Prison, Plantation, and Indoctrination Center

Imagine a place where you aren't allowed to leave for certain hours of the day, most days of the week, most weeks of the year; where you aren't allowed to go to the bathroom when you needed to; where you aren't allowed to eat when you want, or even to chew a piece of gum; where your movement from area to area was determined by a loud ring. Also imagine a place where you must labor without pay; where you must perform tasks that others have assigned for you; where your worth as a person is determined by how well you perform those tasks. Now imagine a place where other people have decided what you should think about; what and how much of it you should know; where you are required to memorize certain facts and processes, in order to pass tests that you are required take; where you aren't allowed to question or disagree with the facts or processes being memorized. Can you imagine these kinds of places? I can. In fact, it's quite obvious to me that the first place is a prison, the second a slave-worked plantation, and the third an indoctrination center. Or are they?

Read the rest of my latest column at EVC here.