School Politics

The Overton window faces only one way, namely towards tyranny. It's also a box in that we're not supposed to think outside of it. Politicians and their buddies in corporate media are therefore eager to emphasize the importance of political debates. They want to make the window as wide as possible, while at the same time preventing anyone from thinking outside of it. We're not supposed to notice that there is another window in the house, namely the window facing liberty. The liberty window is never mentioned, but it's no less real, and merely mentioning it will sometimes destroy a carefully crafted argument, perfectly framed inside the Overton window.

As a case in point, one of my sons in Norway, while still in school, was privy to a classroom discussion related to school politics. The teacher asked the class whether or not schools should include gardening in their curriculum. There were all sorts of arguments for and against this. The class was divided. There was heated debate, and a clear majority against the suggestion. The suggestion was not getting much democratic backing.

Noticing that my son wasn't taking part in the discussion, his teacher asked him for his opinion. Was he for or against the proposition? But my son didn't give his opinion on the issue. Rather, he stated that it should be up to each school to decide on this. Parents could then choose for themselves where to send their children.

This threw the whole discussion off course. The mere mention of the liberty window derailed the original argument. Unable to counter this obvious alternative, my son's teacher reacted as if he had said something so extreme that it wasn't worth discussing. However, the point was made. The damage was done. His colleagues understood immediately that the discussion had been framed from the start, and that there's always an alternative for those prepared to look in some different direction.

Guantanamo Bay detention camp

By Shane T. McCoy, U.S. Navy - (copied from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Camp_x-ray_detainees.jpg so that the image can be used on Wikinews.), Public Domain, Link