Final Essay
NEOLIBERALISM AND CRITICAL THINKING IN A COLOMBIAN CONTEXT
Armed with the rational choice theory (S.M, 2016), where people choose the best action in accordance with their preference. In simple terms, they believe bureaucrats act according to their best interests. This, however, doesn’t explain coalitions or political parties. Neoliberalism has some positive effects: financial sector booms and its ability to thrive during banking and other crises. Neoliberal hopes to return to hegemony, something that seemed appropriate for the 19th century and early 20th century. Unfortunately, it ushers slow growth and unemployment to non-financial corporations as well as debt and deficits. Third world poverty and overall instability can also be seen.
Some real-world examples of neoliberalism and how it affects the public sector are as follows:
● subsidized medicine by the government but prices are set by private corporations
● bank bailouts when financial institutions go bankrupt
● multimillion dollar contracts to private companies in exchange for subpar technology( SMART)
Now, if moving to the sector of Education, the view is not too different. One of the main characteristics of neoliberalism is that private administration is more efficient than public administration; and as long as more institutions become private, they compete amongst each other to become as efficient and productive as possible. Thus, people need to prepare for a society in which those private institutions’ sole purpose is to dominate the market, using social dynamics available thanks to neoliberalism. Therefore, what is relevant at the time of getting a job is not what the candidate feels or thinks, but what they can do and how fast they can do it. Hence, as the role of the school is to prepare people to seamlessly adjust to society, the subjects taught do not go beyond basic concepts. It involves education without teaching students to think critically because it is not demanded nor desired. Despite the above, Critical thinking should be a mandatory subject since primary school because, one, not teaching people how to think critically results in hegemony. Two, the individual must be prepared for thinking with the common good in mind. Three, critical thinking helps make better political decisions. Finally, four, through critical thinking students learn to respect others’ opinions resulting in peace.
It is important to note the fact Colombian companies and the government rule people's lives through hegemony. Defining hegemony, McLaren (2002) says: “Hegemony is a struggle in which the powerful win the consent of those who are oppressed, with the oppressed unknowingly participating in their own oppression.” The Colombian corporations and the government support neoliberalism. They regulate the rules, survey political participation, monitor the media, control government officials and the armed forces, etc. They manage the game according to what their interests are, not people's needs. Consequently, there is a need for waking students mind’s up from an early age in order to break that paradigm, even better if they start in a not so distant future. Schooling should make them capable of assuming the real face of hegemony, as it has a silent way of domination. The key lies in understanding what is going on around and within their society. Therefore, I consider critical thinking as the only way students become aware and start questioning the status quo, learning not to take anything for granted, questioning decisions and actively participating in their community.
Secondly, Neoliberalism creates an environment of permanent competition. A place where there is no price too small to be paid for being first. This behavior becomes all too common because, since school, students are taught to compete. This inherent hostility creates an environment prone to silent violence. Montessori said something along the lines of: “Everyone talks about peace, but no one educates for peace. People educate for competition and this is the beginning of any war.” When we educate to cooperate and be in solidarity with one another, that day we will be educating for peace.” Competition is a wrong conception of society created since early school life. If students are taught critical thinking since grade school, they will have a different conception which includes social justice. As Giroux (2014) claims “With privatization comes a kind of collective amnesia about the role of government, the importance of the social contract, and the importance of public values.” These public values are learned since the first years at the school.
Thirdly, the Colombian government is plagued with an ever-reaching corruption because of the majority of the population votes for the wrong people. Officials who seem to mean well but appearances may be deceiving. Despite the fact the same powerful few have been commanding Colombia and its people since decades ago, following their interests. It appears voters do not care to choose them to term after term. So, it is necessary to teach people to make better decisions since they are at school. Hopefully, in the future, they will vote for better qualified and morally sound leaders. In that sense, Critical thinking skills are necessary to be ingrained by students in order for them to develop the capacity to see from a broader perspective at the time of voting. Sieck (2018) explains: “The idea is that people encounter situations. When they do, they recognize important parts of the situation from past experience. They then create a story (or explanation) about what’s going on and what will happen.” That is how from an early age those experiences build the future adult, capable of thinking critically. For that reason, exposing continuously students to situations where they have to make decisions based on analyzing different factors, will result in a future critical thinker adult who thinks twice before making such an important decision as voting at public elections.
