Blog 10

First, I think it is very important to recap on the class discussion about turning people into faster, more efficient robot-like workers. This whole idea, Taylorism, wants to improve labor productivity to the maximum and the workers do not really have to think much because that is the managers job. It takes out all social connection and each process is broken down into specific jobs that are repeated over and over again.

After reading " The Next University Drive-Thru U.: Higher Education for People Who Mean Business", it shocked me how much the University of Phoenix resembles Taylorism in an educational aspect. The main goal of this university is the product, and the fastest way possible to that "product" also known as a degree. It also wants to do this in the cheapest way possible where the Traub says "The 'practitioner' system also allowed the university to delivier coursework far more cheaply than its competitors." These instructers could be your high-end business man trying to make some extra cash, not the classic professor whose goal obviously is not the money, but the greater good of his class (hopefully). The founder is an economic historian, so he has very good knowledge of the demands of the market and how to make money by satistisfying them. Who hasn't seen the University of Phoenix ad on TV??

The next article was the "Technology Versus African Americans" which discusses why African Americans are fully equipt in the technology world. It goes back to the slave trade coming to the Americas, and from then on technology has "worked against" this racial population. Personally, it looks to be more economical than racial, though this author does not share the same opinion. I do not think that many African American children sit in a classroom and think of their ancestors and that is why they do not use or have a computer. It seems to be more inner-city related financial problems and since that is where this population is, they experience the technology lag. I am not economist or sociologist, but the Walton says "inner-city blacks in particular are in danger" and I believe that this is where the focus should be. I work at Taft Elementary, which is an inner-city school that lack the technology because of the lack of fundings. Though most are African American, it seems to be the more hardship of finding the money than because of a certain race.