The Minneapolis-Saint Paul public school teacher said, ‘I have no respect for authority whatsoever’
By Hannah Grossman, March 19, 2023
A Minneapolis science teacher, who recommends teachers include anti-capitalist materials in their classrooms, praised the idea of having no respect for authority.
The teacher at Highland Park Middle School, Mandi Jung, frequently posts videos on TikTok espousing anti-capitalist and anarchist philosophies. Anarchism is skeptical of all justifications for authority and seeks to abolish systems like capitalism, which it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy. Jung also said that she identifies with the Industrial Workers of the World, an ideological union with ties to socialism and anarchism.
“My students this year have no respect for authority,” the Saint Paul district teacher said. “And I love that in a person because I have no respect for authority whatsoever. But it has been a frustrating year because I am the authority. So I’m like, ‘Damn the man,’ but I am the man.”