Dear Indyvidual,

There is a fundamental difference between not making you happy and taking your happiness away, between not defending you and taking away your defence.

Nobody owes you either happiness or protection.
If someone chooses to protect you, then be happy and at least say "Thank you".
If they choose not to, then look in the mirror and investigate why you and/or your organisation(s) are not deserving of protection.

Nobody has to love you either.
If some do love you, then rejoice and be grateful.
If nobody does, that does not give you a right to demand that those of loving age must come and satisfy your desires.

Nobody owes you either happiness or protection.
Yuyutsu,
Granted however, people, Leftists in particular, do demand & expect others to respect their 'Rights" & "entitlements". That being the case gives or at least should give the provider Rights also, the "Right" to demand the provided for also contribute. Ideological philosophical rhetoric may sound warm'n fozzy but that's all it is.

A laughable quote from Indy,

"progress has been made is largely by ordinary people's tinkering in back sheds"....I think he believes nonsense like that.

Both the extreme right and left, have a distorted view of the mass of ordinary people, what the Communists refer to as "the proletariat" some noble class making up the bulk of humanity. People like CM, see this mass as a group to be controlled, a mass of people to serve his totalitarian police state run by a dictator. These guys see education as a danger to their well ordered society, a new group of thinking people which threatens their dominance and control. That is why the extreme always fear education as they are aware of the consequences it brings for themselves.

These guys see education as a danger to their well ordered society, a new group of thinking people which threatens their dominance and control.
Paul1405,
Totally & utterly without substance. On the contrary, it's the Academic elite or rather the sector of Academia that produces nothing but disruptive nonsense such as wokeness & PC. Just read your own replies ! They're the ones getting jittery as soon as someone draws attention to their uselessness & they panic when they can't produce any evidence of merit. That's why I keep saying think symbiosis not parasitism !

Indyvidual,

People who've lost so much having lived through wars
came to realize the importance of education which
they passed onto their children. Education to them was
something no one could take away. It's something that
helps us reach our full potential, teaches us the skills
for the job we want, helps us figure out how to make
things and find solutions to different problems.

Studying is hard work. Especially if
you're working full time and trying to raise a family.
But it is well worth the effort. And on Graduation
some may be lucky enough to hear the words shouted -
"That's MY Mum!" echoing through the auditorium.

And being considered "elite?" Not sure about that.
Most students and faculty members simply get on with
getting things done to the best of their abilities
and breathe a sigh of relief when the job is done.
It's mainly hard work - not elitism. Made even harder
with cut backs in funding.

Foxy,
I don't disagree totally. There's education & then there's education. I'm not & never will be convinced that the past/present system of education for education's sake is the answer.
We must educate people to their level of competence so they can be of benefit to society & themselves. To keep pushing them into incompetence is what we're coping with now.
That's why if we don't pull our socks up, conscription will be re-introduced out of pure necessity
People need to be able to differentiate between their own limits & competence rather than a simplistic "Right". If it comes to defend this country we'll need everyone to chip in not just the handful of naturally common sense folk, the useless will be of some use too once they're made to see the alternative.