College students could learn a few things from the Freeskool

I was pretty frustrated by some of the thing that were said during Wednesday's heated discussion about the documentary, "This is What Democracy Looks Like." And the sad part is, I wasn't surprised to hear the comments that disheartened me. Questions were raised as to why we should even care about the protest enough to form opinions about it, as well as to what the actions of the Nike company have to do with the plight of workers in third world countries. The fact that these questions were even raised is simply disappointing.

Just because an event in history was not widely publicized, does that mean it’s not worth learning about? Of course not. One would assume that of any classifiable group, college students (who pay thousands for their education) would be the most eager to consume information and stretch their brains. But this is clearly not true.

The bottom line is that we have come to take a post-secondary education for granted. A college education is an expectation, and (for some people) an almost assumed right, instead of the privilege that it is.

This lack of motivation to learn is exactly what anarchism opposes. In the Goldman reading, she asserts that anarchists oppose religion and government because they require to subordination of the individual, and prevent individuals from thinking for themselves. As college students, we NEED to think for ourselves. This doesn't require becoming an anarchists, but it does require opening our minds.

As an expression of anarchist ideology, the Ithaca Freeskool represents the belief of free-thinking. As stated in the article, the skool is based on the idea that humans have a natural urge to teach and learn together, and that no diplomas are needed in order to prove knowledge has been gained.

It seems that many students come to college ONLY for that diploma, that piece of paper that makes them more likely to be hired after graduation. But the truth is, there's more to it than that. An education is more than just a piece of paper.

So when professors show relevant documentaries and ask their class to form opinions about recent, real issues that affect humanity (and believe it or not, affect us directly) we should be grateful.