"i keep meeting 10 year olds that seem more like we were than the weird hothouse flowers i was seeing in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. the kids seem less lost and gormless, more engaged and independent. they lost their faith in “tribal loyalty” when the tribe masked them up and locked them down for years of formative time. they are walking away from online and back into IRL."
If there's a silver lining to covid and the rest of this mess, it's that we're likely raising the most libertarian generation in decades. They will grow up knowing their government doesn't give a shit about them -- and that's maybe the most important lesson one can learn.
I'm sure the libertarian party leadership will seize upon the new zeitgeist....right after they spend the next 10 years crying about abolishing child labor laws.
Farther back in the mists of time than that! For example, the White European devil's oppression of the dark races that peaked in the time of Colonial powers. Few deny the Black and Brown people being taken advantage of in various times. But with Woke Wisdom, we now know that Caucasian Power is so evil and insidious that it kept those poor primitives from advancing beyond the Iron Age (being generous) even well BEFORE they ever met a white man.
For sure. And they need to learn how to work with their hands.
I could go on forever about that, but I truly believe that's part of the reason curiosity and creativity have fallen woefully short in the last few decades .
Where I am living in SE Asia, the middle class is very small, and poverty is the most common economic status. Thus, children, from a very early age, are taught and expected to work and contribute to the often meager existence of large numbers of families. Given reality, it is NOT seen as abuse or exploitation, but as loyalty to the family. Cultural differences are real and so are differences in perception of reality. Close examination of ALL the factors is necessary before making pronouncements on Relativism. Some of it is valid. Some of it is bullshit. It's up to US to decide, not some "authoritative source". One of my favorite things to say in a variety of circumstances (including a couple of job interviews) is, "In my never humble opinion, there are two kinds of people: Those who agree with me and those who are wrong!" How others react to this - literally or as humor - will usually tell me all I need to know about them.
I am not so fond of cultures that survive by selling their four-year-olds into indentured servitude rather than using birth control after the fourth kid.
I lived in a South Asian country at different times for different lengths of time beginning in 1976 and the poor have as many morons amongst their numbers as any other class in society.
Your example is valid. Those who know nothing of history (as opposed to a summary, which is me) might be surprised to learn that, as recently as the 18th and 19th century, most of Europe and the brand-new Americas were very much like that. Even for Whites, indenture was a fact of life. The Workhouse was a variant of debtor’s prison where even the debtor’s family was obligated to labor. This was so onerous that at its founding the US expressly forbade imprisonment for debt (in most cases; good luck arguing that for back child support!). As for birth control, for all practical purposes it didn’t exist unit the mid-20th century. And even now, it’s only used by a fraction of the populations. Huge families were the norm, as was child mortality. Until modern times, only about half of children made it to adulthood. Again, all my examples are from “The West,” not some third-world hellhole where the numbers were no doubt worse.
The above is, to a large extent, an argument for relativism. Leaving aside the issue of whether moral absolutes exist, the fact is that different eras, or even different cultures in any given “present” will have enormously differing perspectives on what is legal, moral, correct, appropriate behavior. We in the west would never allow our children to slave away all day just to make a few dollars. But we have few qualms about buying those goods when they are imported into our “rich” countries.
Also, the fact that parents believe it is imperative to have kids who can speak German, play the bassoon, dance the part of Clara in 'The Nutcracker', be the closer, collect toys for children in war torn countries and participate in a walk to raise funds for the local puppy shelter make 'just being a kid' time impossible to find. This one is on the parents.
Agreed. What are the MOST important lessons of childhood? How to become a responsible, caring, respectful of wisdom and counsel, unselfish, secure and competent adult. All other considerations come second.
I agree completely, actually being responsible for jack and learning how value is actually created would do a massive amount towards reducing the abject retardery we experience on the reg.
No no, first, they'll get outplayed in their own primary by a liberal with questionable ideas on minors and Lockheed Martin-brand Pride socks and... what do you mean that already happened?
Last early evening I was walking my dog by our harbor and I met a group of 16ish yr old boys fishing off the dock and eating pizza. Wow, teenagers fishing, hanging out?! Reminded me of the kids of my generation. Asked them if the pizza made nearby was any good anymore. They said no - not like before, way too expensive too and look how skimpy it was. They were friendly, articulate, engaging (nice surprise). Wanted to talk to me. Complained how everything in general was not as good, too expensive, too much crime. Complained how our town had changed in a bad way and not going to get better - not like it was when they were younger (they are so young!). Told me they know it’s going to get much worse. Hate what our governor has done (Newsom - yes Cali here). Omg - seriously? Am I dreaming? I felt hope! Maybe there are better days ahead! Here’s a younger generation with eyes wide open, not afraid to express their concerns openly, noticing and experiencing the downward changes. Dissatisfied and frustrated. Remembering how good life used to be. Not wanting any of the wokeness/change being shoved down their throats. First kindred spirit type of interaction I’ve had here in years. Maybe this is a rarity but I haven’t felt this hopeful for our county’s future in a very long time. Maybe even my beautiful state’s.
YES! There is really hope if these generations understand that one truth!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this, SC! So simple and so obvious.
I am attempting to ask those questions with friends and loved ones. For instance, "Why would you think that the Board of Education cares a lick about our children or their education? Why would we put the governemnt in charge of anything when they cannot stop spending money created out of thin air? Is college the biggest scam of our lifetime? Why would you trust Big Pharma when they repeatedly lie, commit fraud, and keep you addicted to their toxic soup of poisons?"
