Should Education Be Free?

For most of us, 12 years of our lives, that’s 12 years in a row, are spent in a room, say about 9 metres wide by about 12 metres long, a large, rectangular green, chalk-ridden board at the front, the bare minimum in the way of windows, and for a lot of us, no air-conditioning in the summer.

We sit behind a desk, next to a kid with an obvious B.O problem and a girl passing notes to her friend in front of her, sniggering away whenever you glance over.

There is an adult, a person of unquestionable (though sometimes questionable) authority up at the front. Occasionally they sit behind a rather large desk at the front of the room, looking over the class as they are meant to remain silently working on whatever meaningless droll task they have kept them busy with. This is known as the moment of fear.

Sometimes they get up and stand in front of the class and ask questions that you don’t know the answer to. If the moment before was marked by fear, then this event is pure terror, especially when they make eye contact.

Apart from badly programmed times for a recess and lunch break, you don’t leave this room until after 3pm. And then, there’s work to take home with you.

Fortunately, this isn’t true of all schools today, even though it was the norm well over 50 years ago. However, I can honestly say that my 7 years of primary school were almost following this example to a T.

In this country, and especially in W.A, there are many differing levels of education that a student can receive in terms of quality. Some students may benefit greatly from a more opened way of learning through Montessori styles of learning. While others may need plenty of teacher-intervention and supervision with their study. Some kids just plain ‘get it’ and some don’t. There are dozens of differing personalities within the one classroom, and one teacher must cater to every single one of them and treat them all equally. Or so it says in theory.

Quality of education differs and this leaves a massive problem when we look at the haves and the have-nots. Much like a privatised health system, it leaves those struggling to make ends meet out in the cold. Is this a fair system when the future, our future, is in the hands of a system that rewards those with more money?

I honestly believe that all education, from kindergarten, right up through to undergraduate study at university, should be free.

That’s right.

Free.

Why? Well simply put, education is one of the single most important factors in an individuals life. If one has an education, has knowledge, then they certainly have power. Even those who are aiming to leave school early to take up a trade, apprenticeships should be fully paid for up to the point where the student is able to begin earning enough money to support themselves.

I am not an advocate of the private school system. I don’t believe that private schools are a better institution to learn in. I have many friends who went through the public school system and who have succeeded in life and are very learned, much more so than myself. I struggled in high school, simply because I did not like what I was being taught. There was nothing that interested me: Australian History – done to death in primary school. English – great subject but the texts we studied were not exactly great works of literature, I already was an ace at spelling and grammar so that was very boring to revise as well. Maths – simply put, I’m just not a mathematical person, numbers don’t work for me at all.

The only subjects I enjoyed throughout High School were subjects from The Arts or IT. Combining the two was pure joy, and today I enjoy teaching both areas.

Now obviously, the government has to pay all those teachers, administrators and other staff members if they work in a school, and free education doesn’t exactly fill the coffers with the funds for that…. well, without wanting to beat a dead horse, I’ll say it again – simply raise the taxes enough so that education can be funded. People will complain at first simply because that is what people do when taxes are raised, but then they’ll think about how education is something that they don’t have to worry about for their children… ever! Thousands of dollars in their hands!

It’s simple.

However, not realistic due to the kind of society that we live in.

I see education as a commodity – it is a valuable one. The way we use our minds, our thought processes, the knowledge that we use to solve problems and create a better way of understanding how the universe works, advancing our interpersonal skills so that we build better friendships, business and personal relationships and trust with those close to us. This is all a precious commodity that we simply cannot afford to waste in our lives. We only have one, we don’t live our lives fully if we are not expanding the way we think and sharing the knowledge that we have with others.

Education is a funny area today. Everybody, no matter who they are or how experienced they are with the system, has an opinion on what should be taught, how kids should learn and what teachers should be doing. The most uneducated person will have their 2 cents before the debate and proclaim, “kids don’t learn the proper stuff in schools today”. What is the ‘proper stuff’. Where do people get the idea that children are not learning something that is beneficial to them? I’ll admit it, the education system does need an overhaul and there are some aspects of the curriculum across a number of subjects that need to be drastically changed. However, it is not yet a broken system. Education will always go through changes and one day there will be a very dramatic paradigm shift in teaching and learning, yet we are still far away from that.

