3 ms·

Ngl if the price for that is a Japanese level of social control, conformity, and their mad justice system... I'll take a car line.

JumpCrisscross 2y ago
> I'll take a car line Push this out thirty years. One set of kids was navigating the real world since they were 4. The other has been mollycoddled with overparenting and screen time. Which cohort do you think will be happier, better adjusted and better off? Then realise that it's not uncommon to see grade schoolers taking the subway to and from school in New York.
- EA-3167 2y ago
  There's more to growing up and being "well adjusted" than walking around as a child, for example the freedom to explore who you are without the "nail that sticks up is hammered down" treatment. I also enjoy a certain amount of diversity (in every sense, from thought to people) that simply isn't tolerated in Japan.
  - messe 2y ago
    Forget Japan for a moment. Walking to and from school unattended is perfectly normal in many countries in the EU. The normalisation of car journeys in the US is bizarre .
    - EA-3167 2y ago
      There is no "US" where something like this is normalized, it's down to region, weather, urbanization and perception of safety. I grew up walking and biking to school because I was lucky enough to live in a nice suburb close to my school. For people who need to take a 20 minute *drive* to school obviously that isn't feasible. The US is a massive country with a huge number of different climates and layouts, which is partly what makes articles and conversations like this so painful to read. Instead of the skeptical, critical thinking you'd expect from HN you get mess of "Car bad" "I wish we had European public transit" and broad generalization talk.
      - JumpCrisscross 2y ago
        > I grew up walking and biking to school because I was lucky enough to live in a nice suburb close to my school So did I. Have you been back? The kids in my school are dropped off when I biked.
        EA-3167 2y ago
        Yeah, they're still walking/biking. I live in a state where I see kids walking to and from school all of the time.
  - JumpCrisscross 2y ago
    > more to growing up and being "well adjusted" than walking around as a child Sure. Which of those cohorts do you think has more freedom? > also enjoy a certain amount of diversity (in every sense, from thought to people) that simply isn't tolerated in Japan You’d have a point if Japan were the only culture in the world with competent 4-year olds. They’re not. We’re the exception. To the extent there is a bubble it’s the American culture of isolating and surveilling kids to and from school.
- mmooss 2y ago
  > Which cohort do you think will be happier, better adjusted and better off? Yes, and have agency and think for themselves - a key requirement of democracy and freedom.
- smogcutter 2y ago
  Consider that the fact that there’s a tv show about it means it’s a novelty in Japan as well. It’s great that Japan has a civil society that makes a show like that possible, but don’t mistake it for more than it is. It’s the same mistake as generalizing from what you read in the news: it’s news because it’s unusual.
  - mitthrowaway2 2y ago
    No, it really is commonplace in Japan. It makes good TV because little kids are cute as heck. Not everybody has kids, and even if you do, they don't remain five years old forever. So even mundane stories about little kids can stay popular.
  - bryanlarsen 2y ago
    The novelty is that the show has 3 year olds being independent. In Japan 5 year olds doing independent tasks is common and expected.
nothercastle 2y ago
Don’t worry you’ll get the control and the car line soon enough
bchasknga 2y ago
We can have a walkable community and still have things we love and do.
bryanlarsen 2y ago
They also did an "Old Enough Canada": https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgBne2KTlDUyxLPg3oalgL1AGh1t5i0hs https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgBne2KTlDUyxLPg3oalg...

JumpCrisscross 2y ago

> I'll take a car line Push this out thirty years. One set of kids was navigating the real world since they were 4. The other has been mollycoddled with overparenting and screen time. Which cohort do you think will be happier, better adjusted and better off? Then realise that it's not uncommon to see grade schoolers taking the subway to and from school in New York.

EA-3167 2y ago
There's more to growing up and being "well adjusted" than walking around as a child, for example the freedom to explore who you are without the "nail that sticks up is hammered down" treatment. I also enjoy a certain amount of diversity (in every sense, from thought to people) that simply isn't tolerated in Japan.
- messe 2y ago
  Forget Japan for a moment. Walking to and from school unattended is perfectly normal in many countries in the EU. The normalisation of car journeys in the US is bizarre .
  - EA-3167 2y ago
    There is no "US" where something like this is normalized, it's down to region, weather, urbanization and perception of safety. I grew up walking and biking to school because I was lucky enough to live in a nice suburb close to my school. For people who need to take a 20 minute *drive* to school obviously that isn't feasible. The US is a massive country with a huge number of different climates and layouts, which is partly what makes articles and conversations like this so painful to read. Instead of the skeptical, critical thinking you'd expect from HN you get mess of "Car bad" "I wish we had European public transit" and broad generalization talk.
    - JumpCrisscross 2y ago
      > I grew up walking and biking to school because I was lucky enough to live in a nice suburb close to my school So did I. Have you been back? The kids in my school are dropped off when I biked.
      - EA-3167 2y ago
        Yeah, they're still walking/biking. I live in a state where I see kids walking to and from school all of the time.
- JumpCrisscross 2y ago
  > more to growing up and being "well adjusted" than walking around as a child Sure. Which of those cohorts do you think has more freedom? > also enjoy a certain amount of diversity (in every sense, from thought to people) that simply isn't tolerated in Japan You’d have a point if Japan were the only culture in the world with competent 4-year olds. They’re not. We’re the exception. To the extent there is a bubble it’s the American culture of isolating and surveilling kids to and from school.
mmooss 2y ago
> Which cohort do you think will be happier, better adjusted and better off? Yes, and have agency and think for themselves - a key requirement of democracy and freedom.
smogcutter 2y ago
Consider that the fact that there’s a tv show about it means it’s a novelty in Japan as well. It’s great that Japan has a civil society that makes a show like that possible, but don’t mistake it for more than it is. It’s the same mistake as generalizing from what you read in the news: it’s news because it’s unusual.
- mitthrowaway2 2y ago
  No, it really is commonplace in Japan. It makes good TV because little kids are cute as heck. Not everybody has kids, and even if you do, they don't remain five years old forever. So even mundane stories about little kids can stay popular.
- bryanlarsen 2y ago
  The novelty is that the show has 3 year olds being independent. In Japan 5 year olds doing independent tasks is common and expected.

nothercastle 2y ago

Don’t worry you’ll get the control and the car line soon enough

bchasknga 2y ago

We can have a walkable community and still have things we love and do.

bryanlarsen 2y ago

They also did an "Old Enough Canada": https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgBne2KTlDUyxLPg3oalgL1AGh1t5i0hs https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgBne2KTlDUyxLPg3oalg...