Asking questions is a way to (perhaps) open up a rational dialogue.
Remember who it was saying that every child should go to college: Hillary. In other words--every child should continue his indoctrination program until reaching majority. And start as early as possible with day care and nursery school.
You cite an important thing, the need to consider the [likely] motivations of different entities. Nietzsche called this "perspectivism” in the sense that each person views reality differently, influenced by his own (often subconscious) desires, needs, etc. You don’t need to be a genius to use such mental tools, either. For example in the case of a Board of Education, it’s probably unfair to say they don’t care about educating children. It'd be closer to the truth that education is only one of many competing needs: A dispassionate analysis of the various stakeholders might show that a certain group, let’s say the elected board members, are also motivated by the perceived need to maintain their power, to insure its continuation (e.g. be re-elected), to remain in goods standing with their peers (not necessarily the “customer”, e.g. parents of school age children), or even allegiance to an in-group (the NEA) fashionable theories of how best to educate children. The above is probably only a partial list of major factors, but it’s a start. A parent or other person might citizen them for not “putting the children first,” but even that is a perspective, and one that fails to consider the other players in the game, so to speak. Another way to look at the issue is that most players lack a complete model of the game. In other words, they don’t have a good approximation of reality, and thus any attempt to modify it or even participate will likely be sub-optimal. And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why your son comes home and thinks he should be a girl.
What baffles me is the narrative that emerges after each case. The parents will talk about months and months of bullying and months and months of "we begged the school authorities to do something."
You sent your kid back every day for months, to be tortured? Anyone needs lessons on "enraged mother face" I will be happy to show them.
I agree. I think government schools have become a disaster. Many private schools are not any better. Some of the best outcomes I saw were home schooled, but not everyone can do that. The throw off line I made is what we see so often in public where the kid tantrums to get what he or she wants. That is a failing in parenting as well as the education system and leads to a lifetime of manipulation behavior for personal gain.
I'm following a case in NZ - a man (custody battle?) took his 3 kids into the bush. They've been there for 3 years.
I think about - the schooling, the NZ government during COVID, the jabs - and suspect he might have very good reason for pulling his kids into the bush, and out of the System.
"i’ve lost friends over it. i suspect many have. you disagree, as far as they’re concerned, you’re literally hitler now, and that’s the end of that."
I'm a gen xer, hubs is boomer. We did not coddle or bubble wrap our children. Home when the streetlights came on etc. etc.
My almost 40 y o daughter has not spoken or communicated at all, not a peep since she saw something derogatory about pronouns on hubby's Twitter. Took away our now 14 y o grandchild too.
That was in Nov of 21. We tried and tried, but she has blocked any form of contact.
Breaks my heart.
Thank you for this deep dive into the minds of these people. I can now understand a little better the cultish machinations of the woke mind virus.
Wow, that is insane and definitely hurtful behavior. She couldn’t have had a conversation with your husband?? Sad. I have relatives (my Aunt & her husband) as well haven’t seen since my mothers death in 2021. They refused to see my mother because she didn’t get jabbed and since we didn’t as well that was the end of that. No contact. Now they’re not doing well (jabbed and boosted with many medical issues) and I probably won’t hear anything from them or their kids til they’re in the hospital or worse. People really suck and I try to spend my time with those who are open minded and kind :)
So cruel. This election I’m getting windows into the souls of many people. It ain’t pretty. exponentially more damage has happened since the jabs. They aren’t the same.
So true. CNN is on my sister’s tv all day I suspect. I understand it. I had a form of Bush Derangement Syndrome. Obama came in then and within months I was disillusioned with him. Things seemed off. Especially when the thieving crooks walked after the economy blowup. They mostly failed up and still continue to thieve. I began to see the rigged system.
So sorry about your daughter. Good grief, what insanity! That’s heartbreaking to keep you away from your grandchild. I think Rosemary B can unfortunately relate to your situation. Not sure how to tag her here.
I also have a daughter (the younger) that has completely blocked us out of their lives. Apparently it is my fault and my son in law stated we are not part of their family anymore. They have three tiny kiddos and preparing to adopt a baby from South Korea. Our children have turned into dictators
It's so painful. We were very close until all this, visits every week, dinners, get togethers, babysitting etc. I'm sorry you are going through this too 💖
I hope tritorch is okay. He sent out a funny message a couple days ago, that his account had been wiped clean, his phone blocked, and a strange car was in front of his door for hours. Seems he was in a panick (I think it is a he). As for cats, it is easy to get along with even though you don't agree on anything - they change their minds continuously ! As for dogs, they only think of 2 things - food and catching beasts!
But the ants quickly take up my invitation (speaking from experience, as often when working in the garden my body needs horizontal time and the grass is more appealing than the dirt)
I still have a hat a co-worker gave me back in the 1990s that says much the same. There's a cartoon dog lounging about and it reads, "I LEAD A DOG'S LIFE. If I can't eat it or screw it, I piss on it."
I’m wondering about TriTorch too. Hope he (?) is ok. His messages were going on about some frequency being blasted into his head? It was pretty concerning. I hope anyone who knows more can post something.
I English, we have only one form of the infinitive "to be" and it sounds permanent. Saying "I am an accountant" is tantamount to a reflection of identity rather than career, as does "I am bipolar" or "I am a Democrat."
But what if you're no longer that thing?