The problem I have with different levels of educational quality is that it does not allow those with potential and talent, to get the most out of their time at a school – there are so many more extra-curricular programs that could be taking place, yet they cost money, and the have-nots simply lose out due to the fact that they can’t afford them for their children.

I teach at a public school and I do teach some wonderfully gifted students, yet they don’t get the most out of their time here because they don’t do any extra. They come to school, and then they go home. Where are the extension programs, the camps, the debating competitions, the sports? It’s not there because of an unfair system. So in order for free education to work, there does need to be a significant amount of funding.

I for one, would have no problem with taking a pay cut if it means more funding to the school for resources for our students. I have no problem with that if it means we are looking out for the future.

Take Action

What needs to be done at a grassroots level is; action, action and more action. People need to become more involved and engaged in political and social protest. Right now in the world, the conservatives and the right still have far too much influence in decisions that are made; key decisions that affect the world in which we live and our fellow human beings who are made to suffer in the third world.

Here in Western Australia, the new state government has pushed forth the construction of uranium mines – uranium that will be mined and exported to nuclear powers – we are part of the problem, not the solution.

So, how could a government be elected when the people well and truly knew that this was their intention?

Simple: It’s not our problem.

People, it is!

The lack of conscience that exists today within our society is what is eventually going to be the downfall of human civilisation if the attitude does not alter soon. Most people wouldn’t realise the implications, the heavy implications, of a ballot box. Now, not to condone all the actions of the previous government because they were not perfect, even with environmental policy. However, compared to the current coalition government that exists here, there has been absolutely no regard whatsoever for the natural beauty and wonder of our state.

Our coastline, relatively untouched compared to the rest of this country, is in danger of becoming another Surfers Paradise – ugly high-rise apartments dotting the shore and creating an increase in shore loss and pollutants making their way into the ocean.

At a grassroots level, we must begin petitioning, protesting, debating and winning over the majority because this is, quite simply, a weak and spineless government that only bases policy on public opinion – so let’s use that to our advantage and let our voices be heard.

Recently, the state government made moves to eliminate the relatively small fees and rates offered by Key Start home loans, part of the department of housing and planning. Key Start was an initiative of the former administration as a way to enable low income earners to own their own home. Recently however, the fees and rates have raised, defeating the purpose of what Key Start was created for in the first place.

According to a media release found on the Key Start website explaining this, is says;

“Keystart Loans has announced an increase in the deposit required from first homebuyers –
from 2% to 4% of the value of the property price.

Applicants for Keystart funds will also need to show a three-month saving history amounting
to 2% of the purchase price. This amounts to around $6,400 for home buyers seeking a
typical house price of $320,000.

Chief Executive Officer, John Coles said the increases would only apply to new clients
applying for the low-interest, low-deposit loans from the close of business Friday, 4th
September 2009.

“These increases are a responsible and necessary move designed to manage risk and
ensure Western Australians are not over-extending themselves – particularly in times of
rising unemployment and expected increases in official interest rates,” Mr Coles added.”

So, their justification is that by increasing their rates, they are taking responsible action so that low income earners don’t find themselves in trouble in a time of low unemployment. A little contrasting with the governments latest optimism about the future growth of our state and our relatively low unemployment levels, don’t you think?

In the time that the coalition has been in power they have already made several amendments to bills such as the Aboriginal Housing Act of 1980, Criminal Code Bill of 2008 and have transferred private health insurance providers, HBF and HIF from not-for-profit organisations to corporations under the influence of the federal governments changes – rather than fight this injustice and unfair move, they have gone along with it.

These changes and bills require people to really read between the lines and figure out why they are being put forth in the first place. Take a closer look at what’s going on, and take a look at what the media DOESN’T report on. Quite simply, the media will only tell you what they believe to be important and worthwhile (and politically gainful for their mates in parliament).

I request, with urgency, that you begin fighting for what you believe will make a difference for the better. Like I said on here yesterday, it’s time to fight the machine, fight the injustice that is taking place, not just against the environment but against our people; our Indigenous Australians, our Asylum Seekers and our minority groups who are feeling the punch of subliminal prejudice and racism like never before.

