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I know a lot of working class people, and their views are just as valid and often they are smarter/more well informed about some particular low level details of

I know a lot of working class people, and their views are just as valid and often they are smarter/more well informed about some particular low level details of the way the economy/society operates. But without a college education in today’s complicated world its really hard to be a sophisticated consumer of information (even with one many fail) so working class people are more susceptible to manipulation by propaganda, oral information, conspiracy theories, availability heuristic etc. Being able to google something vs being able to search skeptically and critically are two different skills.

remarkEon 7y ago
I’m not following how a college education somehow inoculates someone from being susceptible to propaganda. Aren’t they just trying to install their own branded software on your OS anyway? Searching skeptically and critically is, at least judging based on some recent hires coming from well-know and (ostensibly) “elite” universities, not necessarily part of the base install. 100% not saying you intended to imply this, but the “sophisticated” qualifier can imply that the people or group in question is simply not reading the “right” things. Which is an interesting thought (again I don’t think you meant to imply that).
- porknubbins 7y ago
  You’re right many college educations still fail to teach these skills (as I said) but I disagree completely about installing their own OS. That was not my experience at all, though maybe its changed. My professors encouraged open minded critical inquiry. College failed me in other ways but forcing an agenda was not one of them. Sophisticated is probably the wrong word but what I mean is like paying attention to which news sources are accurate and push which agendas requires a fairly lengthy process of learning the institutions themselves, politics, economics etc. I think college gives most people a better shot at doing that but obviously isn’t the only way.
malvosenior 7y ago
Isn't there an argument that many people currently saddled with college debt made poorly informed decisions? Maybe the working class people who knew not to do that actually processed information better than many people who took massive amounts of debt on for degrees of dubious economic value.

remarkEon 7y ago

I’m not following how a college education somehow inoculates someone from being susceptible to propaganda. Aren’t they just trying to install their own branded software on your OS anyway? Searching skeptically and critically is, at least judging based on some recent hires coming from well-know and (ostensibly) “elite” universities, not necessarily part of the base install. 100% not saying you intended to imply this, but the “sophisticated” qualifier can imply that the people or group in question is simply not reading the “right” things. Which is an interesting thought (again I don’t think you meant to imply that).

porknubbins 7y ago
You’re right many college educations still fail to teach these skills (as I said) but I disagree completely about installing their own OS. That was not my experience at all, though maybe its changed. My professors encouraged open minded critical inquiry. College failed me in other ways but forcing an agenda was not one of them. Sophisticated is probably the wrong word but what I mean is like paying attention to which news sources are accurate and push which agendas requires a fairly lengthy process of learning the institutions themselves, politics, economics etc. I think college gives most people a better shot at doing that but obviously isn’t the only way.

malvosenior 7y ago

Isn't there an argument that many people currently saddled with college debt made poorly informed decisions? Maybe the working class people who knew not to do that actually processed information better than many people who took massive amounts of debt on for degrees of dubious economic value.