Last but not least, there is a tendency in Colombia to be intolerant towards different opinions at Colombian schools. According to a report in the Global justice series magazine (Rodriguez, 2008), the education system has its part on the phenomenon of exclusion and discrimination. Sometimes, kids feel insecure because a tendency to be judged. To some extent, it is the result of the different ideologies born from Hegemony. Few people are able to think beyond their own perspectives and analyze others opinions to later be able to compare/contrast. Therefore, schools are not been pushed to challenge this paradigm, so anyone does something about it. In this regard, UNESCO (2017) states: ”Intolerance in a society is the sum total of the intolerance of its individual members." This individual intolerance is developed, in most cased as a copy of what they see in others; almost like a virus. So, if critical thinking were taught to students from an early age at school, once they become adults they would be more prepared to accept the fact that there are many different opinions, and that it does not mean something negative. On the contrary, by discussing different perspectives and by not to taking everything for granted, can we build a community and a society besides knowledge.
In addition to the above, Neoliberalism causes inequality. (Monbiot, 2016) “Everyone gets what they deserve” That is the premise of Neoliberalism truly believing that those who fall behind are losers, However, this does not have to do that way. So, through critical pedagogy, students understand that this part of Neoliberalism is totally wrong because it creates inequality. Since school people would learn that cooperatively should easy the competition. As a result, society would be more equal and fair.
All in all, Neoliberalism is taking an important role in our society, and Education is the key for that. Schools are the first contact with a simulation of society where personality starts developing. Naturally, the individual perceives the world out of school as they do in it. Those years define, to a big extent, the future of a voter, a friend, a worker, a family member. Of course, in a society full of competition, envy, and avarice, the outlook does not seem so promising in terms of good relationships and the collective building of knowledge. Fortunately, there is still a lifesaver: Critical thinking. Doubtless, incorporating Critical thinking to the schedule of in every public school in Colombia, the scene will be enhanced. Maybe we cannot have instant impact or results in social dynamics, but in the future, teaching students to think critically will have an important effect on the relationship between the individual and society.
It is evident that policies for education and market need changes. There is no hope of social justice and common good while this starving competition for power and money prevails. It causes poverty corruption, discrimination, racism, violence; and maybe they will never be defeat, but for sure they can be reduced using education. And I mean education, not as an end, but as a mean to develop people´s critical thinking skills, and so putting the real issues in the spotlight. Indifference is killing communities and enriching a few ones but with a bit of awareness will be enough to start real changes that benefit us all.
Teachers have one of the most relevant roles towards the changes coming. They have in front of them the future to be shaped; and when I say the future, I mean students. They will be the future heads of companies, schools, Universities, the country itself, the ones who decide what is good or not for most of the Colombian population. Therefore, teachers must set the classroom as a representation of the real context where the common good is always the biggest achievement. That is possible through the use of critical pedagogy that focuses on freedom and the struggle of oppression.
References
Bevir, M. (2016). Governance, politics, and power. Encyclopedia británica. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/governance#ref1181612
Giroux, H. (2014). Henry Giroux | Neoliberalism, Youth and Social Justice. Truthout. Retrieved from https://truthout.org/video/henry-giroux-neoliberalism-youth-and-social-justice/
Mclaren, P. (2002). Critical pedagogy: a look at the major concepts. Routledge/Falmer Press.
Monbiot, G. (2016). Was the rise of neoliberalism the root cause of extreme inequality? The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/apr/15/neoliberalism-ideology-problem-george-monbiot
Rodriguez, C. A. (2008). A Report on the Situation of the rights of Afro-Colombians. Ediciones uniandes, 41-42. Retrieved from https://www.dejusticia.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/fi_name_recurso_204.pdf
S.M, A. (2016). Rational choice theory. ENCICLOPEDIA BRITÁNICA. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/rational-choice-theory
SIECK. (2018, Sep 28). Critical Thinking in Decision Making. ThinkerAcademy. Retrieved from https://thinkeracademy.com/critical-thinking-in-decision-making/
UNESCO. (2017). LEARNING TO LIVE TOGETHER. UNESCO. Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/social-and-human-sciences/themes/fight-against-discrimination/promoting-tolerance/
Neoliberalism is predominantly an ideology that focuses on the free market and competition therein. It is related to laissez-faire economics and is characterized by steady economic growth to measure progress. Places all resources on the free market and assumes the government intervention is minimal. Freedom of trade and capital are abundant. Neoliberalism adopts such stance because it deems the state as inefficient when compared to the markets. Neoliberals argue (Bevir, 2016) that the post-war welfare state is outdated and unable to self-sustain or self-regulate. High taxes and elevated inflation result and the whole system will inevitably crumble. Thus, they favor policy changes instead of services and entrepreneur-led, market-focused and competition driven. As a result, they aim to use governance and not the government. In steering and not rowing.
