Andreas Haugstrup Pedersen | solitude.dk

According to this article in The Boston Globe (Slashdot thread) some schools in the USA thought it to be a good idea to have the Motion Picture Association of America to teach copyright law to middle schoolers. This is wrong on so many levels.

There are the obvious problems in this case. The pupils are not being informed on their rights as a part of the public, and are only taught that “If you don't pay for it, you've stolen it.” That is of course flat out wrong. It's not theft — the owner hasn't “lost” anything — it's copyright infringement. And most importantly you, as a part of the public, have a wide range of rights.

Then there are the contests (emphasis mine):

At the end of the school year, students are asked to write an essay “to get the word out that downloading copyrighted entertainment is illegal and unethical,” according to the teachers' guide. Prizes include an all-expenses-paid trip to Hollywood, worth about $1,000; a Sony DVD player and library of 14 hit movies on DVDs, worth about $350 total; and a selection of 21 Hollywood classic DVDs, valued at $250. Teachers whose students win the contest will also be rewarded with prizes, such as a year's worth of free movie theater tickets for the teacher and a guest.

Not only are they paying the children to share their political views the MPAA is effectively bribing teachers. This is where the real problem starts. The problem is not that the MPAA is trying to influence people (though trying to influence chlidren this young is not cool in my book). You get that every day with posters, tv commercials and those annoying people on the street who wants your signature on a piece of paper.

It's not a problem that an interest group is trying to sway the public view. It's a huge problem when an interest group is trying to forward their own political agenda using educational discourse in a school context. The schools are supposed to give a fair and balanced view on any topic. The schools are supposed to ensure that pupils learn to think critically. Programs like this (especially when teachers are bribed) take away the integrity of the school system.

You as a parent have to question everything the school teaches your child because the school can't be trusted. Your children certainly can't tell the difference between the teacher talking about the second world war and the MPAA lackeys giving a political indoctrination using educational discourse in a school context. They look like teachers, they talk like teachers and they run around in schools, but they are not actually teaching anything. Children can't tell them apart.

This is not how the educational system should work. The schools have to remain 100% free of commercial and political interest groups. Yes, that means McDonald's and sponsored soda deals must be removed from schools as well. They are not acting with the public good in mind — they have their own commercial agendas.

In other news: Coke Educates on Morality of Drinking Tap Water (a satirical analogy on this topic).