I have been for some time be puzzled by the term "indoctrinate". There seems to be sinister meanings surrounding this word which I am still trying to grasp. To me this term simply means "to teach" and I can point to the dictionary for backup when I say this. I could say "The children were indoctrinated with how to behave when there was a fire". This seems to me a quite good and decent thing to do. Children should be taught how to be safe if there is a fire. However this is not how this term is typically used. You are more likely to hear something like, "The young men were indoctrinated by the terror organization." Here we begin to feel an ominous feeling. The young men were not just taught by the terror organization they were indoctrinated! The negative connotation is that indoctrination implies that one is forced to learn something or to be taught to accept something without question.
I do not believe that people should be forced to believe something or be taught to accept things unquestioningly. At least for the most part. It would probably be a good thing if children did accept fire safety tips with out question (Unless they needed clarification of course).
I do not question the possible dangers of indoctrination or in other words of teaching. I simply question if indoctrination is only an instrument of religion or totalitarian regimes. I think that people simply choose to call something indoctrination because they don't agree with what is being taught. I believe there are bad ways to teach good things and for that matter clean, efficient ways to teach bad things. However, I don't think that is what people are really mean when they call something indoctrination. More often than not it is the ideas that we disagree with. Many societies teach their youth that it is an honor to die for their country. Yet we will call one indoctrination and another a civic or moral duty.
I have often heard the argument that religious families indoctrinate their children. I simply wonder what all the other families are supposedly doing?
Yes. I think the original negative connotations for "indoctrinate" arose from intolerance and disdain for religion. Religious families would teach their children what they believed and why they believed it, instructing them, "putting" doctrine "in" them. Therefore a positive word in its true meaning turned into a negative one with its connotation. "Let the child think for himself!" the intolerant cried. Yes. Let's also have the child dress itself and change it's own diapers. Let's have the child put its own food on the table by getting a job. Let's have the child teach itself the colors and shapes and alphabet, because surely it can and must, or else it's not free.
ReplyDeleteIf you don't indoctrinate your children in the very true sense of the word, they end up with spiritual uncleanliness and hunger and thirst and ignorance.