Chapter 822: Gang Dilemma (Part 1) (Patreon)

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"Hmm, I agree with your thoughts, but I'm not quite sure what you mean by 'learning atmosphere'," Roy pointed to the meeting area as Schiller led Jason to sit on the nearby sofa.

"Sorry, Professor, I also come from Gang, so I haven't attended much school. What do you mean by a 'learning atmosphere'?" Roy picked up a tea pot and poured tea for Schiller.

"No problem," Schiller replied while sitting on the sofa. "I can explain slowly, after all. When I wanted to reform Gotham's transportation system, no mayor was willing to sit on this sofa and listen to me."

Roy felt a cold sweat on his back, but he smiled and said, "Please go ahead; I will listen attentively."

"School is a place for learning. Notice that this statement is not a plea, not an emphasis, but merely a description of a fact. School is inherently a place for learning, and I shouldn't have to expend extra effort to maintain this function. This should be something everyone agrees with, right?"

Roy nodded. This was something he acknowledged. Even in Gotham, most people knew that school was for learning. If you didn't want to learn, why go to school?

"However, learning doesn't solely depend on school. It's not just about a quiet school environment or teachers being diligent. These factors alone won't guarantee students' success."

Roy paused and said, "Isn't it? Isn't it enough for teachers to teach well, and students to study diligently, to achieve good results?"

Schiller shook his head, not showing any signs of anger. In Gotham, the majority of people believed that if you truly wanted to learn, you should go to school, study hard, and you would get good grades.

He patiently explained, "Many parents believe that by sending their children to school, all aspects of education will be taken care of. But in reality, education, in terms of content, includes both knowledge and character development. In terms of methods, it encompasses school education, family education, and societal education."

"School is where they acquire knowledge, and of course, they also improve their social skills while interacting with peers. But it's family and society education that shape their character."

"Now, the situation in Gotham has reached a point where family and societal education not only fail to fulfill their character development responsibilities but also hinder knowledge education. Do you understand what I mean?"

Roy, despite not having attended school, wasn't unintelligent. He thought for a moment and said, "Indeed, many parents in Gotham don't know how to educate their children, and some don't even take responsibility. They give birth and then abandon their children, leading to so many orphans."

"More importantly, there's societal education," Schiller lightly tapped the surface of the coffee table with his hand. "Gotham lacks a learning atmosphere. That is to say, people here don't recognize learning as a shortcut to upward mobility..."

"Let me put it this way, if someone in Gotham doesn't read books, they can still find plenty of work, such as becoming enforcers in Gang. They have many ways to climb the social ladder, including scams, theft, murder..."

"After the development of the logistics industry, this phenomenon not only hasn't improved but has worsened. The shortage of labor forces the majority of people to bypass education and enter labor-intensive work."

Roy sighed, saying, "I understand. While Chicago's security situation is also bad, it's only a few areas that are like this. In other normal communities, the majority of people complete high school, and a large portion of them go on to attend regular colleges."

"Of course, some choose not to pursue higher education and enter society earlier, some for financial reasons, and some out of personal interest. But they have at least received a high school education."

Roy thought for a moment and continued, "When I first came to Gotham, I took a look at the graduation rates here, and I was surprised that not only are the education rates very low in the East District slums, but even in the North District where Gang leaders gather, the education rates are shockingly low."

"Because the cost of education is high, and the benefits gained are often implicit," Schiller looked at the tea leaves slowly sinking in his tea cup. "Due to Gotham's unique Gang ecosystem, apart from the Twelve Families, Gang leaders change rapidly."

"The newcomers become wealthy overnight. They are too busy taking over their predecessors' industries, securing their positions, and ensuring their safety. They rarely have the spare capacity to educate their offspring or send them to school."

"As for the leaders of the Twelve Families, they do have the means and resources, but they don't fully understand the benefits of education. They would rather have their descendants gain more exposure to the family's industry, which gives them a competitive edge over their peers, thereby ensuring the family's prosperity."

"When it comes to running the Gang industry, they believe that the knowledge taught in school is of little use compared to their own experience. So why bother sending their children to school?"

