I saw an interesting quote today on facebook. It was by Neil Patrick Harris and read: Parents need to be more accepting of who their kids are and less concerned about what society thinks they need to be. At face value that does sound very well and nice, and thats probably all people will see and think of it; saying, good for you Neil, let them be, dont judge, and all that stuff that seems to be the go to for the culture today. Its obvious what this is referring to, simply by seeing the picture used and the page it was shared from. But my views are not what have influenced me in what I dont like about this situation. Its the lack of discerning and critical thinking in what was being said, and the contradiction behind it. Yes, parents should indeed love their children and lead them in the way that they should go, and likewise their children love and obey their parents. Thats a given and obvious truth, though sadly for some reason people will argue against that. But the problem with this quote is that if parents did what Mr. Harris has said, they would in fact be being concerned with what society thinks their children need to be. Its such a blatantly contradicting statement, used in support of the cause the post is for, and quite clever because we really arent taught to think much anymore, and the use of Neil Patrick Harris is strong for creating more support due to emotional ties to him as an actor and person; they are more likely to agree and defend it and him on multiple fronts, even if logic were used to show why this is wrong. And thats where I take up issue with it. If a parent takes that advice, that happens to be from a well-known public media figure (though even if it were not it would still be the same case, but there is a certain added strength to its societal influence in it being he who said it), they would in fact be bowing to what the society of today says, and not what their own way of raising a child would be. Theres so much more I had to say, but realized it didnt really pertain to this and got a little off topic. All-in-all, this wasnt a very good quote when actually looking into it instead of skimming and agreeing without a second thought. Perhaps a better way and more truer to what really needs to happens, rather than what a certain demographic thinks needs to happen would be to say: Parents should be more concerned with who their kids are and less accepting about what society thinks they need to be. A small change, but it makes a huge difference in the message. In our society today, kids spend much less time truly interacting with their parents. Now, like most everything else, there are of course exceptions; there are many families that are indeed actively involved. But for the most part, kids and teens especially are less involved, whether due to technology or other outside distractions, they are. And it does take its toll on them. It took its toll on me and had its negative outcomes because of it. It seems like today its somehow assumed its the schools job societys job to raise the kids. That teachers are somehow responsible for how the child is developing in all areas of life, not just academically. That they are somehow supposed to control the kid and discipline them (and thanks to parents and societal complaints, even discipline cant really take place anymore either). And when theyre not at school, they go back home or around town to be raised by society, then have their 5-15 minutes of good ol family quality time at the table, cell phone nearby, and a lot of the times tv on. There really is a need for parents to be more involved with their kids, yes. Not merely accepting them for whatever random thing is going on, but really sitting down and talking with them, actually forming a relationship beyond being their provider, their freelance chauffeur, and cheering fan in the stands. They need someone that stands strong under pressure, that doesnt give up when a child or teen has a tantrum or doesnt want to talk about it. They need someone concerned about them, and yes not concerned about society. But they dont need someone that flippantly accepts them and what society says either, they need something deeper than that. The length of this post surely makes up for the length of absence I spend from social media. But this was one thing I couldnt merely let go without voicing my small and usually opposite to culture opinion. Im sure some will disagree, some will point out the flaws I probably made in this, or will have something negative to say; thats pretty much a given nowadays with these types of things, and thats fine, whatever. But please, I mean it, please, just stop and think about stuff, especially about what comes out of society and cultures mouth. Think about it, what its saying, and then what it really means, and look for the flaws, the fallacies, and make it known. Not for the sake of bitterness of opposition to their views, but do it for the edification of people, and to make it known that sometimes things arent as they seem even when they sound really well. (Im sure Ill get flak for saying this, but I cant help it. Thats kinda how we got to where we are today with our current national leadership and culture). And as always, Mmmm Chipotle.
Posted on: Thu, 18 Sep 2014 06:39:17 +0000
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