Post AxOlAz7ntIGyfUikC0 by foolishowl@social.coop
(DIR) More posts by foolishowl@social.coop
(DIR) Post #AxOTC3jyPvLU68w9aq by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-08-21T11:56:51Z
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I've heard the concept of "childhood" described as a modern invention. And this seems to be true in the recent history of the US and Europe. In particular childhood is viewed as a time for growth a learning, and children are seen as entitled to protection so that this can happen. The concept of childhood necessitates things like public education, basic social services, after all it is unreasonable to hold a child responsible as if they were an adult. Every child deserves a chance.
(DIR) Post #AxOTeL0ZoFEDlHBfLk by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-08-21T12:01:57Z
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Think of the impact of our understanding of childhood, which accords a basic innocent to ALL people at least for some time when they are young on question like slavery, immigration, poverty... everything. "Think of the children" has also been the rallying cry for some terrible ideas, because this idea of childhood is so deeply valued that anyone questioning it would be a monster. And then there are the calls to treat some (mostly non-white ) children as adults in the legal system.
(DIR) Post #AxOU9mvM4LhvJlk1wG by llewelly@sauropods.win
2025-08-21T12:07:39Z
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@futurebird there is a counter-argument, whose acceptance and veracity I do not know, that prior to the industrial revolution, it was normal for most societies to place a high value on protecting and nurturing children, so they could grow and learn, and the industrial revolution temporarily stomped all over that with child labor, putting children to work to profit industry, and the modern view of childhood is a return to a pre-industrial norm.
(DIR) Post #AxOUJSHNgGF2BXeZvs by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-08-21T12:09:24Z
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In another extreme there is the curious way that a man of 20 even 40 years of age can be described as if he were a child to minimize his crimes or disruptive behavior.
(DIR) Post #AxOVMgyRbRYuaAu4VE by courtcan@mastodon.social
2025-08-21T12:21:06Z
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@futurebird I obviously don't know as much about ants as you do, but I've always thought that if we humans collectively cared for human young as intently and consistently as ants care for any young, humanity would improve exponentially.
(DIR) Post #AxOWJPbHqBSNmj4UPA by rubinjoni@mastodon.social
2025-08-21T12:31:42Z
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@futurebird It's the political issue of privilege: the privileged are treated as children well into adulthood, while the underprivileged are treated as adults while clearly being children.
(DIR) Post #AxOhaa35LWJebnSlwe by ryanmiglavs@mastodon.social
2025-08-21T14:38:07Z
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@futurebird It does feel like the presumption of innocence is something our society chooses to bestow not based on age but on caste, but then the acceptable way to say it out loud is to describe it in terms of childhood.Which is why some children get denied it, and some adults get the privilege of “childhood” their entire lives.Yeah.
(DIR) Post #AxOlAz7ntIGyfUikC0 by foolishowl@social.coop
2025-08-21T15:18:15Z
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@futurebird There's a related problem that one of our social problems is gerontocracy, even as many elders are abused or neglected.
(DIR) Post #AxOxyjHyF3JZTzxkNU by mcmullin@musicians.today
2025-08-21T17:41:45Z
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@futurebird I don’t know if “childhood” is a modern invention, but adolescence certainly is. And there’s definitely a clear pattern to who has to be an adult at 12 and who gets to be adolescent til they’re 50.
(DIR) Post #AxPDLE2G6dC6WbnZHE by exchgr@mastodon.world
2025-08-21T20:33:54Z
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@futurebird sbf the wunderkind
(DIR) Post #AxPH2DiJTfRVqFf7Me by lffontenelle@mastodon.social
2025-08-21T21:15:14Z
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@futurebird I have certainly seen this happen here in Brazil
(DIR) Post #AxPHbwIhhE4WGFiRSy by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-08-21T21:21:45Z
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It also annoys me that sometimes the only way to convey the horrors of violence is to quantify their impact on children or sometimes "women and children."Strangely this isn't even effective some of the time.
(DIR) Post #AxPOrILqh4VofnSLJ2 by PizzaDemon@mastodon.online
2025-08-21T22:42:59Z
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@futurebird I've often thought that if we were to ignore the adults and just report the covid figures on childhood hospitalization, people would snap to and demand an audit of school ventilation and filtration.
(DIR) Post #AxPPnZNXXpe8HJ2D3I by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-08-21T22:53:30Z
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@kelson @PizzaDemon The thing about school shootings is the public receptiveness to "sensible gun legislation" has changed in the US. There has been an impact and a shift. Republicans are simply in the grip of a powerful lobby. And sometimes a powerful lobby can be a powerful weakness.