In other languages, Spanish included, two forms of "to be" exist, one permanent, and one temporary, to indicate to the listener what the speaker is referencing. So in English when we say "I am..." followed by an idea or a belief (or God forbid, a mood), we tell our brains that it's always going to be that way.
In turn, letting go and changing one's mind about the topic is tantamount to losing one's identity. Of course that's terrifying, so we just...don't. We rigidly cling to the belief-as-Self even in the face of changing information.
Beware of your "I am" statements, and hold loosely to your ideas. Practice nonattachment but act with conviction.
When I teach emotions I emphasize this point because language matters so much. What we tell ourselves absolutely impacts how we view the world and our Selves (capital S), and when we don't say stuff accurately it can really hamper communication, understanding, identity, mental wellness, and much more.
It's a bit like 'I am sad' instead of 'I am feeling sad'. That one word can make a huge difference. It removes identity and replaces it with temporality.
Great point about the importance of what ideas can be expressed via language!
I think this is a bleed-through from those careers that are very close to a lifestyle. Police, military, fireman, all kinds of artists and musicians and writers come to mind.
Whereas f.e. a plumber or a teacher need not "wear their professional suit" after hours, a fireman (or a nurse) is sort-of always on-call should circumstances warrant they act.
I think this has permeated the English language ever since the idea of lifelong career with a pocket watch and a pension at the end was demolished in the 1980s. Now, everyone is simply an easily replaced meat-robot the same way it was a century and more ago (Chaplin's 'Modern Times' and Lang's 'Metropolis' shows the ideas of industrialism, futurism and modernism better than anyone), and therefore identification (or rather: "identifiction") has become both the ocean to drown in, and the lifebuoy to cling to.
Thank you, but I can't take credit - it is something I was taught when I started working in a factory, at age 15, making parts for water taps.
"Who you are when you go home, that's you. At work, no-one cares because we're here to do a job and get paid, that's all." is the gist of what the older men told me back then.
I blame Google for the "bring your whole self to work" nonsense that's completely collapsed the professional work environment. No, man, bring your work self to work and leave the other stuff home.
I blame Google for lots of things, but this one I think is older than them. I'd date it to the 1970s, and the radical feminist ideal of "the private is political". If one grows up being taught that, /everything/ becomes political, including your identity.
As I asked students and colleagues many-a time:
"How do you hammer a nail in, in a feminist manner?"
Never fails to raise hackles, and "feminist" can of course be replaced with any identitarian moniker. It's a good question I think, for showing the folly of making everything political, when almost nothing really is.
Tibetan is interesting - they have a ‘be’ for things that are generally accepted (but you haven’t seen yourself) and a ‘be’ for things you’ve experienced or seen with your own eyes.
There’s a similar concept from (I think) German philosophy: “Wissen” which might be called “secondhand information or belief (which could be true or false)” and “Erfahrung” which I take to mean “firsthand knowledge, from one’s personal experience.”
Your bucket of water story reminds me of one. I have a brother many years younger than I. A long time ago a buddy and I were sitting on the dock talking story. My brother comes down demanding attention, poking my buddy and just being a pain in the ass. So he says, “do that again and I’m pushing you in the lake.” He ended up in the lake of course, ran up to get my dad who came down and asked why we pushed him in the lake. We told him why, and my dad just shrugged his shoulders and went back up to the house. My brother learned a valuable life lesson that afternoon.
I have a story in a similar vein with my son (who is in his 30's now). A few months ago I stumbled on a live version of 'A Forest' on you tube. It has a certain edginess to it because Smith, et al, have been informed they must cut their set short for Robert Palmer. At the end, Smith yells," Fuck Robert Palmer, Fuck Rock and Roll!". I showed this clip to my kid as evidence of the attitudes of my misspent youth.
The first thing out of his mouth was, "Who's Robert Palmer?"
My youngest son got all excited when he discovered Bon Jovi in 2014. And he assumed I'd never heard of Bon Jovi. Let me tell you about your parents in the 1980s, son. 😂
Oh man. Those kids aren't as all right as you think. Jeff Sharlet's "super goth kid" wrote a letter a few years ago crying to our regional newspaper that none of the adults in line with her in a local store intervened when a group of typical teenage boys started laughing at her. She was deeply, deeply outraged that nobody came to the aid of her little LGB++++++++ self by delivering an epic scolding.
I couldn't write the scathing letter to the editor in response that I really wanted to because I know people who really like Jeff Sharlet. Pissing near one's own den, it ain't the thing to do.
This is great. I'm a left-wing guy -- or maybe a former left-wing guy, I dunno -- that does not like Kamala. And among my friends and family that would be a big problem. So I don't tell them. But it's hard sometimes when everybody else is yakking it up about how Trump is so terrible and I feel like I have to stay quiet. I want to say that I don't like Trump either but he just might be better than the alternative. But if I do that...well, WWIII. I might lose friends. I would certainly lose respect. Perhaps there's an alternate universe out there with a me that doesn't care and speaks his mind, but for now you can find me in the closet.
Yeah. I’ve been getting a whiff of what would happen if I did the same. My sister badgered and bullied me yesterday to get me to admit I was a trumper. Because I criticized Cackles. I’m not but will vote for him. If I told her that, she would never speak to me again. She already said our dead sister certainly wouldn’t if she was alive so deducing she wouldn’t either. Her trump derangement was quite a sight to behold but very sad and a little scary. I know there are others out there just like her.
But c'mon you lived through the c19 totalitarianism and the censorship, etc.
