the point is that everyone is special, because everyone is unique. Mr Incredible had amazing strength and stuff. his wife could stretch. the bad guy could invent things. why is it that when mr incredible uses his powers, or his wife uses hers, it's a noble and amazing thing, but the very idea that the other guy could use his brains to invent things was abhorrent?
I don't know. I understood the point they were trying to make, but the examples and comparisons they used to make it really bothered me. It seems to me that the world is shitty enough that trying to protect young kids makes sense.
as a counter-example: my dad never played on an organized sports team until he was in junior high. he played baseball and football in the backyard, and basketball wherever there was a hoop.
my younger brother, who is the opposite of me in terms of being an incredibly athletic person, has been playing on organized teams (little league, rec leagues, etc.) since he was in 1st grade. In 3rd or 4th grade, he realized that he needed to pick his sport-- most of the kids on his teams had already decided to focus exclusively on one of the sports. Because he could no longer compete with people who played baseball every season all year, he quit baseball, and now he only plays basketball. I realize that there is no way to avoid this. he is now an incredible basketball player. but should kids really have to be so competitive at such a young age?
Similar things apply to college admissions; younger and younger kids have to focus on college in every decision they make. And increasingly, being perfect sometimes isn't enough. people are increasingly competitive, but the process ends up seeming completely random. this is especially apparent among my immediate circle of friends-- one girl, whose every move has been calculated, who everyone assumed was perfect for every school she applied to, was rejected by every school except UNC (which, of course is an incredible school. but try telling that to the girl whose parents have been telling her she should go to Harvard since she was fresh out of the womb). On the other hand, a girl I know who is quite well-balanced, but certainly not as "perfect" as the first girl. She is going to Yale.
I realize that this increased selectivity across the board is the result of increasing college admissions, higher competitiveness, etc. But is this really where we want education to be going?
There has been an ongoing poll which asks this question: what is the most stressful thing that you've had to go through in your life?
Answers have shifted over the years: getting a job (in the depression), fighting the war (40's), buying a first house, etc. Increasingly, people answer "getting into college". Is this what we've come to?
and... yeah. Pokemon kid sure is funny.
Author
Topic: Pokemon Kid (Read 17028 times)