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>Do your children dream of YouTube stardom? Do them a favor: Crush that ambition now. Ah, Bloomberg - always full of good parenting advice.

crpatino 9y ago
They may have phrased it in a hamfisted way, but I do not see anything wrong with the core of that advice. I guess it all depends on how old those "kids" are. If we're talking 10 year olds, it can be dismissed as a (mostly) harmless hobbie, and their ambitions will get crushed on their own on due time (or not). However, if we are talking about young people in their late teens, it would be utterly negligent for a parent to not ask all the hard questions about what business model are they pursuing. Sillicon Valley lottery is bad enough as it is, and computer programming is a socially-appreciated skillset and craft. Artsy types, on the other hand, are ripe to be taken by the first promotor/predator walking down the street.
thrillgore 9y ago
Are they wrong though? I'd say that the streamers that are popular now (Pewdiepie, Markiplier, Rooster Teeth) have a lot of momentum with their audience. Streaming celebrities are a trend at best, and at some point the talent pool will bottom out.
- sotojuan 9y ago
  When I was a kid I wanted to be a soccer player, world famous paleontologist, rockstar, etc. My parents didn't "crush" any of these dreams because they knew I'd grow up. If your 18 year old is choosing a "YouTube" career vs something else, sure I agree. But if your 6 year old says they want to be YouTube famous (vs rockstar 20 years ago, or NBA player now), why bother arguing with them?
  - watwut 9y ago
    Because you are parent and these discussions are literally how child is learning from you and how they are learning about your opinions. Kids don't change opinions automatically by function of aging, they change them as function of discussions, observations and reading. It may be you or little classmate Johny or even somebody else. But no, it is not pointless, because that talking about world is child raising.
- leggomylibro 9y ago
  Yeah, it's not that I disagree with the general message of discouraging your children from pursuing internet stardom. It's just, their phrasing was maybe a little bit extreme.
zeppelin101 9y ago
It's no worse in discouraging your kids from pursuing YouTube stardom than it is to discourage them from trying to become a famous rapper. The odds are against them. In the end, it's probably not worth it.
- colmvp 9y ago
  Not to mention if ones parents discourage them it may also be because they very well know what it’s like to grow up in poverty and just want their kids not to experience it.
- dagw 9y ago
  If you show just a modicum of creativity as a parent you can use your child's passion for rap or YouTube stardom to teach them lots of ancillary skills that could lead to a useful career. Never crush a child's passion no matter how 'stupid' it might seem.

crpatino 9y ago

They may have phrased it in a hamfisted way, but I do not see anything wrong with the core of that advice. I guess it all depends on how old those "kids" are. If we're talking 10 year olds, it can be dismissed as a (mostly) harmless hobbie, and their ambitions will get crushed on their own on due time (or not). However, if we are talking about young people in their late teens, it would be utterly negligent for a parent to not ask all the hard questions about what business model are they pursuing. Sillicon Valley lottery is bad enough as it is, and computer programming is a socially-appreciated skillset and craft. Artsy types, on the other hand, are ripe to be taken by the first promotor/predator walking down the street.

thrillgore 9y ago

Are they wrong though? I'd say that the streamers that are popular now (Pewdiepie, Markiplier, Rooster Teeth) have a lot of momentum with their audience. Streaming celebrities are a trend at best, and at some point the talent pool will bottom out.

sotojuan 9y ago
When I was a kid I wanted to be a soccer player, world famous paleontologist, rockstar, etc. My parents didn't "crush" any of these dreams because they knew I'd grow up. If your 18 year old is choosing a "YouTube" career vs something else, sure I agree. But if your 6 year old says they want to be YouTube famous (vs rockstar 20 years ago, or NBA player now), why bother arguing with them?
- watwut 9y ago
  Because you are parent and these discussions are literally how child is learning from you and how they are learning about your opinions. Kids don't change opinions automatically by function of aging, they change them as function of discussions, observations and reading. It may be you or little classmate Johny or even somebody else. But no, it is not pointless, because that talking about world is child raising.
leggomylibro 9y ago
Yeah, it's not that I disagree with the general message of discouraging your children from pursuing internet stardom. It's just, their phrasing was maybe a little bit extreme.

zeppelin101 9y ago

It's no worse in discouraging your kids from pursuing YouTube stardom than it is to discourage them from trying to become a famous rapper. The odds are against them. In the end, it's probably not worth it.

colmvp 9y ago
Not to mention if ones parents discourage them it may also be because they very well know what it’s like to grow up in poverty and just want their kids not to experience it.
dagw 9y ago
If you show just a modicum of creativity as a parent you can use your child's passion for rap or YouTube stardom to teach them lots of ancillary skills that could lead to a useful career. Never crush a child's passion no matter how 'stupid' it might seem.