R ~ ’ *art reddm

Before starting this article on

chhildhood I wish to point out pythat the article from last

3

‘ﬁﬁpaper is continued on page 7

‘7§(actually this is a plot to

{‘Egradually take over the rest of I the paper,but don't tell Dave!)

A couple of years ago at St. Jean's Elementary in towm,I was tutoring a 12 yr.old who was having reading problems. The cause became apparent quickly enough,although I'm not sure his teachers recog: nized 1t.It was simply that his real life was so much more exciting and interesting

Ithan the domesticating teacher-

student relationship and envir— onment of school.In school he was looked at as a child,yet we used to talk about his work at the Guardian—Patriot and on the milk truck,his adventures- with women,or about the truck he and hour of his fuiends had bought for $25.0ne day we were discussing reading and I was

‘trying to turn him on to the

idea."But what about your parents?How would they be if they couldn't read?"It struck a strong response in him,and it kind of dawned on me that it was probably the first time in school I or anyone else had said something that implied’that he was an adult. and deserved that dignity (although he was much livelier than most). ‘ The quote at the top of” the page was in response to the classic put—down of a young person - "You'll know better when you grow up".This is often used to dismiss young peOple's views or attempts to undertake problem—solving, For many young people childhood

‘ﬂis an oppressive time when peo- ple are either asserting power

NOVer them or else trying to

give them therapeutic help which

they have no power to refuse. . Those who most strongly

ﬂ ikddefend childhood usually fit

"love and to "help" and wish that

‘ i A.

» i241nto two categories:those who

want children as obhects to-

"children would be free to have

'their childhood";and those who -need children to boss and mold

Wig.

‘" “ﬁﬁnto obedience and subservience

R A} ﬁggur language is full of common @“éﬁhayinge which we would strongly

é""§rmmet it they were directed

I We're a” living here of the some time ..

at us — "Children should be seen and not heard","Forp proper upbringing we must ‘have discipline and control"

In many places young people in fact are strongly protesting as we find out when we let them be heard.

"Some of us had a happier time than othere,but we all ended up in another system of absolute authority,with the young people at the bottom. We could only be as free as our parents allowed us to be. They punished us for refusing to obey.And,just like school, the police would come ﬁfter us if we tried to get away.0ur ’ lives are considered the prop— erty of various adults‘.ﬂg_dg_ not recognize their right to' control g§.Me call this control ADULT CHAUVINISM ,and we will fight it." V

~Yet,'twas not always'thus. Childhooﬁ is a new invention. For most people in this world the idea of childhood came in with free compulsory public schooling after the SEcond World War and expanded with educational inflation.The con- cept has its roots in the upper middle class roughlyl‘ three hundred years ago, although it was restricted to' this 2 to 5% of the population for most of these years.It is doubtful other young people felt a loss at missing out ont his.Painters until the 17 century didn't even have an eye for the proportions of a baby,portraying him as a miniature adult.Young people's clothes were no different from adults and separate children's to didn't come in until the 18 century.

Wide-spread and extended childhood wasn't really pre— dominant until after the turn of this century.My father knew of many men who had gone to sea when only ten or twelve.

And to use a more recent example

until the early Sixties in the Roman Catholic church a person

‘was a full member and was fully

responsible for his wrong—doing after age seven,which had been almost universally considered the age of reason. In non—Western extended childhood has a more direCt relation to schooling. I suspect that this was because pf the competitive nature of schools where young people were rigoriously compared to each

countries

gather and graded,and became not

only manipulated dependents in school but a reflection on the worth of their parents.

The nuclear family was aiso instrumental in creating some of the worst effects of childhood in

our society where young people

' are the property of their

parents.In the not too distant

past.the community(which was. safer and more open than today)

was~responsible and the young

person had many other adult contacts,as in the extended family.

There are many indications that the child today is a heavy burden in time,worry,and money. In a recent survey in 70% of American women interviewed said that they didn't ever wish to ‘have childeen.Many women spend most of their waking hours ‘ looking after young children or7 else_institutionalize them in ' day-care,and the school is often refered to a s a baby—sitting institution.Young people nowad days are ﬁorced to receive

"beneficial" services they often

don't want,where dhce they held useful jobs at that same age. Incidently,onireading about childhood in the past,one is also struck by the surprizing playfulness and sense of fun of the adults.If this is what loving adults wish for.younge* people when they defend child-

hood,then more power to them and

may this spread and~put some life into this often goyless society.However,I strongly protest i§ their intent is

to look young people into an artificial,useless,and meaning- less world. . those who defdnd

childhood as a mandatory process

through which people must go to prove they deserve ciyil, human,and legal rights,or Who Ten forty-three. In exactly TWO I'll ring the FIRST BELL and

they'll all stand still!

So '8 HOMEWORX!

bell!

They'll TAXES! MENTS! MEN ON IAVS! PARKING METERS! TELEVISION! FUNERALS!

THE MOON!

‘have nothing but contempt for

' MINIMUM INCOME GUARANTEED

IINUTES

I'll SCREAM at"em

and take their NAMES and give them FIVE

DETENTIONS and EXTRA NEXT time they won't move after the first

grow up to accept HOUSING DEVELOP- INSURANCE!

POLITICAL SPEECHES!

I r: gt ;: '1' “A Cadre,Hardh.16,l976,pagé 12

-— 8 yr.o!d

treat young people as domesti cated and obedient slaves,I

The following is a Bill of Rights adapted'from Escap From Childhood by John Holt,

l)RIGHT T0 SELFZDETERMIN- ATION OVER ONE'S;LIEEI; '@)RIGHT TO BEJTREATEB NO WORSE THAN ADULTS AT THE OF THE LAW ~ - 3)FULL HUMAN AND CIVIL RIGHTS INCLUDING THE RIGHT T

4)RICET TO LBREETE-AN AUTH ENTIC CULTURE OF OUR OWN MAKING . ‘ ‘ ‘ 5)RIGHT TO EINANCIAL ' RESPONSIBILITY AND INDEPEND 6)RIGHT TO DIRECT AND MANAGE ONE"S OWN EDUCATION 7)RIGHT TO TRAVEL,MAKE ONE'S OWN HOME,AND ENTER INTO QUAS FAMILIAL RELATIONSHIPS

83RICET To RECEIVE ANY

TO ADULT CITIZENS , 9)RIGHT TO DO WHAT ANY ADULT MAY D0

From what I've read and se it seems that young people a not at all reluctant to comb reflectionaand actiOn and ar .willing to fighﬁﬁhard f8¥ th rightseas well asﬂféi fﬁhdaé mental-change in secietyilnc entally,FPS magaziné(Youth L eration,2007 Washtenaw,Mich. brought in 1976 with an arti on"Taxation without Represen ation".Insignificant?Well,th U.S. went to war on the very same issue two hundred years

All, that is, except your potential DEVIATE! rYour fledgling REBEL! Your incipient BOAT— ROOIIR! THEI'LL try to npve all right! THEY'LL have to learn the HARD way not to move!

Because when they‘ve learned not to question the FIRST BELL, they'll learn not to question their TEXTS! Their TEACHERS! Their COURSES!

EXAMINATIONS!

WAR! LIQUOR!

Non-movement V after ' the first

bell is

.the v

backbone hefvleetern