Childhood’s End ("Britain worst country in Western world to be a child") [Smash-mouth op-ed]

City-Journal ^ | Summer 2008 | Theodore Dalrymple

[valkyry1]

Childhood’s End?

My favorite SciFi Novel! That and Rendezvous with Rama.

[Thrownatbirth]

But after many years of various redistributive measures and billions spent to reduce it, child poverty is, if anything, more widespread.

That has a familiar ring to it.

[livius]

I think the Brits have had trouble with their children for a very long time, probably starting after the war, with the advent of full-scale Socialism and the collapse of personal responsibility.

About 15 years ago, I was in a small tourist city in Spain and happened to bump into a British tourist who was looking for the same museum I was. She didn’t speak Spanish and I did, and I told her I was going to ask the only locals I saw, a group of kids who were kicking a ball around at the end of the street.

She was terrified and wouldn’t even come with me. When I came back - the kids having pointed me in the direction of the museum, where the mother of one of them worked - she told me that in Britain, you’d never dare go up and speak to children, especially in a group, because most likely, they’d attack you. I was completely stunned by this.

[Jimmy Valentine]

Interesting to note that during the Boer War era, General Lord Baden-Powell returned to England and was shocked at what he saw as the very poor and degenerate condition of British youth. He feared that their poor health and conditioning would result in the Empire being deprived of first rate men.

The result was that he founded the Boy Scouts to promote a healthy and active life with service to country and community.

Scouting, though under assault by degenerate elements within our own society preserves and teaches those positive values today.

[cartan]

Dalrymple is one of the best political writers today. Always worth reading. Thanks for the link!

[silverleaf]

this is awful- I wonder hwo America stacks up, in terms of erosion of marriage, illegitimate births, reliance on TV and computer rather than human socialization for entertainment

[2banana]

Every time - when socialism replaces western thought and Christianity - disaster follows. Every time. Since the French Commune to Nazi Germany to the USSR to now England...

[silverleaf]

Thanks for the reminder about Baden POwell

Boy Scouting values are now under such assault that being a Boy Scout is a disqualifer for public positions of moral authority - have an attorney cousin who was rejected for a judge position because he is a boy socut leader

[sushiman]

Ping

[JoJo Gunn]

The British, never fond of children, have lost all knowledge or intuition about how to raise them; as a consequence, they now fear them, perhaps the most terrible augury possible for a society.

Let's not forget their finally hitting rock bottom, where a toddler who doesn't automatically like anything and everything put on the plate might be a "racist". 

[ikka]

Socialism, a/k/a Labour Party, shares a lot of the blame for this.

[Gay State Conservative]

Reading this reminds me (not that I need reminding) how grateful I should be to my parents for instilling standards and morals in me and giving me a stable home.

[diamond6]

bump

[PGalt]

Very good article by Theodore Dalrymple. Thanks for posting.

[SMARTY]

“A system of perverse incentives in a culture of undiscriminating materialism, where the main freedom is freedom from legal, financial, ethical, or social consequences...”

Britain does not have a monopoly on that!!

[Dr. Ursus]

True,I think the British have a new ad campaign lead by Beck’s “Don’t shive your mommy.”

[Noumenon]

Reminds me of “A Clockwork Orange”

Brian Aldiss was right on the money.

Righty-right?

[livius]

Righty-right.

Pretty freaky, really.