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Is anyone else like me and just sick & tired of the boomerification of the public discourse? There isn't anything more wrong with kids these days compared to pr

Is anyone else like me and just sick & tired of the boomerification of the public discourse? There isn't anything more wrong with kids these days compared to previous generations. Participation trophies didn't matter, foam playgrounds didn't create "soft" kids. Its all non-sense. "What is happening to our young people? They disrespect their elders, they disobey their parents. They ignore the law. They riot in the streets, inflamed with wild notions. Their morals are decaying. What is to become of them?" - Plato

DiggyJohnson 4y ago
Would you dismiss any evidence of generational changes in the way children are raised, in the aggregate? Or that changes in the way children are raised don’t affect the child?
- wnevets 4y ago
  I would love to see evidence that showed a measurable difference of an adult's behavior or personality based on the playground (or trophy policy) they grew up with.
  - magicalhippo 4y ago
    From what I know there's a fair bit of research linking improved motor skills and social skills with later academic performance. Here are some quotes from a review article[1]: Research presented in this section indicates that removing play from early childhood classrooms may actually undermine intended achievement-oriented outcomes. Play enhances attention, memory, self-regulation, and overall academic achievement throughout childhood. In short, physical play is necessary for learning. Young children’s motor development has been found to be a powerful predictor of cognitive abilities in the elementary years. A good playground will be exciting and thus promote spontaneous play, a creative process, and it will be challenging which help kids develop their motor skills. A bad playground will be dull and lack challenges, thus not making kids develop those skills in the same way. Thus it seems quite likely that the quality of the playgrounds available at their kindergarten, school and local area can have an effect into adulthood. [1]: https://www.easternct.edu/center-for-early-childhood-education/about-us/publications-documents/benefits-of-play-lit-review.pdf https://www.easternct.edu/center-for-early-childhood-educati...
    - wnevets 4y ago
      > Research presented in this section indicates that removing play from early childhood classrooms may actually undermine intended achievement-oriented outcomes. That is absolutely not the same as having an overly safe or "soft" playgrounds.
      - magicalhippo 4y ago
        You wanted research that showed how playgrounds could affect kids later in life. I tried to show that research suggest that indeed overly safe playgrounds can do that. In my other comment on this article I mention a playground designer I knew, and this was one of the things he worked hard to change. He wanted playgrounds where kids could feel danger, so they could develop and get challenged, but that were still sufficiently safe. A lot of playgrounds here were built to be as safe as possible, removing any feeling of danger and excitement in the process. This lead to less play and reduced development of motor and social skills.
        wnevets 4y ago
        > I tried to show that research suggest that indeed overly safe playgrounds can do that But you didn't, your post is play vs no play. No one is arguing that no play has zero affect on children and their adulthood. All work and no play makes jack a dull boy. Playgrounds for children are a relative new invention, especially for the unwashed masses. The notion that children require a dangerous feeling playground to become well rounded and mentally tough adults is silly.
        magicalhippo 4y ago
        > But you didn't, your post is play vs no play. Perhaps I failed to emphasize, but the last bit was important to my point. Studies have shown motor skills are important for kids and can affect later academic performance, and good playgrounds help kids develop motor skills. > Playgrounds for children are a relative new invention, especially for the unwashed masses. Indeed... yet somehow you don't think they play any role in how kids develop now compared to before they became common?
Fricken 4y ago
It's not a "kids these days" thing. It's a modernity thing. The first person to make a lot of noise about this was Georges Herbert, a French physical educator who is regarded as the inventor of the military obstacle course, and who was broadly influential in shaping physical education programs, largely throughout Europe and the eastern block in the 20th century. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_H%C3%A9bert https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_H%C3%A9bert
yesenadam 4y ago
That's not a real Plato quote. Quote Investigator couldn't find any appearance of it before 1967. https://quoteinvestigator.com/2014/12/13/riot/ https://quoteinvestigator.com/2014/12/13/riot/ p.s. What I'm sick and tired already of is the word "boomerification", and that's the first time I've seen it.
- wnevets 4y ago
  > p.s. What I'm sick and tired already of is the word "boomerification", and that's the first time I've seen it. Ok boomer.
  - yesenadam 4y ago
    Please refresh on the HN comment guidelines.
    - wnevets 4y ago
      Why is boomer listed there?