Will there ever be another 60’s?

Unless you were there, then you probably wouldn’t know the feeling surrounding the decade of social and political rebellion and change. A member of the true counter-culture of the 1960’s is probably the only one with an authority on discussing what it felt like to fight for ideals against authority and the status-quo.

Speak to any baby-boomer that called themselves a liberal, reformist, non-conformist, radical, activist or hippie and they will relate stories of protests, non-violent demonstrations, arrests, pot smoking, acid tripping and no doubt; lots of free love.

However the stories and events seem somewhat cliched if you mention them to any member of Gen X and Gen Y. YOU HAD TO REALLY BE THERE. And that’s what you’d probably hear from anyone over 50 after they tell their story and you look at them with a confused and lost look on your face.

However, for those of us with a social conscience, who really do fight for change and try hard to make a difference, then the plot is not really lost on us.

The only question we ask is; will the spirit of the 60’s ever return?

Will there ever be another time in history when there will be so much social and political upheaval and rebellion.

When will young people start to actually give a damn about the way the governments of our world constantly screw with us. When will young people finally say that they’ve had enough of the corporate, capitalist machine that constantly spits out droll commercialised products aimed at taking away our individualism and turning us all into mindless, non-thinking consumers?

When will they do something?

The answer to my question is that there will be another 60’s. The spirit of liberty and freedom from the powers that be will one day return. They have to, the human mind can only take so much control and enslavement from others.

Right now, we as humans are slaves – slaves to the corporate machines that continuously control our minds, our spending habits, our thought-processes and even our actions. We are slaves to technology to the point where we have become machines that are a part of the machine itself.

We will soon lose the essence of our humanity if we let it go on any longer and there will be no more left of what the generation of the 60’s fought for – freedom.

There is far too much consumerism happening today – particularly amongst my own generation – I am saddened greatly by watching on the sidelines as so many ideals are lost without a fight, even a slight struggle. They have all given in to the machine…. but….

… bear in mind what I said earlier. The human mind can only take so much.

We need to gather once again as a group – let voices be heard and let the powers topple over with our protest. There can be no more room for the rape of this planet and the control that is being exerted over us all.

The revolutions in the 60’s began because people saw a wrong being committed and cared enough to fight to stop it. It only has to begin with one person making a stand – others will soon follow as empathy overwhelms them. We all have enough love, compassion and empathy to want to join anyone that is making a justified stand against wrongdoers.

Yet, first we need to rid ourselves of a few vices that plague us, especially here in Australia. They are;

Prejudice, Xenophobia, Racism, Greed, Apathy.

Once these are out of the way, let the revolution begin.

Public Announcement

I’ve been denying it for a long time now. However, the truth of the matter will always rise to the surface and as one man faces his demons long enough in the shadows, surely they will be brought out into the light for all to see. So why deny it further, just come clean about it and tell everyone:

I have a caffeine addiction.

No, seriously, I do.

It’s actually pretty bad. Yesterday was the first day in weeks that I didn’t start my day in the office with a nice tall columbian brew, just steaming away in front of me, roasted to absolute perfection with a fantastic froth of milk to top it off, just staring at me…. mocking me… “you need me”….

Sorry, anyway, yesterday was the first day in a long time that I didn’t have a coffee in the morning. The result:

Fever, Headache, Loss of focus in sight, No concentration. Not good. All this was by noon. I left work early, unable to think straight about any issue, no matter how trivial.

So there you go, people. I have bared my soul for all to see and judge and mock. You may commence your barrage of verbal abuse and violent imagery against someone who should be a role model for young people. I may lose my job over this, the ability to teach is diminishing as my addiction grows worse and worse.

As I type this, I am just finishing my first cup for the day… a tall latte… brewed to absolute perfection, that roasty taste of coffee beans steamed with frothy milk, I am lightheaded and in a temporary state of bliss…. I don’t even know if I’m actually typing this as my fingers speed type over the keyboard… something that I was unable to do yesterday.

Oh my…. I need another cup!

