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a bulletin board, and what is actually

She appeared one day on the door of the staff room, right beside the coffee machine in the middle of all sorts of papers: a sheet, A4, bearing the impression of a poem by Victor Hugo , whose passage had been spent in yellow highlighter fluo. What was she doing there? What was the meaning of this display? I still wonder.

Photos are taken to the mobile phone, which can pardon the poor quality, however the advantage of cheap anonymize this little foray into the privacy of the staff room . So here, above the famous film. The impression was made, apparently, from the site of a writer , but there is no evidence that this is something meaningful - this may be just the first link that Google has proposed. The portion highlighted, which is well make sense for who is the author of this staging is as follows:

Alas! How long will it tell you again
To all of you, it was up to you to lead,
it should give them their share of the city,
That your blindness produced their blindness;
one Guardianship miser is collected suites,
And the evil they'll do is you who their didst.
You have not guided by the hand,
and information on the shadow and the true path;
you left them prey to the maze.
They are your fear and you are their fear;

The text was not displayed anywhere: it is pinned in the middle of the front door of the teachers' lounge, a strategic point if any. Indeed, on one hand, all who pass through the famous hall borrow at one time or another this door, which is the main entrance, and thus are confronted with all the messages left there. On the other hand, it is right beside the coffee machine, so near the heart nerve discussions routine and moments of pause, where you can easily leave lying around his eyes, which are needed something to put under our eyes when we wait for his coffee, when you blow on it to cool down or when one seeks a capacity because it is still alone in that famous room until the bell rang for Recreation and as agitation reaches its highest level.

This is not the only message displayed. They are plentiful on the door posts of the administration of the school or colleagues, union message, information various internal ... It puts both the announcement of the next exit which disrupt some lessons that the petition for the preservation of a particular subject or the story Such experience with students or parents that are thought important to give everyone's attention. Ultimately, it dazibao complex, where messages often end overlap sometimes leading discussions, negotiations and disagreements on the hierarchy to give information, reveals the life of the school. More than that, it creates it, makes it possible and somehow organizes it. This small space - there are other panels in the room, but less strategic, they are less used or for information which are less amenable to the urgency and struggle - requires overlay, renew and compare the messages. It creates a control information simply by limiting its surface.

More than that, information displayed here is changing its status. It acquires a gravity and a officiality greater because we have tried to transform it from simple storytelling writing brought to the attention of all. One does not lightly, and they compartmentalize even quite clearly in the direction we want to give his message. There is a code subtle that we learn fast enough. It can display a humorous message, but we will not put there. Another table in another area the staff room, will be preferred to amend factual nature of the message. An anecdote concerning a student may be a funny story or an information is displayed pinned here.

This means that the display of this poem is not trivial. In fact, this is not a novelty. Other poems or songs, or literary texts have been displayed in the staff room as in all of France. It includes the presence of some - I also remember a photocopy of a page book about a proposed privatization of public services by the OECD, duly highlighted in yellow (faithful highlighter that can mean so many things without the words). What struck me here is that the rationale for this view I remained a mystery. And suddenly I became aware of the recurrence of these messages, and I began to wonder about their goals. What was the intent of the colleague who printed, displayed and highlighted this text? Below, can be pinned in the same movement, one can see a petition on the changes to come in CNED: is there a link? It is not clear is the least we can. Was it to provoke discussion rather precisely by the mysterious side of the display?

Then I realized that this was perhaps not the most important issue. Messages like this, there are dozens in every staff room in France. It is found perhaps in other contexts, in break rooms, near coffee machines and vending chocolate. The meaning of each display can easily get lost, the messages remain. And are read with more or less understanding, and probably a good deal of interpretation and reinterpretation. But these panels is to impose a group of some issues which need to be discussed: they are the embodiment of an agenda setting. And the messages they are helping to define the situation facing those who read them. This little poem and help highlight mine nothing to define the reality experienced by teachers. And especially since it has been selected from the common pool of legitimate culture large enough audience to hope to "impose" on those who read it (which socially are likely to be sensitive to this legitimacy) . Small act of language, writing small seemingly innocuous, but linking with all others, is ultimately much of our lives.

few days after I saw for the first time the famous film, it was already covered by another. The construction of reality is always in control.

