I love the Stockholm story and the linkage - though I prefer to liken it to battered wife syndrome, instead. The abused understand, to a certain degree, that they are being abused, but they feel so helpless - rendered so by the schools - that they are powerless to stop it. So, they justify it, instead. US used to boast nearly 98% reading proficiency. Now, instead of recognizing our proficiency levels have TANKED, we simply redefine proficiency with a 38% test score (Ohio). It isn't so much that we sympathize with our captors, it's that we feel helplessly that we deserve them.
I love the Stockholm story and the linkage - though I prefer to liken it to battered wife syndrome, instead. The abused understand, to a certain degree, that they are being abused, but they feel so helpless - rendered so by the schools - that they are powerless to stop it. So, they justify it, instead. US used to boast nearly 98% reading proficiency. Now, instead of recognizing our proficiency levels have TANKED, we simply redefine proficiency with a 38% test score (Ohio). It isn't so much that we sympathize with our captors, it's that we feel helplessly that we deserve them.