The Crime Of Education

See whole chart, and more- Here.

I remember thinking even as a kid how stupid adults had to be to burn books like they did in Nazi Germany. But really, how different is it to live in a society where an average college tuition can set you up for a near lifetime of debt? And where even the very college professors meant to educate you into a better life can die penniless, homeless and w/o healthcare. That more than anything clearly SHOUTS just how little our society values the role of educators, and lays bare the lip service we pay to the desire of having an educated population.

So when you hear about how crime is going up- remember, many of those embarking on a life of crime got the message loud and clear, weighed their opportunities (or lack thereof), and acted quite... rationally. Educating yourself with money you don't have for jobs that don't exist is not a viable option. Maybe we should think twice before automatically condemning each and every criminal as chronically lazy or inherently crazed bad guys. They're not the crazy ones, they made a logical decision based on the facts and their reality, our reality as it exists today. No, it certainly ain't the best for all concerned: certainly not for the victim, society as a whole, or even the criminals themselves who eventually end up dead or incarcerated.* But before you condemn them for being amoral, irresponsible, cold hearted subhumans, think about a society that lets a college professor of 25 years die in the streets like an unwanted dog- and thinks nothing of it...

Then get back to me.

* Speaking of careers- The Prison-Industrial Complex!