Noam Chomsky has written an article for Truthout in which he describes the current situation eloquently.
"Mass public education is one of the great achievements of American
society. It has had many dimensions. One purpose was to prepare
independent farmers for life as wage laborers who would tolerate what
they regarded as virtual slavery.
The coercive element did not pass without notice. Ralph Waldo Emerson
observed that political leaders call for popular education because they
fear that "This country is filling up with thousands and millions of
voters, and you must educate them to keep them from our throats." But
educated the right way: Limit their perspectives and understanding,
discourage free and independent thought, and train them for obedience.
The "vile maxim" and its implementation have regularly called forth
resistance, which in turn evokes the same fears among the elite. Forty
years ago there was deep concern that the population was breaking free
of apathy and obedience."
