Left I on the News

"Capitalism has no interest in abolishing ignorance."

Fidel Castro, speaking at the closing session of the International Literacy and Post-Literacy Seminar

Snark of the day: on the contrary, it seems to have an interest in positively encouraging it, if the United States under George Bush is any evidence.

I'm sure most readers of this blog have noted that in countries undergoing socialist, or quasi-socialist, revolutions or evolutions, countries like Cuba, Venezuela, and Bolivia, one of the very first things they prioritize is eliminating illiteracy. Capitalist societies flourish by having enough educated people to fill the technical positions, but beyond that they have no particular desire to raise up the educational level of the rest of the population. It would only encourage them to aspire to things that society can't make available to them, rather than being content with their lot in life at the bottom of the pile. Socialist societies flourish by maximizing the potential of all of their people.