These are/were threats to our republic. Grave threats. Also The Founders did everything the could to prevent one party hegemony. Well that's what we have, and you can bet your bottom dollar it will continue to be exploited.
I think the choice between totalitarianism or not totalitarianism is an easy choice.
I have a friend of 30+ years. Not sure exactly how it came up, but I had a feeling she had TDS, and she made some assumption about how I would vote for Kackler, because....Orange Man. I said, vote blue, no matter who, no thank you. She changed the subject and we finished our nice, dinner in an exclusive restaurant without an issue. I may not hear from her for quite a while.
I hope you hear from your friend soon. I think it´s ashame when people let differing political views get in the way of human connection. This election season there will be smart, kind, hardworking people voting for both candidates. There will also be smart, kind, hardworking people who choose not to vote at all. Our votes say nothing about whether we are "good" or "bad" people.
The childhood of kids in the past 20 years or more has only become more unnatural and more disconnected from reality. Even before smart phones, which are a disaster for the developing brains of young children, the bizarre safetyism which has taken over parenting is robbing kids of the chance to learn how to actually function in the world - you absolutely nailed it!
I'm in my sixties and my childhood was independent and play-based. Like many rural, small-town kids, we played in the woods, creeks, built forts, invented our games, the rules for those games, and learned how to deal with the cheaters and bullies. The rule was we had to be home by dark. It wasn't neglect at all - my parents' generation knew that kids need a lot of independent play and interactions to be able to grow into independent adults. Now people call social services on parents who send their kids to the store alone. This is nuts.
We walked to school by ourselves, picked our own friends, and solved our own problems. We also had chores to do from a very young age, and my parents were not interested in whether we liked that or not. They were the parents! They didn't try to be our buddies or act like a hipster friend.
The self-obsessed, narcissistic little jerks I see out there in their early 20s are a mess. Many seem to be basically unemployable.
(A great book which address the safetyism issue and the other bad ideas infecting our culture and childhood is called "The Coddling of the American Mind.")
Lucky you! My own child likes today's rap. Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Big Thug XTreme (I made that one up.) I liked Dr Dre & Snoop back in the day. This crap is terrible!
Those that actually believe in free speech, and will defend it, realize that not everyone will agree with them. That is, different opinions will come from other peoples mouths.
While those that oppose free speech and pro censorship, want to hear their own opinions from other peoples mouths.
My wife’s niece had undergone Official Government Training in handling preschoolers. She saw me throwing my daughters into the air (and catching them) and shouted, “That’s a molest!”
Thirty years later, they’re well-adjusted and prosperous adults with children of their own.
Good parenting is inoculative: surviving little fears and finding them fun makes it easier to confront big fears.
Exposing children to el Gato malo may be a step too far, though!
I saw a study about this being the role of fathers. Mothers coddle, support, encourage. Fathers challenge. That toss in the air - that frightening moment of weightlessness & loss of control - helps condition the brain to accept adversities later.
In response to the image at the end, it is nuts to me that the teenagers are into all this stuff from 20+ years ago... it's nice to feel cool but at the same time it's like, "Aren't you supposed to have your own stuff?"
We've exchanged culture for "content" and it seems like society is grinding to a halt.
"i keep meeting 10 year olds that seem more like we were than the weird hothouse flowers i was seeing in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. the kids seem less lost and gormless, more engaged and independent. they lost their faith in “tribal loyalty” when the tribe masked them up and locked them down for years of formative time. they are walking away from online and back into IRL."
If there's a silver lining to covid and the rest of this mess, it's that we're likely raising the most libertarian generation in decades. They will grow up knowing their government doesn't give a shit about them -- and that's maybe the most important lesson one can learn.
I'm sure the libertarian party leadership will seize upon the new zeitgeist....right after they spend the next 10 years crying about abolishing child labor laws.
Priorities SimComm!...;]
Forget the tyranny happening right now, let's focus on hypothetical tyranny that perhaps happened 100 years ago!
Farther back in the mists of time than that! For example, the White European devil's oppression of the dark races that peaked in the time of Colonial powers. Few deny the Black and Brown people being taken advantage of in various times. But with Woke Wisdom, we now know that Caucasian Power is so evil and insidious that it kept those poor primitives from advancing beyond the Iron Age (being generous) even well BEFORE they ever met a white man.
I read "tyranny" as "tranny" for a second. Man, that was weird!
I think kids should work, but making it the law seems like too much ; )
For sure. And they need to learn how to work with their hands.
I could go on forever about that, but I truly believe that's part of the reason curiosity and creativity have fallen woefully short in the last few decades .
Which leads to a bunch of adults lacking wisdom.
Where I am living in SE Asia, the middle class is very small, and poverty is the most common economic status. Thus, children, from a very early age, are taught and expected to work and contribute to the often meager existence of large numbers of families. Given reality, it is NOT seen as abuse or exploitation, but as loyalty to the family. Cultural differences are real and so are differences in perception of reality. Close examination of ALL the factors is necessary before making pronouncements on Relativism. Some of it is valid. Some of it is bullshit. It's up to US to decide, not some "authoritative source". One of my favorite things to say in a variety of circumstances (including a couple of job interviews) is, "In my never humble opinion, there are two kinds of people: Those who agree with me and those who are wrong!" How others react to this - literally or as humor - will usually tell me all I need to know about them.
I am not so fond of cultures that survive by selling their four-year-olds into indentured servitude rather than using birth control after the fourth kid.
