I tend to avoid placing the blame on individuals (parents in this case) when the problem being described is so widespread. People act as rationally as they can, so if it's that common, it's a systemic failure. Scolding the masses is a fool's errand.
We’re talking about underdeveloped minds in the face of excruciating social and physiological pressure.
I’m pretty sure the systemic failure is, in part, that parents are, en masse, abdicating their responsibilities of guiding their children through the minefield of modern technology, from iPad kids on up.
The reasons why vary - and include being addicted themselves.
I’d love to hear any anecdotal evidence to the contrary - not just a dismissal, or being called a fool.
The society that supports phoneless children no longer exists. It stopped sometime in the 2010s. Taking away phones doesn't bring that infrastructure back, it culminates in something new and worse.
One example is the tension between childrens' independence and roaming and the now lack of payphones. Taking away a cell phone doesn't bring back payphones. It either reduces a child's independence or puts them in more dangerous situations. What it doesn't do is return them back to a time when a couple of quarters could call mom or dad.
You're supposing that there existed a virtuous past in which parents taught their children respect and that if we returned to that past, there would be no need to ban smartphones in the classroom, and you believe that even though this virtuous past had no smartphones.
you’re saying the complaint is that in that era it was also thought of as a new phenomenon.
That makes some sense - it’s been a declining slope, with a huge drop-off point.
But was there also evidence of less-competent people coming out of the end of the machine that’s supposed to produce people to keep the civilization functional?
Probably happened at one time or another - but it was probably also considered a problem……
My original “as a default” verbiage is doing a lot of heavy lifting, but is there for a reason.
Huh? The validity of my take is based on some rule you have in your head? What I'm seeing is someone who is desperate to be right.
Everyone for the last 2000 years has expressed the same sentiment you did.
They all feel exactly the same way. The parsimonious explanation is that this is a bias that develops as we age and like any bias, we're especially blind to it and deny its existence as evidenced in this thread.
I know it doesn't feel good to realize you have a bias, but that rational thing is to understand it and account for it. That too is part of growing older.
> What I'm seeing is someone who is desperate to be right.
I’m desperate to understand what your point is - if it’s that I’m just another old fogie biased against the next generation, then you couldn’t be more mislead.
I’m desperate to have a conversation, for the good of this community. That’s what we’re here for.
> Everyone for the last 2000 years has expressed the same sentiment you did.
I’m not expressing a sentiment. We all are. Entire classrooms of kids are ignoring the authority figure as a default.
That’s the topic in TFA.
It’s…not my opinion. Or a sentiment. Or subject to bias.
Whatever bias you think I’m showing: you should name it! I don’t even know what sort of fallacy you’re accusing me of!
Growing older isn’t accepting someone sneering vaguely and unproductively at you.
in most regions’ school districts.