How the Academic Performance Cult is like the Religious Right

Parent Cafe
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<p>As a liberal and a former member of the Academic Performance Cult, I see many parallels between the Religious Right and the Academic Performance Cult:

  1. In the world of the Religious Right, evolution, sex, homosexuality, and atheism are taboo. In the world of the Academic Performance Cult, getting enough sleep each night and doing things that aren’t perceived to count towards college admissions are taboo.
  2. Religious fundamentalists see those who don’t participate in their agenda as sinners or infidels. Academic performance fundamentalists see those who don’t participate in their agenda as slackers who don’t live up to their potential.
  3. Outsiders consider people in both these groups to be kooky and extremist.
  4. Both groups oppose the freedom of the individual. The religious fundamentalists oppose the freedom of the individual because that means freedom to have sex, do drugs, or be gay. Academic fundamentalists oppose the freedom of the individual because that means the freedom to achieve less academically.
  5. The religious fundamentalists imply that perfect people gain salvation and go to heaven (and in the case of Islam, the land of 72 horny virgins). The academic fundamentalists imply that the perfect people gain salvation, go to Harvard, and live happily ever after.
  6. The religious fundamentalists impose their will on the people by mandating “Evolution is only a theory” stickers on textbooks, passing laws that allow schools to exclude evolution in the science curriculum, and passing laws that ban gay marriage. The academic fundamentalists impose their will on the kids by eliminating recess in grade schools, mandating a greater quantity of homework at earlier and earlier ages, and adding summer homework to classes that are supposed to only be in session during the regular school year.</p>
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<p>jhsu, I got a laugh out of that. I guess it was too hot for the parents thread. Be careful they burn heretics at the stake in an age of fundamentalism which we seem to be entering. Never forget an idle mind is the devils workshop.</p>

<p>I think there is much truth to your post and it would have made a great college essay for the “right” school. Maybe MIT could admit you since they are allegedly looking for more kids that just like to have fun. I chuckled a year or so ago when an MIT admissions officer said they were looking for such light hearted spirits, (with perfect GPA, SAT I’ and II’ s and gobs of national competition awards, of course.) I think the guy was risking having some overwrought prospects or parents shooting him…</p>

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<p>I needed that…</p>

<p>I would add: </p>

<p>If you don’t follow the rules of either group, you will go to Hell or a state college</p>

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<p>From many of the posts we’ve been seeing, it appears that state college IS hell.</p>

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<p>No, you’ve got it wrong. The religious right is more tolerant. </p>

<p>The religious right folks take reformed sinners with open arms.</p>

<p>The APC believes that ‘slackers’ should burn in unrecognized, uncompensated hell. Forever.</p>

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<p>Hmm, then there’s the purgatory of community college :).</p>

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<p>The “Social Engineers” [of the left] vs. the “Religious Traditionalists” [of the right] </p>

<p>in a grudge match-- to the death --over the soul of Harvard!</p>

<p>One of them will survive to become the future leaders of America [who?]; I say history repeats itself and drop a coin on the “Neurotic Left APC’s.”</p>

<p>…it’s a knock-out before the opening bell has even sounded! The suburbs take a big sigh of relief in the high expectation of a big pay-off [unaware of the pitiful payout on those odds] content that the future is in good-hands…sort of?!</p>

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<p>Doing pennance and praying/writing pleading “take me off the waitlist letters”</p>

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<p>Where is Daniel Webster when you need him?</p>

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<p>Love this post. More truth in it, though, than many care to admit. </p>

<p>God forbid, a person may wind up NOT spending 180+K for undergrad, live a happy life, be socially adjusted, get a great job, and die having completed a full life with success, love, wisdom, a sense of fulfillment…and never having tasted of the Ivy/eilte school fruit. What is the world coming to!</p>

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<p>More more more</p>

<p>$$$- we need more $$ to build another wing to the church so we can help more people get to heaven</p>

<p>$$$- we need your alumni $$ to build that gym so we can teach YOUR child (if we let them in hint hint) about the way to connections</p>