I lived in a South Asian country at different times for different lengths of time beginning in 1976 and the poor have as many morons amongst their numbers as any other class in society.
Your example is valid. Those who know nothing of history (as opposed to a summary, which is me) might be surprised to learn that, as recently as the 18th and 19th century, most of Europe and the brand-new Americas were very much like that. Even for Whites, indenture was a fact of life. The Workhouse was a variant of debtor’s prison where even the debtor’s family was obligated to labor. This was so onerous that at its founding the US expressly forbade imprisonment for debt (in most cases; good luck arguing that for back child support!). As for birth control, for all practical purposes it didn’t exist unit the mid-20th century. And even now, it’s only used by a fraction of the populations. Huge families were the norm, as was child mortality. Until modern times, only about half of children made it to adulthood. Again, all my examples are from “The West,” not some third-world hellhole where the numbers were no doubt worse.
The above is, to a large extent, an argument for relativism. Leaving aside the issue of whether moral absolutes exist, the fact is that different eras, or even different cultures in any given “present” will have enormously differing perspectives on what is legal, moral, correct, appropriate behavior. We in the west would never allow our children to slave away all day just to make a few dollars. But we have few qualms about buying those goods when they are imported into our “rich” countries.
Agree. Well said.
The Navy way, and the wrong way.
Also, the fact that parents believe it is imperative to have kids who can speak German, play the bassoon, dance the part of Clara in 'The Nutcracker', be the closer, collect toys for children in war torn countries and participate in a walk to raise funds for the local puppy shelter make 'just being a kid' time impossible to find. This one is on the parents.
Agreed. What are the MOST important lessons of childhood? How to become a responsible, caring, respectful of wisdom and counsel, unselfish, secure and competent adult. All other considerations come second.
Yes. The job of a child is play.
I agree completely, actually being responsible for jack and learning how value is actually created would do a massive amount towards reducing the abject retardery we experience on the reg.
No no, first, they'll get outplayed in their own primary by a liberal with questionable ideas on minors and Lockheed Martin-brand Pride socks and... what do you mean that already happened?
Keystone cops
First things first, Chase out Oliver the current pres candidate for the Liber party!
No doubt. He's a sorry sack...
Last early evening I was walking my dog by our harbor and I met a group of 16ish yr old boys fishing off the dock and eating pizza. Wow, teenagers fishing, hanging out?! Reminded me of the kids of my generation. Asked them if the pizza made nearby was any good anymore. They said no - not like before, way too expensive too and look how skimpy it was. They were friendly, articulate, engaging (nice surprise). Wanted to talk to me. Complained how everything in general was not as good, too expensive, too much crime. Complained how our town had changed in a bad way and not going to get better - not like it was when they were younger (they are so young!). Told me they know it’s going to get much worse. Hate what our governor has done (Newsom - yes Cali here). Omg - seriously? Am I dreaming? I felt hope! Maybe there are better days ahead! Here’s a younger generation with eyes wide open, not afraid to express their concerns openly, noticing and experiencing the downward changes. Dissatisfied and frustrated. Remembering how good life used to be. Not wanting any of the wokeness/change being shoved down their throats. First kindred spirit type of interaction I’ve had here in years. Maybe this is a rarity but I haven’t felt this hopeful for our county’s future in a very long time. Maybe even my beautiful state’s.
YES! There is really hope if these generations understand that one truth!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this, SC! So simple and so obvious.
I am attempting to ask those questions with friends and loved ones. For instance, "Why would you think that the Board of Education cares a lick about our children or their education? Why would we put the governemnt in charge of anything when they cannot stop spending money created out of thin air? Is college the biggest scam of our lifetime? Why would you trust Big Pharma when they repeatedly lie, commit fraud, and keep you addicted to their toxic soup of poisons?"
Asking questions is a way to (perhaps) open up a rational dialogue.
Remember who it was saying that every child should go to college: Hillary. In other words--every child should continue his indoctrination program until reaching majority. And start as early as possible with day care and nursery school.
You cite an important thing, the need to consider the [likely] motivations of different entities. Nietzsche called this "perspectivism” in the sense that each person views reality differently, influenced by his own (often subconscious) desires, needs, etc. You don’t need to be a genius to use such mental tools, either. For example in the case of a Board of Education, it’s probably unfair to say they don’t care about educating children. It'd be closer to the truth that education is only one of many competing needs: A dispassionate analysis of the various stakeholders might show that a certain group, let’s say the elected board members, are also motivated by the perceived need to maintain their power, to insure its continuation (e.g. be re-elected), to remain in goods standing with their peers (not necessarily the “customer”, e.g. parents of school age children), or even allegiance to an in-group (the NEA) fashionable theories of how best to educate children. The above is probably only a partial list of major factors, but it’s a start. A parent or other person might citizen them for not “putting the children first,” but even that is a perspective, and one that fails to consider the other players in the game, so to speak. Another way to look at the issue is that most players lack a complete model of the game. In other words, they don’t have a good approximation of reality, and thus any attempt to modify it or even participate will likely be sub-optimal. And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why your son comes home and thinks he should be a girl.
Well, only the ones who don't break easily. In any era that's the glowering minority that refuses to be crushed.
"Kids are resilient"
Until they hang themselves in the closet after a fight with mom.
Because they did not get the shiny toy or candy bar they wanted at the grocery store.
To be fair there's usually more to it than that.
What baffles me is the narrative that emerges after each case. The parents will talk about months and months of bullying and months and months of "we begged the school authorities to do something."
