"If you want to get laid, go to college. If you want an education, go to the library" Frank Zappa "Education is the state controlled manufacture of echoes" Edmund Burke
I don’t think that second quote should be attributed to Edmund Burke, he lived in the 18th century (1700’s), before universal public education. If you google the quote mostly it seems to be attributed to someone named Norman Douglas.
It is quite disturbing that even though so many intellectuals and philosophers have, over the centuries, warned the human race about the dangers of the compulsory teach-and-test format, the structure of education still seems hardly to change.
My original comment was not meant to lambaste the concept of compulsory schooling altogether (even though some, including Marilyn vos Savant, indeed would), but rather to criticize a particular method of compulsory schooling, a deeply flawed one: that is, one centered on memorization, standardized tests, and rote "learning".
It's like Frank had some kind of hotline to the inside of the universe or something. So many times I've sat there amazed at how right this man was about so many things. Then there is his music which is a whole other fantastic ride :)
Schools make a great consumers, workers who don't think with their mind and just want to have fun and be "rich"... Schools never tell you what is your purpose, for what on God's earth are you here, and respect the environment in the sense of yogi life purpose... So yeah schools are CRAP
Says the teacher. This has been theorized by so many people. Of course non wealthy schools don’t teach you anything but how to be a robot. Did you not go to school?
I had some really good teachers who tried to get us out of the dogma, so yes, they were truly honorable teachers and respected their roles. Including my religion teacher.
Once I got into high school, there was definitely a few teachers who opened the students' minds and actually taught useful information. I'm afraid that Zappa is right, however. Many schools are like he described and only close peoples' minds.
Damn Zappa, words of wisdom..! I think all people are born creative, imaginative.. when your a child ur imaginative because it hasnt been long enough till school took away your creativity .. you gotta live by the way you feel is needed, if it means rebel the system, then do so!
My experience was the opposite of what he said. We applied logic to everything and discussed many outside the box methods of success in all classes. Education system is now horribly flawed, but I guess I was lucky to go to a great school.
This is true; school is all about teaching you to get used to having somebody else telling you what to do all the time, and get you used to working for somebody else. I remember, my whole way up, teachers didn't even care if you knew the material. Tests would only be a small part of the grade, while they gave "participation", "homework", etc, with most of your grade being about how well you fit into the system. Knowing the material and acing the tests didn't matter for passing the class.
"...but if you go beyond that, you're gonna have these grave doubts that give you stomach problems and headaches..." to each his own. yours to discover
Apparently some of those 'fully functional ignorami' were present in the studio during this interview. They were the ones who didn't have enough sense to close their mouths while Frank was talking.
I would agree with you. However, this was recorded at a convention and not a studio. So, there was more going on than just this interview behind the scenes.
School teaches you to be ignorant because the grades you get will try and define your intelligence which is 100% false. People who fail grades have bigger and better ideas than school. School is to measure our memory and the conditions in school are very toxic caused by students and teachers themselves. 90% of the time, school has made students commit suicide and SCHOOL itself doesn't want to deal with those situations because they're too busy grading students assuming where they will end up, I can get bad grades all throughout school and still have a very successful career, school will never ever be any part of any human intelligence, intelligence is when you start to realize manipulation and make your own decisions.
That's true, but the school system is worse though. Now the kids with creative thought don't just get left to the side, they get drugged, they get their minds forcibly numbed to comply.
Well said man, from kinder gardens to schools and working places - It is just storage places and the grave yard has a spot just for the right prizze :)
Unfortunate that it's become much worse since he said this. Now if kids start challenging the system, they're diagnosed with BS disorders and put on mind numbing drugs. It's disgusting what we've allowed to happen.
Listening to him there, I can just picture him saying "First I'll buy some beads... then perhaps a leather band to go around my head! Some feathers and bells..... and the book of Indian lore"
Couldn't agree more...This is just one of the many reasons I home school..Consider how many children end up on medications to make them sit still 4 hours!They label it ADD.Children in their development were meant to be physically active, creative human beings.Not robots that don't question the brainwashing being taught.The bad kids r not bad.They are creative. needing movement/freedom of expression..direction in who they are as individuals..
Music is an art form(or at least,it used to be) & the Prince albums I listened to as a kid provided more relief for my suffering than my so-called family ever did. Don't downplay how important music is to people. What John Coltrane did on A Love Supreme is deeper than pure recreation. Frankly you sound jealous that you don't get to make a living doing something that makes you happy like Zappa did.
It also actually kills any divergent thinking ability. Which is key to invention and creativity. you can search 'RSA animate changing education paradigms' to watch a video more about that.
He obviously never took a Psychology, Health, Social Studies, or even History course. I went to a magnet school with a block schedule. Spending 2 hrs. each period. We studied are curriculum, discussed how it's applied in the real world,etc. We even did this in our math courses. Schools were very strict then, I guess I was fortunate enough to to have "out-side-the-box" faculty at my school. Made my transition to college very easy. If kept me level headed when I was in the service, too.
Very true, im surprised its always been like this. I realized that when im not watching tv and school i become totally different person with a lot of confidence and self worthy, something both things suck out of you. I was a sheep but now im a lion.
i work in the most free area in my company in a seperate building where you can do anything you want as long as the work gets done.the order of the day is always maintaining of the positive attitude.we laugh, have fun, work hard.i got a guitar there!we do almost as we please.and i get paid decently too.shitty jobs like you describe exist because of power games and egos if you avoid places and people with those, life is more enjoyable.
I don't know why he thinks schools should teach morality. Other than that, he pretty much devastated the public school system with a solid arguement and his wisdom applies even to this day.
I was a self-proclaimed 'Zappa-phile'.until I did some research into his background. He grew up at Edgewood Arsenal, his father being a chemical warfare specialist, and his wife Gail Sloatman's father was in Naval Intelligence. She ironically went to the same school as Jim Morrison, as his father was a Rear Admiral in the Navy, who would later take part in the Gulf of Tonkin false flag that brought on the Vietnam War. Check out 'The Center for An Informed America'.
