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Disrespecting childhoods
Plenty in the news this morning about the Community soundings report, which describes high anxiety among 7-11 year olds concerning exams, friendships, and the world they're growing into. It refers to a 'loss of childhood.'
Many expressed concern about climate change, global warming and pollution, the gulf between rich and poor, and terrorism.
"Some were also worried by the gloomy tenor of 'what you hear on the news' or by a generalised fear of strangers, burglars and street violence," the report said.
Are we surprised? As Hugh Cunningham notes in the BBC report, 'unequal societies have the most stressed children.'
And on the theme of pupil tests, a nicely understated remark by the report's author could serve very well as an epitaph for New Labour: "Standards may have been too readily equated with quality."
Posted by Kevin Harris on October 12, 2007 at 09:42 AM | Permalink
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Comments
Inequalities and the formalisation of self regard, greed, consumerism, box-ticking and the rejection of the public realm were embedded in the policies and enactments of the conservative governments from the 70's to the 90's (and by extension since). It is the children of those people brought up in this subtopian pricocracy who now suffer - and not surprisingly - when they regard the adult world that has seen (mechanised) violence as the mode of choice for international relations, trade, transport and leisure. Phew.
Posted by: Martin at 12 Oct 2007 15:47:25