Birthday Wishestoboss

school, lift and chestnut

We know that myths die hard. And sociologist, hunter myths as Norbert Elias said, will have the beautiful screen of bullets and arrows, or even explode in a bazooka, they will continue again and again to haunt the public debate. Le Monde published today u No article on the latest results Pisa : Marronnière lamentations about the poor performance of French students. And obviously, this inter-title: "The school no longer plays its role of social mobility".

This famous social ladder ... Do we still remember that Reproduction Pierre Bourdieu and Jean-Claude Passeron in 1970? The Heirs the same duo 1964? And so the fact that this famous social mobility has actually never worked? It would be hard to know what period relates this "golden age" of a school for the most glorious and the most deserving student workers to rise to the rank of the elite.

But the recurrence of this reference is perhaps more interesting what it reveals of the French conception of the role accorded to the school. Because ultimately it is the latter that we expect the famous social elevation (Because of social mobility is not only talking about the rise). Without doubt it has led the tremendous growth of the lives of our war boom also mystified when students become students got on the labor market conditions of employment and pay well above those of their parents.

Exactly, everything is said. This "social elevator" was collective, so that we now believe to be essentially personal: it has not been to the elevation of the best but that of many. And it did not rely only on school but also on conditions Economic favorable labor market. The conjunction between the school on one side, and the labor market of the other that allowed the "rise". No single school.

But in the recurrent use of the term "social mobility", it refers only to the role of the school, and only the "elevations" individual and not a collective improvement. From it we expect to improve the living conditions of students. This allows to leave aside not only the issue of employment and unemployment but also that of the general improvement of living conditions and work.

This is particularly remarkable given the fact that PISA does not measure absolutely no social mobility. What she reveals, is the effect of social background on student achievement in tests on some basic skills in reading, mathematics, science. This is quite important, but it says nothing about the inequalities in school careers and even less in terms of social trajectories of students. It is quite possible that students with good results in such tests are, more or less short term, excluded from the French school system: it is sufficient For example, they do not continue in the preparatory classes or courses of elites. Which is entirely possible if, for example, family environment encourages them to do much because their parents do not perceive the usefulness of such studies do not control or codes that allow access.

And even if they come up in these chains famous elite, nothing says they know for all educational pathways equivalent to those best equipped familialle better than them. For proof, one reads this passage a recent article in Proceedings of the Social Science Research on students from the working classes in business schools:

HEC and ESSEC have rates employability close to 100% six months after leaving school. If two-thirds of employees are recruited in the consulting and finance followed by far by marketing and sales positions are far from equivalent [for students receiving a scholarship] in terms of prestige, pay and power. [...]
Indeed, by their family socialization, a majority of students have a perception relatively clear [of school careers to have] and can play when they enter school in the strategy of "curriculum vitae", the meaning of investment allows them to choose courses, internships and associative functions socially viable and consistent with their professional goals, a quality highly valued in the recruitment process.
Instead, students from fractions dominated social space has a partial representation of the universe of possibilities and tend to underestimate the return on investment as well as extracurricular informelle4 sociability in the functioning of the labor market. Consequently, their education takes a character seen as a tentative negative signal by the recruiters and, upstream, by juries to assign students in the "major" (HEC), "Chairs" and "channels" dedicated to ESSEC, during interviews motivation. Hence, it seems that even today "career success is more closely linked to social background as an indicator of educational capital as the rank of leaving school" (Pierre Bourdieu).

Otherwise, even when it opens a little in quantitative terms - as would like for example the slogan of "30% of equity in high schools" - the school system does not ensure social mobility of individuals. The distinction and the reproduction of elites rely on other agencies - job interviews, informal sociability, etc.. - And other signs and codes - investment-school, ways of being, or, to put it better, the habit - which is rarely put to question.

So why the metaphor of the social ladder, with all that it helps to conceal, she remains so powerful? One might think that precisely because it can hide all this, but take the risk of a conspiracy. One might also think of a simple habit, reproducing and reinforcing the gradually as it is reused, some piece of journalistic and political culture. I tend to think that the origin is more general: it is the result of a long training to a thinking individual, which has its origin in the operation of the school, which, year after year , continues to proclaim to those who pass through his hands the ideology of the gift which was already criticized by Bourdieu and Passeron. The social ladder is maintained because it is a metaphor consistent with the way we always represent the paths of students: those individuals whose school must deliver the hidden qualities and talents. This is perhaps where we should begin to question the justice of the school.

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The "revolution" Cantona on capitalism and morality

past few days, a call to the bank run by former footballer Eric Cantona has been written a lot of ink and saliva. We are talking about revolution ... Really?

