From: Ernest Hua <hua@xenon.chromatic.com>
Date: Sat, 20 Jul 1996 19:30:33 +0800
To: ceridwyn@wolfenet.com
Subject: No Subject
Message-ID: <199607192221.PAA24259@server1.chromatic.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



> >If I had kids, I'd make sure that lots of negative memes were kept away
> >from them until they reached an age where it no longer mattered, where
> >there views are already basically set.
> 
> I am sorry to hear.  I think we underestimate childrens' ability to decide
> for themselves what is right and wrong, and I think the seemingly inate 
> desire for parents to want children that are all but clones of themselves
> is especially dangerous and certainly harmful. I think that restricting access
> to "negative memes" from anyone (including children) actually does more
> harm than good.  I didn't particularly want to get into this, so I will

(Don't make the point if you don't want to discuss it.)

I have a child, and if you don't, you really should try to raise a child
for a week.  What a child considers "right" or "wrong" is very much
dependent upon about a million different factors, very few of which, you
have any serious notion, let alone control.

In addition, a child, in parallel, learns behavior at the same time it
is judging what to absorb; therefore, you can't just "turn on" learning
mode and "turn off" judging, "download values", "turn off" learning and
"turn on" judging.

Most things children pick up are not really that "damaging".  However,
certain things in life are strictly designed to damage.  Anything from
a verbal "fuck you" to an Uzi.  Therefore, restrictions on access to
those sorts of things are not that unreasonable, until the child has
learned enough to understand the consequences of their actions, and can
functionally and socially adapt to their choice of environments.

Ern