One of my daughters is currently engaged in creating what she feels is an escape room for children in the torment of mainstream education. She runs an art classroom in Cornwall where the numbers of children being home educated are growing, as they probably are elsewhere in the country. It is becoming a form of child sacrifice it seems - throwing them into the brainwashing exam factories we call schools. Many have breakdowns, but they need a sympathetic parent who is not desperate for childcare in order to work to scrape a living, to be able to escape the daily torment of school.
Yes - the sinister truth about school, which most of us know deep down inside even if we hate to admit it, is that it's merely a form of free babysitting for an awful lot of people.
Yes! Sadly, it used to be the case that only one parent had to work (usually the father in my childhood) to earn enough to support a family. The 'equal opportunities' my mother's generation fought for has turned into 'equal exploitation' - two salaries are needed to survive - the MSM dresses this up as women being too career-minded to have children whereas, in reality, being able to afford to have children is the problem. No wonder they are developing artificial wombs - they need to breed the next generation of worker bees 'Brave New World' style. Born free, but everywhere in chains, indeed.
I did as well. I passed the Asch/Milgram/Stanford prison experiment. Perhaps I want to be asked in ten years as to how I behaved because I know I did the right thing. Many people cannot say the same.
I know others that allowed their kids to be masked for swim class. While in the water. Amongst many other examples of, let’s be honest, child abuse.
Your example of having to imagine a kid being locked in all day with their sexual abuser really struck me. Insult to injury—no where to go—as the laptop class “worked” from home and baked sourdough bread.
Since no amount of evidence has seemed to sway public opinion as to the catastrophe the lock downs and other measures wrought (aside from MAYBE closing schools was not the best idea!), having children look back to those days as adults and question the virtue and sanity of the laptop class is the only way the mess they actively supported might finally sink in.
Because I just don’t see any acknowledgement, never mind contrition, for the sadism many, many supposedly enlightened and liberal people inflicted on their family, friends, neighbors and children.
A very profound and also disturbing essay, David. When I read it I thought 'Wow'. Only on coming back to it did I realise that you were the author. Really well done! I will never think of utilitarianism the same way again.
Nice essay, and my only quibble is the assumption that any group of individuals can plausibly impact on democratic decision making under conditions of censorship. But there's a debate here that I am not trying to incite on this occasion!
By coincidence, I was just this morning looking at Ursula Le Guin quotes to pick one for a future Stranger Worlds. I was late to the game with Le Guin, and didn't get into her until this century, but I became a huge fan rapidly, and Moorcock was always a supporter of her work. Like Moorcock, she spins ideas out of existentialism but manages to secure it and make it more robust.
I like her ethical stance enormously, and while I didn't know the story you refer to here, her opposition to utlitarianism only makes me love her more. I shall be looking for a copy of "The Wind's Twelve Quarters" when my family and I get to the local second-hand bookstore (which is enormous).
The only shorts of hers I've read are the Tales of Earthsea collection, which I loved, but I suspect these to be different from the free-standing shorts. Keen to investigate further, anyway.
I don’t remember exactly the date that the thought struck me, probably into the second year of COVID hysteria, but it dawned on me that the only hope of justice I could imagine was the children of today becoming adults that looked back in anger and disgust at what cowards the adults were and asking us some very pointed, uncomfortable questions.
That is if they have not been too irreparably damaged by our cowardice and neglect.
One of my daughters is currently engaged in creating what she feels is an escape room for children in the torment of mainstream education. She runs an art classroom in Cornwall where the numbers of children being home educated are growing, as they probably are elsewhere in the country. It is becoming a form of child sacrifice it seems - throwing them into the brainwashing exam factories we call schools. Many have breakdowns, but they need a sympathetic parent who is not desperate for childcare in order to work to scrape a living, to be able to escape the daily torment of school.
Yes - the sinister truth about school, which most of us know deep down inside even if we hate to admit it, is that it's merely a form of free babysitting for an awful lot of people.
Yes! Sadly, it used to be the case that only one parent had to work (usually the father in my childhood) to earn enough to support a family. The 'equal opportunities' my mother's generation fought for has turned into 'equal exploitation' - two salaries are needed to survive - the MSM dresses this up as women being too career-minded to have children whereas, in reality, being able to afford to have children is the problem. No wonder they are developing artificial wombs - they need to breed the next generation of worker bees 'Brave New World' style. Born free, but everywhere in chains, indeed.
I did as well. I passed the Asch/Milgram/Stanford prison experiment. Perhaps I want to be asked in ten years as to how I behaved because I know I did the right thing. Many people cannot say the same.
I know others that allowed their kids to be masked for swim class. While in the water. Amongst many other examples of, let’s be honest, child abuse.
Your example of having to imagine a kid being locked in all day with their sexual abuser really struck me. Insult to injury—no where to go—as the laptop class “worked” from home and baked sourdough bread.
Since no amount of evidence has seemed to sway public opinion as to the catastrophe the lock downs and other measures wrought (aside from MAYBE closing schools was not the best idea!), having children look back to those days as adults and question the virtue and sanity of the laptop class is the only way the mess they actively supported might finally sink in.
Because I just don’t see any acknowledgement, never mind contrition, for the sadism many, many supposedly enlightened and liberal people inflicted on their family, friends, neighbors and children.
A very profound and also disturbing essay, David. When I read it I thought 'Wow'. Only on coming back to it did I realise that you were the author. Really well done! I will never think of utilitarianism the same way again.
Thanks, Kevin.
Nice essay, and my only quibble is the assumption that any group of individuals can plausibly impact on democratic decision making under conditions of censorship. But there's a debate here that I am not trying to incite on this occasion!
By coincidence, I was just this morning looking at Ursula Le Guin quotes to pick one for a future Stranger Worlds. I was late to the game with Le Guin, and didn't get into her until this century, but I became a huge fan rapidly, and Moorcock was always a supporter of her work. Like Moorcock, she spins ideas out of existentialism but manages to secure it and make it more robust.
I like her ethical stance enormously, and while I didn't know the story you refer to here, her opposition to utlitarianism only makes me love her more. I shall be looking for a copy of "The Wind's Twelve Quarters" when my family and I get to the local second-hand bookstore (which is enormous).
I like some of her stuff but find her a little hit-and-miss; the short stories are a mixed bag but there are some really good ones.
The only shorts of hers I've read are the Tales of Earthsea collection, which I loved, but I suspect these to be different from the free-standing shorts. Keen to investigate further, anyway.
Excellent essay, thank you.
I don’t remember exactly the date that the thought struck me, probably into the second year of COVID hysteria, but it dawned on me that the only hope of justice I could imagine was the children of today becoming adults that looked back in anger and disgust at what cowards the adults were and asking us some very pointed, uncomfortable questions.
That is if they have not been too irreparably damaged by our cowardice and neglect.
Hard to say. All I know is that my own conscience is clear on lockdowns. I did what was best for my own family.