Education & Culture
Schools, college, free speech, media bias, and Big Tech
8 topics“College should be free. Every other developed country makes it affordable and we're falling behind.”
Nothing is free — someone always pays. Free college would cost $80+ billion annually and largely benefit upper-middle-class families. Most high-demand, high-paying jobs don't require a bachelor's degree. We should expand vocational training, not subsidize four-year degrees for everyone.
“Our schools are failing because they're underfunded. If we just spent more money, kids would do better.”
The U.S. spends over $15,000 per pupil — more than almost every other country. Since 1970, inflation-adjusted spending tripled while test scores flatlined. Washington D.C. spends $31,000 per student with some of the worst outcomes. The problem isn't money — it's how it's spent.
“School vouchers and charter schools just drain money from public schools and leave the poorest kids behind.”
School choice gives poor families the same options rich families already have — the ability to leave a failing school. Studies of D.C.'s voucher program found significant gains for participants, especially Black students. The money should follow the child, not prop up a failing institution.
“Schools should teach kids about gender identity and inclusivity so LGBTQ kids don't feel alone.”
No child should be bullied, and schools should teach kindness to everyone. But teaching contested gender ideology to young children — that biological sex is a spectrum or that kids might be 'born in the wrong body' — goes beyond anti-bullying into activist curriculum that parents should control.
“Banning books from schools is literal fascism. You can't just remove books because they make you uncomfortable.”
No books are banned in America — every one is available at bookstores, libraries, and online. The debate is about age-appropriate content in school libraries. Parents don't want sexually explicit material in elementary schools. That's not fascism — it's parenting.
“Fox News is just right-wing propaganda. It's brainwashing people and it's not real journalism.”
And CNN, MSNBC, the New York Times, and the Washington Post are objective? A study by Arizona State found that major media journalists donate to Democrats over Republicans at a 10-to-1 ratio. One right-leaning outlet among dozens of left-leaning ones isn't the bias problem.
“Social media companies should censor misinformation. Free speech doesn't mean you can spread dangerous lies.”
Who decides what's 'misinformation'? The lab leak theory, Hunter Biden laptop, and vaccine side effects were all censored as misinformation and later proven true. Giving the government or corporations the power to decide truth is far more dangerous than any individual false claim.
“Cancel culture isn't real. It's just accountability. People face consequences for saying terrible things — that's how it should work.”
A FIRE/YouGov survey found 63% of Americans self-censor political views for fear of professional consequences. When a professor can be fired for citing a Chinese word that sounds like a slur, or a teen loses a college admission for a years-old social media post, that's not accountability — it's a chilling effect.