If You Read To Your Kids, You’re ‘Unfairly Disadvantaging’ Others

[RickJamesLich]

When have I said they deserve guilt? I've, literally, said the opposite of that. At this point I'm convinced you're not interested in discussing the article and just intersted in making up your own narrative.

I'm stating what the author stated. That being said, I mean if you want to try to defend the nonsense the author wrote, then go for it. On the flip side, if you think the author was wrong for saying people should experience remorse or guilt for taking care of their kids, then welcome to the club lol.

[Dome Fossil]

That professor sounds like a huge Harrison Bergeron fan, but for all the wrong reasons.

[Spectral]

As for the food -- not every parent can afford wholesome meals.

This is, of course, a ridiculous lie. Good, wholesome meals are not expensive by any reasonable measure. It's trivially easy to cook a good meal for a family without spending much to do so. In a nation that provides the monetary resources required to do so to everyone, failing to do so is a moral failing.

[May90]

I'm stating what the author stated. That being said, I mean if you want to try to defend the nonsense the author wrote, then go for it. On the flip side, if you think the author was wrong for saying people should experience remorse or guilt for taking care of their kids, then welcome to the club lol.

The way I understand it is the professor attempted to raise the awareness of the issue of many parents not reading to their kids - similar to awareness of the issue of starving children in Africa - but worded it in a very poor way, which makes it look like he wants people to feel "guilt" for reading to their children.

This is, of course, a ridiculous lie. Good, wholesome meals are not expensive by any reasonable measure. It's trivially easy to cook a good meal for a family without spending much to do so. In a nation that provides the monetary resources required to do so to everyone, failing to do so is a moral failing.

The world isn't limited to the first world, buddy.

[Spectral]

The world isn't limited to the first world, buddy.

I appreciate your always important contributions in the "acccccctually" category. Duly noted. Of course, your comment is completely irrelevant to the current context, and that's obviously from what you highlighted, but hey, I'm sure if gives you that righteous feeling.

[May90]

I appreciate your always important contributions in the "acccccctually" category. Duly noted. Of course, your comment is completely irrelevant to the current context, and that's obviously from what you highlighted, but hey, I'm sure if gives you that righteous feeling.

No, it is not irrelevant. You called a "ridiculous lie" something which is not, because you arbitrarily straw manned the original claim by limiting it to the nations convenient for you.

[RickJamesLich]

The way I understand it is the professor attempted to raise the awareness of the issue of many parents not reading to their kids - similar to awareness of the issue of starving children in Africa - but worded it in a very poor way, which makes it look like he wants people to feel "guilt" for reading to their children.


The world isn't limited to the first world, buddy.

Unless the author/professor comes out and says he misspoke, I think we should take what he said at face value. The concept that not every kid has a properly childhood and are raised properly by their parents isn't some strange taboo thing that most are unaware of. At least not in the states, I know this professor is in England but I got to imagine it's the same drill there too. There are shitty parents out there and people are aware of this.

That being said the professor pretty much is saying people should feel remorse and guilt over taking care of their kids, because some kids may not have good parents. This type of statement serves no real purpose other than to confuse and upset people. Nothing beneficial comes from his statement. The fact that the guy is a professor is pretty alarming as well.

[May90]

Unless the author/professor comes out and says he misspoke, I think we should take what he said at face value. The concept that not every kid has a properly childhood and are raised properly by their parents isn't some strange taboo thing that most are unaware of. At least not in the states, I know this professor is in England but I got to imagine it's the same drill there too. There are shitty parents out there and people are aware of this.

That being said the professor pretty much is saying people should feel remorse and guilt over taking care of their kids, because some kids may not have good parents. This type of statement serves no real purpose other than to confuse and upset people. Nothing beneficial comes from his statement. The fact that the guy is a professor is pretty alarming as well.

Well, I totally agree with that. Personally, I think this awareness makes more sense in the means of appreciating what you have: for example, when someone's life looks bad, they might think, "Okay, but I have enough food to eat. Not everyone is so lucky", - which might make them feel better. Similarly, a parent regularly reading to their children might think, "I am doing a very good job; not every parent can be as devoted as I am". Which, of course, is the exact opposite of guilt and feeling bad.

The professor is not a very good one, in my opinion, both if he meant what he said, or if he didn't express his thoughts properly.

