Power of One Audience Member

One day, the sky is blue, sun's rays are glistening on the concrete, and dogwoods are in bloom, as I walk inside an office building's two large glass doors. Behind an oval-shaped, marble counter is an attractive, 30s-something woman who smiles and waves when I enter. I wave back and walk into the plant. Inside the plant, I walk down a row of conveyor belts where each individual stops for a moment to acknowledge me as I acknowledge them back with the same friendly wave and smile. It's different this time, though.

There's no dress code where I'm required to wear a shirt and tie or a collared shirt with khakis. We come as we are with truly one mission in mind: service our customers and vendors to the absolute best of our abilities. Why is this day different? We all have an equal ownership with our firm.

It can't be sold to the highest bidder. We signed a contract. When any changes or adaptations arise, we all vote and  the majority wins out. We all earn a comfortable living wage where we can also spend adequate time away from work with friends and family along with a few weeks set aside to travelling. We sacrifice for each other. This is a small part of a broader vision for how I want to see the world around me.

Where do we begin? The late, great comedian George Carlin once said in a stand-up how politicans always say they're worried about our children's education, emphasizing the silliness when the regurgitated rhetoric comes out with things like, "We've got to invest in our kids' futures, more money in education, computers in classrooms, and improving test scores." It always sounds good and resonates. What do we have to do to make sure our kids will be fine? Each and every time, the solutions still produce the same end results -- a conditioned disregard for those who are perceived different and/or inferior. It's a byproduct of a capitalist society that tells us your wealth and/or status is ultimately all that matters.

Inevitably, divisions amongst each other transpire. We scoff at the slightest notion we're not worthy or unwelcome when it comes to access to an event, obtaining the latest and greatest product produced, place we want to visit than the next person, and how we're perceived on the hierarchal pyramid from entry level worker to CEO. This notion has been passed on from generation to generation since the beginning of civilizations.

Last night, I saw the 1999 blockbuster film Fight Club for the first time in years. The film's overriding theme is based on one man's inner conflict within a society where capatilist messaging surrounds him (and all of us)and how he is disillusioned by it. There is one quote from the film that resonated from the charismatic, anarchist character, "You don't own your possessions. Your possessions own you." Albeit all the silly explosions, fights taking place in a basement, and vandalism acts to businesses, I like this statement as a launching pad for putting down the distracting devices in exchange for interacting better with one another.

As someone who seriously considered teaching and choosing the wrong age group (middle school age), I was disillusioned during my student teaching by how distracted today's kids are. This is no exaggeration. Each day I walked into a given classroom before starting the class with the latest lesson, students were talking about what they had seen on T.V. last night, what's the latest on the big rap artist of the time, how far a friend made it on a recent X-Box game, and more outrageous, a kid no more than 12 texting on a cell phone. I'd respectfully in a gruff, loud tone (had to repeat myself a few times) ask for everyone to settle down and get started. There will be time to talk after class. Unfortunately, any given lesson was often disrupted by a few students who seemingly couldn't sit still for more than five minutes without wiggling in his or her chair. I could see that yearning to release energy. What's happened?

Physical education wasn't offered. You're kidding, I thought to myself. This is the time in these kids' lives when they're growing into their bodies faster than at any other point in their natural life span. So, kids were larger in size than I remembered when I was in school and more were taking some kind of medication for anxiety and/or Attendtion Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). Legislators felt physical education was a drain on the economy, so it was cut a few years before I got there. And why? It's all for the wealthy to continue receiving their tax breaks. Nothing to see here in the classrooms. I'd say the capitalist messaging has done a damn good job convincing everyone it's o.k. to have a deficit on the backs of practically... well, everyone except a small few. When it has happened in other countries, we've called it fascism.

Ultimately, I parted ways with the public education system. There were a few other factors I considered. First, the parents I called about their kids' ongoing discipline problems acted indifferent. At most, they'd say, "Ooh, when he gets home, I'm gonna' whoop that child." It came across like these parents were more concerned about how their kids' actions would reflect on how people viewed them opposed to genuine concern for the child's academics. Others sounded tired. One literally said if you just encourage him, he won't act out anymore. Nope. That didn't happen.

