Lessons from Latin America

Public education becomes politicized indoctrination intended to form students into the "new socialist man." With other ecclesiastical offices, the bishops have warned that "the intention of government officials to politicize education and turn teachers into agents of indoctrination for a specific political model is unconstitutional and violates the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Hence, it is unacceptable."

In an essay on Latin American politics and ecclesiology, this paragraph represents one of the "elements of the neototalitarian environment". There is a naivety to the bishops' warnings, however. Public education will always be politicized indoctrination. The real danger is when it is assumed by the public that their eduction is apolitical. That's when you know the matrix has you in its grip! Education is inherently formative. The warning that a school child in Latin America is being formed into the "new socialist man" can only be sounded on the grounds that you would rather that same child be formed into the "new capitalist man" or the "new neoliberal democratic man" or the "new fascist man". There is no educational space that lies outside of "a specific political model", and so there can be no warning from some neutral zone as the bishops suppose. Their warning comes from somewhere.

It is the task of the church to articulate that "somewhere", and to persuade citizens to convert and join them there. The problem, however, is that the people who think that education should be non-political are the same people who think that the church should be non-political. They forget that the task of the church is precisely "politicized indoctrination intended to form students (disciples) into the new socialist man." 

The warning from bishops, therefore, should not be that the government is violating human rights. The warning should be that the government is actually doing its job, whereas the church isn't.