Have I ever had a "red pill" moment?

Ernest Duffo

I'm a long way from saying there was a "red pill" moment in my past. I seemed to have come across relatively conservative or right of center political beliefs rather early - well at least by the time I was in high school. Still there is not that one moment that caused me to flip, it could be instinctual.

There is one red pill moment to point on from my life and it involves education. To be honest I really hated going to school. While I didn't really have many friends back then that was the only thing I looked forward to was seeing my friends. It was a routine that I had grown used to.

Regardless I hated it primarily because - as I later began to realize - it was something I had to do. There was no choice for me in the matter whether by law or expectation of the parents. I had to endure public education and all the trials & tribulations. For the most part I didn't enjoy it!

The bias & strict discipline of teachers. In fact my teachers back in grammar school still performed some form of corporal punishment and in front of students to their delight it seems. One of the teachers I had in school - one I still respect - had little problem throwing around the idea of a whoopin. While I never saw him engage in it, he was of that school himself.

Of course the idea of school is socialization and I hated that. Kids can be quite cruel to other kids - not that I'm exempting myself I participated in some of it admittedly. Still there was some of that going on for the slightest of issues body odor, fashion, grades, income, etc. It took me years to realize the many issues that many of my peers may have had at home and yet it got magnified when they came to school. For the most part they had to find a way to deal with it because it was what it was to the adults.

The real red-pill moment was when I finally arrived in the 8th grade it was the end of my time in elementary school and part of this story was taking a test for the US and state constitutions. I had a teacher who I now believe was a union shill. He didn't mind telling us that we better hope the Republicans don't get elected. Back in those days perhaps it was a fear of many teachers that Republicans in power meant cuts to public education. More than likely the fear was more about them losing their jobs or at least that's what I concluded years later.

Little did this man know that with our studies on the constitution he merely woke me up to our political system and it was something I was going to study at Morehouse College years later. If he wanted to create another generation of reliable voters to his cause, he caused me to go in another direction politically. Probably wasn't a goal of his, but my goal wasn't necessarily to just blindly go along with what he or anyone else said.

Although there are other examples in my time with public education of things that were wrong, he later became one example. His attempt at politicking was one example. Another example was holding up his wad of cash as an example of "economic slavery". Me being a dumb silly kid back in the 8th grade contrasted with his seriousness as a teacher. I realize now that he didn't entirely care for me and certainly in far more subtle ways made clear what his feelings were of me to my parents.

He may have had his fans and I wasn't one for sure. However, IMHO he probably didn't have the temperament to be a teacher. Though for sure he had a stable job until the day he chooses to retire and with a generous pension that he's surely living on today. Regardless if it wasn't for him I wouldn't have the interest in politics which is one of the many subjects you'll see on my many blogs to this day.

Now as far as education, I have no children. I'm definitely a long way from knowing the pulse of public education. When I do have children my goal is to find the best schools for my children because even though education is considered an entitlement, a great education is a privilege and something worth fighting for. It's not up to the school system it's really up to parents as they have to provide for their children. Though I do recognize not all parents share those same desires of insuring their children gets a great education.

All the same, that is one possible red pill moment for me. One party or the other doesn't entirely hold the key for funding public education. If someone is concerned about that issue it's really about their livelihoods. Also it's possible to inspire opposition more so thatn instant support...