Conspiracy Theory (no not the Mel Gibson film, you idiots)

Here we go:

The CIA is placing prozac in our coffee so that we are constantly in a complacent and happy state and have no thoughts of rebelling against the status-quo.

Global Warming is a ploy set up by former soviet KGB bosses so that they can regain control of Alaska and its oil rigs and use them as transmitters to send messages to extra-terrestrial life and garner their help in conquering the Earth.

IVF treatment is a weapon used by a militiant feminist movement, led by Germaine Greer, in order to eventually eliminate the need for males and eventually wipe out the Y chromosome.

Sunscreen does not protect against melanomas, it contains toxins that weaken the brains ability to create rational and logical thought thus making it easier to brainwash individuals.

This one is my personal favourite – from the great George Carlin: “Like a guy who tells you the King of Sweden is using his dick as a radio transmitter to send anti-semitic lesbian meatloaf recipes to Soupy Sales and Marvin Hamlisch.”

There are far too many crazy conspiracy theorists out there… yet does this give full discredit to any conspiracy that may or may not be taking place or has taken place in history?

Short answer: History is full of them – how do you think Julius Caesar met his death? What, Brutus was just giving him a friendly pat on the back and forgot that he was wielding a dagger?

I think, that for any classic ‘real’ conspiracy, you have to look at the U.S. There really isn’t much in way of their history that screams, “legitimacy!”.

You have your Bay of Pigs, countless CIA operations, Presidential Assassinations (only two but they count), Secret Societies (not just limited to the USA), the more recent informations leaked that government operatives knew 9-11 was coming (the crashing of a plane into the twin towers, not the eventual arrival of a 9 and 11 after 8 and 10 respectively, taking into account the fact that you are counting up and not down).

Why, even my blog could be a conspiracy in itself – to get you so entirely pissed off with my left-wing rabble that you long for an extreme right dictatorship

Yes, there are more loonies that tunes out there, and yes there are some conspiracy theories that make you cringe more than sitting through one hour of a Full House reunion episode. However, this doesn’t mean that there are not some that have taken place and will take place. Those with power tend to want to keep it, as history will tell us. Usually by any means necessary (sorry I didn’t mean to use that last quote to associate Malcolm X with any conspiracy theory, I just wanted to use the saying).

* Just a footnote: when I mention Bay of Pigs, I mean the secrecy and espionage involved, not the entire event as it wasn’t exactly a secret – however there were papers that until 1996 were highly classified, these documents concluded exactly how unprepared and insufficiently equipped the CIA and US forces were in the Cuban invasion.

Questions…. and Answers!

Question 1 – Why does Monday have to be a miserable day for us?

Answer: It doesn’t – the fact that we have to go back to work after having a couple of days off is just that… it’s a fact. Get over it, you had your two days off, get back into it, that’s how you earn an income, that’s what keeps you going. Imagine a whole week where you had nothing to do. Sounds pretty boring, doesn’t it?

Make the most of the Monday because at the end of the week you’ll look back and all you’ll have are miserable memories if that’s how you feel early on in the week.

Question 2 – Why do we constantly worry about the future when we’re supposed to be enjoying the present?

Answer – Most people are concerned about where they are going or what they are going to do rather than where they are and what they are presently involved in. Enjoy yourself! If you’re on vacation and your constantly worried about when you finally get back to work and have to play catch-up then you won’t enjoy your vacation… pretty much defeated the purpose of getting away, isn’t it?

Question 3 – Why do we dwell in the past when we should be learning from mistakes and making a happier life?

Answer – Forget whatever you have done, had done to you or what someone else has done to someone. Build bridges, get over them and start anew. We dwell so much in the past that it becomes who we are and that is not healthy. What we’ve done is not who we are. What we are going to do to make a difference is who we are – we’re supposed to be happy. Life is too short to be angry, depressed, nervous, scared and regretful.

Question 4 – Why do we get so upset when things don’t go our way?

Answer – I’ve been far too guilty of this but it’s time to draw the line and just get over it. We all should, really. It’s not hard to do. If you’re expecting something and it doesn’t happen, then don’t cry about it. There’s not a reason for it either so don’t go looking for it – it happened because it happened.

