We don’t need no education.
We don’t need no thought control
No dark sarcasm in the classroom
Teachers, leave them kids alone.
Hey! Teachers! Leave them kids alone!
All in all it’s just another brick in the wall.
All in all you’re just another brick in the wall.
I may be completely off base here (or off my rocker), but I’m having random thoughts after hearing this song again recently. This isn’t about the border wall; it’s not about immigration at all. This is a famous song from Pink Floyd. Who hasn’t heard it? There are, actually, analyses of this song available (e.g., http://www.thewallanalysis.com). The story of “The Wall” is supposed to be the story of a boy named Pink Floyd, born toward the end of the second World War, to “an overprotective mother who lavishes equal measures of love and phobia onto her son.” Consequently, he begins to build a wall of isolation between himself and the world. He sees himself as part of “an out-of-touch education system bent on producing compliant cogs in the societal wheel,” among other issues. That sounds pretty familiar.
That phrase about education does seem to be what the song is highlighting. Years ago, I would have considered this to be a more rebellious song from kids that didn’t want to be in school, but now I think that’s incorrect. In fact, today, I believe we see truth in this. Our education system often seems more bent on producing lemmings of the state, fed by the political correctness of the day, and discouraging anything that would allow otherwise. Freedom of thought and speech is less and less tolerable if it differs from the party line. I’ve had and seen teachers like this — and to them I would say, “leave them kids alone.” Teach them how to think, but quit trying to control their thoughts.
Describing another song in the album (“The Happiest Days of our Lives”), Roger Waters says, “it’s not meant to be a blanket condemnation of teachers everywhere, but the *bad* ones can really do people in–and there were some at my school who were just incredibly bad and treated the children so badly, just putting them down, putting them down, you know, all the time. Never encouraging them to do things, not really trying to interest them in anything, just trying to keep them quiet and still, and crush them into the right shape, so that they would go to university and ‘do well.’” Suffice it to say that he didn’t have a good school experience. (http://www.pink-floyd.org/artint/98.htm)
There are good teachers, godly teachers in fact, who know better and are striving to help the education system. To these I say, “God bless you.” We need more of you!
Sadly, we do find ourselves building walls of isolation, and this only further hurts influence. And here’s my realllly big stretch (smile): Christians, consider a different kind of wall, a wall built as part of God’s temple:
“And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 2:4-5).
I told you it was a stretch :). But you know, one thought leads to another, and another, and another. After all, how can you have any pudding if you don’t eat yer meat?
Doy Moyer