You sent your kid back every day for months, to be tortured? Anyone needs lessons on "enraged mother face" I will be happy to show them.
I agree. I think government schools have become a disaster. Many private schools are not any better. Some of the best outcomes I saw were home schooled, but not everyone can do that. The throw off line I made is what we see so often in public where the kid tantrums to get what he or she wants. That is a failing in parenting as well as the education system and leads to a lifetime of manipulation behavior for personal gain.
I'm following a case in NZ - a man (custody battle?) took his 3 kids into the bush. They've been there for 3 years.
I think about - the schooling, the NZ government during COVID, the jabs - and suspect he might have very good reason for pulling his kids into the bush, and out of the System.
"i’ve lost friends over it. i suspect many have. you disagree, as far as they’re concerned, you’re literally hitler now, and that’s the end of that."
I'm a gen xer, hubs is boomer. We did not coddle or bubble wrap our children. Home when the streetlights came on etc. etc.
My almost 40 y o daughter has not spoken or communicated at all, not a peep since she saw something derogatory about pronouns on hubby's Twitter. Took away our now 14 y o grandchild too.
That was in Nov of 21. We tried and tried, but she has blocked any form of contact.
Breaks my heart.
Thank you for this deep dive into the minds of these people. I can now understand a little better the cultish machinations of the woke mind virus.
Wow, that is insane and definitely hurtful behavior. She couldn’t have had a conversation with your husband?? Sad. I have relatives (my Aunt & her husband) as well haven’t seen since my mothers death in 2021. They refused to see my mother because she didn’t get jabbed and since we didn’t as well that was the end of that. No contact. Now they’re not doing well (jabbed and boosted with many medical issues) and I probably won’t hear anything from them or their kids til they’re in the hospital or worse. People really suck and I try to spend my time with those who are open minded and kind :)
So cruel. This election I’m getting windows into the souls of many people. It ain’t pretty. exponentially more damage has happened since the jabs. They aren’t the same.
The jabs and the MSM are the virus!
So true. CNN is on my sister’s tv all day I suspect. I understand it. I had a form of Bush Derangement Syndrome. Obama came in then and within months I was disillusioned with him. Things seemed off. Especially when the thieving crooks walked after the economy blowup. They mostly failed up and still continue to thieve. I began to see the rigged system.
Sorry to hear that. 💖
My circle is very small now too. Online community of friends, my son, my husband and my 80 y o parents in another province. That's it! 🫤
So sorry about your daughter. Good grief, what insanity! That’s heartbreaking to keep you away from your grandchild. I think Rosemary B can unfortunately relate to your situation. Not sure how to tag her here.
Thank you ❤️ I know who she is. I believe we have had short exchanges on the subject.
So so sorry. I have a sister with the same virus.
As do I… 😞
Thanks. And sorry to hear that as well 💖
You are not alone.
I understand your disconcerting agony.
I also have a daughter (the younger) that has completely blocked us out of their lives. Apparently it is my fault and my son in law stated we are not part of their family anymore. They have three tiny kiddos and preparing to adopt a baby from South Korea. Our children have turned into dictators
It's so painful. We were very close until all this, visits every week, dinners, get togethers, babysitting etc. I'm sorry you are going through this too 💖
I'm hearing this a lot. 😞😞
I hope tritorch is okay. He sent out a funny message a couple days ago, that his account had been wiped clean, his phone blocked, and a strange car was in front of his door for hours. Seems he was in a panick (I think it is a he). As for cats, it is easy to get along with even though you don't agree on anything - they change their minds continuously ! As for dogs, they only think of 2 things - food and catching beasts!
My dog’s thinking is 3 fold. If he can’t eat it or hump it, he pisses on it.
I’m trying to be more like my dog.
I also endorse lying about in the grass on your back wriggling.
But the ants quickly take up my invitation (speaking from experience, as often when working in the garden my body needs horizontal time and the grass is more appealing than the dirt)
I'm with you...let's get in touch with our inner dog!
Thanks! I just realised that I'm a dog...
Sit! Stay! Fetch!
Lolol
I still have a hat a co-worker gave me back in the 1990s that says much the same. There's a cartoon dog lounging about and it reads, "I LEAD A DOG'S LIFE. If I can't eat it or screw it, I piss on it."
I’m wondering about TriTorch too. Hope he (?) is ok. His messages were going on about some frequency being blasted into his head? It was pretty concerning. I hope anyone who knows more can post something.
wow. that is kind of horrible. I hope he is not in trouble.
I am beginning to think there are a lot of us that are having trouble but we dare not talk about it loudly or at all.
I English, we have only one form of the infinitive "to be" and it sounds permanent. Saying "I am an accountant" is tantamount to a reflection of identity rather than career, as does "I am bipolar" or "I am a Democrat."
But what if you're no longer that thing?
In other languages, Spanish included, two forms of "to be" exist, one permanent, and one temporary, to indicate to the listener what the speaker is referencing. So in English when we say "I am..." followed by an idea or a belief (or God forbid, a mood), we tell our brains that it's always going to be that way.
In turn, letting go and changing one's mind about the topic is tantamount to losing one's identity. Of course that's terrifying, so we just...don't. We rigidly cling to the belief-as-Self even in the face of changing information.
Beware of your "I am" statements, and hold loosely to your ideas. Practice nonattachment but act with conviction.
This is beautiful. In Gaelic apparently they say stuff like “sadness is upon me.” So yes, a temporary state.
