# Why do many conservatives paint the entire public school system with a broad brush? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [June 5, 2021, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-conservatives-paint-the-entire-public-school-system-with-a-broad-brush/943657 "2021-06-05T03:45:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2021, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-conservatives-paint-the-entire-public-school-system-with-a-broad-brush/943657/1 "2021-06-05T03:45:23Z")
In short, they talk about it like it’s some kind of disease? I do suspect that a lot of it is because they’re afraid of their children being exposed to “those people”, whatever that may mean, or being taught something that might lead to them questioning their parents’ views? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2021, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-conservatives-paint-the-entire-public-school-system-with-a-broad-brush/943657/2 "2021-06-05T03:52:11Z")
School teachers belong to a Union, and they hate Unions. Not to mention most teachers Unions are Democratic in leanings. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2021, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-conservatives-paint-the-entire-public-school-system-with-a-broad-brush/943657/3 "2021-06-05T03:56:16Z")
It’s human nature to generalize. Everybody does it. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2021, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-conservatives-paint-the-entire-public-school-system-with-a-broad-brush/943657/4 "2021-06-05T04:02:49Z")
Because they want vouchers from the government to pay for private school for their children. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2021, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-conservatives-paint-the-entire-public-school-system-with-a-broad-brush/943657/5 "2021-06-05T04:18:42Z")
Because conservatives believe that is is a bureaucratic nightmare like the DMV, treats all children in a one size fits all manner, has a bloated administrative staff, is unduly influenced by teachers unions, corrupted by left wing teaching, and consistently passes on those who fail to grasp basic knowledge to inflate government imposed goals. This is GQ, so a more thorough discussion of this shouldn’t be in this category. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2021, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-conservatives-paint-the-entire-public-school-system-with-a-broad-brush/943657/6 "2021-06-05T04:29:55Z")
Feel free to move this thread if you wish. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2021, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-conservatives-paint-the-entire-public-school-system-with-a-broad-brush/943657/7 "2021-06-05T05:13:43Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Feel free to move this thread if you wish Let’s give GD a shot a this one. Moved from GQ to GD. ---
**Author:** ![CorpusNeptune](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/corpusneptune/32/17561_2.png) [@CorpusNeptune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CorpusNeptune)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2021, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-conservatives-paint-the-entire-public-school-system-with-a-broad-brush/943657/8 "2021-06-05T05:26:32Z")
Because conservatives are stupid closed-minded assholes. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2021, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-conservatives-paint-the-entire-public-school-system-with-a-broad-brush/943657/9 "2021-06-05T05:32:53Z")
This. Any time a conservative talks about education, their hatred for teacher unions shows up within the first few sentences. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2021, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-conservatives-paint-the-entire-public-school-system-with-a-broad-brush/943657/10 "2021-06-05T05:39:45Z")
The most outrageous thing I’ve heard one - and it was someone I know personally who has a master’s degree - was that public school teachers can take girls to get abortions during the school day without their parents’ knowledge or consent. I asked her where that happened, and she couldn’t tell me (go figure). ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2021, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-conservatives-paint-the-entire-public-school-system-with-a-broad-brush/943657/11 "2021-06-05T05:40:52Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > Because conservatives believe that is is a bureaucratic nightmare like the DMV, treats all children in a one size fits all manner, has a bloated administrative staff, is unduly influenced by teachers unions, corrupted by left wing teaching, and consistently passes on those who fail to grasp basic knowledge to inflate government imposed goals. Conservatives may say this but clearly don’t believe it since their only proposals are to cut funding for education and try to pass laws limiting educational content. What you have stated is simply an example of the OP’s premise, not an explanation for it. ---
**Author:** ![CorpusNeptune](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/corpusneptune/32/17561_2.png) [@CorpusNeptune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CorpusNeptune)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2021, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-conservatives-paint-the-entire-public-school-system-with-a-broad-brush/943657/12 "2021-06-05T05:41:44Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > public school teachers can take girls to get abortions during the school day without their parents’ knowledge or consent. What the fuck Where did she get this knowledge Wow, just wow ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2021, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-conservatives-paint-the-entire-public-school-system-with-a-broad-brush/943657/13 "2021-06-05T05:45:53Z")
Knowledge? I think she made it up, or it was a meme she saw somewhere and believed it. Even if it was true, it would be a horrific violation of professional boundaries. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2021, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-conservatives-paint-the-entire-public-school-system-with-a-broad-brush/943657/14 "2021-06-05T07:14:09Z")
