Offered, With Comment

"And right here, in this closing statement, I would like to describe my firsthand experience of running afoul of this system. Our schooling, which is where the personality begins to form in a social context, effectively ignores any particularities of the individual. There is no 'individual approach,' no study of culture, of philosophy, of basic knowledge about civic society. Officially, these subjects do exist . . .  And as a result, we see the marginalization of contemporary art in the public consciousness, a lack of motivation for philosophical thought, and gender stereotyping. The concept of the human being as a citizen gets swept away into a distant corner. Today’s educational institutions teach people, from childhood, to live as automatons. Not to pose the crucial questions consistent with their age. They inculcate cruelty and intolerance of nonconformity. Beginning in childhood, we forget our freedom."

These words are part of the statement of one Maria Alyokhina, a member of the Russian rock group Pussy Riot, on the occasion of the group's being sentenced to two years in prison for singing a song "insulting" President Vladimir Putin.

But read it again.

Miss Alyokhina's statement could have been made here.

About out society.

About our educational system.