I'm sure John Taylor Gatto would be eager to hear your analysis. I hope you write to him to tell him your findings!

Louise,
Please understand, I got two degrees in that area. I spent 47 years on factory floors with time out for the Navy and some time for college. I've worked in every department and been a manager in most of them except QC. When W. Edward Deming asks, "Do you want quality or production" I consider him full of beans. No one at either end of the supply chain considers faulty product to be legitimate production. When Mr. Gatto talks about manufacturing he shows evidence of having a good mind as he does in outher subjects also. But, he also shows clearly that he was grieviously misinformed by his cousin the manufacturing CEO. I don't find that unusual as after spending my last 20 years as a manufacturing consultant most CEOs don't seem to have more than a talking acquaintenance with manufacturing -- that isn't their job.
As a consequence listening to you try to explain manufacturing and Taylorism to me I am just not eager to get into further conversation. These days I am retired and spend most of my time amusing myself and studying Warren Buffet.
On the other hand Mr. Gatto seems to have a first class mind and that is interesting.
Ron

I never tried to "explain" Taylor to you. What I did was quote Gatto, from the Underground History of American Education, on Taylor.

Louise,
It is water under the bridge. You totally mis-read Mr. Gatto. On the other hand Mr. Gatto had been fed the purest baloney by one kinsman while talking about another kinsman. Then you posted something that is going to result in my having to almost apologise to Mr. Gatto on another aspect of the oligarchy's taking over of the public schools. In other words that has now become a tempest in a teapot even if you are still totally off the mark about Fred Taylor, manufacturing and the prevailing conditions during La Belle Epoch. Who cares? I don't. You are the only one getting hurt.
Ron