I remember in 5th grade we were taught ‘current events’. We learned about newspapers, that the ‘most important news’ was in the right hand column, where the ind

I remember in 5th grade we were taught ‘current events’. We learned about newspapers, that the ‘most important news’ was in the right hand column, where the index was in a newspaper, where the editorials were, its various parts… I remember thinking with a child’s naïveté that news was irrelevant to the ‘real’ goal of getting good grades and looking ‘cool’. Looking back on it I see it for what was part of the ‘capitalist reeducation camp’ - a way to produce good soldiers who would know how to continue indoctrinating themselves. It certainly gave individuals the tools to share a common ground , to feel like we were ‘all on the same team’ because we saw the world the same way. It formalized herd behavior and reduced our cognitive load because ‘facts’ and opinions were provided to us - ready made. At the cost of our individuality and our ability to come to terms with the real emotions resulting from our daily actions and encounters in our local space.