tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6852127504168336157.post4845793512263284766..comments2020-03-31T22:35:05.492-05:00Comments on What to Tell the Neighbors: There's a Name for ThatSuzanne Lambhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05638520524777530326noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6852127504168336157.post-22591464947143474612012-09-17T10:00:10.306-05:002012-09-17T10:00:10.306-05:00My apologies for the single paragraph!My apologies for the single paragraph!Suzanne Lambhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05638520524777530326noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6852127504168336157.post-25146131275173473912012-09-17T09:53:29.751-05:002012-09-17T09:53:29.751-05:00J. Jahkrovsky, you raise some important questions....J. Jahkrovsky, you raise some important questions. You ask for clarification about what I mean by "spoiled." I would never use that word to describe an entire generation of children. So the question for me is, what do those who write books and articles and Facebook memes about spoiled children mean? Kolbert's article does touch on materialism, but that certainly isn't the focus. She spends far more time talking about the books that portray children as unhelpful and teens as incompetent. The Facebook meme suggests that kids will be incompetent and unmotivated if they aren't spanked and taught a mindset of competition. There is no evidence for this; in fact, Alfie Kohn and others have amassed some impressive evidence to the contrary. I share your concerns about our culture's materialism; for three years in my twenties, I was part of a voluntary simplicity support group, and read extensively about the environmental, social, and emotional costs of having too much stuff. I would argue, though, that adults concerned about such costs should spend more time reflecting on their own lifestyles and values, and less time pointing the finger at children, who certainly aren't responsible for the degraded state of the earth they inherited (or our national debt, as you point out). Also, we can help children become good stewards of the earth, and active participants in a democracy, without spanking them, or treating them like pets, or creating for them an educational system that emphasizes obedience above critical thinking and respect. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment. Suzanne Lambhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05638520524777530326noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6852127504168336157.post-14442135136657309552012-09-17T00:10:50.900-05:002012-09-17T00:10:50.900-05:00As the quintessential man-child, here are my thoug...As the quintessential man-child, here are my thoughts on your article.<br /><br />First of all, the world's favorite finger is the index finger. Everybody loves to point and talk about everybody (anybody) else.<br /><br />I think that generally, people do the best thing that they can think to do at that time. I am not a parent, so who am I to comment on the challenges that parents face. I'm sure it is a very difficult job. I do not think that spanking is a good policy, however, I do know a few adults that could use a good ass kickin'.<br /><br />Do adults have the right to call children spoiled when they sit them in front of the idiot box that indoctrinates them into the world of consumerism? Do we then blame them for wanting what the idiot box told them will make them cooler? <br /><br />When you say "spoiled," I'm assuming that you're talking about material possessions, yes? I suggest you take a look at "The High Price of Materialism," and stuff's relationship to happiness.<br /><br />On another note, these wars have saddled them with so much debt that if I was a child today, I would be asking what they were thinking back in 2003. But I was practically alone in my thoughts then. When I comments in disgust at all of the military vehicles on display at the SB airport and my disgust that we had gone to war with Iraq, my mom chastised me saying "Jeff, your grandfather fought for this country in WWII." I said "Iraq is no WWII." And here we are 9 years later.<br /><br />I do not think American children are spoiled. I think they have been duped into believing things that are not true. <br /><br />But you can only hope to point them in the right direction. <br /><br />J. JahkrovskyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com