Bubblegum and Surplus value

Education is a process which socializes people to fit into & perpetuate the social system. Radical teachers, in attempting to relate radical subject matter, must develop methods which allow students to become active subjects in the process of their education. One method of conveying a Marxist interpretation of the world is through this classroom simulation game. A capitalist social system is simulated in the classroom, complete with SC divisions, racist & sexist hiring, & a welfare system. The situation is opened up to discussion & the stages of consciousness & actions taken by the students usually reflect those described by Marx & Engels in the COMMUNIST MANIFESTO. When the simulation is played to its conclusion & the students have gained an experiential understanding, discussion & analysis of the simulation in Marxist terms can follow. This discussion goes through 3 steps: (1) students relate perceptions of what occurred in the simulation, (2) students are asked how these simulated experiences relate to the 'real world', & (3) the teacher provides an interpretation from a Marxist perspective. Other variations of the simulation can be utilized to demonstrate the phenomena of world economic imperialism & inflation in capitalist society. 1 Table. AA.