Am I poorly educated?

<my self dialog and inner struggle>

Self: Am I am poorly educated?

Me: “Don’t be ridiculous! I am a genius!”

Self: Are you sure?

Me: “Yes”

Self: Then answer this basic question, what was one of the key reasons for Income Tax in the US?

Me: “You know I actually don’t know that…but like, who knows that really?”

Self:  “How did Hitler come to power, his strategies and tactics?”

Me: “Well crap, I don’t know the answer to that either!” 

Self: “… And? What should you draw from that?”

Me: “Wait, no, you aren’t accusing me of being poorly educated because I can’t answer that?  Right? You are ridiculous!”

These things I wrestled with in my head for a while, certain of my educational knowledge, my intellectual prowess. I was certain I was above average of course, I think I scored like a 114 iq one time. I went to a public school, it wasn’t the worst high-school, pretty good compared to others actually, I graduated with a 3.8gpa. I am smart!

Then one day I watched a classic movie with my daughter “Richie rich” and everything clicked! Like an epiphany, all these connections in my head sparked, connected, everything made sense! What did I realize?

Well as I saw those, young super rich kids, in the private elite school, in the movie. Discussing geopolitics and investments. You remember that? Like maybe 8 kids to one teacher, with amazing desks and environment, real scholarly looking. And the teacher from “Ferris Bueller's Day Off”? Like REAL money schooling. 

A thought sparked, “would they know the answer to those questions?” Questions that are extremely pivotal about how are country works? Dangers to look out for in our own country?… hell they probably debated in class about it! With fancy words and elitist smug… yeah I can kind of picture it now… “today class we will discuss the nuance of Hitler’s rise and fall, and what we could learn from it?”

You know like REAL education, not mindlessly remembering dates, times, events, boring, boring, boring…that was my history class. That was my experience, history sucked! Memorization! That was all it was, no application, no real knowledge was attained. 

They learned like, REAL, no joke reasons of history and really dug into the “whys”! Why did this happen, why did they do this, why did they surrender, why did they win?”

I always heard the phrase “History repeats itself” but I didn’t know history, so it seemed almost irrelevant. Like just a catchy phrase to use, like yeah sometimes you applied it to things at work, like I kind of knew what it meant…but I probably couldn’t articulate one connection from history. 

Me: “Wait, no! Hold the phone! No! Absolutely not! I won’t admit that! Nope you can’t make me do it… not publicly, not admit it to the world?”

Self: You need to… 

Me: “Isn’t there some other way?” 

Self: Sadly your story needs to be heard… 

Me: “But the shame? Rejection? Not being as smart?”

Self: You are smart, you aren’t dumb, you just weren’t given the same opportunities.  You come from working families, they couldn’t afford the “Best”. 

Me: “Fine I’ll fucking do it!“

 I am in fact poorly educated! As much as it pains me to say it, I hate myself for it… I hate I didn’t see it earlier…like there were signs, self deception is amazing…

I don’t think it makes me dumb just woefully ill informed on how the world works.

Another idea sparked in my head recently “WHY am I poorly educated?”

Well it has been the case all through time really, if you really think about history it has always been about “The haves and the have nots” …. the elite generational wealth type, that gets passed down, limitless resources for education, nutrition, health, wellness, “Learning about Rome? Let’s go there this weekend and really dive into the history” THIS type of wealth.

How do you keep this said wealth? You systematically make it so the “poor” remain poor….”I use this term loosely, in this context it means basically anyone that didn’t go to an elite elementary school.” So it is pretty broad..(Yeah I am in that group, yeah, I didn’t know till now recently either, it sucks)

This isn’t red or blue, not democrat or republican, this isn’t about difficult moral dilemmas or people more poor than us…

This has always been about the “Haves and have nots” the REAL elite, the so smug about damn near everything, look down on you from their penthouse, can manipulate, cheat, steal without consequence … THAT isn’t merit based! 

You think they “Earned” being born to wealth? Like it was something in the womb they decided? “Yes, mommy! Please do make me born of a robber barren! Oh pretty please!”

I come from a long history of working class parents, on both sides. I don’t even think I have crossed paths with a truly “elite person”. 

If you don’t know whose side I am on, politically speaking…That is amazing! Cause guess what! It doesn’t freaking matter!

But at the end of the day, you have to ask yourself, who said “I love the poorly educated!”

I didn’t realize he was talking about me then… but I sure as hell do now! Don’t make my same mistake and assume he isn’t talking about you. Please study up on those history questions like really look into it. Ask ChatGPT, consult wikipedia, read books on it! Find multiple sources. 

Then ask-yourself…the whys, why would they cut funding for social programs, reduce/elminate income tax, eliminate the department of education, increase tariffs, make universities so expensive, drown us in debt if we dare go, cripple us in medical debt… why would an elite, born into wealth want those things? Where does he want us to end up? Another gilded age with him as king?… the person born into obscene wealth wants to keep it that way! I mean… if I am honest with myself, if I was born into it… I would also probably fight to keep people subservient. It is a moral failing probably in all of us.

Please Share! Everywhere! As much as you possibly can! If this resonates with you in the slightest share!