It’s hard to argue with such a well-reasoned position as that. Usually, one has to argue with climate-change deniers and Trump supporters to experience such levels of intellectual fortitude.

I know it’s crazy, but I like to know what kind of a life a person has led, what they do, what they think, how they treat others, etc., BEFORE I decide that they’re my enemy.

That’s not what a pederast is.

“Ed Harris... tells us what those rehearsals were like.”

That’s a blessing, I think. As much as I criticize conventional education, I’m glad that it works well for at least some people, and I’m glad it’s there for them.

Even with the very best teachers who have a relatively (but never sufficiently) high amount of freedom, conventional schooling will always fail a good portion of curious, intelligent kids who simply, and understandably, don’t respond well to an age-segregated, authoritarian, graded, standardized, and coercive…

Conventional schools are wonderful places for kids whose personalities mesh well with that environment. Unfortunately, the kids who really hate school rarely have any alternatives.

I’m sure there are some like that. But there are plenty where untroubled, middle-class kids attend.

They do exist in America. And if the day comes when we really care about giving all kids the best education possible, they’ll be available (though never mandatory) to any student who wants to go to one.