The British government has made a lot of noises about how important it is to teach kids media literacy. In 2019, for example, the education secretary announced guidance on teaching online safety in schools.

While that’s great in theory, “guidance” isn’t enough. You’ve got to put your money where your mouth is and actually invest in education. Ever since the Conservative-led coalition government took power in 2010, funding for education has ( of course!) declined significantly, and we’ve seen the largest cuts to school spending since the 1980s.

It’s no better in the US; underfunding there is so bad that about 94% of public school teachers report having to spend their own money on school supplies. While underfunding disproportionately hurts disadvantaged kids it has a ripple effect on society. There’s no problem in the world that can’t be improved by investing in education. Banning a few anti-vaxxers from Facebook may have short-term benefits but if we want to build healthy societies in the long-term we have to prioritise education and develop nerd immunity. (Arwa Mahdawi, The Guardian, 3/31/2012)

My comments: An actual education (as opposed to taking in the rudiments of the culture with no ability to think for oneself and critically analyze) is singularly lacking, if you see how so many people, armed with the vote, cannot spot a politician lying for his own benefit and the power of his party rather than for the citizen. How some politicians can stand for office is a puzzlement, but how they get elected tells you much about the calibre of the voter.