Armed with the rational choice theory (S.M, 2016), where people choose the best action in accordance with their preference. In simple terms, they believe bureaucrats act according to their best interests. This, however, doesn’t explain coalitions or political parties. Neoliberalism has some positive effects: financial sector booms and its ability to thrive during banking and other crises. Neoliberal hopes to return to hegemony, something that seemed appropriate for the 19th century and early 20th century. Unfortunately, it ushers slow growth and unemployment to non-financial corporations as well as debt and deficits. Third world poverty and overall instability can also be seen.
Some real-world examples of neoliberalism and how it affects the public sector are as follows:
● subsidized medicine by the government but prices are set by private corporations
● bank bailouts when financial institutions go bankrupt
● multimillion dollar contracts to private companies in exchange for subpar technology( SMART)
Now, if moving to the sector of Education, the view is not too different. One of the main characteristics of neoliberalism is that private administration is more efficient than public administration; and as long as more institutions become private, they compete amongst each other to become as efficient and productive as possible. Thus, people need to prepare for a society in which those private institutions’ sole purpose is to dominate the market, using social dynamics available thanks to neoliberalism. Therefore, what is relevant at the time of getting a job is not what the candidate feels or thinks, but what they can do and how fast they can do it. Hence, as the role of the school is to prepare people to seamlessly adjust to society, the subjects taught do not go beyond basic concepts. It involves education without teaching students to think critically because it is not demanded nor desired. Despite the above, Critical thinking should be a mandatory subject since primary school because, one, not teaching people how to think critically results in hegemony. Two, the individual must be prepared for thinking with the common good in mind. Three, critical thinking helps make better political decisions. Finally, four, through critical thinking students learn to respect others’ opinions resulting in peace.
It is important to note the fact Colombian companies and the government rule people's lives through hegemony. Defining hegemony, McLaren (2002) says: “Hegemony is a struggle in which the powerful win the consent of those who are oppressed, with the oppressed unknowingly participating in their own oppression.” The Colombian corporations and the government support neoliberalism. They regulate the rules, survey political participation, monitor the media, control government officials and the armed forces, etc. They manage the game according to what their interests are, not people's needs. Consequently, there is a need for waking students mind’s up from an early age in order to break that paradigm, even better if they start in a not so distant future. Schooling should make them capable of assuming the real face of hegemony, as it has a silent way of domination. The key lies in understanding what is going on around and within their society. Therefore, I consider critical thinking as the only way students become aware and start questioning the status quo, learning not to take anything for granted, questioning decisions and actively participating in their community.
Secondly, Neoliberalism creates an environment of permanent competition. A place where there is no price too small to be paid for being first. This behavior becomes all too common because, since school, students are taught to compete. This inherent hostility creates an environment prone to silent violence. Montessori said something along the lines of: “Everyone talks about peace, but no one educates for peace. People educate for competition and this is the beginning of any war.” When we educate to cooperate and be in solidarity with one another, that day we will be educating for peace.” Competition is a wrong conception of society created since early school life. If students are taught critical thinking since grade school, they will have a different conception which includes social justice. As Giroux (2014) claims “With privatization comes a kind of collective amnesia about the role of government, the importance of the social contract, and the importance of public values.” These public values are learned since the first years at the school.
Thirdly, the Colombian government is plagued with an ever-reaching corruption because of the majority of the population votes for the wrong people. Officials who seem to mean well but appearances may be deceiving. Despite the fact the same powerful few have been commanding Colombia and its people since decades ago, following their interests. It appears voters do not care to choose them to term after term. So, it is necessary to teach people to make better decisions since they are at school. Hopefully, in the future, they will vote for better qualified and morally sound leaders. In that sense, Critical thinking skills are necessary to be ingrained by students in order for them to develop the capacity to see from a broader perspective at the time of voting. Sieck (2018) explains: “The idea is that people encounter situations. When they do, they recognize important parts of the situation from past experience. They then create a story (or explanation) about what’s going on and what will happen.” That is how from an early age those experiences build the future adult, capable of thinking critically. For that reason, exposing continuously students to situations where they have to make decisions based on analyzing different factors, will result in a future critical thinker adult who thinks twice before making such an important decision as voting at public elections.
