Topic: Compulsory Education

The American school system is modeled after the Prussian military system to create an obedient citizenry rather than independent thinkers. Early 20th-century industrialists sought to extinguish "Yankee entrepreneurship" to ensure a steady supply of employees for mass production. Quotes from Woodrow Wilson and other historical figures illustrate a deliberate effort to divide society into a small educated class and a large manual labor class.

Irvin traces the origins of modern consumerism to Edward Bernays and Walter Lippmann, whom he links to the same elite circles as Gordon Wasson. He argues that the elite "dumb down" the population through compulsory education and then blame the masses for the resulting materialism and debt. Irvin quotes Sir Thomas More to illustrate how rulers first corrupt the people and then punish them for their corruption.