Won't speak of others on HN, but for me, absolutely, 100%, succeeded _despite_ the public education system (as evidenced by ~99% of my peers not "making it" out from a dark place). And as someone self-medicating, and using their own money to seek psychologists, therapy, and help for the damage caused by it ~20 years later still, it is my value statement that it is absolutely 100% utterly, irredeemably horrible.

If people really cared about their children, the public education system, as a whole system, would be terminated.

They don't.

Or people had a different experience from yours. Is that really so unbelievable that it’s better to think everyone is as traumatized as you but they literally just don’t care about their children? Sorry but that’s completely absurd.

If a school has traumatized 99% of its students (or some co-hort within its student population), then there probably needs to be an investigation.

But, I don't think that's most people's experience.

Groups tend to see collective trauma as normal and (unsubconsciously) work to sustain it.