Smart 'Murican

The Church and state I can understand, but what were the teachings of the education system that he objected to, I wonder.

You are right that education is a good thing , but since industrialisation, schools were set up to produce quiet, docile automatons, who are trained to dutifully show up to a soul crushing jobs day after day (speaking as a guy who still does it).
The school system systematically beats the creativity or spark out of you, so that you can sit still for hours, and participate in the collective insanity of it all, without teaching you any of the skills needed to navigate life better.
It took me 20 years and an expensive college degree to realise that you can't buy an education at all.
You can rent the use of classrooms and libraries, but why not do it for free in any public library, and on your own terms.

I daresay my years at school might have instilled in me some attitudes I may not have been aware of absorbing, but, as far as I can say, any efforts to influence my behaviour were only successful on a superficial level; their effect only being visible when I was being observed by authority. Like most kids, when I wasn't being watched I didn't give a thought to complying to rules. All in all, I can't say school had any negative effect on me.

As for dutifully showing up to a soul crushing job everyday -speaking as a guy who still does it-, it wasn't school that encouraged me to do it; it was more a combination of economic necessity and my employer's refusal to have it any other way. So yes, I have to conform to the system, but I haven't been brainwashed into thinking I'm happy about it.

Actually, while I do regard being at work a major inconvenience, I wouldn't say my job is soul crushing.

'Not being brainwashed into thinking you're happy about it'.
That's the critical distinction.

Even if we do participate in the song and dance of capitalism out of necessity, we can still keep sovereignty in our own minds.

Anyway I'll lay off being conspiratorial for a while.
The Earth itself isn't out to get me.


(though if it is, other celestial bodies are likely in on it too). Trust no one.

This is in no way a comment on the wisdom of Charles Bukowski, but I'm reluctant to base my Word view on other people's aphorisms.

When I was in junior school, BD, the atlases still had half the World coloured in pink, to denote the British Empire. The misconception that left me with didn't take a lot of shifting as I got older.

BadlyDrawn - Ole Charlie Buck would be a good subject for a drawing, with that grizzled, sourdough miner face of his

Speaking of interesting faces, you should draw Miclee too.
He's the spit of Vincent Van Gogh

See what I mean

Love the new profile pic

I'm afraid to draw faces sometimes since the details can be less-than flattering and also convey age. But with CB it wouldn't be an issue and especially since I've already drawn the body.

It should be ... errrr... ummm fine, just be careful with it.

One false move and you'll sound like Hugh Grant.

StillNot, does that mean Hugh Grant has been putting it on all this time and is actually as thick as a plank?

Charles Bukowski on that bod would be the definitive 'butterface'.