A Financial Fantasy

In his book, The End of Education, Neil Postman expounds the flaws in the modern American education system and refutes the ideas of multiple narratives as means of connecting education with value. Postman, a former schoolteacher, rightfully points out that these traditional methods of explaining the purposes, or “ends” of education are wearing out. In his most resonant commentary on these traditionally perceived ends, Postman asserts that “the god of Economic Utility…offers a covenant of sorts with [students]: If you will pay attention in school, and do your homework, and score well on tests, and behave yourself, you will be rewarded with a well-paying job when you are done” (Postman). But in the Darwinian economy of today, this narrative is becoming harder and harder for students to achieve. Furthermore, the god of Economic Utility has clouded our vision in terms of what school subjects are valuable. The long-held grasp on the god of Economic Utility, in the pure denotation of the phrase, has fostered a society in which it is believed that the most valuable subjects taught in school are those that relate to practical careers and a stable income. From this list of subjects, we are conditioned to exclude liberal arts as it is wrongly assumed that there are hardly any “useful jobs” associated with the studies of English and the humanities. On the contrary, the president of Dickinson College, William G. Durden, argues that degrees in liberal arts are what gave him the tools of communication and experience that opened doors to a variety of fields, such as being “a military officer, a pre-collegiate teacher, administrator, and coach.” So we see that liberal arts can actually create a well-rounded individual and broaden job opportunities. On a final note, this narrative of Economic Utility is not only evident in school, but in the workplace as well. Many live under the false conception that one who works hard at their job will somehow elevate their career. However, in the competitive job market of today, it comes to no surprise that the American underemployment rate accounts for a soaring 17% of the population.

Many Americans take pride in their cultural value of having a strong of work ethic, but in then end, clinging too tightly to this value has a rendered a society with many who want to work hard but with little work to be done. Isn’t this consistent with what Alduous Huxley suggested would be the fate of society, that “what we love will ruin us” (Postman)?

Works Cited 

Durden, William G. "Essay on the Idea of a Useful Liberal Arts." N.p.: InsideHigherEd.com, 2012. N. pag. Print. 

Postman, Neil. Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business. New York: Viking, 1985. Print. 

Postman, Neil. The End of Education: Redefining the Value of School. New York: Knopf, 1995. Print. 

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

At the grand opening of the American Museum of Natural History’s “Aquapolis 2060” exhibit, children and adults alike lined the well-known exterior staircase eagerly trying to peek through the doors to catch a glimpse of the display. The time was 7:45 AM and the museum was not supposed to open for another 15 minutes. Meanwhile, jolly coffee and pretzel vendors tried to appeal to rowdy parents and children who had rushed from their homes without breakfast to ensure earliest access to the exhibit. Chaperones attempted to herd excited schoolchildren that wore bright green t-shirts into buddy groups. Through the morning breeze drifted stray balloons and plastic bags adorned with the fuzzy face that symbolized the event.

The time was 8:00 AM and the doors of the museum burst with visitors. Frantic employees hurried to scan everyone’s e-tickets. Aquapolis 2060 was underway. The ceiling and walls had been re-engineered to exude the effect of being underwater, yet children and parents could stroll the tiled floors while observing the models and machinations of familiar organisms. Goldfish and sea bass swam through the air in an intertwined fashion while octopi and manta rays danced on the ledges of the corridor. But all of this animation was merely background noise to the main attraction. In the center of the room lay a single, icy platform, and on it, a sleeping, white bear. Curious toddlers loudly inquired what alien creature they were looking at. To parents, the animal before them was representative of their childhood, a thing of the past. They solemnly explained to their children that what lay on that single icy platform was a polar bear.

The North Pole is predicted to be the frigid home to as many as 20 mammal species, 100 bird species, and 400 fish species. Among these species are the beluga and killer whales, the puffin, the albatross, artic cod, and of course, the polar bear. While humans would find it difficult surviving in Arctic temperatures, these creatures have no problem toughing the -40 degree weather. As in all ecological systems, the creatures that live in this environment are inherently interdependent on one another. A break in the web of life that defines the existence of these animals could result in the collapse of the entire community. So, a polar bear preys on seals for food, and a seal preys on fish for food. But recently, the biggest predator that these arctic animals face is the changing global climate.

It is traditionally believed that increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have coincided with global warming. These gases predominantly include carbon dioxide, methane, and various nitrous oxides. When these gases float into the atmosphere, they capture heat energy produced by the sun, resulting in a steady increase in the Earth’s temperature. While these gases possess different heat trapping abilities, no gas is nearly as concentrated in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, which is generally why the cause of global warming is considered in terms of increasing carbon dioxide emissions.

The effect of global warming on ice caps in the North Pole is drastic. Due to global warming, temperatures in the Arctic Circle are increasing twice as fast as they are anywhere else in the world. Consequently, ice coverage in the Arctic has decreased at a rate of 9% per decade. Because of this, scientists predict that the North Pole could be ice-free by the year 2100. For instance, the 3000 year-old Ward Hunt Ice Shelf, the largest block of ice in the Arctic, split all the way through from 2000 to 2002 and is now breaking into smaller pieces (“Global Warming Puts…”). 

As the Arctic environment continues to shift, the local ecology is severely affected. Not without struggle, walruses, whales, and polar bears must adapt their migration habits and their diets. I refer to polar bears again because they are among the most at-risk species in the Arctic. As icecaps continue to subdivide, the living space of polar bears becomes restricted, which in turn increases the scarcity of food. They are then forced to travel longer distances to find sustenance. Many cubs can’t survive these journeys, so they die along that way. Due to these harsh living conditions, scientists expect a vast majority of polar bears to disappear by the year 2050 (“Global Warming and…”).

"Guys?"

So what can we do to reduce global warming, slow the melting of the ice caps, and prevent the extinction of polar bears? Most of these changes can be effected through the individual’s consciousness of their carbon footprint, or in other words, one’s awareness of how much carbon dioxide they are emitting into the atmosphere. To avoid large carbon footprints, we can avoid using gas-powered vehicles when possible, use less hot water, and buy energy efficient products. While we can greatly delay the length it takes for global warming to deteriorate the Earth, global warming is still inevitable. We are committed to the climate change caused by the greenhouse gases we have already put in the atmosphere. What we can impact is future climate change by reducing the greenhouse gases we put into the atmosphere today. As a result, the question concerning the survival of the polar bear species becomes not whether we can keep them alive, but how long we can keep them alive for.

Works Cited 

"Global Warming and Polar Bears." National Wildlife Federation. National Wildlife Federation, n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2013. 

"Global Warming Puts the Arctic on Thin Ice." National Resources Defense Council. National Resources Defense Council, 22 Nov. 2005. Web. 22 Sept. 2013.