Piles of books on pupil’s table.

The founding fathers conceptualized a nation free from oppression and open to expression, yet the institutions tasked with cultivating the youth are given the capability to ravage core American values.

Every student ponders their obligation to school. Isn’t it hypocritical that we are raised under principles of freedom only to have that idea suppressed for the first 18 years of life? But decade after decade, swaths of children neglect the answer and endure 12 years of government mandated schooling. I am predisposed to the same logic and I finally want to dispel the common beliefs.

The institution of schooling is rooted in fascism.

Merriam-Webster defines fascism as “a tendency toward or actual exercise of strong autocratic or dictatorial control.”

Don’t get me wrong, school is useful for basic intellectual training but its permissible practices can be justly interpreted as fascism. The movie “Dead Poets Society” demonstrates this perfectly. Set at an all-boys school meant to foster the best and the brightest, life most closely resembles boot camp rather than identity through knowledge. The central theme of advocating civil disobedience in a culture groomed to detest it applies to much more than the humanities as movie outlines.

The entire philosophy of the school in the movie was rooted in fascist ideology. Administration stressed conformity, suppression and discipline. Those that act outside of the acceptable behaviors were swiftly and forcefully punished.

This is a fictional work of cinema but the fact that it is based in realism and pragmatism is what’s most scary. Schools hold the ability to teach students in the exact same manner as what is depicted in the movie and it exists well within their purpose and boundaries. What most reinforces how the mindset behind schooling is fascist is how the school in the movie never betrayed its primary duty to the students which is delivering education.

The search for pupil identity was a forfeited endeavor. It was to be invested in only as a characteristic of conformed activities which defeats the entire purpose.

What is depicted in “Dead Poets Society” is an extreme example, but to 21st century students the mindset of fascism is still prominent.

According to philosopher Cevin Soling, fascism in schooling is inherent.

“Children are forced to be in school, often against their will, and they also concede that dissent, which by its nature is disruptive, is routinely suppressed in schools and that the student population is required to engage in activities that demand their mental and physical compliance at all times or face unpleasant consequences – they will reflexively reject the blatantly obvious statement that schools are fascist institutions,” Soling said.

Soling later adds that the most fruitful learning will come from opposing fascism in any form.

A more specific demonstration of this fascism in modern schooling would simply be school start times.

Adolescents require eight to 10 hours of sleep to be considered to have healthy sleeping patterns according to the National Sleep Foundation. Unfortunately, only 15 percent of adolescents report getting at least eight hours of sleep per night.

This lack of sleep that a majority of adolescents experience has been linked to mental health issues, learning and behavior issues, substance use and abuse, obesity, and dependence on sleep and anxiety medication.

Despite these facts, school start times have, on the whole, stayed the same. The authoritative control of students sleep schedules coupled with the health impacts of that control qualify modern American schooling as fascist.

I am not subliminally sending shots at your principal but I am sending shots at what schooling represents in relation to its most essential mission.

The youth are told they have to wait 18 years to be considered full U.S. citizens and are simultaneously told that the 18 years are essential to grow necessary knowledge and understanding. The youth are tasked with being the next innovators and creators that contribute not only to our country but humanity. To be frank, I think the youth need as much sleep as they can get in order to fill the shoes of those that came before them.

Maybe you will fall back into the habits of your ancestors and sit back and just let things play out how they are. But maybe you’ll take Soling’s word and make it your ethical imperative to challenge fascism in every form.

Nevertheless, in whatever decision you make, you legitimize the essence of the U.S. that is undeniable – you have a choice. A choice to conform, a choice to strike, a choice to fight the standing laws. In anything that you do, carpe diem.

Photo courtesy of southerneducation.org.

In an attempt to limit loss of life and injury, about one million people were evacuated before the storm, including tens of thousands of tourists. Still, the storm and its after-effects killed 10 people and caused monumental physical damage. No major injuries were reported outside of the fatalities.

Storm surges partially engulfed northern villages and left entire communities homeless. Trees and telegraph poles collapsed throughout the island, making communication with remote towns increasingly difficult. In Havana, the streets flooded up a street about six blocks from the shore that people often use as a reference point in the city. At the shore, water and debris came over a seawall and contributed to the devastation.

Street flooding prompted emergency services to go from home to home on boats to rescue the elderly and sick. Havana’s cherished neighborhood of Vedado was underwater for days. Additional damage included large power outages in Havana and in the central province of Camaguey. It could take weeks for power to be restored, and the government says it is working around the clock to restore major transmission and power lines.

Despite the damage in Havana, the storm only skimmed the city. The cities under the eye of the storm, Caibarién and Cayo Coco, experienced more extensive devastation. The roof of the international airport in Cayo Coco caved in during the storm.

The aid and relief efforts will take weeks, if not months, to mitigate the devastation. Food and water are in low supply; the United Nations’ preliminary report suggested that 3.1 million Cubans did not have running water after the storm. As of Sept. 18, some 26,000 people were in shelters. The Cuban government agreed to finance 50 percent of the cost of materials to rebuild or repair homes Irma damaged, yet the details of this arrangement are unclear and could leave significant cost on the victims of the hurricane.

The Cuban government has refused aid from large, American-based charity organizations in the past, for political reasons, so little U.S.-based aid is available to Cuba. Cuba’s main need is food. However, the Cuban government would need to approve any food shipments from American organizations. To receive aid from the U.S., Cuba must request help, which the nation has yet to do. The American organizations Catholic Charities and the Cuban American National Foundation are raising funds to help Cuba, but the strict travel restrictions make other kinds of aid difficult. Because of the U.S. embargo on Cuba, the island is not able to join the International Monetary Fund or the World Bank, both of which would provide infrastructure loans.

Venezuela’s government sent 7.3 tons of humanitarian aid to Cuba. The U.N. is providing large amounts of food, roofs, mattresses and other necessities

Photo Courtesy of ABC News.

After the initial rounds of the tournament, four countries advanced to the championship round: The Netherlands, Japan, Puerto Rico and the United States.

In the championship game, the United States blanked Puerto Rico 8-0 under the leadership of Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Marcus Stroman. Stroman was ultimately named Most Valuable Player of the WBC. In three starts, he posted a 2.35 ERA. In the championship game, he allowed just one hit through six innings on the mound.

Their win in the WBC finals was a special moment for Team USA, as this is the United States’ first WBC title. Texas Rangers’ catcher Jonathan Lucroy described the moment, saying, “It was an amazing feeling. You’re not representing an individual team, but an entire country.”

The victory was especially sweet for the players who chose to represent the United States, as they felt let down by many of their peers. Star players like Madison Bumgarner, Clayton Kershaw, Mike Trout and Bryce Harper opted not to participate in the WBC. Many Team USA players feel that their victory may have reconciled this for future WBC games. Lucroy said, “I can’t see anyone turning this down again, not after seeing what we did. I think we’ve changed how everyone will look at the WBC.”

Manager Jim Leyland said, “I don’t mean this to sound wrong, but up until this point the other countries were probably into this event a little bit more than the United States. But we had players that wanted to be here, and that’s the players you want.”

After their first WBC title, the US hopes that they have made the WBC a bigger deal in the eyes of Americans.