In the western educational system, little effort is
made to explain the democratic tradition - a
tradition which has been responsible for a period
in human history of unprecedented material
prosperity, technological achievement and freedom. Not
only is this not taught or inculcated, but along with
other connected values and institutions, it is
frequently subjected to down-grading and unfair criticism.
Each year, millions of dollars (most of it taxpayers'
money) are being spent by government departments
and agencies, trade unions, media and educational
institutions and "new class" interest groups to
propagate and inculcate ideas which are critical of
the democratic tradition.
In the propaganda war and battle for ideas, for every
dollar being spent to explain and defend the western
tradition, one hundred dollars are being spent to
criticise it. This is not an exaggeration if the
amount of money being spent is analysed. For one word
of explanation of the tradition there are one hundred
words of criticism.
Why are big government, new class, socialist
and progressivist forces dominant in the western
world? This ascendancy is the consequence of a
long, determined and aggressive campaign of spreading
ideas. A savage attack has been mounted on the
values and institutions of the western tradition. An
unreal and impractical alternative based on enforced
equality and social justice has been established.
This campaign has enabled "reformist" the forces to be
influential in education, the media, politics and society.
Ideas have been important in every generation.
They have never been so important as in this age
when ideas are conveyed by print and electronic means.
Change and evolution in society are inevitable.
Their direction is being influenced by competing
forces - people of common sense who value freedom and
moral values who are relatively uninfluential in
education and media versus elites with minority
support who wish to fashion a new order based on
egalitarian values.
| « Next » | « Democratic Tradition » | « Topics Concerning Australia » | « Home » |