If You Didn't Bring Enough to Share.....

Then you shouldn't have it at all. This is a fairly familiar line to most people having gone through public schooling, at least within the last 19 years (which is all I can speak to.) While talking to a friend today, she mentioned that someone unfamiliar with the term had commented on its communist nature.

This got me thinking. These teachers are apparently of the impression that imposing this sort of rule will be a successful deterrent for whatever practice they take offense to, most frequently gum chewing. By and large, it is. Most student choose either to not chew gum, or to do so in a manner they think they can get away with.

Why is it then that these same teachers and students are frequently among the most vocal supporters of communist or socialist programs? The same people using socialism as a threat or dodging the requirements are supporting it. This seems to be something of a logical disconnect. It's not just this particular analogy either. Many if not most school rules are, as a product of an authoritarian system, not dissimilar to other authoritarian rules. Students are quite gifted at dodging rules, finding loopholes, and not getting caught. Yet they attempt to impose the same sorts of rules that they find offensive on the entire country.

This just plain doesn't make sense. It's internally inconsistent. Yes, I know that people are frequently inconsistent, but the sheer level of incompatibility makes me wonder how people don't think about it. It's the same thing as a treasury head who cheats on his taxes (but that would never happen of course /sarcasm.) Those imposing rules are unwilling to follow them. Why should they expect anyone else to do so?