DiggyJohnson 4y ago

Would you dismiss any evidence of generational changes in the way children are raised, in the aggregate? Or that changes in the way children are raised don’t affect the child?

wnevets 4y ago
I would love to see evidence that showed a measurable difference of an adult's behavior or personality based on the playground (or trophy policy) they grew up with.
- magicalhippo 4y ago
  From what I know there's a fair bit of research linking improved motor skills and social skills with later academic performance. Here are some quotes from a review article[1]: Research presented in this section indicates that removing play from early childhood classrooms may actually undermine intended achievement-oriented outcomes. Play enhances attention, memory, self-regulation, and overall academic achievement throughout childhood. In short, physical play is necessary for learning. Young children’s motor development has been found to be a powerful predictor of cognitive abilities in the elementary years. A good playground will be exciting and thus promote spontaneous play, a creative process, and it will be challenging which help kids develop their motor skills. A bad playground will be dull and lack challenges, thus not making kids develop those skills in the same way. Thus it seems quite likely that the quality of the playgrounds available at their kindergarten, school and local area can have an effect into adulthood. [1]: https://www.easternct.edu/center-for-early-childhood-education/about-us/publications-documents/benefits-of-play-lit-review.pdf https://www.easternct.edu/center-for-early-childhood-educati...
  - wnevets 4y ago
    > Research presented in this section indicates that removing play from early childhood classrooms may actually undermine intended achievement-oriented outcomes. That is absolutely not the same as having an overly safe or "soft" playgrounds.
    - magicalhippo 4y ago
      You wanted research that showed how playgrounds could affect kids later in life. I tried to show that research suggest that indeed overly safe playgrounds can do that. In my other comment on this article I mention a playground designer I knew, and this was one of the things he worked hard to change. He wanted playgrounds where kids could feel danger, so they could develop and get challenged, but that were still sufficiently safe. A lot of playgrounds here were built to be as safe as possible, removing any feeling of danger and excitement in the process. This lead to less play and reduced development of motor and social skills.
      - wnevets 4y ago
        > I tried to show that research suggest that indeed overly safe playgrounds can do that But you didn't, your post is play vs no play. No one is arguing that no play has zero affect on children and their adulthood. All work and no play makes jack a dull boy. Playgrounds for children are a relative new invention, especially for the unwashed masses. The notion that children require a dangerous feeling playground to become well rounded and mentally tough adults is silly.
        magicalhippo 4y ago
        > But you didn't, your post is play vs no play. Perhaps I failed to emphasize, but the last bit was important to my point. Studies have shown motor skills are important for kids and can affect later academic performance, and good playgrounds help kids develop motor skills. > Playgrounds for children are a relative new invention, especially for the unwashed masses. Indeed... yet somehow you don't think they play any role in how kids develop now compared to before they became common?

Fricken 4y ago

It's not a "kids these days" thing. It's a modernity thing. The first person to make a lot of noise about this was Georges Herbert, a French physical educator who is regarded as the inventor of the military obstacle course, and who was broadly influential in shaping physical education programs, largely throughout Europe and the eastern block in the 20th century. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_H%C3%A9bert https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_H%C3%A9bert

yesenadam 4y ago

That's not a real Plato quote. Quote Investigator couldn't find any appearance of it before 1967. https://quoteinvestigator.com/2014/12/13/riot/ https://quoteinvestigator.com/2014/12/13/riot/ p.s. What I'm sick and tired already of is the word "boomerification", and that's the first time I've seen it.

wnevets 4y ago
> p.s. What I'm sick and tired already of is the word "boomerification", and that's the first time I've seen it. Ok boomer.
- yesenadam 4y ago
  Please refresh on the HN comment guidelines.
  - wnevets 4y ago
    Why is boomer listed there?