“Gapwash”: propganda and education
EducationJul 22, 2011Gapwash
from: Special Guest
The idea of working to close the so-called “achievement gap” in education is very similar to the concept of “greenwash” in environmentalism.
Greenwash is the term used to refer to propaganda deliberately used by polluters to cover up what they are really doing. A typical example would be the plant-a-tree days that are funded by big oil and auto companies. Obviously, no amount of tree planting will ever undo their damage, yet the public relations people know that greenwash is a great way to protect their profits from costly calls for more government regulation: it distracts people from real causes. It encourages people to “take personal responsibility” rather than blame corporations who are made to look like leaders of environmentalism.
Similarly, when we look at education, we find that its new mission