Collegiality was another issue. It felt like I was surrounded by giddy adolescents who were meant to be my professional colleagues but were just too excited to see each other every day in the hallways. They couldn't wait to talk about their zumba class or what new furnishings they're going to place in their dining rooms. I was the third wheel shadowing the teacher who couldn't wait to exit stage left whenever that inevitable meeting with the same colleague would come up again.

Some of the other teachers expressed how they've been there awhile and just waiting for the day to become an administrator -- vice principal, principal, etc by working on a continuing education degree. The kids coming in each year were more and more out of control was the typical response. Really? The same could be said for the teachers. When you tried to engage with them, they seemed more interested in talking about what happened on last night's mind numbing Survivor episode. These aren't exactly your parents' teachers.

What was most disheartening was the feeling of being a babysitter each and every day. Yes, I had terrible classroom management. That was my downfall. I didn't envision having to play the role of a military drill instructor to just maintain a comfortable silence. It had been my outlook to pick apart what was in those bland textbooks. What did we just read that still affects all of us today? It was an integral, real life model where students engaged and shared their ideas I strived to see. I wanted to somehow be a part of a transformational model where teaching to a test was an afterthought. The prime purpose would be centered on each individual and what each one has to offer. Highlight those strengths and have them continue improving upon them. Unfortunately, it was a far cry from the raucous, easily distracted environment I walked into each day. Teachers only cared about what they were told by a bunch of housewives who sat on a school board and designed the curriculum. They merely followed it. I refused to accept this reality but knew there was nothing as one individual I could do to change it.

Recently, I read Finland ranks as one of the highest performers in the world for its education -- top five in every category which include reading, languages, science, and math. How did it get there? For one, there is complete integration in its public schools -- rich and poor commonly attend one school and the majority of both classes want it that way. Second, they don't teach to the test. Third, teachers are much better paid, respected, and trained to adapt to different learning skills each student possesses. Finally, each student's strengths are recognized and encouraged to pursue for the workplace at a younger age. This humanistic philosophy (emphasizes self-discovery learning and limited facilitation for students) where students are given more autonomy and limited facilitation in their development was what I had wanted to implement. What's stopping us from doing this? Clearly, we've shown how teaching to the test has bumped us out of being one of the top performing countries in the world to somewhere in the teens for just about every subject. It hasn't worked.

While I'm sure many of our parents taught us to respect our elders and authority figures, I've learned there are specific circumstances where disobedience is needed. This is where the 99 percent nonviolent, peaceful Political Action Committee has been introdued. While it's unclear where it originated whether it be an essay from an economist with 99 percent in the article's title to an anti-corporate Canadian ad agency Adbusters, it's ebbed and flowed. Others cite inspiration from revolutions happening in the Middle East known as The Arab Spring where it's most notorious revolution successfully had a tyrannical dictator removed in Egypt.

It's discouraging to see this concept seemingly hasn't affected minorities and hard hit communities to join. After attending a few protest rallies, the audience is overwhelmingly young and white. Why haven't more leaders from the Civil Rights movement come on board? Why has there been little to no impact on legislation from the federal to local level that has had a positive effect for the 99 percent?

Moving forward, it's understandable a movement like this may take years before significant change is achieved. My concern is that it might eventually succumb to hopelessness and eventually become a small fringe movement. There are many reasons why we've yet to see more people getting involved -- they face those same distractions of modern day technology that those students and teachers I was around perceived as everything that will fill their voids. Old habits die hard.

When I attended a MoveOn.org screening for the Academy Award winning film Inside job, one of the attendees said, "I feel like I can only control what's going on around my block." Well, that's a start. Anytime I write, I'm grateful one individual takes the time to read what I've had to say. Never underestimate that impact. One individual can pass on ideas read to another then another.... Eventually, those who work to protect the mass murderers who represent the 1 percent turn against them, put down their arms, and join the rest of the 99 percent that will one day force them to change their business as usual approaches. We've learned capitalism and democracy can no longer co-exist. I think just about all of us choose the latter. It's just an ongoing struggle to achieve it and break the status quo we've accepted for far too long.