re <<Just look at the pictures of TJ's kids and their friends. They are almost oblivious to their differences.>>
it may easily and understandably seem that way from 10k km away.
from up close, it seems that they are vaguely aware that there are differences, but that the differences do not much matter.
they are far more aware of gender differences, the differences matter when it comes to team-forming.
in (13 in october) coconut's social study class the kids are simulating an island economy, with each student assigned jobs that pay at different point levels ...
- the coconut has two jobs, one assigned, as were all students assigned jobs; and the other she volunteered for.
- the former, a stapler of assignments paid at 50 points per week, and the latter, a genuine reviewer of books in the library, at 100 points per review.
- the coconut is now the 'wealthiest' in class points and formed her own 'conglomerate' comprised mostly of girls and bought nearly all of the 'real estate' desks in the classroom that are then 'rented' by other students. hasbro monopoly knowledge comes to the fore, and the conglomerate is gaining strength.
- tj: "coconut, how come?"
- coconut: "dada, because my second job is as a contractor, paid more if i review more. the regular jobs are just salaried" (i thought, thumbs-up :0)
- a rival conglomerate of 4 boyz got crushed when they were caught cheating in realtime (a fifth boy they tried to recruit ratted out on the 4) ... they were printing up fake 'fake money' and are in 'jail'. their desks got seized and sold cheap by the 'police' teacher. hasbro instruction to the banker, 'when run out of money just write up more' did not pass the laugh-test.
too funny.
but of course the kids also got an early hint of economic differences, those w/ and w/o real estate, and w/ and w/o non-paper money.
random walk down history, note we never made a big deal of differences but neither did we emphasise common threads except that family is true, and friends are real
jack's class
spring break
birthday party
group outing
girls party
chow down gobble up
no different than so very long ago
coconut and jacks great grandma, great grandpa, and grand uncle
jack's class
coconut's grandpa and 1st wife luchia flaxman, and uncle denny
uncle denny all grown up
tj and brother denny
brother denny's daughter and tj's niece iolanda
iolanda gone wild
tj and niece iolanda
coconut / jack's grandpa jack, and uncle chenny
brother chenny w/ somebody
brothers chenny and tj
chenny's mama and grandma
coconut / jack's grandpa, grand uncle, and grand aunts and friends
erita school mates
erita grand uncle and friends
erita great great grandpa and family
the kids grand grand grand ...
erita's grandpa jack, tj, and grandma
erita's grand uncle percy and fellow soviet officers
erita's grandpa jack
jack's great grandma agatha
erita's cousin george
ioland from russia, covering the beijing olympics, in which erita's cousins from trinidad competed, and partied w/ chenny, tj, and and and ...
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