Subject: Democracy
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Today I read an article in the New York Review about a book
written by Joel Klein, former Chancellor of Education in NYC.
Allow me to change a few words:
“Our
condominiums were founded to use democratic methods, which are premised on the
belief that people of equally good motives can reason from the same set of
facts to different conclusions. In the heat of differing opinions, however,
some Owners—and some of their more jaded critics --- seem to have lost that
essential democratic faith. Each side casts the other not as decent people who
might see the world in a different way, but as unknowing fools or biased
charlatans. The lack of goodwill and understanding here is palpable. It should
make all of us worry the future of Condominiums in general, and also of our
democracy.”
Here’s the original:
“Our
public schools were founded to teach democracy, which is premised on the belief
that people of equally good motives can reason from the same set of facts to
different conclusions. In the heat of our (educationally) revolutionary moment,
however, some contemporary school reformers—and some of their more jaded
critics --- seem to have lost that essential democratic faith. Each side casts
the other not as decent people who might see the world in a different way, but
as unknowing fools or biased charlatans. The lack of goodwill and understanding
here is palpable. It should make all of us worry the future of our schools, and
also of our democracy.” Jonathan Zimmerman, New York Review, March 5,
2015