I thought of our nation’s social studies teachers when I saw this excellent video on the civic responsibility we have to teach social studies as the study of power. It’s an interesting take on middle and high school education, at the very least.
Eric Liu makes some very provocative and important points in this 19 minute video. One of his ideas, that I hadn’t given any direct thought, is that local city governments are stepping in to fill the policy vacuum left by a federal government rendered inept by its inability or willingness to govern. He sees this, rightly so in my opinion, as an incredible opportunity to innovate in policy making and actually solve problems at the local level. Brilliant. Provocative. We tend to take care of people over corporations at the local level—not so much so at the national level where corporate influence is so deeply embedded in the halls of power.