If your car broke down this morning on the way to work, then your car broke down on the way to work. that’s it. If you’re in a relationship and it ends, then it ended, don’t go looking for reasons, it happened because it happened.

If your milk went sour overnight in the fridge, your milk went sour overnight in the fridge.

Question 5 – Why do people place so much importance on religious customs and rituals when the aren’t even in touch with their fellow human beings?

Answer – We put too much emphasis on a creator or spiritual being that has not been proved to exist. Yet people worship, lead their life according to thousand year old rules and still have hate in their hearts for others. We need to get in touch with our humanity first. People don’t need religion to be good people. It’s as simple as that.

Priorities

Ian worked 5 days a week as a butcher in a deli. It was good, steady work that brought in a decent income and Ian never found himself too far in debt. The minute that his expenses outweighed his income, he tried as hard as he could to balance out.

Over time, Ian saved up enough money to finally put a deposit down on a new home, his first. This would mean that Ian now had a very large mortgage and was now in debt, yet he was very confident in his own ability to be able to get out of that debt in a relatively shorter amount of time compared to other people.

Ian was very quickly approved for finance by his bank due to his good record. Now he was a proud home-owner and because of his steady job he was still able to save money as well.

The one thing, however, that Ian never took care of was his own health. He was blind to the necessities of his own life and he would put other priorities before his own comfort and well-being. Ian did not have health insurance. Ian did not even have a decent working car, instead he borrowed rides off his mates all the time or caught public transport which was very inconvenient for his work. Nevertheless, Ian got about in his own way and was happy.

Instead of spending money on necessities, like good food, home maintenance and fixing his car, Ian preferred to use his hard-earned dollars to buy up season tickets to as many sporting teams as he could. Ian loved his sports, it’s what he lived for. In his eyes, there was nothing better than being at a stadium or arena with other screaming fans and cheering his teams. This cost him thousands of dollars – money which he had, however, money that didn’t leave room for anything else other than his large mortgage.

One day, Ian woke up with a rather large pain in his lower abdomen. Ian, despite waiting hours and deciding to go to work instead, finally saw a doctor later that night. After numerous tests, it was found out that Ian had kidney failure. Something not to be taken lightly by others, Ian was not as concerned despite the doctor’s advice that he would need immediate surgery. Ian refused saying that he had another, it wasn’t a problem.

You see, Ian found out that the surgery would cost him $5000, and that was without the room fee at the hospital and the expensive medication that he would need to take. Ian didn’t have that kind of money.

Well, he did. However it was put aside for the next football and cricket season.

Ian went without the surgery and decided that after the NEXT season, he would save up and pay for the surgery.

Ian saw lots of bright advertisements on the television saying how cheap private health cover was, it would even cover some of his expenses for the surgery that he needed. Yet, Ian was blind to it and they were only a nuisance in between quarter time breaks when watching the footy.

A year went by and the new season had started. Ian had lost a lot of weight, was calling in to work sick many times, and as a result, was losing money. He had to re-mortgage his home in order to pay bills that he just couldn’t get paid. It was not a happy time for Ian.

One day, Ian was incredibly sick and rang work, only to be told by his boss that if he didn’t come in today, then he shouldn’t bother coming in the next day, or ever again.

Ian tried his hardest to get to work that day, but the pain was unbearable and he was so tired. Ian lost his job.

Ian made his way to the good doctor. The news was horrible; if he didn’t have the surgery immediately, Ian would die. This meant $10,000 would be spent on the surgery. You see, Ian had left things for so long that they had accumulated and now the surgery was much more complex, almost unfixable. He would need a new kidney from a donor as well so he would have to wait.

No more sports. No more footy in the winter and cricket in the summer.

“But you’ll die!”, exclaimed the doctor.

“What is life without sports”, replied Ian.

“You have your priorities bent.” Were the doctors final words to Ian as he signed the papers to finally have the surgery.

Over time, our state and federal governments have neglected the necessities, the very same way that Ian did. Now, no one in the real world is as foolish as Ian was in the story that they would neglect their own health and well-being as well as other comforts in the place of sports. However, this is exactly what has been happening in this country for many years now.

