One of the most dangerous people to a repressive regime is a gifted and talented teacher. Gifted teachers often ask their students to look at the status quo, examine it and sometimes discard it. Repressive regimes often limit or prevent the education of women. One of the keys to a country’s advancement is the education and empowerment of women. UN Report on Status of Women Repressive regimes often consider gifted teachers the original weapons of mass destruction because they plant ideas in their students and if these ideas grow, the students will fight against the forces of repression.

The hall of shame of tyrants is too extensive to list, but among those societies who have attempted to ban books and eliminate the educated classes are:

1. Hitler’s list of banned books 1932-1939 Books banned by Nazis
2. Iran’s purge of university professors University Professor Purge
3. China’s cultural revolution Cultural Revolution in China
4. Argentina and professor purge Argentina
5. Kenyan attempts to ban a book Kenya Book
6. The Mc Carthy era in the USMc Carthy Era

If citizens don’t remain vigilant and value their access to both knowledge and education, a repressive government will attempt to limit the free access to knowledge. Repression of ideas is the warning alert, repression of people follows.

Because of technology, repressive regimes have a more difficult time controlling access to information. Twitter is an important tool of communication in Iran as citizens of that country question the legitimacy of the latest election result. Twitter and Iran China has and continues attempts to control the Internet and information that can be passed on its channel. China and the Internet Technology allows citizens within a society to inform each other, but technology also allows those outside the society to look in. What outsiders often see are some pretty dark places. North Korea allows only limited access to the outside world, it is one example of why spreading technology is so important. North Korea

As those in Iran, “tweet” away in search of a better society and better opportunity, keep vigilant wherever you are. First they ban the books and then they kill the teachers.

Dr. Wilda says this about that ©