Walden II By Ronnie Sidney April 2002 This book has really opened my eyes up and made me feel that everything that I know has been precisely engineered and taught to me by society. I don't agree with all of Skinners beliefs, but I agree with most of them. I believe that with some behavioral engineering techniques we can get society on the right track. I find this true especially with African Americans. We have been brought from Africa and stripped of our history and religion. Now we have adapted to the American values bestowed upon us by those in power. The mentality of slavery still lingers in this present generation. Its one quote in this book that stands out to me, it says "Those who stand to gain most, are always hardest to convince." Then it goes on to say "That's true of the exploited worker, too- and for the same reason. They have both been kept in their places, not by external force, but much more subtly by beliefs implanted within their skins. Its sometimes an almost hopeless task to take the shackles off their souls." The beliefs of inferiority still shadows on African Americans. That is the reason why we find happiness in excelling over one another instead of as a community. The actions that white America have posed on us have implanted subservient shackles on our souls and a lot of blacks refuse to relinquish them. I refuse to feel lower or inferior to anyone because no one person or race was made better than the next. Skinner goes on to talk about the role of the housewife. In Walden II, the husband and wife are equal and stay in different rooms. She eats from a cafeteria and her kids are taken care of in a nursery. In the nursery, the child's behavior is engineered from the day it is born until it is 10. He also talks about how the child is taught to become less dependent on the mother and father and more on the community. I didn't agree with that. I want my kids for myself, no matter how selfish it may seem. It does give the parent more personal freedom but all the joys of parenthood have been deprived. I believe in Behavior engineering but I also believe in life's lessons. I also believe in behavior modification only if the environment is right. You can't put a child who has manners into an environment with kids who use vulgar language because they will feel its ok to use it. Skinner then talks about how we take advantage of mom or wife by depending on them to cook, clean and take care of the kids. He says that the housewife fails to realize that she can be replaced and that the reason she feels like that is because society makes her feel that it is her duty as a women to take care of home. I find that very true because the mother is taken advantage of and her role is not appreciated. But I still think women belong in the home not corporate America. My mother had a strenuous job and when she got home she was on the phone. So I spent a great majority of my time with my grandmother and looked at her to take my moms place. I loved my grandmother more than my mom and uses my grandmother as a model for what I look for in other women. Skinner then he goes on to talk about education and how schools spend more time in administrating behavior than teaching because of its social structure. He also talks about not giving children grades because not ever kid learns at the same rate. Skinner believes that you shouldn't teach the kids subjects, but techniques. He then talks about the distinguishment of college education and high school and how schools spend a majority of its time motivating its kids to learn. I believe all of these points. I know in my school the teachers spend more time teaching motivation and behavior than school work. Soon, most kids forget why the come to school and forget its to learn because of all of the superficial motivational tools like awards and diplomas. Public schools are the worst because they throw a bunch of kids on different levels in one environment with a few teachers who actually give a damn about the kids. I also don't understand how you can distinguish college from high school. So when a person turns18, they become so smart that they can jump from gym class to Philosophy. I also have a problem in taking unnecessary classes to get a diploma. How can french, calculus and CIS help someone who wants to be a artist. I have a problem with entrance exams, it seems that they are in place to keep people from college. Skinner also brings up points on lecturing and studying. He says when you lecture "were the students expected to anything except answer questions." and "when a student studied, did he do anything more than read or think." I find education practices very tedious and not worthwhile. You can pass a class without going but only attending on test days. Why take tests when the only reason you study is to pass the test not to learn out of your textbooks or lectures. I never understood the purposes of lecturing when the test is composed out of material that we don't go over in class. Skinner also explores ideas of heroes and how we look to praise them and not ideas. He says that in a perfect society there will be no room for praise of heroes because they personify personal triumph and not skill and strength. I feel that the average American citizen focuses less on the success of society but instead shifts their attention to the lives athletes and fictional characters played out in movies. Skinner also talks about how it would be better if human behavior would be controlled by professional psychologist and sociologist. Instead behavior engineering lies in the hands of religious leaders and sales people. He then touches the topic of freedom. He says that we only feel the sense of freedom when we are free of restraints or feel no threat of force. His ideas of freedom lies by using positive reinforcement to continuously motivate good behavior. I don't believe that I am free because if I was there wouldn't be any police, jails, courts, schools or bosses. This topic makes me recall a this rap song that says, "We are not free but only licensed" and I truly believe every word of it. No one can do anything they want in life but as a society we have negative reinforcers in place to keep people in line. We would not need punishment in a perfect world but it is necessary in today's society. I would agree in taking up methods of positive reinforcements but I don't want my behavior to be calculated by someone else either. I feel sometimes that Skinner is specifically talking about black people. I find this quote interesting, it says "when men strike against freedom, the strike against jails and police... They never strike against forces that make them act the way they do." That statement is absolutely true especially with African Americans. It proves true because some of us are not educated in politics and the persons in power cloak their will by using force to keep at bay. We have been living with that sense of freedom since the end of slavery. We are not free but are pacified by the people in power. The government gives us welfare, public housing and drugs and then expects to become model citizens and in the meantime kill of ourselves. I came to this conclusion after reading this, it says, "The threat of pain. It's a primitive (damn I ain't no monkey) principle of control (Slavery). So long as the fence is electrified (poverty, poor schools), we have no trouble- provided the needs of the sheep are satisfied (drugs, welfare, housing). But if we relent, trouble is bound to arise sooner or later." Then he ends it by saying, "Nothing short of an insurmountable fence or frequent punishment will control the exploited." That is why the public school systems are so poor and only cater to white kids because they know that knowledge is power and they don't want it to fall into our hands. African descendant are some of the most exploited people on the face of this earth. We have been stripped of our families, natural resources, religion, motivation and hope. These problems are what I am going to college to correct because many of my brothers and sisters have fell into the trap developed by the system. A system that places several checks in balances to sift out those who they can't conform or control.