"We send our kids to school to learn a variety of subjects. They master (we hope) reading, writing, and mathematics. They learn some history and politics, and something about the sciences. If they're lucky, they can participate in art and music and dance and theater."

"They learn to accept the idea that school is work, and learn to accept extrinsic rewards like grades for their work. They learn the value of consumption as a counterpoint to the drudgery of everyday life."

"They learn to use the back-to-school sale to get parents to buy the right supplies..."(93)

(Farrell, James J. One Nation Under Goods: Malls and the Seductions of American Shopping. Washington: Smithsonian Books, 2003. Print.)