Yesterday I saw a box containing products from a company calling itself “Klever Innovations”. Wow! How klever!

I suspect the manufacturers do know the correct spelling of the word, but somehow they believe they’re appealing to the spirit of our age when they misspell it. It’s a safe little dose of rebellion against tradition and normality, and a creative gimmick to attract attention.

Another “k” word is that gem of contemporary culture, “kool”. It’s often spelled with a “c” of course, but somehow the “k” kreates (there-it’s contagious) an “xtreme” (another kool word) ambience not afforded by the original. In this post-modern age (or is it post-postmodern now?) it’s the height of koolness to misspell a word. You spell words your way, and I’ll spell them mine. So long as we’re sincere it’s all that matters, right? All that time some of us spent learning how to spell the korrect way at skool was wasted.

SKOOL

And speaking of wasting time at school, why is it that kids spend years being forced to grapple with such monsters as algebra and calculus, when for the great majority there will never be an application for it in real life? Yes, it stretches the brain, but it also stretches the tax burden, the school budgets, the giant education establishment, the over-bearing god-like state taking control of our children, and most particularly, stress levels for kids and teachers.

But the kids don’t matter! What matters is that politicians are seen to be promising better education for all, and helping us “compete in the global marketplace”. What matters is that parents are relieved of that most terrible burden of having their kids in their hair for any more time than absolutely necessary, and that our masters in government are justifying their positions, their perks and their large salaries by “raising standards in education”.

From the top down, we’re all pushing each other to go faster and harder, and to fit more into each day. It’s no wonder so many people are left behind, and that many of those actually want to be left behind.

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