OPINION

Educational bullying

Re: "Mis-education of Hong Kong", (Editorial, May 17).

Education is a two-edged sword. It can be used to turn a nation into a herd of sheep or it can cultivate a society that thrives on the power of free will and rule of law. The Chinese formula of education for public officials and teenagers is not something new. Communist and authoritarian regimes all over the world have used their brand of education to brainwash people by injecting dubious cultural values, patriotism, and false pride. The history of old Germany, the Soviet Union, Egypt, and more recently, North Korea and a host of dictatorships in the Middle East, Africa, and South America has taught us one thing -- indoctrination has lethal consequences. It limits the potential of human beings and cripples societies.

Sadly, the Thai educational system is also cultivated to keep its people subservient to the sacred institutions. Aldous Huxley, the English writer and philosopher put it well: "One of the great attractions of patriotism -- it fulfils our worst wishes. In the person of our nation, we are able, vicariously, to bully and cheat. Bully and cheat, what's more, with a feeling that we are profoundly virtuous."

I would like to thank GMT for his eloquent critique of my letter concerning our recent episodes of community pantry thefts. However, I think GMT is making some assumptions which are not supported by what was written in this letter.

First, when GMT talks about my "beloved, mythical free market", I think readers should know that I never used the words "free market" in the letter which GMT assails. Those were GMT's words.

I said "an open market for human talent" and I used that choice of words because such markets can exist in both perfect competition markets (more like those which GMT alludes to) or in more imperfect competition markets.

My letter also never really advocated any particular economic system except, perhaps, a multitude of possible systems include open markets for human talent.

GMT is technically correct when he says there is no such thing as any entirely pure market, but here we really are talking about an issue of semantics because, in a human world, nothing is perfect.

Respectfully, such an extreme standard as "not perfect enough" could be used by virtually anyone to shield any target from just and fair criticism, including the upper classes whom GMT subsequently painted with a rather broad brush.

Finally, I think it is nice that the folks in Scandinavia are supposedly happy and I wish them well. But I don't want to wait 90 days to have an operation (Swedish Law), only next to pay 60% in local and state taxes (Denmark and Sweden).

To me, these Scandinavian laws and taxes reveal that people only really become equal under socialism because they all eventually wind up becoming poor together ... and there is nothing "free" about that market.

Re: "City Hall warns parkgoers", (BP, May 15).

I don't want the city to close public parks again merely because a few visitors defy some prevention measures. Giving polite warnings or asking those who fail to comply with social distancing rules to leave the park is enough. Many visitors have cooperated with the city, even when it's known that wearing masks while jogging can harm their health.

Re: "Masks minus helmets", (PostBag, May 15). The Beatles released When I'm Sixty-Four in 1967; I was 14.

And it seemed to me (probably to Paul McCartney too) that it was going to take eons before I turned 64. The next thing I know I am 67.

Pete the Swede, one day you too will get old and unproductive and, believe me, that day will come much faster than you think.