A lot is made of the state of our youth, the tardy displays, absence of respect and generally hard to understand clothing are just some of the problems that we have with the younger generation. We all forget that we were once young and that we were as much an unintelligible source of concern for our peers as the youngsters today are to us, but then that is a privilege of age.
I would like to stand up and thank this generation of wannabe gangsters, these socially confused, ideologically challenged young people for something that they have given to me and to many of my generation. Thank you for making us seem intelligent, for making even nonsense seem reasoned and for making our conversations seem almost intellectual. I know that this is inadvertent but you had given us this gift before you had even reached an age where you were able to contribute to the world. You have not just lowered the bar, indeed it will be argued in the future that the bar remains as high as it has always been, what we see as stupidity is in fact simply a new generation’s measure of intelligence, no you have done something more fundamental.
By distancing yourselves as far as possible from anything bearing any resemblance to the English language you have elevated normal speech to an eloquence befitting of aristocracy. By taking the time to consult a reasonably stocked vocabulary for the correct word I appear alongside you as an academic, I can hold conversations within your earshot that are effectively encrypted simply by using the language as was intended. So thanks guys, if nothing else you make me look less dumb.
Unfortunately we are back in the great education debate with Andy at work, should he send his son to a buddhist primary school or a state school? The buddhist school provides the better education but we have all agreed that the state school provides the easiest access to life skills. It would seem that whilst the life skills debate wins out at work, his wife is grinding him down at home and the subject keeps returning. For me this is simple logistics, we need education and life skills in order to survive this world and which can you supplement at home? Those are the skills that are not so important at school because you can provide support. So I have posed the following scenarios to Andy to help him chose:
1- state school, bit of bullying, life skills and a run of the mill education.
2- buddhist, no bullying, no life skills, head shaved*, great education
Followed by 2 simple questions:
In 1 can you find ways and means to help his education at home using, for example, the internet, books or your own education?
In 2 can you find ways and means to help his life skills using, for example, chinese burns, trips, name calling and dead legs?
I think I have helped . . .
*OK so I am not entirely sure that they shave heads but come on we’ve all seen Monkey and that was buddhism wasn’t it?
Gav Young 