Found at the DDR museum in Berlin. Apparently making childrens play with each other is communist propaganda.

Parenti quote.

A note written in the wall of a museum saying: A PLANNED CHILDHOOD  The Kindergarten was not only a good source of childcare, It was the first state institution of education that a child would visit. Seizing this early opportunity to convince the next generation of the joys of Socialism, the state ensured that more than 90 per cent of children were granted a place. The day was subject to rigid planning. Children were encouraged to do everything in the collective: playtime, meals and even the afternoon nap left ne room for individual initiative. By Party logic, a good Socialist life in the community was more important than the development of individual abilities
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[+] 2 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (5 children)
  • [–] 3 points 2 years ago (4 children)

    don't really think that needs to be beat out of them

    I am not saying that. In fact I am saying the opposite "They've just barely learned that they themselves exist, expecting them to have empathy is a lot. They don't learn how actions and consequences are related until very late."
    Expecting them to behave any different isn't reasonable. Expecting children to learn how to behave without guidance or help is also unreasonable.

    Like kids don't need to be yelled at or implicitly threatened with a lack of love to understand that they did something wrong, we treat kids as way dumber than they actually are. but it doesn't follow that we then have to literally and/or metaphorically beat morality into their heads instead of guiding them towards their own understanding

    Where did I say anything about any of this? I don't think yelling at children does anything but create trauma. Studies indicate it's basically as bad as beating them.

    But calling them inherently selfish and evil little monsters veers way too close to old reactionary rhetoric for it to be comfortable or OK

    I don't know a lot about neuroscience, but I know some parts develop later than others. And again: "They've just barely learned that they themselves exist, expecting them to have empathy is a lot. They don't learn how actions and consequences are related until very late"

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  • [+] 2 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (3 children)
  • [–] 3 points 2 years ago* (2 children)

    Oh yeah for sure, I think we approach the discourse from opposite ends in some ways and that's where it's at. Like I see a lot of... etherializing? of children. "Oooh they're just inherently pure souls, all bad in this world is only because we don't treat them kinder" which leads to a lot of bad shit too, like unschooling. And it's frustrating after you've worked with them for some years. Watching a child not play with a bucket until another child asks them to pass it to them, to then start an argument, makes you realize they're not divine beings.
    Their brains are developing, there's a lot of tools they don't have. I can't count the amount of times two kids have approached me because they're in a fight and they just don't have the toolkit to get out of it. Learning how to say "sorry" and emotionally investing into that sorry isn't something we have from the get go. Until your brain reaches the needed point, you need someone else to step in and guide you along the path.

    Edit: see this comment for more examples

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