Alexa, I did read your post, several times actually, because I couldn't believe you would say those things. You are indeed entitled to your jaundiced, elitist and pessimistic view of humanity. I think you lack any understanding of human behavior, though, or compassion. I don't have a liberal, rose-colored view--I am actually an elitist libertarian, and believe in personal responsibility. However, I would not rule out a huge group of people in one fell swoop as unworthy of my attention or interest. The huge divides in this society, with the wealthy getting wealthier, damage the social fabric and make this an ultimately very dangerous place to live for everyone. On a planetary level, this disparity is now being discussed at an international conference on the future of the planet.
Part of my post to Penni at XXXXX dealt with the obsession we have with the prefect grade point average, sending our children the message to excel constantly during their childhoods. I think this causes huge pressures on children, and gives them a warped view of reality. I think it also creates little elitists who are so focused on achievement that they sometimes don't develop the character traits that people need to be balanced and happy. I would rather have a creative child who is at peace and has an open, unjaundiced view of people, not wiping out whole classes of them. I would like her to get enjoyment out of intellectual pursuits, but have fairness and egalitarian attitudes. Pushing children directly from high school to the most elitist colleges might not be the way to develop the healthiest human being, that's all. Poetry, and literature in general, are wonderful, but they are not everything in life.
I feel sorry for your children! |