[Spectral]

No, it is not irrelevant. You called a "ridiculous lie" something which is not, because you arbitrarily straw manned the original claim by limiting it to the nations convenient for you.

Go read the actual posts in that line - it's explicitly referring to the first world.

Again, I realize that your faux-neutral, can't-judge-anything stance is very gratifying, but it's also transparently nonsensical. In short, try to make an actual point some time.

[May90]

Go read the actual posts in that line - it's explicitly referring to the first world.

Again, I realize that your faux-neutral, can't-judge-anything stance is very gratifying, but it's also transparently nonsensical. In short, try to make an actual point some time.

The actual post does, the comment you responded to does not. Why so touchy?

[Mehrunes]

No, it is not irrelevant. You called a "ridiculous lie" something which is not, because you arbitrarily straw manned the original claim by limiting it to the nations convenient for you.

So this is the post RickJamesLich made:

I wouldn't really call reading to your kids an "advantage" rather something that you should normally do. For example providing them with meals throughout the day could be considered "privileged" compared to parts of the world where food is not abundant, but obviously in first world countries where this is being read, people would think the idea of that being "privileged" is silly.

And this is ElDoorO's counterargument:

As for the food -- not every parent can afford wholesome meals. I know the right-wing would have you believing the poor eat like kings but that's simply not true.

Do notice how RickJamesLich already acknowledged that the parts of the world that do not constitute as first-world have problems with availability of food. So since they acknowledged it, it wouldn't really be a counterargument if what ElDoorO said was also about not-first world. The message is clear and it's "food is not abundant for everyone in the first world either".

Which is even more clearer with the right wing part. It's an anti-welfare rhetoric. Not only are countries outside of first world generally lacking in this aspect in general, I kinda doubt the opponents of welfare there would call welfare recipients "kings", considering how little welfare there is and what is the economic status of people living in those countries that would need it.

So Spectral didn't straw-man shit. It's just that, as he already pointed out, you're incapable of operating within context.

[Theinquisition]

Well, guess im going to disadvantage some more children.

My daughter was born 75% white, so she is already considered a bigot in many minority and far left liberal eyes.

[RickJamesLich]

Well, I totally agree with that. Personally, I think this awareness makes more sense in the means of appreciating what you have: for example, when someone's life looks bad, they might think, "Okay, but I have enough food to eat. Not everyone is so lucky", - which might make them feel better. Similarly, a parent regularly reading to their children might think, "I am doing a very good job; not every parent can be as devoted as I am". Which, of course, is the exact opposite of guilt and feeling bad.

The professor is not a very good one, in my opinion, both if he meant what he said, or if he didn't express his thoughts properly.

Yeah I'm all for being charitable and awareness of the dangers that occur elsewhere in the world, if that's what the professor is going for, he has a hell of a way of doing that lol. It's one thing to be thankful for the things that you have, but it seems the professor has some weird apologetic complex where he almost feels bad that he has had a better life than others, and projects it onto others, in this case parents reading to their kids. At least that's what I took away from it.

There are definitely places in the world the deal with horrors we probably can't even imagine, places like North Korea, many countries in the middle east, places in Africa, etc, if his statement is something like "we shouldn't feel that we are better than those people" or something, that's something I could agree with. I just think he didn't really mean that, or if he did, he said it in a way that is pretty confusing.

[ArguesWithStrangers]

Can I be a "philosopher" too?

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Well, guess im going to disadvantage some more children.

My daughter was born 75% white, so she is already considered a bigot in many minority and far left liberal eyes.

You've got nothing. We did the genealogy thing and are 100% white in all directions. There goes my dreams of using federal apology money to send my kids to college.

[zorkuus]

If you feed your kids, the children in africa will be very sad. Please think of the children! (not yours)

[Theinquisition]

Can I be a "philosopher" too?

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You've got nothing. We did the genealogy thing and are 100% white in all directions. There goes my dreams of using federal apology money to send my kids to college.

My daughter is 1/4 latina

Get off her land Gringo!!!! La raza la raza long live Azteca!!!!

seriously though, what kind of tool tells people that reading to their kids is discriminatory...and this guy is a teacher?

[ArguesWithStrangers]

My daughter is 1/4 latina

Get off her land Gringo!!!! La raza la raza long live Azteca!!!!

White man takin yo shit, usin yo stuff.....