Making a Mockery Of The State
There have been some media reports about Bryce Harper, a 16-year old prodigy who will leave high school early to pursue his vocation at the college - and ultimately, professional - level. This wouldn't be terribly controversial except for the fact that Harper is a baseball prodigy, so naturally there's a lot of hand-wringing from the nation's sports commentariat. One writer said Harper's decision to forego two years of high school eligibility to play junior college baseball "makes a mockery of our educational system."
A pillar of the schooling religion is the notion that without at least 13-17 years of state-directed instruction, a person will never live a "meaningful" life. We've all seen the government-massaged statistics about the alleged higher "earning power" of four-year college graduates. Curiously, this rule doesn't apply to aspiring baseball players like Harper. Indeed, the Wall Street Journal recently noted, "Shockingly, while many current major leaguers had college experience, we found only 26 (including managers), who have earned degrees." That's less then one player or manager per team. Yet the lack of sociology and political science degrees haven't reduced earning power - the average MLB salary this year is $3.26 million, a 4% increase from 2008.
Now, obviously, not every industry is Major League Baseball. And there are a number of interventions and distortions in the market for baseball players. Still, this market is a good example of how there is no general correlation between receiving a college degree and economic productivity. Nor is education in a particular vocation synonymous with state schooling.
As Karen De Coster noted in her own discussion of the Bryce Harper story,
The public education system, which is a disastrous, wealth-destroying, failed endeavor, is held up as the standard by which we must all live. You go where they tell you to go, stay at the educational level they put you at, advance when they tell you to advance, slog through what they put in front of you, believe what they tell you to believe, and finish your "education" at a chronological age that somebody somewhere determined should be the age when you should be set free to live out your life. Your innate ability, your desire, your interests, your foundational knowledge - none of that matters because public education is set up to equalize and collectivize children so that they are all on the same pre-determined schedule. Still, people are surprised each time they hear about a 15-year-old attending college or an 18-year-old graduating from college. They were taught that children should all advance together through the education system based on chronological age and do exactly what every other kid their age is doing. The masses never question the irrationality of such nonsense. And you wonder why the American educational system is producing mostly professional consumers, couch potatoes, and TV-watching, amusement-demanding, non-reading robots.
A sports radio host I frequently listen to has been railing about Harper for days, maintaining it's an example of "excessive individualism" in sports. One can only hope. There are few arsenals of individualism left in our present society, excessive or otherwise. Even if Harper ultimately proves to be unsuccessful at the professional level, he still provides a useful example to others who feel constrained by the state's schooling monopoly.
Comments (23)
kmeisthax
"Excessive individualism"? What's wrong with that?
Published: June 18, 2009 9:11 AM
Thedo
Great post. As a follower of many sports and their commentary, the state-driven chatter is relentlessly grating (see now the issue of Sammy Sosa allgedly lying to Congress, the horror!).
I've also returned to a great classic book, Dale Carnegie's "How to Win Friends and Influence People." It's refreshing to hear the author recount numerous individuals—wildly successful!—educate themselves and succeed outside of an industrial (government) school complex. Yet people cling to the notion that to "make it in life" you need lots of luck and inside connections.
Published: June 18, 2009 9:31 AM
Yancey Ward
I have always been fascinated by historical figures, many of whom started their careers in their mid teens, and often performed their most outstanding work by the time they were in their early 20s. Throughout my life, I have come across people who could have done the same, but did not; and, they mostly did not because of this rigid, creativity-crushing, chronological-based education structure.
For some mad reason, we infantilize teenagers of all abilities, and then act surprised that they remain children well into their 20s and 30s.
Published: June 18, 2009 9:32 AM
Gaurav Ahuja
Excessive individualism is not meant as methodological individualism in this sense. Individualism in this context probably is just a replacement word for selfishness. And selfishness commonly means putting yourself ahead of others while doing something bad to the other people around you that immediately feel the impact by what you do. Hence, excessive individualism probably means putting yourself ahead of the team instead of trying to cooperate with the team and coalesce your interests with the team interests when it comes to an athlete in team sports.
Published: June 18, 2009 9:33 AM
Hillshum
There is a place for public education (ignoring the aspect of funding it with taxpayer dollars anyway) but it is horribly overused. A Thomas Jefferson Education by Oliver DeMille really makes the case on this matter
Published: June 18, 2009 10:06 AM
TeresaP
G.Ahuja - What? I love baseball from the time my grandparents were caretakers for Bob Feller - famous Indians baseball player. Just because a sports announcer says it doesn't make it so. If this young man has the talent and ability to develop himself in something he excels at, he should have that option to be the best he can be at it. Putting yourself first does not necessarily mean something bad will happen to others nor that the person can not be a team player.It can mean making yourself the best to inspire those around you in the best interest of yourself and the team.
Published: June 18, 2009 10:38 AM
Michael Orlowski
Excellent post about our education system. I think we should put more emphasis on, "believe what they tell you to believe."
Published: June 18, 2009 10:40 AM
Hillshum
How often do schools say anything on the topic of "Find your mission in life" or "Follow your dreams"?
Published: June 18, 2009 11:02 AM
Bob Roddis
On a related subject, I note that ESPN is frothing about Sammy Sosa taking drugs in 2003. They call it "cheating".
