Venting Poor Kids

[DTA]

So tonight I was watching a video on YouTube about school life in the 80's. It was all about things kids did back then that are prohibited now.
I was in grade school in a small town in the 90's, which was sort of the transition period from freedom to tyranny in school. I watched it change.
As I've said before, I did a good bit of time in US federal prison at a low-security prison. Something that really struck me one day when I was in the prison library was how much it was like school. I had a beanie on because it was cold and forgot to take it off. A guard came in to yell at me for wearing a hat indoors. That triggered memories of middle school in the 90's and I suddenly realized that public schools have simply become low-security prisons.
How you dress and when. Controlled movement every hour. Crazy contraband rules. Locker, backpack, and book searches. Barbed wire fences and security checkpoints. Cops everywhere. Staff corruption. I could go on and on.
The biggest differences I can see is that one is at least allowed to go home after school and the schoolyard fights are generally less violent. Other than that I don't see any difference.
I know that since the 90's school has only gotten more tyrannical. It has really made me feel bad for what kids today have to go through.
There's no real point to this other than an old man's rambling, but I want to at least let you poor youngsters here know that I sympathize with you for how you must grow up now.
What was school life like for you?

 

[Hvergelmir]

What was school life like for you?

I often compare it to a prison - maybe an open prison. We didn't have much in terms of fences or secutity.
Still, forcing people to attend the same toxic and abusive environment for 10 years, is harsh.

As a child you have no rights, and no means of escape. To this day, I don't know how to navigate such a situation without violence.

 

[Forever Sleep]

I grew up in the 80's. School wasn't exactly full of barbed wire and surveillance cameras but, it still had very strict rules. More like- the rules were obeyed though, so- there wasn't so much need for other heavy handedness.

If anything, I would imagine school rules were stricter for us then but then, I can't be sure. There was certainly less violence though.

 

[Acidic_Fries]

I got fibromyalgia because of bullying at school from teachers that were pushing me to try to get better grades; Classmates that picked on my undiagnosed autism at the time.

I have heard Waldorf education is considered better for pupils' mental health. But I'm not an expert on this topic so it might be a hearsay.

 

[DTA]

If anything, I would imagine school rules were stricter for us then but then, I can't be sure. There was certainly less violence though.

The weird thing for us was how they did do the full-on authoritarianism. We were in a small town of 7,000 and had little problems with violence other than an occasional schoolyard scuffle. None of us kids could understand what was going on. Found out later it was a statewide thing.

I got fibromyalgia because of bullying at school from teachers that were pushing me to try to get better grades; Classmates that picked on my undiagnosed autism at the time.

I have heard Waldorf education is considered better for pupils' mental health. But I'm not an expert on this topic so it might be a hearsay.

I'm sorry to hear that.
When I was in school people with mental challenges were just kind of avoided. They weren't bullied, but not really welcomed either. So they all cliqued up together. For example, they all sat together at a specific table in the cafeteria, not because they were made to but because they just felt comfortable there. None of them chose to participate in Phys Ed and the coaches allowed them to just sit on the bleachers.
As an adult I've had some really close friends with severe autism and other challenges and it's made me feel like an ass for how I acted as a kid.
I hope you've been able to make some good friends since!

 

[jw_sisyphus97]

You are hitting on a profound structural truth there. The parallel between modern school system and carceral state is a core feature. Public education just socializes kids into adults to habituate compliance, taking away autonomy under the guide of "safety".