More alert than me, you've probably seen the famous interview. I shall return when well because I found him a fascinating short side.



I confess: I expected some clarification, some analysis from the ex-football player / actor, not a deep economic analysis, but a semblance of explanation. But no. The conversation looks like a short counter and feels more pastaga and bowls that fronts the sweat of a revolutionary vanguard bent on finding new means of action.

A simple idea, served with a ladle: to blow up banks by withdrawing their money. The liquidity crisis unlikely because we do not see why the central bank refused to refinance the banks, as a political weapon ... I vaguely expected that recovery is the misconception is that bank money is not "real" currency, an idea popularized by the film The debt-money and that any student can first ES contest hands down a hand in the pocket, but not even.

It is rather funny to see the instigators of this movement argue that most people do not know enough about the principles of money creation (which is probably true) and that they want to educate them so they merely to make a strong return to the gold standard. Jacques Rueff was delighted.

The most amazing and most significant, is the end of the video. Because even if his evil plan worked, offered to Eric Cantona? Well ... nothing. If "we will listen to us otherwise." As revolutionary project, it will give me that is a bit short.

Is there something more developed side of the site bankrun2010.com (like a. Com for such a project, the irony is delicious once again)? See this:

We, the citizens of the 21st century heirs of generations who were sacrificed so that we are citizens and may live free and dignified, we demand the creation of a CITIZENS BANK, serving citizens, a bank that would put our money safe from speculative fever, immune to financial bubbles all doomed to explode one day, free of operations that transform our loans assets and use our debt to buy other assets.

We want banks that lend only wealth they have. Banks that help small and medium enterprises to relocate jobs, bank lending to zero. Of banks that support projects that benefit citizens rather than "market" where banks make money while having our conscience. Banks that we will not have to be wary. Banks whose success will sound the death knell of the merchants of death, disease and slavery. On the ruins of the old system, we want to build a banking system that will sacrifice more human dignity on the altar of profit.

In a nutshell: they want "solidarity banks. This is the revolutionary project. I was just reading there is little this article about the legitimacy of solidarity Bankers . Here's a little quote:

micro-credit [benefits] of a new age, a "new spirit" of capitalism (Boltanski, Chiapello 1999), this new spirit based on valuing the positive contribution Business for the community in the fight against exclusion and respect for fundamental rights. The loan taken out in a solidarity organization refers to the same practices that a conventional bank loan (risk ratio calculation, development of a security system, scaling of the debt, project evaluation of use of funds). The activities, supported the mostly by financial professionals, are in both cases, the accounting, balance sheet evaluation.

This movement, like many others who feel the uncompromising challenge of capitalism, made the mistake of believing that capitalism is amoral or immoral, and that the "moral" would be a revolutionary act (though this theme has been echoed by persons whose status as a revolutionary can at least open to debate). They forget that capitalism has always needed to rely on a foreign corporation to him. She was religious in origin, based on the principles of Protestantism some to justify the unbridled pursuit of profit. Even today, traders are not devoid of morality. We read this excerpt from an interview I did some time ago with precisely one trader:

For cons, I have no problem doing ... For example, BP, you know, BP is an oil company, she had her problems in Louisiana, etc.. The action was divided by four. Me, I mean, they get what they deserve. Me, I go, I sell BP like a pig, because you know the guys anyway, they'll lose money and I mean, they have earned it. Greece, for example, I'm sorry, but Greece have earned it too. They have spent ... they spent above their means. It's really the story of the grasshopper and the ant. It is the cicada, they danced all summer, they spent, they had a huge budget deficit, and now they will say "oh, there's the big bad traders who want to lend us more money ". Yes, well, should spend less money.

There are many morals in the just punishment falling on those who have earned on those who abused the public debt ... Here, moreover, the condemnation of public debt is also reflected in our friends bankrun for other reasons of course (because it would not be "real" money) but still. Moreover, by making a critique of money creation by banks, what do they do except promote a behavior of "ant" management "good man" and even "virtuous ascetic Protestant" ?

transformation of capitalism through an amendment to its "spirit" morale is not a bad idea. Would still have to think seriously about this famous spirit and what we will do, not to promote economic principles exceeded. And above all these movements to gain awareness of what they really require, namely a greater involvement of citizens in decision-making economy. Move the field of democracy, as well as in state enterprise, may be more effective than preparing yet another policy that happening, for media whatsoever, is unlikely to bear fruit.