A Disturbing Missive
I have these relatives (an uncle, aunt, and smallish cousin, specifically) who live on a gigantic piece of property outside Ithaca, NY. They are filthy rich priviledged white people who grow their own produce and vacation in the jungles of Costa Rica. They are, basically, good people, or so I thought, until they sent out a 10-page letter to all their friends and family (world-wide!)detailing all of their personal (and I mean personal) trials and tribulations over the past few years.
Why they did this, none of us knows.
I felt vaguely icky reading it, like I was peeking in someone's bathroom window. Then I felt uncomfortable, like when the person next to you on the bus is crying and you're not sure whether you should say anything or just stare harder out the window. Then I just felt pissed off that my relatives are not nearly as smart as they should be.
Leaving aside all the truly disturbing and unfortunately intricate explanations of health problems, the worst part of the letter was that they kept reiterating how upset they were with the world, how bad the government was, the schools, all those uncaring people out there who wouldn't protect the environment or tolerate other cultures.
Their solution to this problem is to shut themselves off from the outside world with miles of wilderness between them and anyone else, to disconnect entirely from modern culture and the society around them, to isolate themselves completely and, most importantly, to isolate their daughter as well.
Now, I'm not a huge fan of pop culture myself. I think Disney should have less control over kids' upbringing than it does. I don't think anyone should ever eat at McDonald's for any reason. But more than that, I think kids should be raised to be able to think for themselves. And that's what these two (probably well-intentioned) adults have cut their daughter off from. My cousin, having grown up in a world full only of vegetarians and peaceniks and people who think NPR is a little too commercial, has no idea how to fend for herself in reality. Her parents, being too afraid that she would choose to play with Barbie or eat a cheeseburger, have done her worse harm than either of those things ever could. They've left her with no choice. She knows no other way.
It makes me sad, because she could have grown up to be a cool person. And she's little yet, so there's still hope. She's an outspoken kid, so maybe she'll just demand a say in things. But for people who claim that "Question Authority" is their big motto, they've made themselves a nice little fascist state out in the woods.
OK, rant complete. Now I need to go burn that letter.
Why they did this, none of us knows.
I felt vaguely icky reading it, like I was peeking in someone's bathroom window. Then I felt uncomfortable, like when the person next to you on the bus is crying and you're not sure whether you should say anything or just stare harder out the window. Then I just felt pissed off that my relatives are not nearly as smart as they should be.
Leaving aside all the truly disturbing and unfortunately intricate explanations of health problems, the worst part of the letter was that they kept reiterating how upset they were with the world, how bad the government was, the schools, all those uncaring people out there who wouldn't protect the environment or tolerate other cultures.
Their solution to this problem is to shut themselves off from the outside world with miles of wilderness between them and anyone else, to disconnect entirely from modern culture and the society around them, to isolate themselves completely and, most importantly, to isolate their daughter as well.
Now, I'm not a huge fan of pop culture myself. I think Disney should have less control over kids' upbringing than it does. I don't think anyone should ever eat at McDonald's for any reason. But more than that, I think kids should be raised to be able to think for themselves. And that's what these two (probably well-intentioned) adults have cut their daughter off from. My cousin, having grown up in a world full only of vegetarians and peaceniks and people who think NPR is a little too commercial, has no idea how to fend for herself in reality. Her parents, being too afraid that she would choose to play with Barbie or eat a cheeseburger, have done her worse harm than either of those things ever could. They've left her with no choice. She knows no other way.
It makes me sad, because she could have grown up to be a cool person. And she's little yet, so there's still hope. She's an outspoken kid, so maybe she'll just demand a say in things. But for people who claim that "Question Authority" is their big motto, they've made themselves a nice little fascist state out in the woods.
OK, rant complete. Now I need to go burn that letter.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home