Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform > Facility Question and Answers
When did adoelscence become a pathology
AtomicAnt:
--- Quote ---On 2006-06-11 01:36:00, Three Springs Waygookin wrote:
"I think the difference is America has over-compensated for its adolcent problems by criminalizing the hell out of everything. Now there are laws on the books moderating just about every imaginable facet of juvenile behavior. What instigated this movement to turn children into mad dog killers I have absolutely no idea.
I would wager to say alot of it comes from the typical knee jerk reactionary politicians looking to score votes by appearing tough on crime.
God is inconceivable, immortality is unbelievable, but duty is peremptory and absolute.
--George Eliot, author
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This focus isn't just on children, it is on everyone. Enter the Nanny State.
How can we expect children to grow up when everyone is treated like a child? If something is slightly risky or unhealthy, just ban it. Make kids wear helmets all the time. Make adults wear them, too. Make everyone use seatbelts. Ban any product that may cause harm. It's hard to argue against safety in a world where safety is more important than individual freedom.
The same goes for trust. Put metal detectors and cameras everywhere in the schools and drug test kids at regular intervals to keep them out of trouble and all you really do is instill a culture lacking in trust and respect. These kids will grow up expecting their employers and government to monitor all their activities, tell them what to do, and protect them at all times. They will never grow up.
I keep hearing the word "accountability" being thrown around these days. You never heard this word so much 30 or 40 years ago. The problem is that the accountability game has really become the blame game and no one is pointing at themselves. Everyone wants to hold the other person, or kid, accountable while making lame excuses or lying to protect themselves. It's disgusting. And, it goes right to the top of our corporations and government.
And, finally, where the hell did this zero-tolerance bullcrap come from? Kids are kids and don't automatically know everything. You have to teach them. Of course they will break rules and test limits. They are supposed to. Tossing them away or harshly punishing for the first mistake is just stupid.
Where have all the adults gone? What happened to common sense?
Anonymous:
--- Quote ---On 2006-06-11 15:47:00, AtomicAnt wrote:
How can we expect children to grow up when everyone is treated like a child? If something is slightly risky or unhealthy, just ban it. Make kids wear helmets all the time. Make adults wear them, too. Make everyone use seatbelts. Ban any product that may cause harm. It's hard to argue against safety in a world where safety is more important than individual freedom."
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I tend to see these things, not as safety driven, so much as profit driven. The insurance industry wants us to wear helmets and seat belts because accidents, paying claims, cuts into their profits.
Helmets and seat belts have to be produce, which fuels the economy.
The gov't could care less if you die tomorrow because you sustained a head injury while riding your motorcycle without a helmet, or weren't wearing a seat belt. They do care about protecting the insurance company's profits.
We don't get to choose which risks we take or even how we want to die (without consequence),if it costs anyone money or violates the prevailing religious values.
If the government were genuniely concerned about the safety of citizens there are many unhealthy things they would ban.
MightyAardvark:
According Professor Mike Males of UC Santa Cruz the notion of adolescence as pathology is rooted in the inherent insecurity and latent bigotry of the baby boomer generation.
His argument is that young people represent the last identifiable demographic group that lack a strong political voice. There is no one to speak up for them and therefore they are a safe target for demonization every time a politician needs to score points from the law and order brigade.
This allows middle American Middle class middle aged baby boomers to deflect attention away from their own shitty behaviour.
It's more complex than that naturally but that's a precis.
In the 60's people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.
--Unknown
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Anonymous:
"I am interested to know what people think
wouldnt all the money poured into these programmes be better spent going into community programmes which strenghten support systems for all parents who feel the family could use some assistance?
I am interested to know what people think."
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You are absolutely right. The money would be much better spent in community programs. Unfortunately, the the vast majority of residential programs for teens are owned by for profit corporations, so it's all about the money, not the kids. Community based programs would have to be staffed by professionals, not uneducated minimum wage babysitters, which would remove the profit motive from the picture. These places are not going go away voluntarily while business is booming. Exposing the ineffectiveness and abusive practices of these programs is the only way they will ever disappear.
Carmel:
I see so many other parents my age that have begun to act just like my/their parents did 15 years ago. Hasnt anyone learned anything? Dont they remember what it was like? Dont they remember the things that did and did not work? Apparently not. I REMEMBER all of the things that were unhealthy for my parents to do, I REMEMBER how I made bad choices and felt bad about myself because of their lack of accountability in teaching me about real life and the things in it, instead just sweeping it all under a rug as if it didnt exist. Am I the only person my age who REMEMBERS at all? I try everyday to make sure I form my parenting around the idea that I wont make my parents mistakes. I wont refuse to speak to them about sex or drugs or violence. I will talk to them about making proper choices, not just demanding they make MY choices. I am stunned at the total denial by people of my generation in making a change to fit the times when it comes to raising their kids. Its really sad. It makes me feel like we have a whole new generation to fear for being placed into these programs.
I also agree that the lack of personal confidence in parents has all but vacated the collective conciousness. Mothers who will let their children scream for hours in hunger because the doctor demanded they only feed them on schedule. I could go on and on about the helpless attitude mothers exhibit when it comes to newborns specifically. They abandon all sense in favor of a doctors orders. And when it doesnt work? They just think something esle is wrong with the kid. Never that their pediatrician might be a frickin moron. Its a sorry state of affairs.
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