In search of Friedmans

This column has been in print for a little more than three years now. It officially began, to the best of my recollection, on or about February 7, 1997, the first week of my association with the Saipan Tribune. In reality, however, it began long before that day in 1997.

It began in the classrooms of Mount Carmel School, where I matriculated for twelve full years. It was there that I met my mentor, Mr. Cliff Friedman, in high school. Mr. Friedman instructed me in accounting, geometry, and business management. He also tried to teach me how to be a good liberal: that is, how to mistrust the U. S. government, how to resent President Ronald Reagan, and how to favor higher taxes and various social welfare programs.

Mr. Friedman represented my first major encounter with a true American liberal. He was a self-proclaimed “socialist.” He was a pacifist. He was a Peace Corps volunteer type. But he was also a man who genuinely sought to make a difference in the lives of his students. He was an intelligent teacher, I have to admit–far better than any indigenous teacher I have ever encountered in the classroom.

At this point, I must digress and put in a special plug for mainland American teachers. From my own personal experience, they are generally far better than local and Filipino teachers. Throughout my education, I recall only one good Filipino teacher: a certain Mr. Olympia in 8th grade science. For the life of me, I cannot remember even one inspiring indigenous teacher in my formative years; most of them lacked a certain command presence. I can only hope that the situation has improved considerably, with the coming of age of a new generation of indigenous teachers (Galvin Guerrero, for example).

In any event, an indigenous teacher, even a good one, probably would have never raised my political awareness in quite the manner that Mr. Friedman had done in high school: by consistently presenting patently unacceptable positions crying out for immediate rejection and profound moral indignation. Without the challenges presented by Mr. Friedman, I probably would have strolled along with a mush of inchoate political ideas.

It was Mr. Friedman’s antagonisms that eventually directed me toward the path of political liberty. It was those noteworthy experiences with an intelligent (at times charming and witty) and fully committed left-wing liberal that eventually led me to read seminal books such as “Wealth and Poverty” (by George Gilder), “Capitalism and Freedom” (by Milton Friedman), “Parliament of Whores” (by P.J. O’Rourke), and “The Conscience of a Conservative” (by the late Senator Barry Goldwater).

Every young indigenous mind ought to be liberally exposed to the challenging views of American teachers from all across the mainland. We should never strive to eliminate American teachers for “locals only.” Such a policy would be an egregious and unforgivable mistake.

Bring on the Cliff Friedmans. They may help to create more indigenous Libertarians–more progressive free minds unburdened by culture and traditions.