When I teach emotions I emphasize this point because language matters so much. What we tell ourselves absolutely impacts how we view the world and our Selves (capital S), and when we don't say stuff accurately it can really hamper communication, understanding, identity, mental wellness, and much more.
It's a bit like 'I am sad' instead of 'I am feeling sad'. That one word can make a huge difference. It removes identity and replaces it with temporality.
I like this. It's not just phrasing.
Great point about the importance of what ideas can be expressed via language!
I think this is a bleed-through from those careers that are very close to a lifestyle. Police, military, fireman, all kinds of artists and musicians and writers come to mind.
Whereas f.e. a plumber or a teacher need not "wear their professional suit" after hours, a fireman (or a nurse) is sort-of always on-call should circumstances warrant they act.
I think this has permeated the English language ever since the idea of lifelong career with a pocket watch and a pension at the end was demolished in the 1980s. Now, everyone is simply an easily replaced meat-robot the same way it was a century and more ago (Chaplin's 'Modern Times' and Lang's 'Metropolis' shows the ideas of industrialism, futurism and modernism better than anyone), and therefore identification (or rather: "identifiction") has become both the ocean to drown in, and the lifebuoy to cling to.
Just re-watched Metropolis with the restored discovered South American footage.
Agree.
You just got a follow. 😊
That’s very deep.
Thank you, but I can't take credit - it is something I was taught when I started working in a factory, at age 15, making parts for water taps.
"Who you are when you go home, that's you. At work, no-one cares because we're here to do a job and get paid, that's all." is the gist of what the older men told me back then.
I blame Google for the "bring your whole self to work" nonsense that's completely collapsed the professional work environment. No, man, bring your work self to work and leave the other stuff home.
I blame Google for lots of things, but this one I think is older than them. I'd date it to the 1970s, and the radical feminist ideal of "the private is political". If one grows up being taught that, /everything/ becomes political, including your identity.
As I asked students and colleagues many-a time:
"How do you hammer a nail in, in a feminist manner?"
Never fails to raise hackles, and "feminist" can of course be replaced with any identitarian moniker. It's a good question I think, for showing the folly of making everything political, when almost nothing really is.
Now it's "equity"
Tibetan is interesting - they have a ‘be’ for things that are generally accepted (but you haven’t seen yourself) and a ‘be’ for things you’ve experienced or seen with your own eyes.
There’s a similar concept from (I think) German philosophy: “Wissen” which might be called “secondhand information or belief (which could be true or false)” and “Erfahrung” which I take to mean “firsthand knowledge, from one’s personal experience.”
So useful! I love languages.
I agree with your last statement. The only thing I ever truly grew attached to was my umbilical cord, and they didn't even save it in a jar for me.
💯🎯🎶🎶📣📣📣😉
And THAT dear gato is how you solve the the existential question of the 2020's-
How did some people just know something wasn't kosher about the great '20 "pangolin/bat-nomics meets faster pincushion" problem.😉
Identity.
You cannot hoodwink (especially with really transparently, lame arguments!), a person that is strong in identity.
THAT is what all the "sovereign" discussion is about, and what "anarchist" really means- one without king.
#follownone #BEtheleaderyouwant #wearemany #wearememory #wewillnotforgive #mistakeswereNOTmade #getlocalised
This is the way; THE WAY WE TAKE IT ALL BACK.
Tip of the hat, gato.
👍👍💯🎯😉
Your bucket of water story reminds me of one. I have a brother many years younger than I. A long time ago a buddy and I were sitting on the dock talking story. My brother comes down demanding attention, poking my buddy and just being a pain in the ass. So he says, “do that again and I’m pushing you in the lake.” He ended up in the lake of course, ran up to get my dad who came down and asked why we pushed him in the lake. We told him why, and my dad just shrugged his shoulders and went back up to the house. My brother learned a valuable life lesson that afternoon.
LOL about the Cure.
I have a story in a similar vein with my son (who is in his 30's now). A few months ago I stumbled on a live version of 'A Forest' on you tube. It has a certain edginess to it because Smith, et al, have been informed they must cut their set short for Robert Palmer. At the end, Smith yells," Fuck Robert Palmer, Fuck Rock and Roll!". I showed this clip to my kid as evidence of the attitudes of my misspent youth.
The first thing out of his mouth was, "Who's Robert Palmer?"
LOL!
My youngest son got all excited when he discovered Bon Jovi in 2014. And he assumed I'd never heard of Bon Jovi. Let me tell you about your parents in the 1980s, son. 😂
Same when guitar hero came out and my kids were strumming to Aerosmith and loving it lol!
My 18yo son asked me recently (he was delighted) if I had ever heard of Stevie Wonder. Ha!
I'm still a huge Bon Jovi fan....since the beginning and their big hair days!
Oh man. Those kids aren't as all right as you think. Jeff Sharlet's "super goth kid" wrote a letter a few years ago crying to our regional newspaper that none of the adults in line with her in a local store intervened when a group of typical teenage boys started laughing at her. She was deeply, deeply outraged that nobody came to the aid of her little LGB++++++++ self by delivering an epic scolding.
haha too funny
I couldn't write the scathing letter to the editor in response that I really wanted to because I know people who really like Jeff Sharlet. Pissing near one's own den, it ain't the thing to do.
