It's been a while: New life, bottled-up thoughts

They want us, me, to look better, to look more "put together" because "put together" makes one appear successful, trustworthy, caring, serious, an individual with promise, dreams, and aspirations. These are all social constructs, but social constructs I have to abide by if I wish to lessen the teachers' discomfort and make some progress in this City Year endeavor. Some might call this "growing up". I call it fitting-in and/or stepping-in-line. Or is it simply being polite or, even, socially responsible? It's a challenging debate, especially in the field of education. Are we "educating" these children, meaning, are we improving them, leading them towards a higher state of earthly existence, or, when we "educate" do we encourage them to mold into an image according to a cultural preference unaccustomed to them, which, theoretically, will lead them towards future success, peace, harmony, potential wealth? What do they lose and what do they gain? In doing this, do we condemn habits and practices that are not blatantly negative, but practices which we do not prefer, practices that they will not prefer (they being the organizations of power, the agents with money, people who can push and pull bodies of energy with relative ease)? Where is the line between social responsibility and oppression?

I've struggled with this question the past few weeks. This is the conflict many African-Americans and Latinos face; how can we reject what is ours and accept what is theirs without destroying our selves? Jesus Christ, white people face it too of course, i.e. myself as I noted above. But I do believe "molding" these children into amalgamations of ourselves and themselves does have its benefits and is good work. There is no changing our culture immediately. We are (or have the potential to) providing them with the tools to live comfortably, to increase their power. Education, in some ways I suppose, is a cooperative process, it is not necessarily dictation or slavery. Individuals accept some ideas, some practices, but reject others (or they just never understand them at all). There are some strictly defined negatives and positives, but how does the "educator" balance them when what is not physically or grossly negative can be detrimental in the "market"? If you can't beat them, join them, right?

Fit in and oppress
join the ranks;
stop no tanks
when they come to crush the revolution.