Perhaps we have watched the Zeitgeist Movie perhaps we have not. I am quite sure that some will find it offensive and down right shocking. Some will brush it off and anti culture. Some will believe it with blind fervor. In the end I think its a good movie to watch whether you agree or disagree. There is a second movie now which is also worth viewing and in it is this description of "The Venus Project" I thought the idea interesting so I went on to their website and I am still checking it out. The idea behind this whole project is to move from a monetary based society to a resource based society. You should give any or all these things a look even if they are counter to your views or beliefs.
I guess for me social studies is about exposure. Exposure to society and to the way all people look at the world. It is a chance for children and teens to formulate their own critical eye when looking at the world through the ideas of others. Moreover, I look it as a place they can come to their own conclusions about the world through exposure.
This project and the movies themselves are just one way someone has decided to look at the world. I guess to me this video is not shocking nor is it far from reality as I conceive it. But for some it will be. I guess in the end what I am saying not there are ways people see the world that offend me, and the way that I see the world offends some other but for the sake of the students in our class and really for the sake of our selves we should go out there and expose our selves to all ways of seeing the world.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7065205277695921912 (2nd zeitgeist)
http://www.thevenusproject.com/
Sunday, October 19, 2008
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3 comments:
Yeah Jacques Fresco is amazing. I really enjoyed his section of that video. There is some far-out stuff in that Addendum film. I think of it like a video-book more than anything else. I want to write down his quotes again and again, he's very eloquent.
I think the comment 'social studies is all about exposure' is a very good one. So many times when studying history only one side of the story is presented, giving history a 'factual' connotation rather than being an interpretive, debatable topic.
Thinking about your post, one potential issue arose in my mind. Exposure to all points of view is fantastic for teaching, but a student must be ready for this exposure. Without guidance, or necessary preparation a student might watch a movie like Zeitgeist and take it as the absolute truth. There is nothing 'wrong' with this conclusion... but only as long as the student has thought critically and objectively before coming to this conclusion. Some students might be undeservedly persuaded - maybe not considering omission of facts, bias of speakers, bias of producers etc.
A level of maturity and common sense (or very close guidance) is necessary before students can be fully exposed to radical/controversial concepts. For example, without (incredible) guidance, discussing the medicinal qualities of marijuana is probably not appropriate in an elementary classroom. Some students might go home thinking weed is the same as Tylenol.
I think students can learn to be critical thinkers by looking at controversial issues. That is, they don't need to pass a test before watching Zeitgeist. But they should not simply be exposed to all media without guidance or context.
(Not to imply that that was the intent of the original post by any means, this is just what came to mind)
Yeah for sure. What your post brings too mind is the phenomenon of "green." Being Green, vegan, alternative, all these catch phrases have become trendy ways of life, and people eat them up without ever knowing what anything is about. I think you are right about maturity, but I am wary that maturity has anything to do with age. There are "adults" lots of them who watch zeitgeist or other such movies and believe just as blindly as a child would. So how do you teach maturity without exposure? What comes first do you mature because you are exposed or must you first be mature to be exposed?
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