https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_the_United_States
America, land of the free, and the home of the brave. Well, at least that's what I was taught in school. I now realize that the underlying narrative I was led to believe isn't all that true.
In the US education system, children, from an early age, are taught to love this country unconditionally.
We stood for the pledge of allegiance every Friday afternoon. If you didn't stand, you were ostracized.
We celebrated Christopher Columbus day and ignored his atrocities.
We chanted "USA! USA!" at international events, despite the xenophobic tone, ignorance and blind nationalism.
We honored soldiers that fought on behalf of the US government but didn't talk about the motives that drove the US to engage in war in the first place.
We were taught that a good American is well-mannered, family oriented and faithful. We didn't talk about diversity or opposition.
We were told not to let the American flag touch the ground and penalized anyone who disrespected this country or its values.
It is frustrating looking back and realizing that I was duped in many ways. I put my trust in the education system, but it didn't do justice.
http://www.ghdflatiron.com/tag/education-system-problems-we-should
The US education system inundates students with information they think is important for them to know and then demands that students spit back the information from memory. But, this isn't real learning. Real learning comes from constructivism, teaching students how to learn by engaging them in the process.
It is upsetting to see so much potential wasted in the name of building a robotic-like workforce. Many Americans do their 9-5 without thinking twice about the system that put them there. It is part of the American lifestyle to live idly. Free thinkers are considered radical. Social justice advocates are called snowflakes. And, we call those who don't fit the status-quo as anti-social.
Very wealthy and powerful people in the US determine how people behave. And, because metacognition and self-awareness are malleable, marketing & coercion are very effective.
All this said, I think we're starting to see a shift. I am biased, but when I look around at my generation (I am a young millennial), I see more people starting to think for themselves and challenge the status quo. Donald Trump's presidency is a wake up call, and I think people are starting to understand how this country operates. Money can literally buy your way into the President's chair, and this is a problem that undermines democracy.
This is part of the reason I am attracted to cryptocurrency. It is the antithesis of corporate greed which plagues this country. Industries ⎯ pharmaceutical, food/agriculture, healthcare, education, law, etc... ⎯ are corrupted by money and greed at the expense of human lives.
Blockchain technology isn't the end-all-be-all, but it is a good step towards equality and a fair playing field. If you're interested in learning more about Blockchain's applications, I've compiled a list of videos, graphics and blogs that depict Blockchain's capacity to affect 36 systems. You can find the google doc here.
I think decentralized technology has limitless potential and can turn into a full blown movement. But, my experiences are primarily limited to the US. I know Steemit has attracted people from all over the world.
I am curious. How do you see decentralized technology affect your home country?
I currently don't have a signature for my posts and I am not savvy at graphic design. If anyone in the Steemit community is able to help out (or has a connection), I am willing to strike a trade. I actually use a site called Simbi for service-to-service exchange but also happy to do it separately.
Hey Josh!
Sorry, I'm only just getting to your comment now.
So... I've got some ideas for you... firstly, your articles are top notch already. The quality of the writing is perfect and the content is interesting and intriguing.... so now you just need an audience.
I'd suggest spending the next week bouncing around Steem making lots of thoughtful comments on other people's posts. Unfortunately on Steem, it's not what you know, but who you know (big surprise hey?) so you need to make like-minded friends that will vote for your work (because it is excellent).
Maybe start with @taskmaster4450. Not only are his articles thought-provoking, but he's been around for long enough to have built up a solid following. Engage with him, and his commenters... they're pretty intelligent and up for a good convo.
Click on the tags that you've put on your articles, to see what else is there, and comment on anything interesting. The start of Steem is definitely the hardest part, but once you start making some legitimate friends, everything gets much, much easier.
I think I earn more steem with comments than with my posts anyways, so I think it's a good way to get started.
Once you've got that under control... let me know and I'll pass on a few tips for the next steps...
This is super helpful. Thanks for taking the time. Do you think my content is too broad? I am a very introspective and critical thinker so I have many things to talk about, but I see the merit in keeping content honed in on a certain subject matter. I've tried to keep most of my posts related to Blockchain technology in some way, since that is on the forefront of my mind. But, I go off in different directions.
Honestly... I don't think it is.
I've found that my followers like my style as much as my specific content. I've definitely got people that are only interested in the fitness stuff, and that's fine, they just won't read the other stuff I put out that doesn't interest them... I'd say maybe 70-80% of my real followers are happy with whatever topic I write about.
I honestly wouldn't stress too much about it, writing a broad range of topics might attract more visitors in the long run.
So, I've taken your advice and put a solid amount of effort into forging connections with others. It is all a work in progress but I'm getting the rhythm down! I'll gladly accept other advice if you have it. I appreciate your help.