"They're constantly going somewhere. That place is rarely cool to begin with, and they zone in on the least cool thing about it, so if they go to the seaside, they're there to measure groynes rather than taste-test ice-creams; and if they go to a shopping centre, it's to ask local residents what they think of urban regeneration, not to look round the shops. But they seem really into it, so who am I to cavil?"
"Therefore, while only somewhat listening to a conversation about an A-level module on globalisation which is split into categories, one of which is shipping containers, like a parody of school being boring, and another is neoliberalism I got it into my head that my daughter had to go on a field trip to see some neoliberalism in action. I swear, we spent the whole 00s arguing about whether each other knew what the word meant"
Geography field trips often focus on technical, unglamorous observations rather than pleasurable experiences. Children measure groynes at the seaside and interview residents about urban regeneration at shopping centres. An A-level on globalisation includes topics like shipping containers and neoliberalism, prompting a desire to find tangible examples of neoliberalism. Free economic zones are presented as endpoints of liberalisation where law and workers' rights are suspended. Unconstrained markets can depress wages and disconnect property prices from residents' needs. Urban skyscrapers and luxury developments exemplify a system prioritizing capital, enabled by political actors who secure power through deception.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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