Divisions within society have been sharply exposed due to the financial crisis that has gripped many parts of the world.
The speed and harshness of the strategies put in place to deal with this crisis appear to have been more heavily applied to some sections of society.
Those with the LEAST resources are finding life increasingly difficult as the mountain of cuts and financial changes begin to bite.
Whilst charges to customers, particularly in the field of energy, increase regularly, there is no sign of the reduction of profits being made.
Is this a model similar to feudal times when the serfs were merely fodder used to facilitate an increase in the wealth of the ruling classes or fund the disputes between them?
In times gone by, education was seen as a way for people to move up the social ladder and acquire some of the trappings of wealth. Is this TRULY the case now?
What, I wonder, would the country do with an educated underclass?
It may be possible that there is a vested interest in keeping specific sections of society less educated, without power and lacking influence. It could be argued that this group of society is being forced to spend all their energy on merely surviving!
Many initiatives, either charitable or government funded, designed to support families and ensure children had experiences to develop their ability to learn, have either been cut OR they have disappeared altogether.
The content of standardised testing in literacy is often culturally or class biased. How many of our inner city children have been caving or horse riding let alone in a desert? Isn’t anyone asking the question ‘Are these tests DESIGNED to fail certain groups/classes/races of people?’
If you are lucky, talented or hard-working enough to jump through the hoops successfully, the achievement is belittled because the goal posts are moved.
Satisfactory and good are no longer acceptable! Outstanding or A* is all that will be accepted. If one adds to this, the financial strain to merely enter (not sustain) higher education; are the powers working on creating a bigger gap between the rich and poor? Are they striving to make the number of people who have less opportunities, far bigger? Are they ensuring that those who try are punished by accumulating huge debts?
A society that disenfranchises large groups of people by limiting opportunities financially, socially, educationally and even geographically runs the risk of creating breeding grounds like those that led to the rise of Nazism.
If this society truly regards itself as a democracy then the interests of ALL must be the priority! The focus CANNOT be the continuing growth and support for the self interest of organisations.
Whilst this may seem a simplistic interpretation, there are groups of people across different walks of life who feel that this paints an accurate image of the already occurring results of this sinister, calculated, unequal, hidden agenda.
This article was written by a friend of mine upon request. She wishes to remain anonymous.
