Stupid In America With John Stossel

I remember the stir that was made when Stupid In America with John Stossel was first released.

I understand that it will be re-shown Friday September 1, 2006 at 10:00pm on ABC, both Eastern & Pacific time. Check your local listings to be sure - this one is worth recording.

The presentation is hard hitting and balanced - so expect cries of "unfair" from those that think Uncle Joe Stalin was a centrist.

Now for a curve.

An opposite presentation from a documentary, adults may want to watch the movie Accepted. The movie is entertaining. It has the normal bad taste scenes that ensure it wasn't slapped with a G rating. This is a far from reality comedy, but it still makes some good points.

Both of these shows reflect accelerating disenchantment with the bureaucratic education industry. It is encouraging that two such different approaches display the same theme.

That is good news.

The first step toward serious reform is to realize that gradualist methods will not be sufficient to remake an archaic and broken educational system. Throwing more money at failed systems is certainly not the answer.

The solution probably involves continuing to build learning alternatives outside of the existing moribund organizations.

Do watch Stupid In America, and don't be harsh with those adults that choose to watch the movie Accepted.

Both offer cogent arguments for dismantling public education and starting over.


Allan Wallace

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Indie Rock - Indie College - Indie Music

It looks like indie music may be traveling the same route as Bastiat Free University. Perhaps we are following as an indie college.


From free accessibility and on to bits and pieces that can be mixed and remixed by the end user.

Freedom for the consumer is increasing. (here is a cool indie video)

The education industry is even more compulsive than the music industry about control. Using tools such as accreditation, transferability of units, and marketing campaigns they force students into their industrial age molds.

BFU lets you work it from the other end.

Pick the courses that excite you and promise to deliver the learning you want and need. Modify the pieces to fit you and your passions.

As part of the Netcohort the future is available now. You do not have to see the value of your degree decline as the bureaucracies deflate and implode. get outside the box.

Start your own business.

Create your own learning tools.

Return to school - but on your own terms.

Return to school - but do it for yourself this time.


Indie music is headed toward personalization - eventually all of education will have to travel the same liberating route.

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Achievement Certification Programs At BFU

The Bastiat Free University achievement certification program is a work in progress.

Due to recent student input the need for creating a more structured program for those that work best under deadline conditions has become apparent.

The old adage that fear of loss is a greater motivator than hope for gain also became apparent.

A special thanks goes out to Alice for her input on this certificate program.

This will not in any way displace our current offerings - it will just offer a different route to successful learning than our basic fare.

The Achievement certificate program will also offer a shorter term goal than degree acquisition.

The certificate earned will be a direct and visible representation of learning - frame it and put it up on your wall.

Professional certification is still in the brain storming arena, there will be lots of commotion, results are pending.

Take a look at our half finished Certificate Program page and let me know what you think of the idea.

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We Have Received Some Good Feedback

The prior post asked for feedback.

That post was a copy of an e-mail sent to students, and they have responded. Their replies have been quite helpful.

Yes we know BFU is still ugly and looks home built. We have finally added Pretty to our to do list - although as a priority 'c' for now.

There were a few comments about our mix of courses. We are not satisfied, but for now we will probably not add many additional courses - except perhaps a language school. You are free to pick and choose from any of our college classes - create your own curriculum.

We will be adding material to several of the courses, but that is also on the to do list, priority 'b.'

The primary concern was one of time. Many students were just too busy to pursue both life and Bastiat Free University. One student suggested charging for access - folks value what they pay for. There is already a small charge if you are working toward a degree. Any other comments on charging?

Several said they were starting new businesses - and that limited their available time for now. Congratulations to them. The education they acquire from action in business will teach them more than any business school. They are welcome to keep dropping in and finding help at BFU whenever time permits.

BFU is not for everyone, in fact it is probably a pretty narrow group that can motivate themselves to learn without constant pressure from an establishment. Concentrate on learning what you need or want - study your passions.

If you are one of those that have found BFU entirely not to your liking - your vision and our vision may have just been too far apart for us to work together. Let me encourage you to go out and start your own knowledge resource site.

There will be changes at Bastiat Free University as we correct some of the errors and omissions you have uncovered - thank you.

If you have complaints or ideas - let us know - as a college student you should be in charge of your own learning.


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Help Us - Help You

I have just added something similar to the following at the registration / entry page for BFU.

Our goal is to serve self-directed visionary students.

We are a long way from doing that as well as can be done.

You will notice the "How To Take A Class' page - that was a response to an e-mail from a frustrated student. There were probably several students that left BFU over the same frustration - and never let us know. It will be better when we can figure out a simpler class structure, but in the meantime providing instructions was required.

Our resources are very limited - but our goals are directed toward you, the student. BFU is evolving as quickly as we can address our short comings, but we need your help.

If you have an idea on a new class, if you are encountering problems accessing any feature, in fact if you have any feed back at all, please let us know. We know you hear this sort of thing all the time from bureaucracies - who then respond with inappropriate form letters.

We will respond, after we have considered and addressed any problems or opportunities. Our reply will be personal - you can again then let us know how we perform if you wish.

It makes sense to have students grade the school. Do it right here in the comments for all to see. Students use the services of their college - they should be in charge.

We have no plans to build a library, the Internet provides that. We do not intend to become accredited - we would have to take the free out of Bastiat Free University to do that. We will not conform to others visions of what a university should be.

What we will continue to do is strive to provide college level learning. Our target students are those that desire to prepare for a world that is already far different than standard formal education acknowledges.

• We will make mistakes - please point them out.

• Some of our systems will fail - please report problems encountered quickly.

• We will miss opportunities to serve our students - please share your ideas.

We will try not only to listen, but to understand.

After your experiences with the more formal industrial age education we can understand your doubts of our sincerity, we sometimes doubt ourselves.

We can leave this here:

If you want to direct your own education and take responsibility for your own learning - we want to help.

Help Us - Help You by letting us know where we need to improve.

Right now you can tell us in the comments what frustrates you most about BFU, or in general on the Internet.

Obviously inept and uncaring customer service has troubled me.

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Homeschool or Unschool Yourself

We all know the benefits of homeschooling and unschooling - the student learns more.

Why then should a college student deny themselves the benefits of self-directed learning just to get a college degree?

A college degree is valuable - if it is from an accredited college - and if you want a career as a wage slave in a cubicle cell.

The value of a college degree is as a personal marketing tool - and increasingly may not be worth the investment of years of time and tens of thousands of dollars in fees and deferred earnings.

If what you really want is to learn, start today to learn what you want to know - you do not need college structures to succeed at learning - in fact they may be a hindrance.

Society is changing - and the educational tools of the industrial age will be inappropriate for the Netcohort Age.

What you will need in the coming age is not a certificate - but useful knowledge and a solid reputation.

Invest in developing yourself - when your present job is outsourced, merged, downsized, or capsized -- start your own business.

Apply the knowledge you have acquired.

College degrees will respond to supply and demand just like everything else in a free economy. If you have noticed everyone wants to have a college degree - and many people seem to be headed for increasingly oversupplied Master's degrees, or beyond.

You may also have found that in many ways a formal college education teaches archaic concepts that do not apply in the real world - and are a detriment to those that have studied in such an institution.

Your self-directed learning may have a much higher correlation with reality.

As a college student - homeschool yourself.

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