Lets look at this through an example. After Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, thousands were left stranded to rely on their own sources to help them out of the devastation, rather than rely on the government for support. If such a disaster happened in mid-town Manhattan, the response may be quite different. According to Pauline Lipman in her essay, “Education Policy, Race, and Neoliberal Urbanism”, the reason there was such a weak response on part of the U.S. Government was due to the “callous disregard for African American lives and the absence of a social welfare infrastructure for low-income and working-class people” (45). This absence of government allowed private infrastructure to come in and take the place of once public areas. Parks, roads and other public spaces were purchased and now corporations can do anything they want with this space. They can segregate groups of people and enforce their own biases. Since the government did not step in to public crises corporations did. Lets explore other solutions.
The American Red Cross (ARC) also stepped in during Katrina. They provided medical and humanitarian needs during the crises. Therefore it is the good nature of those in the ARC to provided relief. The issue with this is that nothing is free. Therefore ARC relies on contributions by others to provide their services. Katrina left thousands of homes destroyed. For those who were lucky they may have had insurance or personal wealth that allowed them to re-build. With 80% of the New Orleans population “below the poverty line before the hurricane” it is likely they were not so lucky. The only resource some had was to take out a second mortgage with the help of companies such as USDA Rural Development.
Instead of not-for-profit or humanitarian groups there is also the idea of community awareness for humanity. By living in America we become very individualistic. All solutions come from the individual to receive help from the government or private corporations. What if a community was destroyed and the survival of everyone depended on that community to be rebuilt. Then everyone would have to step in and build structures. The sense of community is present in indigenous communities. The individual is not the focus, they are part of a unit. If this unit does not survive the individual will also perish.
The following video from YouTube looks at how we view ourselves in the world and how we are manipulated by the media. He also says do you want the "puppet on the left or the puppet on the right" as if there are only two options.
These two solutions of non-neoliberalism are what I consider non-binary solutions. In a neoliberalism perspective all solutions are either one or another. In computer science this would be considered either 0 or 1. Our 0 or 1 would be public or private. What I am calling for are solutions that are not binary. They are not 0 or 1, rather they are solutions that are not even conceived. These are the solutions that may develop to a given situation. Regardless the solution will be innovative and more importantly, morally sound. This is where education has the ability to motivate. If we are constantly teaching students to be individualistic and fall prey to the capitalistic model, then we face stagnation and ultimately social failure. Education needs to teach students how to be moral and respectful adults. This way in times of crises they do not turn their back on their fellow man, rather they learn what they can do to help each other. This idea goes against the constraints of capitalism and looks at solutions that are much greater than capitalism. These are non-neoliberalism solutions and they are the future.
As a future teacher I need to focus on how I can make my students conscious of other students. It may not have to be in the form of a project. Rather it may come from my respect for them. Ideas of moral are transferrable through example, therefore if respect is shown, respect will be received.
These two solutions of non-neoliberalism are what I consider non-binary solutions. In a neoliberalism perspective all solutions are either one or another. In computer science this would be considered either 0 or 1. Our 0 or 1 would be public or private. What I am calling for are solutions that are not binary. They are not 0 or 1, rather they are solutions that are not even conceived. These are the solutions that may develop to a given situation. Regardless the solution will be innovative and more importantly, morally sound. This is where education has the ability to motivate. If we are constantly teaching students to be individualistic and fall prey to the capitalistic model, then we face stagnation and ultimately social failure. Education needs to teach students how to be moral and respectful adults. This way in times of crises they do not turn their back on their fellow man, rather they learn what they can do to help each other. This idea goes against the constraints of capitalism and looks at solutions that are much greater than capitalism. These are non-neoliberalism solutions and they are the future.
As a future teacher I need to focus on how I can make my students conscious of other students. It may not have to be in the form of a project. Rather it may come from my respect for them. Ideas of moral are transferrable through example, therefore if respect is shown, respect will be received.
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