Summary of "More Factor"

The More Factor describes past accounts in the 1880s in which land in Texas would be developed into towns with all the amenities. After t he labor was finished, the people would then move on an continue the cycle continuously. Sometimes some would be paid to appear as residents for a census worker to count and even their houses would be setup to be transportable. This sounds like a convoluted way to draw up political boundaries as well as to divide up extra funding from government for a non existent population. Back then, the rail road tycoons seemed to be pulling the strings behind the scenes. Most likely they were funding the bribes for a populace to stay. This echos what has been happening today with the value of stocks and homes falling. The common elements are that some person figured out a profitable venture and continued to produce more until it became unprofitable due to a variety reasons. These towns in the 1880s may have been built in very bad locations such as to far away from any real natural resource such as water or trees. Without some kind of mechanical pump for water or a trucking infrastructure, no one would want to live in the middle of nowhere without resources. In the past few years, some would buy a house to fix up and sell for profit which combined with easy money and credit caused a huge inflation in price that eventually burst when the housing market became over saturated. In the past, it was suggested that one could not be wiped out by such losses because there would be another venture to capitalize on.
There had always been some new place to colonize which in turn has been called the final frontier or the land of opportunity. From Europeans traveling to the new world to Americans moving west in search of gold. What I believe Laurence Shames is trying to convey is that there is a limit to how far and how much we can expand. He also suggests that we as Americans are not realizing that there is more than infinite expansion and consumption. His idea seems to be to change the system from invest wildly and hope profit is to be made to consider the ramifications first before rash actions. I personally doubt this would happen anytime soon because many people seem to be concerned with the bottom line without little regard to the consequences, unless it doesn't benefit them.

Prereading blog - The Banking Concept of Education

The reality imparted by a teacher utilizing the banking concept (knowingly or not) is boring. It can be described as barren, devoid of any life, energy, feeling or meaning. Facts are simply memorized instead of understood. The students become a container for that sterile information and is rated according to how well he or she can regurgitate facts. Education has traditionally been this way and it prevents a person from becoming truly human. Knowledge is dispensed from those who consider themselves "knowledgeable" that the students know nothing. This in turn is reflected in society with family, government & religion. Essentially, school prepares the student to "fit into place" in the "real world."

People are regarded as "adaptable beings" to be identified and then cataloged away. As the process continues, the student is less likely to think or act for themselves and not participate in events that would change their world. Banking Education serves the interests of oppressors who would not want to see the world changed,whether it be for capital gain or for some kind of perverse satisfaction. They seek to quell any attempt to stimulate any critical thinking that doesn't help their prescribed view of reality. Their only concern is to change their own reality for the selves instead of for everyone. If one is kept ignorant then they are easier to dominate and control. Those that are oppressed are dubbed "welfare recipients" because they fall outside of the idea of a "good, organized and just" society. They need to be integrated back into society that they have rejected.

Those who use the baking concept may or may no be aware that they are dehumanizing their students. Sooner or later the students may rebel when they realize that their whole education experience has been designed to keep them under control. A humanist teacher cannot simply wait for a revolution to occur, he/she must cause it to happen by encouraging their pupils to think critically in order to become more human. He/she should be trust in other people and their potential. An individual is not a conscious being, they are in possession of that consciousness. Objects do not define a consciousness, they are just things to interact with it. The baking concept perpetuates the idea that men and women are objects and tries to promote what Fromm would call "biophilly" but instead causes "necrophily." It promotes an unhealthy idea and obsession with the inanimate and mechanical. They corrupt that which is alive to dead and that having rather than being is what is important. They identify with a physical object and if that object is threatened, that such a corrupted person is threatened too. If the object is lost, missing or destroyed, then so is the person.

Problem posing education suggests that people can be free and must demand their freedom. This would be undesirable and possibly even a threat to "the oppressor" due to the person thinking and operating in their own self interest instead of the will of "the oppressor".

To me, this sounds like the book "1984" or even the movie "Equilibrium". I personally prefer the latter due to the oppressor losing their power and control and once again the people are free to express themselves without being forced into a drugged, mindless automaton state. I personally wonder how this can be implemented due to the oppressor tying to stifle out any resistance and rebellion but it sounds desirable nonetheless.

Obligated to post

(insert something witty or sarcastic here) yeah, this is for an English class at school