This is great. I'm a left-wing guy -- or maybe a former left-wing guy, I dunno -- that does not like Kamala. And among my friends and family that would be a big problem. So I don't tell them. But it's hard sometimes when everybody else is yakking it up about how Trump is so terrible and I feel like I have to stay quiet. I want to say that I don't like Trump either but he just might be better than the alternative. But if I do that...well, WWIII. I might lose friends. I would certainly lose respect. Perhaps there's an alternate universe out there with a me that doesn't care and speaks his mind, but for now you can find me in the closet.
Yeah. I’ve been getting a whiff of what would happen if I did the same. My sister badgered and bullied me yesterday to get me to admit I was a trumper. Because I criticized Cackles. I’m not but will vote for him. If I told her that, she would never speak to me again. She already said our dead sister certainly wouldn’t if she was alive so deducing she wouldn’t either. Her trump derangement was quite a sight to behold but very sad and a little scary. I know there are others out there just like her.
I don't like Trump either Rainbow.
But c'mon you lived through the c19 totalitarianism and the censorship, etc.
These are/were threats to our republic. Grave threats. Also The Founders did everything the could to prevent one party hegemony. Well that's what we have, and you can bet your bottom dollar it will continue to be exploited.
I think the choice between totalitarianism or not totalitarianism is an easy choice.
Great way to put it: totalitarianism or not totalitarianism.
My guess is that there are many, many like you....who will quietly vote for the Don in November. No need to advertise. 😊
I try the metaphor technique. Red or blue it's the same bus going the same direction, just a change of driver and a lick of paint.
I have a friend of 30+ years. Not sure exactly how it came up, but I had a feeling she had TDS, and she made some assumption about how I would vote for Kackler, because....Orange Man. I said, vote blue, no matter who, no thank you. She changed the subject and we finished our nice, dinner in an exclusive restaurant without an issue. I may not hear from her for quite a while.
I hope you hear from your friend soon. I think it´s ashame when people let differing political views get in the way of human connection. This election season there will be smart, kind, hardworking people voting for both candidates. There will also be smart, kind, hardworking people who choose not to vote at all. Our votes say nothing about whether we are "good" or "bad" people.
to simplify: Kamala is more of the same.
Chump is at least different.
No one is a saviour.
Both choices will result in chaos in USA, factions are very deep.
The childhood of kids in the past 20 years or more has only become more unnatural and more disconnected from reality. Even before smart phones, which are a disaster for the developing brains of young children, the bizarre safetyism which has taken over parenting is robbing kids of the chance to learn how to actually function in the world - you absolutely nailed it!
I'm in my sixties and my childhood was independent and play-based. Like many rural, small-town kids, we played in the woods, creeks, built forts, invented our games, the rules for those games, and learned how to deal with the cheaters and bullies. The rule was we had to be home by dark. It wasn't neglect at all - my parents' generation knew that kids need a lot of independent play and interactions to be able to grow into independent adults. Now people call social services on parents who send their kids to the store alone. This is nuts.
We walked to school by ourselves, picked our own friends, and solved our own problems. We also had chores to do from a very young age, and my parents were not interested in whether we liked that or not. They were the parents! They didn't try to be our buddies or act like a hipster friend.
The self-obsessed, narcissistic little jerks I see out there in their early 20s are a mess. Many seem to be basically unemployable.
(A great book which address the safetyism issue and the other bad ideas infecting our culture and childhood is called "The Coddling of the American Mind.")
Thanks for this piece - it's spot on!
My teenager's friends listen to Green Day. Come on, guys, anything from the 90s but Green Day. Sheesh.
Let them know about Pearl Jan "Ten".
That album will still be a masterpiece 100 years from now.
My13 year old twins absolutely love PJ.
Eddie Vedder.....love him! What a voice and what a guitarist.
Lucky you! My own child likes today's rap. Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Big Thug XTreme (I made that one up.) I liked Dr Dre & Snoop back in the day. This crap is terrible!
I cringe at: auto-rhythm, auto-tune. And now, I wonder if there are even humans involved in the music.
I like live voices, playing real instruments.
Live Music is Better bumper stickers should be issued.
I think i get what you are saying.
Those that actually believe in free speech, and will defend it, realize that not everyone will agree with them. That is, different opinions will come from other peoples mouths.
While those that oppose free speech and pro censorship, want to hear their own opinions from other peoples mouths.
My wife’s niece had undergone Official Government Training in handling preschoolers. She saw me throwing my daughters into the air (and catching them) and shouted, “That’s a molest!”
Thirty years later, they’re well-adjusted and prosperous adults with children of their own.
Good parenting is inoculative: surviving little fears and finding them fun makes it easier to confront big fears.
Exposing children to el Gato malo may be a step too far, though!
Might get their brains scratched a bit.
I saw a study about this being the role of fathers. Mothers coddle, support, encourage. Fathers challenge. That toss in the air - that frightening moment of weightlessness & loss of control - helps condition the brain to accept adversities later.
"in one of my all time favorite stacks (in praise of lawn darts) i explored the idea of challenge based growth into adulthood in some detail."
Still my very most favorite <3 you big time el gato!
In response to the image at the end, it is nuts to me that the teenagers are into all this stuff from 20+ years ago... it's nice to feel cool but at the same time it's like, "Aren't you supposed to have your own stuff?"
We've exchanged culture for "content" and it seems like society is grinding to a halt.
have you seen the stuff on offer right now?
perhaps better they use ours.
That's kind of my point. They have nothing of their own and that's a serious social problem.
"We've exchanged culture for content"
Great way of saying it.
To add on to your pithy statement, I think that's also how we became the product....not the consumer.