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Neil Postman covers this in amusing ourselves to death, which is a gomreat book and heavily refers to BNW, but the idea that there is even a thing as a “profess

Neil Postman covers this in amusing ourselves to death, which is a gomreat book and heavily refers to BNW, but the idea that there is even a thing as a “professional” child-raising “expert” is what is wrong. There are many people who show up in the media as “experts” where there is no possibility of expertise.

magduf 8y ago
Oh please. Child psychology is a real field, and the idea that someone who has a low IQ, no education, and doesn't understand child psychology at all would somehow raise children better than someone with such educational background and training is laughable.
- PhasmaFelis 8y ago
  I think there's some of both. Teaching is not the same as doing, or coaches would be players. A person doesn't need to be well-educated or have a high IQ to be level-headed, patient, tolerant, and loving. But child psychology is absolutely a real field, and even the best parents can learn something from it. I wouldn't dismiss either one.
  - magduf 8y ago
    >Teaching is not the same as doing, or coaches would be players. I think that's a terrible example that doesn't support your point as well. Coaches aren't players because they physically don't have the aptitude for it. I was in high school: the coaches can't be players there for the simple reason that they're not teenagers and students any more, they're too old. Same goes for college. In pro sports, the coaches are generally older, and never have the physical traits the pro players have. The coaches get into it because they love the sport and are good at the coaching part, not because they don't want to play. >A person doesn't need to be well-educated or have a high IQ to be level-headed, patient, tolerant, and loving. You don't need a high IQ to be well-educated in a particular field. Most college-educated people have average intelligence. And being patient, tolerant, and loving aren't sufficient for being a good parent, though they help a lot. Conversely, lots of parents these days are definitely NOT patient, tolerant, or loving. So why do we allow them to be parents? They're scarring their children, and the effects of that traumatic experience continue for generations.

magduf 8y ago

Oh please. Child psychology is a real field, and the idea that someone who has a low IQ, no education, and doesn't understand child psychology at all would somehow raise children better than someone with such educational background and training is laughable.

PhasmaFelis 8y ago
I think there's some of both. Teaching is not the same as doing, or coaches would be players. A person doesn't need to be well-educated or have a high IQ to be level-headed, patient, tolerant, and loving. But child psychology is absolutely a real field, and even the best parents can learn something from it. I wouldn't dismiss either one.
- magduf 8y ago
  >Teaching is not the same as doing, or coaches would be players. I think that's a terrible example that doesn't support your point as well. Coaches aren't players because they physically don't have the aptitude for it. I was in high school: the coaches can't be players there for the simple reason that they're not teenagers and students any more, they're too old. Same goes for college. In pro sports, the coaches are generally older, and never have the physical traits the pro players have. The coaches get into it because they love the sport and are good at the coaching part, not because they don't want to play. >A person doesn't need to be well-educated or have a high IQ to be level-headed, patient, tolerant, and loving. You don't need a high IQ to be well-educated in a particular field. Most college-educated people have average intelligence. And being patient, tolerant, and loving aren't sufficient for being a good parent, though they help a lot. Conversely, lots of parents these days are definitely NOT patient, tolerant, or loving. So why do we allow them to be parents? They're scarring their children, and the effects of that traumatic experience continue for generations.