Barcodes In The Sand
Barcodes In The Sand
This far and no further, or...
Anyone who has raised children knows that they will test limits on an hourly basis, and anyone who has not raised children will never be an adult. Thus, the Bumbledicks all tend to be childless hedonists who are emotionally stunted.
Discuss.
Having helped raise four of my five siblings, two of my own, four step-children, and been a teacher, I’m not exactly Dr. Spock, but I’m no slouch in this department. One thing I have learned is that children will push boundaries until there is pain involved. That’s how they know where the real line in the sand is, and the real limits to parental indulgence.
You can tell a child over and over that a stove is hot, but until they burn themselves there is no link between verbal warnings and real danger. We reach maturity when we are able to conceptualize danger and understand threats without having to actually experience them. You can tell a child that your work area is off limits, but until they get a swat on the behind, they don’t know the definition of “off limits”.
The Western world has been overrun by very large children. These individuals have been coddled and pampered, with no real consequences for anything they have done. They have never lost a contest, nor thrilled at victory. They have been told that there are no wrong answers, just different ways of looking at problems. They have spent their lives in a padded room of SpecialNESS, being catered to their every whim.
There’s an entire generation of humans who think that those hundreds of thousands of books detailing the experiences and insights of humans for the last 6,000 years are really just the ramblings of stodgy old colonists “man ‘spainin’”. And just like children, their response is, “You’re not the boss of me!”
Children will plug their ears and yell “neener neener” to avoid hearing an inconvenient truth. In the adult world, we call this censorship. Children will form cliques and exclude those they don’t like. In the adult world, we call this Diversity/Equity/Inclusion. Children who are not placated for their every desire will throw dramatic fits, screaming and yelling until the parent capitulates. Adults call this lawfare and protests. Children will ignore rules and boundaries to get what they want. Adults call this voter fraud.
The West has reached a critical line — the children need a little pain to learn where the limits are. Manners and social graces exist to allow all people to function in the public space. Behavior beyond the norms are kept to private spaces. Adults call this discretion. The overgrown children need to learn that life isn’t fair and you don’t get everything you want, and some people win while others lose. Learning compromise and persuasion are adult skills that they should have learned no later than high school. Adults learn to control their emotions and behave rationally among their peers.
The Bumbledicks suffer from arrested development. Their parents were overly indulgent, too absorbed in their geegaws to spend time preparing the children for reality. In the first round of Marxist numbnuttery, the Boomers threw out the old wisdom, thinking they could create a paradise of indulgence. Instead, they unleashed gangs of roving predators of every desciption, preying on “feel good” ideology and terminal naïveté.
The piper has arrived in the form of American Progressivism, and xe is demanding to be paid. The childish games of writing on one’s skin (tatoos), sticking pins in one’s face for attention (piercings) and dressing in clownish outfits to flaunt social norms has grown into an industry that threatens the very stitchings of society. One doesn’t have the right to force the world to indulge one’s ideosynchracies. Institutionalizing “tolerance” hhas run its course, and it’s time to teach the children some manners.
There has always been a place in society for playing Let’s Pretend. It’s call the theatre, where adults can dress up in outrageous costumes, paint their faces, and act like complete fools. Audiences who want to indulge this behavior pay for tickets and enjoy the show. At some point, though, even the performers must take off the clown suits and make-up and function in the real world.
Everyone needs to cut loose once in a while, and that’s why we have sacred spaces like private property, schools and performance venues. However, there must be limits to allow everyone to function without harassment and shock. Self-discipline is not a dirty word, it is the nature of adulthood and wisdom. It’s high time for Bumbledicks to learn the limits tto propriety and respect for those around them.
And if they don’t, I will plug my ears, roll my eyes, stamp my feet, and scream bloody murder until they comply with my every demand.
=====
Today’s pick for cultural enrightment is Big (1988). Directed by Penny Marshall of Laverne & Shirley fame, the movie features one of Tom Hanks’ best turns as a kid whose wish to be an adult comes true overnight, leading to comic moments and genuinely warm realizations. Dust it off and enjoy!
Raging on the Far Side:
E-book: Paper Golem: Corporate Personhood & the Legal Fiction
Contact Bernard Grover at luap.jkt @ gmail . com
Radio Far Side, published (mostly) every Sun/Wed at 7a CST/7p WIB, is a labour of love. We don’t use a paywall, and we don’t sell stuff. We just create things to inform and entertain. But like any good busker on the digital mean streets, we put our hat down and if you feel inspired, drop a coin in to show your appreciation:
BTC wallet - bc1qth6drgzcyt7vlxxpvqh6erjm0lmaemwsvf0272
Hard times make strong men....strong men make good times...good times make weak men...weak men make hard times....Guess where we are? Pax
Regarding: "In the first round of Marxist numbnuttery, the Boomers threw out the old wisdom, thinking they could create a paradise of indulgence."
Once again, "boomers" are being blamed for changes that were initiated by their elders. You mentioned Benjamin Spock, who was the person best known for popularizing the notion that one should indulge children. His book, 'The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care', was published in 1946 and used by many of the parents of "boomers" as a guide to raising children.
It's time to drop this generational nonsense and recognize it for what it is... another tool to keep us divided and controlled.