<br />

motivated, and more involved, or he can tune out, drop out, and entertain<br />

himself into a stupor. The same devices deliver either or both from the online<br />

ether—and the choice that people make <strong>is</strong> one that’s going to develop early,<br />

based on the expectations of our teachers and the standards of our peers.<br />

We can teach kids to engage in poetry, to write poetry, and to demand poetry—<br />

or we can take a shortcut and settle <strong>for</strong> push-pin, YouTube, and LOLcats.<br />

*Push-pin was a truly inane game in which kids would stick pins in a cloth or a<br />

hat brim and wrestle to knock one over. A little like Angry Birds, but without<br />

batteries.<br />

33. Who will teach bravery?<br />

The essence of the connection revolution <strong>is</strong> that it rewards those who connect,<br />

stand out, and take <strong>what</strong> feels like a chance.

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