"Most of the children of the Twelve Families leaders, even if they attend Gotham University, won't study diligently. They won't read books; they'll only use the pretext of studying to socialize or simply get a degree with a good-sounding title."

"Furthermore, leaders of the Twelve Families generally do not want their children to study elsewhere because if you leave this city for too long, away from this unique ecological environment, you may lose your competitiveness upon your return, which could hinder the family's progress."

"Therefore, apart from some wealthy businessmen in the South and West Districts, as well as families that are not primarily involved in Gang activities, who may want their children to receive a high-level education, people in other areas, even if they are well-off, are not inclined to educate their children."

Schiller paused for a moment and continued his analysis, "Another reason for this situation is the immense pressure brought about by Gang rules."

"If you are born into a Gang family, from childhood to adulthood, you need to learn not subjects like grammar and mathematics, but how to survive smoothly within the entire framework of Gang rules and thrive."

"Studying grammar, arithmetic, or the arts might improve your demeanor and eloquence, but if you don't understand the Gang's rules and make mistakes in various places, you could easily lose your life."

"So, the majority of Gang second-generation individuals, like Evans, follow their parents and learn these rules from an early age."

"There are too many implicit default rules to grasp, leaving them with little spare time for systematic learning. After all, in this ecological environment, survival takes precedence."

"Furthermore..." Schiller pointed out again, "the pressure imposed by Gang society includes responsibility."

"In a Gang, there are many members, and if you want to lead them, you must have enough respect. To gain respect, you need to demonstrate an attitude of responsibility towards them, take practical actions, and lead them in the competition for resources."

"Even Falcone must be responsible for Falcone Family members. The reason why Evans is under so much pressure is that he not only has to be responsible for the Falcone Family but also for all Twelve Families. How can he find time to study textbooks?"

Roy nodded, thinking that Schiller's analysis made a lot of sense. The society governed by Gang rules was indeed abnormal. They thrived on competition and conflict, and everyone had to be busy fighting against others.

Previous-generation Gang leaders, once they secured their positions and resources, would require their children to get involved in this society at an even earlier age to gain an advantage and stand out in the competition of the next generation.

This meant that they didn't have much time for systematic education. And when they became heirs and took over the Gang, they would demand the same from their descendants. As a result, the educational level of future generations would continue to decline, and the level of competition would also deteriorate, eventually leading to a situation where everyone was mediocre.

In a normal society, a person's eloquence, knowledge, wisdom, and logical thinking would be more important than some default rules. If you did exceptionally well and presented plans that could benefit everyone, you wouldn't have to worry about whether you could drink water or smoke at a shareholders' meeting.

But in Gotham's Gang society, some default rules were more important than a person's outstanding qualities.

Alberto was a genius, just like his father, but if he tried to break the rules, such as not smoking cigars but smoking scented cigarettes at the Twelve Families leaders' gathering, or adding ice to his drink, none of the Gang bosses would respect him. They would see him as an ignorant troublemaker, and no one would follow him.

Originally, the rules established by the Godfather were like chains binding all the mob bosses, preventing them from getting lost in the chaos.

These somewhat melodramatic rules and countless hidden rules acted as the guiding lights of order, reminding them that they were still part of civilized society and not mindless beasts.

However, over time, this created another problem: too many rules. Just adhering to these rules, just participating in this society, consumed most of their time. Refusing systematic education would only lead to a further degradation of the competition, ultimately leaving only rules without vitality and a future.

"This system may have been effective at some point in time, but it's destined to be replaced by modern society because the pace of technological advancement is constantly increasing, and the education levels required by a science and technology-based society are also on the rise."

Schiller spoke up, "When the logistics industry began to develop, they thought it was another Golden Age, but they failed to see the crisis behind this rapid growth."

"This year is 1990, and it may not be long before the old order recedes, and a new wave is about to come. Society will advance at an unimaginable pace until it becomes unrecognizable to anyone."

Schiller looked at Roy and said, "I don't want this city to be abandoned by both normal society and the times."

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 823: Gang Dilemma