In this video, I challenge the way “freedom” is being defined and sold to us today. Using the debate over school choice and vouchers as a case study, I argue that more government-approved options aren’t freedom at all—just a rebranded form of control. I share my own definition (“the right to say no”) and ask: if the state still holds the strings, can we really call it freedom?

PS: If adults struggle to communicate when we use the same words in very different ways, imagine how much harder it is for our teens—especially if no one has taught them to question the meanings of the words they use and hear. That’s exactly what my Words Matter course at Cogito Learning Center is designed to do. This fall, I’ll help teens closely examine loaded terms like “freedom,” “rights,” and “fairness” so they can think more critically and communicate more clearly in public discourse. Read my article about it here. Registration is now open, and space is limited.

Get full access to The Reason We Learn at thereasonwelearn.substack.com/subscribe