The enemy within
Has EFL been infiltrated by the evils of consumerism? Have a look at this entertaining article by Mike Guest in the Daily Yomiuri, in which he takes a light-hearted yet thought-provoking look at the idea that EFL textbooks do not just set out to teach our students English, but to indoctrinate in them consumer and corporate values!
He gives the example of a chapter about shopping. Advocates of the “enemy within” theory, he says, would suggest that such a chapter is designed not to provide useful phrases for students to use when buying their fruit and veg, but “rather to propagate the ‘Buy!’ consumerist agenda”.
Guest goes on to talk about whether language in general is “value-laden”. Does everything we say reflect a particular set of values that we hold, and is this therefore a justification to promote these values to our EFL students?! His view is that, for example, asking a group of students what kind of work they would do if they started work tomorrow, is not promoting any kind of social agenda or support for the value of the work ethic, it is simply addressing a topic.
Have a look at the article and tell us what you think. Has EFL been compromised by the enemy within?!…
