While I think it's true we overprotect our kids, this article just goes off the rails with crazy after the first few reasonable paragraphs. As part of it's "proof" that the kids these days are down with authoritarianism, we get:
Since 2000, at least 240 campaigns have been launched
at universities to prevent appearances by public
figures, most of which have occurred since 2009.
So, when student bodies launch protests against authority figures at their campuses, that's authoritarianism. It seems he's confusing "authoritarianism" with "things I disagree with."
Yes. We teach kids to answer to authority figures with no resistance and no self reliance. Everything is scheduled for them, all conflict is 'resolved' by others. There's no room for personal growth or developing resiliency.
As a non-expert on the subject this analysis seems reasonable but I think when you consider the rural/not rural and generational breakdown the points the author makes about voting preferences are a very long stretch.
My anecdotal evidence of correlation is that 9/10th of advice offered on Reddit (mostly millenials) is a reference so some external authority. If your new neighbor takes "your" unmarked spot on the street they tell you to call the police. If someone leaves their laundry in the common dryer they tell you to call the landlord. If your pipes leak they tell you to call a plumber. The overwhelmingly common theme is deferring to someone else who is authoritative for the issue at hand.
Meanwhile on the forums I frequent for my hobbies (which are typically hobbies that old white men have) the more common theme is handing out the information or the location of the information and telling people to make their own decisions.
Part of this is probably explained by the "general public" nature of Reddit vs enthusiast forums but my my experience interacting with people in the real world correlates with this too.
edit: The article also seems to have a "omg trump was elected, how did we let this happen?" tone to it which make me think the author needs to get out of their bubble.
There was very little discussion of the most authoritarian aspect of most children's lives, school. Absolute, unbridled authority that gets to dictate all of the circumstances of your physical being 35 hours a week for 12 years, with no recourse and no challenge possible. If you choose to not attend it, they send another authoritarian system to track you down, ie the police.
Its a place where you have to ask permission to use the restroom, for goodness sake. And this doesn't even get into the academic authoritarianism of school.
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[ 2.9 ms ] story [ 33.6 ms ] threadMy anecdotal evidence of correlation is that 9/10th of advice offered on Reddit (mostly millenials) is a reference so some external authority. If your new neighbor takes "your" unmarked spot on the street they tell you to call the police. If someone leaves their laundry in the common dryer they tell you to call the landlord. If your pipes leak they tell you to call a plumber. The overwhelmingly common theme is deferring to someone else who is authoritative for the issue at hand.
Meanwhile on the forums I frequent for my hobbies (which are typically hobbies that old white men have) the more common theme is handing out the information or the location of the information and telling people to make their own decisions.
Part of this is probably explained by the "general public" nature of Reddit vs enthusiast forums but my my experience interacting with people in the real world correlates with this too.
edit: The article also seems to have a "omg trump was elected, how did we let this happen?" tone to it which make me think the author needs to get out of their bubble.
Its a place where you have to ask permission to use the restroom, for goodness sake. And this doesn't even get into the academic authoritarianism of school.