Last but not least, there is a tendency in Colombia to be intolerant towards different opinions at Colombian schools. According to a report in the Global justice series magazine (Rodriguez, 2008), the education system has its part on the phenomenon of exclusion and discrimination. Sometimes, kids feel insecure because a tendency to be judged. To some extent, it is the result of the different ideologies born from Hegemony. Few people are able to think beyond their own perspectives and analyze others opinions to later be able to compare/contrast. Therefore, schools are not been pushed to challenge this paradigm, so anyone does something about it. In this regard, UNESCO (2017) states: ”Intolerance in a society is the sum total of the intolerance of its individual members." This individual intolerance is developed, in most cased as a copy of what they see in others; almost like a virus. So, if critical thinking were taught to students from an early age at school, once they become adults they would be more prepared to accept the fact that there are many different opinions, and that it does not mean something negative. On the contrary, by discussing different perspectives and by not to taking everything for granted, can we build a community and a society besides knowledge.
In addition to the above, Neoliberalism causes inequality. (Monbiot, 2016) “Everyone gets what they deserve” That is the premise of Neoliberalism truly believing that those who fall behind are losers, However, this does not have to do that way. So, through critical pedagogy, students understand that this part of Neoliberalism is totally wrong because it creates inequality. Since school people would learn that cooperatively should easy the competition. As a result, society would be more equal and fair.
All in all, Neoliberalism is taking an important role in our society, and Education is the key for that. Schools are the first contact with a simulation of society where personality starts developing. Naturally, the individual perceives the world out of school as they do in it. Those years define, to a big extent, the future of a voter, a friend, a worker, a family member. Of course, in a society full of competition, envy, and avarice, the outlook does not seem so promising in terms of good relationships and the collective building of knowledge. Fortunately, there is still a lifesaver: Critical thinking. Doubtless, incorporating Critical thinking to the schedule of in every public school in Colombia, the scene will be enhanced. Maybe we cannot have instant impact or results in social dynamics, but in the future, teaching students to think critically will have an important effect on the relationship between the individual and society.
It is evident that policies for education and market need changes. There is no hope of social justice and common good while this starving competition for power and money prevails. It causes poverty corruption, discrimination, racism, violence; and maybe they will never be defeat, but for sure they can be reduced using education. And I mean education, not as an end, but as a mean to develop people´s critical thinking skills, and so putting the real issues in the spotlight. Indifference is killing communities and enriching a few ones but with a bit of awareness will be enough to start real changes that benefit us all.
Teachers have one of the most relevant roles towards the changes coming. They have in front of them the future to be shaped; and when I say the future, I mean students. They will be the future heads of companies, schools, Universities, the country itself, the ones who decide what is good or not for most of the Colombian population. Therefore, teachers must set the classroom as a representation of the real context where the common good is always the biggest achievement. That is possible through the use of critical pedagogy that focuses on freedom and the struggle of oppression.
References
Bevir, M. (2016). Governance, politics, and power. Encyclopedia británica. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/governance#ref1181612
Giroux, H. (2014). Henry Giroux | Neoliberalism, Youth and Social Justice. Truthout. Retrieved from https://truthout.org/video/henry-giroux-neoliberalism-youth-and-social-justice/
Mclaren, P. (2002). Critical pedagogy: a look at the major concepts. Routledge/Falmer Press.
Monbiot, G. (2016). Was the rise of neoliberalism the root cause of extreme inequality? The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/apr/15/neoliberalism-ideology-problem-george-monbiot
Rodriguez, C. A. (2008). A Report on the Situation of the rights of Afro-Colombians. Ediciones uniandes, 41-42. Retrieved from https://www.dejusticia.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/fi_name_recurso_204.pdf
S.M, A. (2016). Rational choice theory. ENCICLOPEDIA BRITÁNICA. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/rational-choice-theory
SIECK. (2018, Sep 28). Critical Thinking in Decision Making. ThinkerAcademy. Retrieved from https://thinkeracademy.com/critical-thinking-in-decision-making/
UNESCO. (2017). LEARNING TO LIVE TOGETHER. UNESCO. Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/social-and-human-sciences/themes/fight-against-discrimination/promoting-tolerance/
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