What I see more often is talking like their own public school system is fine, but that the whole thing in general is horrible. I think it’s just the idea that something the government does could actually be good. They don’t notice or what to accept that the schools that underperform tend to have lower per-student funding, and that socializing the costs **more** would be the solution. If we pooled all the tax money for schools and then fairly handed it out to each school, things would be better. If private schools had to pay taxes to fund public institutions for the privilege of being to skip public schooling, that would get more funding. Conservatives seem to me to believe that there is some sort of natural order where there are some people who are better than others, and deserve more. Exactly how those groups are divided changes—though the conservatives always consider _themselves_ as part of the superior group. That way, if conditions are bad for some people (who are not them) it can just be the natural order of things, rather than a problem that needs to be fixed. Such a belief lends itself well to lowercase-c conservatism, which is about preserving the status quo. ---
**Author:** ![DemonTree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/demontree/32/8646_2.png) [@DemonTree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DemonTree)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2021, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-conservatives-paint-the-entire-public-school-system-with-a-broad-brush/943657/15 "2021-06-05T07:52:41Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Conservatives may say this but clearly don’t believe it since their only proposals are to cut funding for education and try to pass laws limiting educational content. What you have stated is simply an example of the OP’s premise, not an explanation for it. Main proposals I have seen are vouchers, charter schools, and on an individual level, homeschooling to avoid the public school system. ---
**Author:** ![DemonTree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/demontree/32/8646_2.png) [@DemonTree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DemonTree)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2021, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-conservatives-paint-the-entire-public-school-system-with-a-broad-brush/943657/16 "2021-06-05T07:59:39Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Conservatives seem to me to believe that there is some sort of natural order where there are some people who are better than others, and deserve more. Yes, it’s called meritocracy. The idea is that some people are smarter/more talented/work harder than others and should be rewarded for that. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2021, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-conservatives-paint-the-entire-public-school-system-with-a-broad-brush/943657/17 "2021-06-05T08:12:24Z")
> [@DemonTree](#): > > Yes, it’s called meritocracy. The idea is that some people are smarter/more talented/work harder than others and should be rewarded for that. Unless the people on top are the other guys, then they credit it to fraud and conspiracy. ---
**Author:** ![its\_the\_daddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bb73d2/32.png) [@its\_the\_daddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/its_the_daddy)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2021, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-conservatives-paint-the-entire-public-school-system-with-a-broad-brush/943657/18 "2021-06-05T08:27:39Z")
You may like to see what “Public School” means in the UK. [Public school (United Kingdom) - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_school_(United_Kingdom)) Aspirationally at least, **all** Conservatives in the UK went to a public school! “Public schools are not [funded from public taxes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State-funded_schools_(England)).” Although they do enjoy charitable status for tax purposes. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2021, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-conservatives-paint-the-entire-public-school-system-with-a-broad-brush/943657/19 "2021-06-05T08:47:07Z")
The answer is actually very simple. Conservatives (defined as those who identify as American Republicans, not necessarily intelligent traditional conservatives) hate public schools for the same reason that they hate universities. These are all institutions that impart knowledge, and since Republican beliefs are mostly counter-factual, facts and knowledge are a threat to their belief system. They consider it intolerable to have their tax money pay to teach their children about things like evolution, climate change, environmental responsibility, and gender and racial equality. ---
**Author:** ![DemonTree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/demontree/32/8646_2.png) [@DemonTree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DemonTree)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2021, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-conservatives-paint-the-entire-public-school-system-with-a-broad-brush/943657/20 "2021-06-05T09:55:53Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Unless the people on top are the other guys, then they credit it to fraud and conspiracy. Then they’re rationalising. Many people do this when reality contradicts what they believe. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-conservatives-paint-the-entire-public-school-system-with-a-broad-brush/943657.md?page=2)