Is Britain Becoming More Infantile?

[Fareast]

Is Britain getting more and more childish?

 

I would say that there's a lot of evidence to say that it is. A lot more weight these days is placed on what children think.By their very nature, children have virtually no knowledge of the world and how complex it is. They only learn this through experience.Yet we are all encouraged to become more 'child-centred'.

 

The same goes for teenagers. Some of them are obviously very intelligent but people can grow physically and intellectually but remain child-like, emotionally.Most children and teenagers, I think, see the world in very simplistic terms and thus it's young people who we usually see at demonstations.....etc......with banners and so on, repeating simple two-word slogans, over and over again.

 

People more and more remain solely in the academic world until the age of 23 or longer.The classroom or lecture hall or the bedsit or the internet is their only perspective on the world.

 

Huge, hulking football hooligans are described as "our lads".Young people 17 or under can't be named in the press for 'legal reasons'; strangely, a year later they can vote or already be married!

 

Young people are very much 'tied' to their parents by mobile 'phones, whereas previously, they were very often glad to get away from their parents for a time. Youngsters are more and more encouraged to stay indoors with their Mommies and Daddies.Books at school often only relate to just what the educationalists think young people can cope with. There is very little ' stretching' nowadays in State Schools.

 

Young people must never be 'disappointed' or 'failed', in case it damages their self-esteem.The result is more violence as young adults come face-to-face with the real world of 'hard knocks'.

 

I'm sure that all this has led an increasing number of adults to view the world in simplistic, absolute terms.One has only to mention certain politicians on S.F. to see the result of this.

 

The 'dumbing down' of young people in general, if it continues, bodes a very dismal future on every aspect of life in the U.K.

[JoeP]

Absolutely - we're heading towards having a large number of adults with a child's view of duty, personal and public responsibility and the consequences of behaviour.

 

It scares the crap out of me.

[evildrneil]

Yup - I think it may be a part of our adoption of the litigiousness of US culture which constantly looks for someone to blame and completely abrogates any concept of personal responsibility

[downtroad]

Or is it that life now starts later? Back in my parent’s day, if you were working class you would generally be out working at 16. These days entry in to the working world is postponed for many, we get married later but we also live longer.

 

I know many "adults" who started life early, maybe by having a child, and then they want to re-visit their lost time later in life.

 

The fact is that people have to face up to the real world at some stage, is it not a case of that stage in life just being later in life these days? Later but inevitable?