Alright, trying this subject again, hopefully it works this time. Wikipedia defines intergenerationality as "interaction between members of different generations". There is a lot of controversy over what types of interactions between these generations should take place and how. Most people strongly believe that minors (defined here as anyone below 18) should be taught by adult teachers regarding a wide variety of subjects. For anyone who has read the book or seen the movie called Lord of the flies, they will probably agree that children need guidance towards adulthood from adults. One subject that is sharply controversial, however, is sex ed. Specifically, what should be taught to minors regarding sex and sexuality is fiercely debated. Recently in Ontario, the province of Canada where I reside, Sex Ed has undergone a much needed revamping. I truly wish I had had the type of sex ed that is now part of the curriculum, it may well have saved me from making some mistakes that still have an effect on my life today. Details of Ontario's sex ed programming can be seen here:
New Sex Ed Ad Shows Curriculum Isn't Shying Away From Anything
There is also the issue of how we deal with the fact that, despite what parents may want, minors, especially minors who are teens, can and do interact sexually with others. While intergenerational sexual interactions have been strongly prohibited in most areas, sexual interactions between minors is a grey zone where frequently, more harm then good has been done in the name of "helping" minors deal with the sexual world. Judith Levine wrote a book on this, detailing some truly horrendous practices done in the name of "helping" minors, much like the spanish inquisition was allegedly done to better the lives of the populace, and I strongly recommend that people read it to see what is being done in their name in many areas in the U.S. A brief synopsis of the book can be seen here:
Harmful to Minors - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
I'd like to discuss 2 things here:
1- Do people here agree with the type of broad sexual education that is now being provided in Ontario?
2- How and when should adults and minors interact with each other outside of the teacher/student and parent/child relationship? In today's environment, some may say that no interactions between adults and children should occur outside of these 2 categories, and while I can see the reasoning behind this to some extent, I think that on the whole the drawbacks outweigh the benefits- the old saying "it takes a village to raise a child" is being severely curtailed. Below are 2 examples of this: in the first, a mother is arrested for letting her son walk to a park. In the second, a mother is jailed and her daughter taken away from her for leaving her daughter to play alone in a playground (I'm sure I'm not alone in noticing that the severity of the punishment may be linked to gender):
Mom arrested for letting 7-year-old walk to the park - CNN.com
Does Sending Your Child to a Playground Alone Warrant Arrest?
I think these incidents speak of a fear of 'stranger danger' that is causing more harm then good. I understand the idea of 'stranger danger', but as has been pointed out in this very forum, most dangers don't actually come from strangers, but from family and friends of all age groups, who have much more access to children then strangers do. Another issue is that despite the harsh punishments meted out to some parents for daring to leave their children to play in a public area alone, the government is frequently not keen in providing supervised areas for their children to play in. This, in a context where both parents frequently have little time to spend with their children. The idea that children should be relegated to not being able to go outside if their parents weren't around is something that was unheard of not too long ago. Some may argue that the dangers have increased, but I question whether this is really true, or whether it's more that our perceptions of danger have increased.
Finally, there is the online environment. I believe that the online environment can frequently be a good space for intergenerational interaction, especially if children are taught the dangers of taking it beyond said online environment. Children don't magically turn into adults that can make wise decisions at 18. Learning what decisions to make regarding interactions with others is something that takes a long time. Some (including myself) would say it's a learning process that only truly ends at the end of one's own life. I'm not alone in considering the online environment to be a good one for intergenerational interaction, particularly when it comes to the gaming world. Here is an article that has some ideas, although I think it doesn't even begin to get into games that have a lot of intergeneration interaction, such as World of Warcraft:
Online Gaming Platforms as Intergenerational Contact Zones (Intergenerational Program)
Alright, let's see if we can have a civilized discussion about these subjects
...
New Sex Ed Ad Shows Curriculum Isn't Shying Away From Anything
There is also the issue of how we deal with the fact that, despite what parents may want, minors, especially minors who are teens, can and do interact sexually with others. While intergenerational sexual interactions have been strongly prohibited in most areas, sexual interactions between minors is a grey zone where frequently, more harm then good has been done in the name of "helping" minors deal with the sexual world. Judith Levine wrote a book on this, detailing some truly horrendous practices done in the name of "helping" minors, much like the spanish inquisition was allegedly done to better the lives of the populace, and I strongly recommend that people read it to see what is being done in their name in many areas in the U.S. A brief synopsis of the book can be seen here:
Harmful to Minors - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
I'd like to discuss 2 things here:
1- Do people here agree with the type of broad sexual education that is now being provided in Ontario?
2- How and when should adults and minors interact with each other outside of the teacher/student and parent/child relationship? In today's environment, some may say that no interactions between adults and children should occur outside of these 2 categories, and while I can see the reasoning behind this to some extent, I think that on the whole the drawbacks outweigh the benefits- the old saying "it takes a village to raise a child" is being severely curtailed. Below are 2 examples of this: in the first, a mother is arrested for letting her son walk to a park. In the second, a mother is jailed and her daughter taken away from her for leaving her daughter to play alone in a playground (I'm sure I'm not alone in noticing that the severity of the punishment may be linked to gender):
Mom arrested for letting 7-year-old walk to the park - CNN.com
Does Sending Your Child to a Playground Alone Warrant Arrest?
I think these incidents speak of a fear of 'stranger danger' that is causing more harm then good. I understand the idea of 'stranger danger', but as has been pointed out in this very forum, most dangers don't actually come from strangers, but from family and friends of all age groups, who have much more access to children then strangers do. Another issue is that despite the harsh punishments meted out to some parents for daring to leave their children to play in a public area alone, the government is frequently not keen in providing supervised areas for their children to play in. This, in a context where both parents frequently have little time to spend with their children. The idea that children should be relegated to not being able to go outside if their parents weren't around is something that was unheard of not too long ago. Some may argue that the dangers have increased, but I question whether this is really true, or whether it's more that our perceptions of danger have increased.
Finally, there is the online environment. I believe that the online environment can frequently be a good space for intergenerational interaction, especially if children are taught the dangers of taking it beyond said online environment. Children don't magically turn into adults that can make wise decisions at 18. Learning what decisions to make regarding interactions with others is something that takes a long time. Some (including myself) would say it's a learning process that only truly ends at the end of one's own life. I'm not alone in considering the online environment to be a good one for intergenerational interaction, particularly when it comes to the gaming world. Here is an article that has some ideas, although I think it doesn't even begin to get into games that have a lot of intergeneration interaction, such as World of Warcraft:
Online Gaming Platforms as Intergenerational Contact Zones (Intergenerational Program)
Alright, let's see if we can have a civilized discussion about these subjects
...