The priorities by many MP’s are not straight and have not been for a very long time. While it is great to have big new stadiums to watch teams play in, it is unimportant when compared to our public health and education systems. The last two WA state government administrations, including the current one, have sports and our sporting teams very high on their list of priorities. This is at the same time that our hospitals still do not have adequate facilities, enough beds, underpaid and overworked staff and a growing waiting list.

Our public education system is failing due to a lack of resources, underpaid and overworked staff, poor building maintenance and a massive gap between the haves and have-nots.

Many people I have spoken with about this have argued for the trickle-down effect: The more greater facilities we have such as stadiums and tourist attractions, the more our economy grows due to tourism and trade and this money can be placed into those other areas.

This is false. The trickle-down way of working an economy does not work. This is only beneficial for the 1% while the rest are in deep trouble. Public welfare is left out and this bears too many problems for the working and lower classes.

While our governments argue heavily for the need for state of the art international sporting facilities, particularly those to cater for a possible 2018 or 2022 FIFA world cup, they are completely missing the point of social welfare. Health and Education should always be very high on the list of priorities for any government. Followed closely by welfare, transport and planning.

As a taxpayer, I have absolutely no problem making my contribution – if it goes to the right areas.

Excuse Your Jargon

Jargon (def) (noun):
1. A technical terminology unique to a particular subject.
2. Speech or language that is incomprehensible or unintelligible; gibberish.

Today I’d like to dialogue with you about the utilisation moving forward with the shifting paradigm towards advanced linguistic features.

If you understood a word of what I typed just then, you may be an idiot.

Possibly however, you are a very intelligent individual who has come across the use of jargon and complex language far too often. This could be anywhere; the workplace, on the television, in the newspaper, or on an Internet forum.

Now just to ensure that there are no misunderstandings between myself and my readership, (possibly 3 people) I would like to state that yes, jargon does have its place.

When discussing technical, social or political issues, they are appropriate in the right context. However, let’s not forget that this should really be the only place that complicated and specific language exists.

In everyday conversations, even in a casual discussion in the workplace, should jargon such as management speak and vague technical terminologies be used with those who are unfamiliar with the lingo?

I’ve seen it happen all too often. In various workplaces I’ve seen those bully-types who like to use language as a power tool; discussing concepts and using language that will go over other people’s heads but will elevate the using individual to the status of a god.

Well, not really the god part, but you get my point.

This is not something that is new, however. Language has been used as an imperialistic tool for a few thousand years now. We begin by looking at the major base languages of Western Europe: Latin and Greek.

Many of the words used in modern day English and other western languages are derived from these two languages. Throw in a bit of Saxon as well and you have English.

But how did Greek and Latin become such major languages over the continent?

Cultural imperialism.

The Greeks did it, the Romans did it, the French did it and the British did it. Now the Americans are doing it as well with their version of the English language that is increasingly becoming a dialect all of its own.

People will wield language as power forever, it’s only a fact of human nature. The minute we began to communicate with verbal language it has been this way and it always will be.

However, it is those very people that use jargon out of context and in the wrong way that are destroying language. As a way to appear more intelligent and superior than their peers, there are far too many cases of confusion appearing, especially in the workplace.

A large impact on my life has been the work of Scott Adams, creator of the ‘Dilbert’ comic strips and the author of a number of fabulous books on workplace issues. Adams has always been opposed to the use of heavy jargon, or management speak in the workplace. As we can see with this strip:

Basically, Adams view is that jargon is a cover-up for those that have no skills or worth in their workplace: middle management.

Now Adams view may be a little simplistic, however this is only for comedic value, since there are many middle-management types who I have come across so far in my life that are very qualified for their position, almost over-qualified.

However, Adams has hit the nail on the head with his point that jargon is a confusing cover-up for those who either want to wield power that they don’t have in other areas, or those that need to cover up their lack of qualification.

As a teacher, I am as careful as I can be when talking with my students in the classroom. When explaining new concepts that they may or may have not heard before, I try to use quite simple language. This is difficult for me though and I’ll tell you why.

