Because our schools SUCK. Not 100% of them, but 95+% of them.
The schools do not teach independent, rational thinking, nor do they do a decent job teaching American history or historical American political values.
In fact, they are much more likely to attack them. For example, by claiming that the Founding Fathers were slaveholding bigots, or that early settlers were genocidal. Both of which are oft-repeated claims that are much more false than true.
If we wanted to avoid all this, we would have needed to have separation of School and State, in the same way and for the same reasons we [are supposed to] have separation of Church and State.
But the founders of the USA were mostly slaveholding bigots. In fact, one the greatest free thinkers of his time - Thomas Paine - was ostracized by those founding "fathers" for speaking out against the founders' slavery, religious bigotry, and misogyny.
The larger problem with the NSA and the generalized public, is that the problem is too far removed from everyday life. Most people can't figure out where the 'on' button is to their phone or computer, let alone find and download gpg software - or understand the difference and incompatibilities of S/MIME certs versus pgp keys.
And, of course something can be done about the NSA:
1. Encrypt your email.
2. Don't use Google or gmail.
3. Accept bitcoin for purchases.
However, I imagine many that know better complain about the "man" rather than educate the public and insist on changing their own habits.
In short - it's your fault - you give the NSA the power they have.
> For example, by claiming that the Founding Fathers were slaveholding bigots, or that early settlers were genocidal.
This is not the first time you have attempted to recast the movement towards truth in academics into "real American" victimhood. You may be distressed to find that the world still does not change because of your desires, that it will not ignore the beliefs in black inferiority put forth by men like Jefferson, and that it certainly will not ignore that even as late as the Civil War the people in charge of this country--among them some guy named A. Lincoln--thought it best to deport black people at the end of slavery because they were unable to conceive of an integrated world.
Heroification of impressive-but-flawed individuals has approximately fuck-all to teaching anything of use with regards to this problem. But you know that, you just for some reason have a problem with the idea that the Founding Fathers were, as a product of their time, kind of a bunch of bigoted dudes, and you really have to beat that drum that it upsets you and it's kind of tiring.
Your comment is a completely unwarranted attack on my personal character. Plus, you're arguing about something different from what I was arguing, as if I had argued it. Finally, you're taking a derogatory tone. Your comment is not part of a civil intellectual discussion.
The schools do not teach independent, rational thinking, nor do they do a decent job teaching American history or historical American political values.
In fact, they are much more likely to attack them. For example, by claiming that the Founding Fathers were slaveholding bigots, or that early settlers were genocidal. Both of which are oft-repeated claims that are much more false than true.
If we wanted to avoid all this, we would have needed to have separation of School and State, in the same way and for the same reasons we [are supposed to] have separation of Church and State.