- In terms of stresses imposed by capitalism, here are a couple:
A—the “adjunctification” of higher ed. I myself have never suffered from this problem, but it is pervasive nationally: woefully underpaying adjunct labor, who account for a substantial portion of the labor force.
B—Another related problem often cited is administrative bloat. This bloat stresses the institution financially and creates busy work for teachers and, in the view of many, doesn’t add a lot of value to the enterprise.
C—Again, related to point B is the mania for assessment. Exhibit A of “busy work,” created at all levels of administration, from federal to state governments to local colleges. It doesn’t add to the value of education, but only stresses the labor force and distracts them from the work of educating. Ask a hundred teachers, and you will find few who actually will say that assessment produces value at all commensurate with the labor drain it imposes.
2.
I want to say yes, the education students are recieving is worth the rising cost of tuition. You can find the data to answer this question in dollars and cents. But, I do believe there is an intangible value. And, in terms of creating an enlightened citizenry, capable of critical thinking, it is essential to democracy, which we are seeing under tremendous strain.
3.
One source of fatigue and stress undoubtedly related to late capitalism is the new burden of information technology on students—or, more precisely, all the time students spend on social media staring at screens, suffering the fragmentation of their attention. The good news is that it is within every individual student’s capacity to turn off the screen. And, in my view, this refocusing of attention is necessary both to the acquisition of an education and to the reduction of stress.
- Success is the ability to meet one’s material needs without excessive debt or fatigue, and the ability to pursue one’s dreams. I feel fortunate to be able to do both. I don’t care two cents whether a capitalist society or any other one views me as successful.