Why isn't it called "cheating" when a sports franchise gets the taxpayers to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to build it a stadium?
Published: June 18, 2009 11:14 AM
David Spellman
We live in a society that is driven by jealousy and covetousness. I am right, aren't I? Yes, I knew it.
Published: June 18, 2009 11:24 AM
S.M. Oliva
>
ESPN is frothing over an unsourced New York Times report that Mr. Sosa failed a confidential drug test in 2003. That is not a conclusive statement of fact, especially given the Times' demonstrated lack of credibility.
Published: June 18, 2009 11:29 AM
Bogart
What is the big deal? The whole complete high school or stay in to get your degree is pointless. These people should strive to be the best in their professional careers when they decide to do so.
Besides, hundreds of thousands to millions of people have gone back to school after trying their luck in business, sports, music, etc and have gotten HS Diplomas through PHDs.
Better go back and get my diploma and maybe BS after I have 5 million in my pocket than get injured playing in HS or college or junior college and have 0 with a degree.
Published: June 18, 2009 11:45 AM
Bogart
I once argued this exact point about the Shaq who was leaving college early. I thought it was great and the other fellow thought it bad. I asked him how much he has made this year and it was say 20K. The Shaq received 3.5mil for signing his name. So the fellows career had a 20K x 50 NPV = 1mil. Shaq had a NPV of 3.5 times that for his signature and had yet to work a day.
Published: June 18, 2009 11:51 AM
DixieFlatline
You'll never catch any of these hypocrites pointing out that Lebron James passed on college to go directly to the NBA.
If Bryce Harper works out, no one will remember that they protested his leaving school early.
Three cheers for Bryce Harper, may he have much success and break down the walls for other young individuals ready to pursue their own dreams at their own pace!
Published: June 18, 2009 11:54 AM
(8?»
You people are obviously missing the point. By skipping his last 2 years of high school, Bryce Harper will be missing all of those invaluable 'civics' classes that create the loyal, patriotic American citizens that the political class feed upon.
Do you have any idea what kind of a society this lack of 'education' can create, undermining the entire basis of the current one?!?!
Of course you do! (So do they. Thus they resist, lest they be disempowered.)
Published: June 18, 2009 12:47 PM
KP
The hoopla is not about Hunter but his affect on the entire baseball career of many young players. The very same happened to basketball. With the inclusion of Garnett, you had stars like Kobe and Bryant but also had many stars like Kwame Brown.
The idea is not that Hunter is leaving but what affect he may have on hundreds of other prospects if they see $$ at the end of the rainbow. For every Hunter there are 50 baseball players like Kwame Brown.
(If you are not a basketball fan, the NBA and Players Union added a minimum age restriction and 1 year playing time in "college level" area before entering the NBA after such instances, a few years back. This was purely on a financial reason, though they might say for the interest of the player. The idea behind this rule was because you cannot gauge an individual player in high school versus weaker players because the talent across all teams are on a different level)
Published: June 18, 2009 3:15 PM
Greg Simmons
I would think the Statists would bite their collective tongues on this issue - after all, the sooner that kid gets in to the Major Leagues, the sooner they can start taxing him at 80-90% of his income.
Published: June 18, 2009 4:08 PM
Marty
I have long felt the last three or four years of public education to be a complete waste of a young person's mind. The quote from Karen De Coster nails it on the head. The sooner we get those spongy brains away from the control of the public education induction camps, the better.
Published: June 18, 2009 5:56 PM
DixieFlatline
Kwame Brown has an NBA deal, and is making $5 million a season, with a player option this offseason.
While he may not be a Kobe or Lebron, Kwame is definitely one of the top earners in his graduating class, and he's not even 30 years old yet.
Kwame's career earnings to date are approx. $47 million. Not too shabby.
Published: June 18, 2009 7:49 PM
Yancey Ward
Yeah, Kwame made a big, big mistake skipping college and signing an NBA contract for over a million dollars.
Published: June 19, 2009 10:16 AM
KP
Kwame Brown is one of the biggest draft busts in NBA history next to Sam Bowie. Averaging 4.2 points per game for a number 1 draft pick, is terrible.
My point is that the idea behind Hunter leaving is his ramification on the minor league system in place. The idea is not going out to college; most mlb players do not goto college, the farm system is better in the MLB than any other major league sport. It is the fact he is leaving two years earlier, out of high school that might cause other such prospects to leave early as well; when they may not be ready.
Published: June 19, 2009 1:26 PM
filc
If you learn to fast or to slow according to their standards you must be mentally disabled and will be mandated by the state to take drugs. Gimping you back to normal mass of idiots and sheep.
Published: June 19, 2009 2:04 PM
Horst Muhlmann
Bogart said:
Better go back and get my diploma and maybe BS after I have 5 million in my pocket than get injured playing in HS or college or junior college and have 0 with a degree.
Your quote remimded me of the time Rasheed Wallace twisted his knee while playing for North Carolina, and he was almost to the point of tears. He was crying not because of the pain to his knee, but to the potential pain to his wallet. He was visioning millions of dollars going out the window.
Published: June 19, 2009 2:30 PM