A lot of the material that I enjoy using in the classroom comes from textbooks that I bought when I was doing my undergrad a few years ago. A lot of these texts on Media, Journalism and even Politics are aimed at university level students, so therefore, they are full of jargon. Now thankfully, after 3 years of uni by brain finally decided to switch on at some point and I began to understand everything within those texts.

Yet, the topics in the books require translation. This is harder than it sounds; taking loaded jargon, and turning them into simple words.

After 3 years now, I’m finally getting a good hang of it. Perhaps it’s time to begin using high-school text books, which I have started to bring to my lesson-planning a lot more recently.

However, I really enjoy the high-end stuff that is in my university texts, a number of them were written by my lecturers and I find them useful.

This has helped me to realise something very important which as changed the way I teach all of a sudden:

You can teach the really high-end concepts if you just use simple language!

It’s that…. simple.

There’s nothing to it, I can even go through all the course of study documents that my students are supposed to receive at the beginning of the year and translate them for my classes. This means a higher understanding for my students, so they can cut through all the crap and know exactly what they will be learning and what skills they will develop over the year.

So goodbye jargon, I don’t like you. You have your place, yet I am trying to assist teenagers to develop life and social skills while at the same time discovering some fantastic concepts so that one day they may help change the world for the better. I don’t need you.

Social Networking Tools = Political Tools

Ignore the ‘jackass’ comments and recent claims by a former president that his opponents base their opinions on race, U.S president Barack Obama is in today’s WCL spotlight for a different reason.

Never before has a politician, nor leader of a nation, utilised social networking tools, as well, a political tool.

Barack Obama may only be 9 months or so in office, but in that time his office has made hundreds of posts on Facebook and Twitter urging the public to get behind his administration’s policies.

Now this is obviously not Mr Obama himself tweeting away on his notebook at 3 in the morning, he has his PR machine to do all this for him. However these things do need to get the approval and I’m sure that Obama realised the potential for these tools long before he took the presidential oath.

As a user of Facebook and Twitter and a fan of the president himself, it wasn’t long before I started following his tweets and updates.

I wasn’t at all surprised when I saw that every single post under his name was endorsing policy and bills that his office wanted to see go through. What did I expect to see? Mr Obama telling us “Barack Obama just finished 300 sit-ups in the oval office”?

Most recently, there has been an influx of tweets about the new health care reform that Obama wants to put through. This is his flagship policy this year and possibly a bill that will define his first term. That is, if it goes through of course.

This is where social networking comes into play. Obama has already used YouTube excessively to convey his views and inform the public about how he wants to transform the nation. The president has never been at a loss for words when addressing an audience in person and he (or more accurately, his office) is never at a loss when social media is concerned as well. The inspiration for today’s post came when I stumbled upon yet another health care reform post on Facebook which urged all Facebook users to get on Twitter and voice their endorsement of the proposed reforms to health care.

The post, asking people on Twitter to ask their members of congress to vote for health care reform, is a form of directly calling on the public to get involved with policy.

However, is this a good sign from the administration? Is it a sign of confidence when the president will resort to using a social networking tool to get the public to help him push a law through congress? He’s also assuming that every congressional member is going to be using Twitter (but then again he’d probably be right).

It is a desperate measure, in my opinion. And I do believe it to be slightly tacky in its delivery. However recent research has shown that Facebook as a social networking site is considered slightly more high-brow than other sites such as Myspace – it’s almost an entirely different demographic. So in fact, the post could have been a lot worse if it were to pop up on anything else other than Facebook or Twitter.

Twitter, considered by many to be a professional networking tool, and also by many others to be a tacky time-waster, may be seen as another desperate resort by the president.

Then again, the flip side to this argument would be that the presidents State of the Union addresses are pretty much another form of what is happening on Facebook and Twitter. It’s only that Television is a more mainstream and credible medium that the public are more accepting of the messages conveyed to them.

Youtube is no different: it’s the president, making a speech, at the public, on video, to an audience. What difference is there other than the NBC or ABC logo in the corner of the screen and thousands of dollars to pay for the address.

Not that I know much about American politics, I don’t claim to know much, Australian politics is more my specialty, however I would imagine that the cost alone to run a public address by the president of the United States wouldn’t be cheap.

Social networking is a cost-effective and easy way for the administration to produce a message to an audience. They may not gain the size of audience that a television address would gain however, but they are saving tax dollars for where they are needed a lot more: health care reform.

We’re already seeing other world leaders and politicians using social media as a political tool. In the future we will be inundated with messages and policy endorsements, especially around election time. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing because it will get those uninformed people into engagement with what is going on in their country. It’s always great to see people suddenly become concerned about who is leading their nation and what policy drives their leaders. This creates more social change and further increases social justice taking place.

Causes – Ignoring the cause

Is social networking really the tool that will enable those with a social conscience to take on the world and make a difference? Or is it simply another version of the ineffective methods that have been employed for years by activists.

First of all, I’d consider myself less of an inactive activist (there’s an oxymoron for you to consider) if I didn’t have to follow around in someone else’s agenda and philosophy and subscribe to such a hardcore lifestyle. I’m a green but hey, I love to eat meat. I’m a socialist but hey, I really want an iPhone. And yes, don’t get me started about the car that I drive.

I remember back in my early uni days, getting stopped by the average dreadlock styled, vegan, wearing Che on his t-shirt waving Greenpeace support brochures. ‘Great’, I thought, I now had the chance to join up, become one of the volunteers that would help fight against the evil corporations that are killing our world.

No, I was wrong.

He/They, wanted money. And quite a bit of it: $10 a month, directly debited.

OK, here I am, an 18 year old uni student with a casual job that I worked probably 6 hours a week in. I made roughly $100 a week and that’s before paying for petrol, parking permits, text books, food, alcohol on weekends and the occasional CD. (78’s isn’t cheap either).

On a good week, I was probably left with about 20 bucks in my pocket to spare (and this was when I was single, it got much worse when I was dating).

As I didn’t really have the time to consider my financial status and was overpowered by the need to show my solidarity and support of my comrades, I contacted my bank and gave the guy my account details – signed them all over so that they could take $10 out of my account at the end of each month. Nothing, I thought to myself.

Yet, I felt slight disappointment as I left. You see, earlier on I asked him if there was any way that I could support the organisation without having to pay any money. “No, we don’t need volunteers at the moment but if you put your name on this list, we’ll call you back.”

I never got called back.

Since then I’ve cancelled the direct debit and become highly skeptical of how organisations garner their support. Either your feeding them money, or your actually out there doing something – and it’s apparently not that easy to just be doing something.

The same goes for when I see other organisations try and gain support in shopping centres: World Vision is one that comes to mind. Hey! Send me to Africa or South America or South East Asia to look after these kids – I’d rather be doing that than writing you a cheque every week while you send me their picture and letter from them. OK… that’s a little too cynical since they do wonderful work for these children, however you can see my point – I don’t want to pay when I don’t even have much money myself.

We are made to feel guilty if we don’t hand over some money to an organisation, a charity that needs it. However at the same time so many people do just that: They hand over the money without really thinking about where it’s going, what it’s doing – they hand it over because they are bound by non-existent morals and values – people: morals don’t exist!

Anyway back to the point of my article.

Social Networking is doing much the same – Facebook, for instance is working hard with its causes application – a third party app mind you, where there are different causes that people who call you your ‘friends’ will notify you about, remind you about, and ask you to join them.

I get one a day. ONE A DAY.

Now imagine a charity organisation coming to your door seven times a week. No one has that much small change just lying around in their house. Yet if they don’t give, they feel guilty.

Facebook is different!

We are not face-to-face with the person. We are not out in public in the middle of a shopping centre trying to avoid a conversation with a volunteer. We are not outside the uni cafeteria trying not to smell the funky stench coming from the guy with the dreadlocks waving a pamphlet in our faces.

All we have to do, is click ‘ignore’.

And you’re done!

You’re set!

No more cause.

That is, until another one pops up from another so-called ‘friend’.

The most I’ve come to feeling a tinge of guilt was once when the same person on my friends list sent me the same causes invitation 3 times in a row.

I think that they finally got the message eventually.

Maybe next time I’m in the shopping centre I can just call out “Ignore” as I walk past a volunteer table.

But then again, that’s just not me.